Catwoman #1 by Judd Winnick and Guillem March caused all sorts of kaffuffle in September. That has mostly settled. Fans either moved on to other things or stuck around to enjoy the show. I’m of the latter demographic. I kept reading the “rated T+” comic for it’s “dynamics first, reality second” art style and the “one/two” combo of gritty action and boisterous exploration of the grindhouse genre. Think Scorcese meets Tarantino, throw a little cop action in there too. Despite some flaws this title wins me over with its defiant indulgence. It’s in your face and not getting out of it.
Structured more like a bronze age comic than any other “New 52” comic, Catwoman delivers a full story each month while simultaneously serving up a dollop of “on-going” plot points. Each issue could easily be anyone’s first without them missing a step. Issue #5 opens with Catwoman half a mile in the air, plummeting towards certain death. This is inter-cut with a flashback of the beginnings of her career in crime. Both are a view into Selina’s character. When things are bad, she finds a way to have fun, to derive pleasure from the situation, to see the good side even if that side is bad.
Having swung into a construction site we see a display of Selina’s toughness. She painfully replaces her left shoulder back into its socket. She does this quietly, for she is being stalked by the nouveaux-punk styled metahuman known as Reach. March’s artwork here is brilliantly kinetic. It ignores reality in favor of brashness and movement.
The main plot involves Selina stealing a vast amount of money which turns out to have been laundered by corrupt cops. Kyle must lay low and play it safe, for the police will no doubt be looking to for their money. Pfft! Why do that when you can blow it on massages and champagne? Oops. Bad move for Selina, great move for the reader because a loud and brazen car/motorcycle chase ensues. There is also a sub-plot – which is making its way towards the surface – involving detective Alvarez figuring out that several robberies are Catwoman’s. The art here is messily kinetic, all over the place, chaotic and it works. If Liefeld had more elegant lines, an ability to draw backgrounds and a good command of facial expressions his work might look a bit like this. But where Liefeld adamantly strums one distorted chord repeatedly, March sweeps and arpeggiates his way into your eyeballs. This book is indeed a blaring and shrieking affair. It has subtlety but not enough to tame its cocky swagger.
There are flaws in this book. For one, it seems that Selina went from utterly distraught at Lola’s death to party animal in a matter of weeks. It could be that she is simply burying her grief in indulgences but if that’s the case it hasn’t been made clear. Additionally, though this book is well constructed, I can’t honestly say it’s anymore than just good mainstream entertainment. There’s a bit of a lack of literary depth that I might like to see. I’m guessing this is a conscious decision and probably a good one. Nonetheless, I’m left wanting for a bit more substance than it already has. Another criticism is the transparency of the subplot. I can’t say I’ll be surprised by anything that’s about to happen with Alvarez. Here’s hoping I’ll be proved wrong and he doesn’t hook up with Catwoman, sympathize with her situation and let her off the hook for the crimes she’s committed. Finally, some fans will no doubt complain at what they’ll interpret as exploitative use of sexual titillation. It’s a stylistic choice the creators have made and this will rub some readers the wrong way. “Viewer discretion is advised”.
In conclusion: This may or may not be a Catwoman run as beloved as Brubaker’s, time will tell. Catwoman may not be the great American graphic novel but its delivered with so much strut and is so ballsy that I can’t dismiss it as average. And frankly, in this context, with artwork this engaging paired with a decent script I find it difficult to deny the appeal of motorcycles, violence and breasts.
Script: 7/10
Art: 7.5/10
Parental concern: Orange
Great review Jason! With each 52 title that I haven’t had a chance to read, I’m always curious how it’s portrayed. Thanks for giving me a good feeling about this one. In addition to reading Batman, it’ll be good to see what Catwoman has going on on her side of Gotham.
I second the good review comment. I however love this book. Though you know my love for the art. I think her character is tragic and interesting. I’d like to see her interact with more DC characters. I’m curious if she’ll be seeing Harley Quinn or Poison Ivy around soon.
