REVIEW: Catwoman #1 of 4

Story:  Mindy Newell
Pencils:  J. J. Birch
Inks:  Michael Bair
Colors:  Adrienne Roy
Letter:  Agustin Mas
Review:  Art Bee

In my youth I was all about Marvel superheroes (Fantastic Four and X-Men mostly), Star Wars, and Batman. Batman himself was not my interest in the DC comics; his adversaries were. All of his villains, with only a couple of exceptions, pique my interest. They all form a lattice through the city of Gotham, and it’s their personality quirks that elevate Batman’s qualities. At the heart of this group of baddies is Selina Kyle, a.k.a Catwoman.

Catwoman #1 is the first of a four-issue miniseries published in 1988 and was aimed to provide a backstory for the longtime ally/villain/love of Bruce Wayne (if for some weird reason you need that spelled out, that’s Batman). Catwoman is the one person that seems to always strike some of the deepest blows to our caped crusader.

So how does this story kick off Selina’s story?
…as a hooker…beaten and left for dead next to a dumpster behind a Catholic church.
This is how a woman writer wants to portray Catwoman…really?


The beginning of this miniseries makes me think of a person playing a game of darts and sticking the bartender with a dart. Selina’s origins are in crime, but what made her such a likable villain was her classy style of thievery and pickpocketing. Mindy Newell actually paints Miss Kyle as a whiny teen full of attitude, which angers me to no end. Selina may have some attitude stemming from a high level of confidence from her street cred and thievery skills, but whiny has never been a trait I have ever seen portrayed for this villainess.

The first issue as a set up for the rest of the series is a bit pathetic. Selina’s pimp is responsible for her initial condition, and she seeks him out immediately…to tremble in awe of his superiority. He gives her the Catwoman costume for a “job” and tells her who the John is before sending her on her way. This is not the Selina Kyle with which I am familiar.

To my benefit there was some halfway decent art. The colors in this issue were bland, resembling the work of a coloring book; very plain and mostly monotone. What made the colors worse was the fact they were mucking up some really great pencil and ink work. Birch and Bair have done some incredible work illustrating this story and their backs must still be messed up from carrying the rest of the group on their backs. If I knew their addresses I would gift them with a few months’ worth of Advil.

I rescued this comic book from the back issue bin at my LCS mainly for the cover. It is simple and elegant with Catwoman classically drawn. Although I would have chosen a deep, dark blue or purple instead of black for the background had I been able to put my cent and a half in on it.

In a perfect world we would love every book, movie, or comic encountered. Think of it this way: If your dog swallows a $15,000 engagement ring, what are you going to do? It’s the same for comic books; sometimes you have to dig through crap to find a diamond. Rescue orphaned comics, or they’ll form a gang and rob you.