Catwoman #21 – Joelle Jones, Writer; Fernando Blanco, Artist; FCO Plascencia, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8/10
Ray: Joelle Jones concludes her run on Catwoman this week with Catwoman #21. The title will be playing host to anthology stories over the next few months – and while the final issue has all the problems of the series-long plot that’s been dominating, it also has some really great moments that speak to Selina’s character and some brilliant art by Fernando Blanco.
When we last left off, Raina Creel had unleashed a zombie plague in Villa Hermosa, turning a party of rich people into cannibalistic monsters. Selina has to battle her way through the hordes in order to get to the mastermind – something that is both dazzling and very graphic in the art. I assumed that most of the people turned into Zombies were sick, rather than true zombies, and would be reversed eventually, but some of the violence is such that it seems unlikely they’ll be waking up even if they get cured of being a zombie.
Eventually Selina fights her way to Creel and…gives her a talking-to? Given how vicious and sadistic Creel has been over the course of the series, it seems a little odd that Selina would even try to get through to her, but the story she tells about being a young thief who wanted the one thing she couldn’t have is pretty powerful. The flashback art, cast in blue, may be Catwoman #21‘s best scene.
However, it ends abruptly and violently once again as Joelle Jones puts a final bow on Selina’s time in Villa Hermosa. The one thing I like the most about this series is the way Jones finally picked up on the story of Maggie Kyle’s torture and catatonia, and actually showed her making some progress. The final scene makes it look like Maggie could become part of Selina’s storyarc going forward as more than a plot device, and that alone is a point that this run should be remembered fondly for.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
