If you’ll pardon the pun, Catwoman #86 finds Selina in a cat and mouse game that she can’t keep up with. After a successful heist and an unfortunately more successful framing-her-for-murder last issue, Catwoman is the victim in Black Mask’s guided quest for revenge. Her allies are in danger, her enemies are in power, she has nowhere to turn, and she’s constantly second-guessing herself. It’s fast, it’s mean, it’s dangerous, and it’s so, so much fun.
The issue opens slowly—introducing, or rather reintroducing, Katarina Belov, the matriarch of the criminal empire that Catwoman was so entwined with while she was jet setting across the world in earlier issues of the run (around issue #70, I believe). You’ll be forgiven if you forgot about her, I did too, but she is now the central antagonist driving Selina’s life off a cliff, and it’s hard to blame her. She’s lost everything, her business, her reputation, her family, and she blames Catwoman for her new position in life. She’s recruited Black Mask as the main architect of the demise of Selina Kyle.
DC
Her character introduces the central theme of this book, a more accurate definition of what hell is. Is it losing your life and shuffling off this mortal coil? Is death truly the worst thing that can happen to someone? Or is hell something more exacting, more punishing. Is it losing everything you care about, piece by piece until all that’s left is yourself examining the wreckage.
Katarina Belov seems to think it’s the latter and she’s intent on inflicting as much pain as she possibly can on Catwoman to prove it. By the time the action shifts back to Selina, she’s holding the body of an acquaintance in her apartment and the police are already on their way. Framed for a murder she didn’t commit, she has no time to think, only to run as she jets up to the roof and has no choice but to play in Black Mask’s game.
Engaging in serial killer-esque riddles and half-clues, Selina is on a tour through Gotham that eventually takes her to a safe house she’s never told anyone about, yet there she sees one of the most important people in her whole world—Holly Robinson.
DC
She pounces in to make sure her friend is okay, but within seconds she realizes it isn’t her, it’s just another scheme by Black Mask meant to infuriate and test her. A false face, masquerading as something better. After gaining the upper hand against Holly’s impersonator, Catwoman finds a blacklight, again, a nod to masks and duality that have been haunting this whole issue and finds the manic scribing of Black Mask, hinting at all the pain to come for Selina for interfering in his affairs.
Torunn Grønbekk continues to write a pretty tight script that keeps narrative boxes to nothing more than fleeting thoughts. This brisk pace adds to the freneticism of Selina’s predicament and keeps the action flowing smoothly. Loose, fluid pencils are shaded violently by David Gianfelcie, making this story look as loud and tense as it is written. The colors by Patricio Delpeche elevate the story from neo-noir and make it more like a contemporary, moody story that feels right at home in Gotham. With soft blue nightlines, poppy pink interior backgrounds, and nice green hue that lights characters in certain scenes, this book is stylized by talented people working well together.
DC
Catwoman #86 is a violent tale of suffering set against beautiful, softly lit characters that make a descent into hell feel almost pleasant. Catwoman is up against the ropes with fewer allies than she thought she had, and is quickly becoming desperate to stem the tide of a powerful evil she thought she’d seen the end of. It’s an explosive second chapter that feels like it has more in common with a Michael Mann movie than other books DC has set in Gotham.
You must be logged in to post a comment.