THOUSAND OAKS, Calif — In the wake of Catwoman’s dismal opening weekend at the box office — with the $90 million Warner Bros. release snagging just $17 million — the Internet’s original Katwoman has issued a provocative challenge to film star Halle Berry.
Shannon Marie Codner (www.katwoman.com), known online as Katwoman since the mid-’90s, has offered to go toe-to-toe with Berry in a topless “katfight.” Ms. Codner said she was moved by critical huzzahs that greeted the film and the disappointing opening gross.
“I’m not the type who hits a girl when she’s down, especially when I’m such a huge fan,” Ms. Codner said. “But the Oscar winner has strolled into the wrong lair here, and there’s a certain amount of feline honor at stake. I’ll meet her anywhere… on Playboy TV, on the Web — even the corner of Sunset and Doheny. “Not to be catty or anything, but I was miffed at GQ Magazine, which this month calls Halle ‘the Sexiest Catwoman Alive,'” said Kevin Tealey of Bakersfield, Calif., a longtime Katwoman fan. “Halle is a brilliant actress and a great person and all, but that role is already spoken for.”
The Katfight challenge coincides with the debut of Ms. Codner’s first – and free — nude layout on the Katwoman site. The popular Net model will be posting classy new images on the site on a regular basis, in keeping with her vow to retain the title of “Sexiest Katwoman.”
Ironically, Halle Berry and Shannon Marie Codner have a good deal in common. Both actresses have links to comic book characters – Berry to X-Men, Ms. Codner to the new Barelee Human strip.
Barelee Human, the first in a new breed of comic book superheroes, is the brainchild of renowned illustrator George Delorenzo of King Comics, who Ms. Codner inspired. Together, they have created a hot new character that promises to take the graphic novel to places it has never gone before. Ms. Codner is now seeking investors to bring the comic strip to the big screen.
The plot follows Barelee, a pin-up superhero who has been sheltered all her life. A sweet, innocent, country girl, she comes to the big city for the first time and strange things begin to happen to her after an unfortunate incident. She soon discovers that she has superpowers; the more intense she becomes, the more revealing her clothes (or lack thereof) are. These powers — levitation, the ability to walk through walls, telepathy – evolve and expand as the series continues. The content of the strip is provocative; highlights and behind-the-scenes material will be available on the Katwoman site.
Meanwhile, Berry’s publicist is invited to ping Ms. Codner at [email protected]. And let the fur fly.