Selina Kyle has just revealed something that many have suspected for years.

In the newly released issue of the DC comic book Catwoman -- Number 39, to be exact -- Selina shares a kiss with another woman and confirms that she is bisexual.

The woman in question is a new character named Eiko Hasigawa, who has taken over the Catwoman persona in the wake of Selina's sort-of retirement (she now runs a Gotham City crime syndicate). Selina confronts Eiko and they lock lips, confirming rumors that have swirled around the 75-year-old character for a while now. Although she is the original Catwoman, Selina is actually the second character who has donned the ears to come out: Her protege Holly Robinson, who became Catwoman for a while in the mid-2000s, was openly gay.

Catwoman writer Genevieve Valentine discussed the revelation about Selina on her blog, saying it was "indispensable" in the arc she is currently scripting to establish Selina as "canon bisexual." She adds:

She’s flirted around it -- often quite literally -- for years now; for me, this wasn’t a revelation so much as a confirmation...Eiko seemed like the right person: intelligent, driven, in that uncanny valley of Almost Catwoman, and knows enough about Selina that their honesty has become something of a shelter in a situation that’s getting increasingly dishonest for everybody involved.

Valentine also goes on to say:

Was it a surprise for them? In terms of their sexualities, not particularly; certainly it’s no surprise to Selina that she has an attraction to a woman.

Valentine fully intends to explore the relationship between Selina and Eiko (see the panel below), but assures fans that Selina's longstanding and complicated romantic history with Batman won't be forgotten: "Her relationship with Batman has fundamental cracks they both know about, and there’s a lot of work ahead of them if they ever plan to fix those."

(via Heatvision)