Catwoman 1

Sexist? Sure...

CAN WE GET A LITTLE MORE FACE TIME?

No, seriously, it’s around page 4 before we get a good look at our heroine’s face, though we see plenty of the rest of her, predominantly boobs and butt as she throws together a few valued possessions before fleeing her home pursued by criminals whom she’s managed to piss off.

No, this isn’t going to be another one of those “Ooh, isn’t it sexist?” reviews. I mean, it is sexist, but  it’s not unprecedented or inconsistent; Selina Kyle, Catwoman, has traditionally led with and played upon her sexual allure no matter what incarnation she’s been in, and while lacking the grace and elegance of the Darwyn-Cooke designed previous version, this rendition is still so much better than the grotesque and terrifying Jim Balent visualisation that I’d say the old gal is still several steps ahead of the game.

...But still an improvement over this!

At least in terms of visuals; in terms of credibility, Selina’s pretty much losing the game – violently evicted from her digs at least twice, all her possessions destroyed, and having to start all over again. Again. This woman’s portrayed as smart, savvy, cunning, and skilled; so how come she’s never apparently heard of hidden cash reserves, backup ID, fallback safe houses, or offshore bank accounts, when even a plodding middle-aged civilian like me has?

She turns to her ‘intel man’ and sole friend, Lola (and be very ashamed, Judd Winick – I know all about falling in love with a line you’ve got to use, but “Her name was Lola. She was a showgirl.” That’s the punchline you subverted an entire plot thread for? Must try harder.) for another gig, and falls into a faux position as a bartender at a gathering of the Russian mafia, wherein wackiness ensues. It’s fine, and fun, though again this more reckless and impulsive Selina loses control of the situation owing to her own emotional baggage, rather than because of external circumstances, and is forced to flee with her mission unaccomplished.

...Ooh, Matron! It's "Carry On Gotham!"

There follows a final-pages encounter with the Batman, where, in a Kink For Dummies version of the Nite-Owl/Silk Spectre dynamic from Watchmen (“Most of the costumes stay on”), they make a kind of love, though the relationship – since she doesn’t know his true identity – is more fetishised than romantic. The dynamic, with Bruce the reluctant ingenue and Selina the sexual aggressor, is very jarring – Bruce might as well be squealing “Ooh, get off, you filthy beast!” in classic Kenneth Williams falsetto, while Selina is practically twirling her moustaches and guffawing, “Bwah-ha-ha! Your lips say no, but your eyes say yes, me proud beauty!” It’s clumsy, juvenile, and outright insulting to both characters, who are clearly experienced enough to say what they want erotically, without all this silly dancing around.

Like many of the DC characters, Catwoman’s had her ‘reset’ button hit; she’s younger, sans girlfriend or baby. Furthermore, she’s been ’dumbed down’ to an adrenaline junkie who reacts instead of planning, gets out of situation with Dumb Luck working overtime, and so far shows an inability to learn from, or even remember, her past mistakes.

Winick presents Selina’s narrative ‘voice’ quite appealingly, though inconsistently, but like a ‘wacky’ friend that you enjoy in small doses but wouldn’t want to live with, she’s going to get irritating and frustrating pretty damn soon if she doesn’t grow a brain in a hurry.