Review: Catwoman #24

Review: Catwoman #24

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writers: Blake Northcott, Sean Murphy

Artists: Cian Tormey

Colors: Eco Plascencia

Letters: Tom Naplitano

Reviewed by: Carl Bryan

Summary

The cat’s out of the bag! Everyone at Snow Flame’s auction is there for the same thing: The List. But what is the market value of a list containing all the intel the world’s greatest crime-fighters have on super-villains? And who exactly is on the list? You’ll have to ask Catwoman to find out.! This is Catwoman #24.

Positives

Blake Northcott and Sean Murphy provide part two of this story in a new story arc that breaks with Selina’s involvement with the Joker War.  DC does a great job of employing Sean Murphy to do some writing on this book as his “Murphyverse” has attracted a lot of attention.

SnowFlame’s history is provided and while artist Cian Tormey still draws him as a 1980s Don Johnson tribute character, we do get to see him in his super villain garb.

This is an interesting time to have a break in the Joker War with Catwoman away from Gotham and really trying to figure herself out.  A self proclaimed “work in progress” and “trying to figure out who I am under the mask”, she is reticent to open “the list” to find out just exactly what Batman thinks of her.

Both writers do a good job of preserving the relationship of Batman and Catwoman as things are tenuous at best given her role in bleeding out Bruce’s fortune to the Joker.

Selina does get to play the hero in this one as the island is saved (and well financed now through Selina’s craft).  But I fear this victory is short as Selina makes her way back to Gotham.

Given the sequence of events of the Joker War, and if this was a prequel story, she was taken out by Punchline.  And Harley’s getting real close to Bruce, so this may set up a different type of lover triangle.

Negatives

Murphy’s involvement in the mainstream writing of a Batbook is solid.  And while James Tynion IV is making Batman and related titles his playground, it is interesting to see how this will play out in the current time line of DC comics.

However, I do not think we need a break from the Murphyverse.  That’s an addictive brand already that pays homage to both comic and cinema.

Verdict

This is a good “sewing it up” story and setting up Selina’s return to Gotham.  We shall see what we shall see!  But I have a feeling Selina may have to plunge back to her criminal past to save Bruce.