Catwoman #19 – Joelle Jones, Writer; Geraldo Borges, Aneke, Inaki Miranda, Artists; FCO Plascencia, John Kalisz, Laura Allred, Colorists
Ratings:
Ray – 6/10
Ray: The Villa Hermosa era of Joelle Jones’ run on Catwoman seems to be approaching its end with Catwoman #19, an issue not too different from the tone of the series so far.
This run has been dominated by one plot – Raina Creel’s ruthless mission to take over the island nation, and how it ties into Selina’s sister Maggie. When we last left off, Selina’s ally Carlos is alone against an army of pseudo-zombies unleashed by Creel’s experiments, while Selina races towards the warehouse where Carlos and her sister are hiding. A look at the credits of Catwoman #19 gives away what the main problem here is – this is essentially a jam issue (multiple artists, one story) that doesn’t have any reason to be a jam issue. Geraldo Borges, Aneke, and Inaki Miranda are all good artists, but they’re artists with distinct art styles and watching the issue switch back and forth between them as scenes change is jarring. It takes you out of the story and occasionally makes it feel disjointed.
A lot of this series has been about how Selina’s chaotic presence unravels the lives of everyone around her. We obviously see it at times in Gotham, but it’s been a running theme in her solo series since the start. How many times do we get introduced to a fence of hers only to have them brutally murdered?
So naturally, good things aren’t coming for Carlos and his beloved aunt this issue as they fight off the zombies. It’s hard to square the gritty crime tone of the series with the zombie invasion that happens this issue, and Raina Creel is such an over-the-top villain that she hasn’t really held my attention as the main threat this series. The issue seems to be setting up Selina’s time in this city coming to an end as much of what she’s been building falls apart, and I’m ready for the status quo to change.
Joelle Jones has had some highlights in this run, but overall it hasn’t quite lived up to the promise of her past work with a lot of fill-ins and a plot that tends to drag.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
