Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Review: Catwoman #1-6

By Philip Schweier
March 1, 2019 - 15:10

Catwoman has a problem: a copy cat is committing crimes using her identity. The odd jewel heist, sure, but when a cop is gunned down in the line of duty, well, that’s a different matter. It turns out the copy Catwoman is a tool of the Creel family, led by a decrepit old crone with one foot in the underworld and one foot in the political arena, burning both ends against everyone in between.

All of this builds to a tragic clash between two people, and a handful of pawns in between. Some of those pawns deserve what they get, while others are not so fortunate. So it’s up to Catwoman to play the “good” bad guy and meet out her own brand of justice. If that sounds a little John Ford, perhaps it should. The story could easily be set in the Old West, with an outlaw on one side and the local land baron on the other.

There’s a little bit of backstory to Selina Kyle, offering insight to her motivation beyond stealing pretty things. All this happens shortly after her aborted nuptials to Bruce Wayne, so there’s some emotional content to add a bit of depth. Not much depth, mind you; it feels token and obligatory, and I could easily have lived without it.

But it was Joelle Jones artwork that I really enjoyed. A lot. It reminds me of the work of an illustrator whose work I admire, though I never learned their name. And that work, in turn, reminded me of Patrick Nagel, the ubiquitous artist of the 1980s. But Jones also has a touch of Leyendecker as well, and that’s a good combination.

Rating: 8/10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12