It looks like our dear old Catwoman comic has been pulled into the Zero Year kerfuffle as well. However, this is not the time to be afraid and run for the hills. No, for there is to be rejoicing! For in this issue John Layman and Aaron Lopresti step aboard and offer us a chance at quality. Can they give us what we have been missing out of this title or is this comic truly a lost cause? Is it good?
Catwoman #25 (DC Comics)
Selina Kyle is on her way to rob one of the richest and powerful men in Gotham in his sky rise as a storm is about to hit Gotham. She doesn’t quite have the skillset that we’ve seen her employ in the present but that won’t stop her from stealing from the rich douchebag that hurt her community.
Ah, classic cliché evil rich man behavior. Don’t get to see that much anymore.
This issue was rather silly and goofy overall. I mean, let’s go over it: An evil rich douchebag decides to buy out an entire community grocery store and take every single thing it has so he can throw a party for other rich douches like himself, leaving the entire city neighborhood without any supplies to ride out a hurricane. He does not need to do this for any reason since he is clearly rich enough to buy all of his supplies from other retailers and businesses without essentially robbing from the poor.
Then there is a scene at the beginning where Selina is getting shot at by cronies wielding TMPs and not a single bullet even comes close to hitting her (shouldn’t have hired those Stormtroopers). Toss in some other oddball moments, like party guests mistaking gunfire for champagne bottle corks popping open or Selina stealing someone’s backup in front of the police, and you may be surprised at the overall preposterousness.
Seriously, the cops are right there! How did you not see them?!
However, despite all of that, I still enjoyed myself. Catwoman #25 suffers from some of the same problems that Nocenti’s regular Catwoman run had like the goofy dialogue and silly plotlines; the thing that makes this issue far more tolerable however is the overall tone given off by the issue. Nocenti’s Catwoman is so serious all the time, whereas this comic just plays up the silly levels and clichés and does not try at all to be anything other than that. As such, the comic comes off as being what it is, a rather fun, if shallow, time. It’s certainly a better showing that what we have been getting with Catwoman as of late.
The rest of the writing is competent for the most part and adds the enjoyment of the story. Selina as a character is naïve, but someone we can root for since she is shown to be a caring person (rob from the rich and give to the poor in a sense). The villains are all clichéd as hell, but extremely fun to read since the comic really plays up their behavior. The narration and dialogue are just as silly, but again, the tone allows for a bit of leeway and it’s not a stilted as it usually is (still will have a groaner or two, like “Look what the cat dragged in.”). The pacing is good and outside of an odd story layout choice, it’s decent overall in the writing department.
Whoa, when was the last time I heard someone say, “sweet-cheeks” to a woman before?
The artwork by Lopresti is good overall. Characters look nice (some facial expressions look a bit wonky though), the action is well drawn and the locations are lively. Though, there is a bit of laziness to it. Most of the panels have backgrounds in them but sometimes there are panels that are completely blank. Just a lot of white. Couldn’t the colorist at least put in some color to make the location so it didn’t look like the comic was in a white void at points?
Is It Good?
7.5
- The fun and goofy nature gives this book a new lease on life.
- The characters are enjoyable and fun to read, even if they are a bit clichéd.
- Good artwork overall.
- Still some problems, like odd dialogue and plot choices.
- The clichéd and goofy tone may not be what people want.
Catwoman #25 has its problems, some of which can be found being perpetrated by the usual team on the book. However, with a completely different tone and the fact the book is trying to evoke some simple fun, Catwoman #25 feels different and enjoyable in comparison to what has come before. If people are looking for some fun with Catwoman and don’t mind if the book is rather silly give this issue a chance.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
