Last month the “Nine Lives” arc crashed and burned as we were treated to one of the worst issues I’ve read since I started reviewing this title. However, I know Tini Howard can write a good Catwoman story and I’m hoping last month was a fluke. So, let’s buckle in as Catwoman heads to the ocean floor to rescue a captured documentary filmmaker!
Well, we aren’t looking at a complete rebound here but it’s certainly better than last month’s offering. The biggest problem with this story is front and center. Why is Catwoman saving wayward journalist/documentarians from Tritonis and why is she fighting Aquaman villains? She claims the documentary that this man, Justice Jordan, was filming would be worth a lot of money as proof of Tritonis’ existence. Still, it can’t help but feel random because this kind of mission is so far outside her usual MO. If you changed the dialogue and overlaid Aquaman on top of Catwoman, this would be an Aquaman comic. She fights his villains, she’s in his territory, we get a taste of those undersea politics, and, in the end, this story isn’t really about stealing anything for profit. Catwoman is mostly just helping people. I don’t have a problem with that, in general, but the only way you could possibly justify this as a good story for Catwoman to star in is if you went all out with a heist. What makes this mismatch even worse is the fact that Catwoman is so far out of her element that the only way to make anything work is for her to know things she shouldn’t.
There is no way she could surmise these things without knowledge of this underwater civilization that supposedly keeps to itself and is relatively unknown. This happens more than once. Catwoman knows things and I’m left asking how.
One positive is an improvement in the art. Carmine Di Giandomenico failed to impress last month and while I still think Stefano Raffaele’s work on earlier chapters was stronger, the art here is much more consistent than Di Giandomenico’s first time out. I didn’t notice any glaringly obvious, embarrassing panels and, in general, though it’s difficult to define, there’s more style here; more intentionality.
Pages like this tell me that Di Giandomenico has settled into his role here. There is very specific line style across the page, thoughtful use of blocking and shadow to portray the emotions in the conversation and some really cool panel interaction. If every page in the comic was as nice as this one, I’d have a lot more to praise. Unfortunately, this is a standout.
We also get more scenes with Bastet in this issue as Catwoman continues to try to understand the gift she has been given. I hope Howard has answers for this important part of the narrative but in the meantime, I’m happy to focus on the adventure of the month format. Perhaps unfortunately, that format may soon change though, as hinted by the ending of this issue. It’s an interesting turn of events that I won’t spoil here though I’m on the fence about whether I’m happy about it or not. Returning to a serialized story could be the undoing of the title. We’ll just have to wait and find out.
Recommended if…
You’re an Aquaman fan
Anything is better than last issue
You have nothing else to read
Overall
This was a passable issue. Nothing special or remarkable, though it features a plot line that seems out of place for the character. I won’t necessarily recommend it but I also won’t advise against reading it. Certainly, there are better books on the stands this week but I’m sure there are worse as well.
Score: 5/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purposes of this review
COMMENTS