CATWOMAN #5 follows suit from the last two issues and shares the title of “good.” Let me be clear whenI say “good” is not “great.” This book still has its flaws and some of those I will get into later. All-in-all, this book is still entertaining to read and I would still purchase it even if I didn’t have the honor of reviewing it for
BOF.
The action picks up right where issue #4 left us last month with Catwoman being flung into the air by the metahuman lady-warrior known as “Reach.” The rapid decent back to earth is a painful one for Selina as she has to cash in a few of her nine lives. I thought this sequence including the portrayal of how she deals with her injuries was executed very well.
Catwoman handles her metahuman problem with an impressive display of badassery and she is on her way to counting her stolen bounty. Next, we are given the back story concerning the recently lifted bag-o-cash now in the possession of Ms. Kyle. Detective Alvarez earns his title as he uncovers a deeper plot concerning the rightful but unlawful owners of the money. This lends itself very easily to setting up what was coming in the
remaining pages of the issue.
While was Catwoman clearly taken aback by the amount of her recent score she does exactly what she shouldn’t do and attempts to enjoy the fruits of her labor a little too prematurely. My first problem with this issue happens during this scene. Without revealing too much, the way that Selina’s day at the spa gets cut short felt a little too convenient to fit the story for me. I think with a little more creative work, that scene could have played a little better on the page.
Things heat up rapidly with what appears to be most of the Gotham police force after Catwoman. The chase ensues and my second problem with this issue presents itself. The inner dialogue in this issue starts to get a bit overused. The lines are fairly obvious and lacking in any real depth. I just feel like we have a good understanding about who the character of Selina/Catwoman is and I don’t need to be beaten over the head
with predictable dialogue. Hopefully issue #6 will involve more external dialogue and interaction between Catwoman and the other characters as that’s when I feel Winick does his best writing.
As I said before, with my problems with it aside, I still thought this was a good issue. Not quite as good as last month but it is hanging in there. I was happy with the artwork as always although a couple of the smaller panels were a little difficult to decipher at times.
Overall, I have been very pleased every month with March’s artwork. Here’s to a “good” CATWOMAN book.
