Building on the positive momentum from issue #3,
CATWOMAN #4 delivers another good issue. Still reeling from the fact that she was at least partly responsible for Lola’s death, a quick flash forward and we see that the cops showing up when she was destroying evidence next to her friend’s body was the least of her worries.
After the brief preview of what’s to come later in the issue we are treated to an escape from the cops that very few people other than Catwoman herself could pull off. With every page that passes it is clear to see that Selina has taken the full blame, responsibility, and the guilt that comes along with being the indirect cause of her friend’s death. Unfortunately the prediction given to her by Batman in an earlier issue has now come to pass and at least for the time being, it has changed Catwoman’s modus operandi for the foreseeable future.
At the conclusion of Lola’s funeral, Selina runs into an old friend and from the looks of it, partner in past crimes, by the name of Gwen Altamont. After a brief time of catching up and things get down to business with Gwen offering to be Selina’s new fence for all things purchased via five finger discount. While Ms. Kyle does show interest in making a new alliance, her inner dialogue during this scene all but confirms that she intends to be a truly independent contractor from now on.
A new sub-plot emerges as we see a member of the Major Crimes unit, Detective Alvarez, starting to piece together a string of robbery cases that he believes all has one thing in common; the thief. Looks like Catwoman will be getting some unwanted attention in the near future. As a side note, there is a brief backstory as to why Detective Alvarez is now working in the Robbery Division instead of Homicide, which is a surprise and actually pretty funny. How often can you see a cross-dressing, deputy mayor caught with, and two prostitutes? First time I have ever seen something like that, in the comics anyway. Regardless, it was an entertaining moment and it shows the type of relentlessness we can probably expect to see from Alvarez in the future.
Trying to get back into the swing of things via her trusty whip, Catwoman is looking to make an easy score by relieving some drug dealers from their hard earned currency. It’s rare to see Catwoman fail at an easy heist and this time is no different. However, as she is making her getaway, the atmosphere becomes “charged” to say the least.
As I have said before, I didn’t feel this title started off on the right path and the beginning of the New 52 re-launch. Thankfully, Judd Winick and the creative team have hit their stride and started delivering quality issues and have kept this book from being nothing but an eye-candy joke. Keep up the good work!
