Catwoman #58 – Tini Howard, Writer; Nico Leon, Artist; Veronica Gandini, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: As we head to the back half of this event, things are taking a very different tact than I was expecting. Instead of it being a forced conflict between the two lead characters, it’s actually the story of Batman’s mental breakdown estranging him from his entire family. Catwoman, for her role, seems very uninterested in fighting him—she actually seeks him out to help him this issue, hoping to pull him back from the brink, and when Zur-En-Arrh isn’t in control he actually seems to be listening. But she’s as horrified as the rest of the Bat-family when she finds out what’s been done to Jason, and it’s not clear if Batman can be pulled back from the brink. But the more urgent threat is Vandal Savage, along with his daughter Scandal—known as Marquise until recently—who are pulling off a complex plan to obtain artifacts that will give them total immortality—and anyone who helps them.
So this is the point in many hero-vs-hero stories where a new threat emerges and forces the feuding parties to work together. On that front, these characters work—Savage has united most of Gotham’s villains, who are threatened by Selina’s plan. Scandal makes for a more ambiguous foe, seeming to genuinely want to work with Catwoman—but Vandal Savage isn’t easy to keep under control. What works best in this issue is a segment with Jason, where he’s plagued by fear due to Batman’s drugging but manages to push through it due to his heroic instinct. The character has been used really well in this book, but it’s odd that the actual hyped conflict of this book really seems to be a complete footnote in the main story. Will Batman and Catwoman have one more big blowout fight in the final issue? Maybe, but right now it seems like this is more about tearing them both down for future stories.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
