Catwoman #2

3.5Overall Score

Reader Rating: (0 Votes)

Sex, blood, postcoital cuddles, Russians, an ugly horse painting, death and a new villain are all inside the newest issue of Catwoman. Judd Winick continues his run on Catwoman by not taking a pause in the dirty sexiness he promised. Yup, it’s still there and I’ve got a good bet on it being there for as long as he’s writing it, meaning people will probably continue to gripe and groan about the themes and portrayals in the comic. Well, I’ll I have to really say is this: Batman and Catwoman sitting in a tree, F-U-C-K-I-N-G. I’m so damn mature.

And Batman knew Selina was Catwoman. Yup, the deed is done, in all its raunchy glory, but there’s more to this comic than just the sex… I think. We get a closer look into Selina, the way she acts towards her relationship with Batman, the way she interacts with her friends and how she manipulates people. Is this the same Selina/Catwoman that has always been? Or is a new one all together? She’s rawer, more like a live wire, a bit of a cocky smartass. But wasn’t she always? What has Winick done? I’m not upset over whatever it is because I love Catwoman in any form, including the over the top, hissingly snide villainess in Batman: Brave and the Bold television show. I just want to know how he did it. How did he take a character formula, change basically nothing and have a whole new version of the same character?

Every writer is different and brings something new to the table but there is something extremely, uniquely different here. I’ve noticed the same thing in the new Wonder Woman. The female characters have evolved by going backwards. Batman is still Batman, Green Lantern is still Green Lantern, those guys will always be the way they are, no personality change there, but the ladies of DC… Take away all that crap that’s been shoveled onto them for the past 50 or so years and uncover the roots, a modernized square one. Catwoman, she’s always independent and loves to steal, so how does it seems so different here that it did a few years ago and it’s not just the unconcealed sexual aspect of the character.

I know a lot of people don’t particularly like Winick’s writing and admittedly I have read better story lines, I’ve also read a lot worse — the Prison Planet comes to mind in Catwoman Vol. 2 — but I remained entertained. I’m simply drawn in by Catwoman herself, the way she acts and speaks. I have to hand it to Judd Winick, I find some of Selina’s dialog pretty funny and relatable, for instance when Selina drags back a sack full of money she immediately suggests rolling around naked in it. C’mon who hasn’t wanted to do that? I know I’ve suggested it with money/comics/video games.

The whole sex thing does seem to over shadow the actual story and since the sex thing isn’t a big deal, at least in my eyes, that means the story isn’t as strong as it should be but it has taken a dark turn. Probably one of the darker moments in Catwoman history — next to Black Mask torturing Selina’s sister and killing her brother-in-law, that was some fucked up shit right there. If any parent is worried about the adult themes in the comic, it should be the violence. There is full frontal death in the issue and some mafia shoot outs that don’t end well and it all leads right into the next issue. I can’t wait to see what happens. This is all turning out like an awesome popcorn action flick. Enough plot, and a whole lot of “hell yeah.”

Karyn Pinter has been writing for Comics Bulletin since 2008. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and was one of those kids who was raised by TV, babysat by the likes of James Bond, Mary Poppins and Darth Vader. In college she spent her days critically analyzing Dorothy’s need to befriend a lion, scarecrow and man of tin and writing papers on how truth, justice and the American way ultimately lead to Superman’s death.

Karyn gladly accepts bribes in the form of carnitas burritos and/or Catwoman paraphernalia.