'Sorry guys - but I'm gay!'

A new superhero is protecting Gotham City, with Batwoman making a comeback to comic book shelves 27 years after she was killed off. And the leather-clad public protector is not just resurrected - she's coming out of the proverbial batcave, with the revelation that she is a lesbian.

DC Comics will be unveiling the new Batwoman in July as part of the ongoing weekly comic book series 52. "We decided to give her a different point of view," say vice president and executive editor at DC Dan Didio. "We wanted to make her a more unique personality than others in the Bat-family. That's one of the reasons we went in this direction."

The new Batwoman, whose 'real' name is Kathy Kane, will have flowing red hair, knee-high red boots with spiked heels, and a very provocative skin-tight black outfit. "She's a socialite from Gotham high society," DiDio said. "She has some past connection with Bruce Wayne. And she's also had a past love affair with one of our lead characters, Renee Montoya." Montoya is a former female police detective in Gotham City.

Batwoman's reappearance comes at a time when other DC superheroes - including Batman and Wonder Woman - have disappeared, leaving the city in turmoil.

Batwoman's new sexual preference has split comic book fans' opinion. "Wouldn't ugly people as heroes be more groundbreaking?" asked one website forum poster. "You know, 200-pound woman, man with horseshoe hair loss pattern, people with cold sores, etc.?"

DiDio asked that people suspend judgement until they see the comic book. "Judge us by the story and character we create," he said. "We are confident that we are telling a great story with a strong, complex character."

-Unfortunetly the comic will be written by a straight, white, homophobic, male, that still lives in his parents basement. So expect it to be big boobs, skin tight outfits, and lots of girl on girl kissing, and lots of hair pulling.