Catwoman #1 - Mobile Edition

DC Comics
Catwoman #1
By Hervé St-Louis
Sep 27, 2011 - 6:07

DC Comics
Writer(s): Judd Winick
Penciller(s): Guillem March
Inker(s): Guillem March
Colourist(s): Tomeu Morey
Letterer(s): Sal Cipriano
Cover Artist(s): Guillem March
$2.99 US

Selina Kyle’s apartment is bombed and she barely escapes with her cats and a few personal items. To find new digs and some money she takes on a job to spy on Russian mobsters but there she meets someone from her past that affected her entire life. Will her mission be jeopardized because of bad memories?

Ok, let’s get the "controversy" out of the way and move on. Catwoman seduces and has sex with Batman on a rooftop and in costume. It’s revealed that they go through that often. Many readers objected to the depiction of the two characters on the rooftop and specifically the illustrations showing Catwoman’s curves. That offended many readers. I didn’t get offended. The character is a former prostitute and the mutual attraction Batman and Catwoman feel for one another has always been part of their story. The only change here is that it wasn’t hinted and that none of them know each other’s secret identity.

Catwoman is a sexy woman, and a woman with desires. This is what is seen in this issue. The one problem I have with this comic book is the scene with the man from her past where she just lashes out. I’m not concerned about the violence, this is what she is. I’m concerned that we didn’t get to know more about this man she apparently killed after a brief revelation. I wish more had been done with this plot twist. It also veered off the Russian mob infiltration story too much and by the end of that sequence I lost the whole point of what the story was about. And then they brought in Batman. The scene with Batman probably saved this series for me. I also like Selina Kyle’s interaction with the Lesbian character Lola, which finds a job for Catwoman. There was a lot on unrequited love hinted at and it was cleverly presented.

I’m not sold on March’s artwork yet. It feels solid, but I don’t like how he draws Catwoman’s face. While her body is very sexy, her face was not. He makes her look emo which is not the right look for Catwoman. It’s strange, because I like how he drew Selina in costume as a bartender and all the other characters.

I'm not sure if I'll return to this series next month. It's a wait and see.

Rating: 8/10