Review Shooter: Catwoman 1
There is a legend that a cat has 9 lives, I’m sure its not true or people wouldn’t lose their pets so easily, but Catwoman does seem to have a lot of lives. While she is a popular Batman character, DC has tried on several occasions to give her her own on-going title with mixed results. With the recent relaunch, DC figured they would try their luck once more. Does this cat finally purr?
The first thing that you’ll notice about this book is DC is once again playing funny with the rules of the relaunch. While most Bat-books seem to be uneffected, Catwoman is a complete reboot as she doesn’t know who Batman is (under the mask) and according to her MANY internal monologues, she doesn’t believe he knows who she is. There also seems to be some changes to her origins, but we only get a glimpse of it in her Metroid-esque flashback to a Russian mob member.
The second thing you’ll notice, and I generally don’t harp on the subject, but the over sexualization of the book. I’ve always loved Catwoman as a character, and I also thought she was one of comic’s better female characters. A female who isn’t afraid to use the fact that she is gorgeous to her advantage at times, but she is also tough, smart and cunning. While some of these qualities are on display, especially her ruthlessness, it seems like her sexual nature is put on display more.
We are introduced to Selina Kyle/Catwoman in the process of exiting her apartment as apparently some evil men have tracked her down. We see her getting changed into her Catwoman costume, which features a ton of close-ups of her red bra. I mention that for the fact that on the entire first page, you don’t see her face, instead the “camera” is situated firmly on her breasts.
The picture above is the first time we see Catwoman in full. And as you can see above, she hasn’t finished getting dressed yet! The comic tones it down for the middle portion, but then let’s say an old flame comes to visit at the end, and the two quickly get it on. And yes, the comic ends with Catwoman bedding a man.
Now that THOSE two things are out of the way, I can finally talk about the comic itself. Which aside from the two issues, is really a solid read. I like this Catwoman to a degree. She kind of reminds me of Batman of sorts, in the sense that she uses disguises to gain intel and has her own “base” in this case a good friend’s apartment. I would also point out that she looks fantastic in a red wig. Not a lot actually happens in this comic. Its more of an introduction to the new Catwoman status quo with her friend, her relationship with Batman and of course the general set-up of the comic, I imagine.
The art in this book, gratuitous shots included, is some of the best in the relaunch to date to me anyhow. The colors and the style really jumps out of the pages. Like I said, we get to see Selina in a red wig, and it really works because its so well-pronounced in the book’s style. I would recommend flipping through it if nothing else to take a gander at it.
Survival Rating: Life Support- The book looks like it may have a market, but I can also see it turning off some die-hard Selina/Catwoman fans. I am curious to see where the story goes because right now there isn’t much of a hook.
Recommendation: Borrow It!– Like I said, the art is fantastic, but great art alone doesn’t make a fantastic book. I felt there was too much internal dialogue with Selina, which can always kind of go on too long depending on the writer, and it really hurts here. There is a fun action scene, but that’s about it.
