Graphic Novel Review: Catwoman Volume 1: The Game by Judd Winick and Guillem March

Catwoman, Vol. 1: The Game by Judd Winick and Guillem March

Series: Collects Catwoman #1-5
Publisher: DC Comics
Publication Date: May 22, 2012

This isn't exactly the Catwoman I wanted to learn about, but I do like her and I can see her learning to become the woman Batman loves and respects, once she figures out the baggage she's hanging on to.

4 of 5 stars

A lot of controversy surrounded Catwoman's reboot as part of DC's New 52. Along with Starfire's questionable outfits, sexuality and posing, Catwoman's raunchy, angry sex with Batman, culminating in this splash page, DC successfully offended many of their established readers.

I have always liked Catwoman (and totally ship her with Batman,) though I'd never followed her titles. The New 52 gave me an opportunity to finally get to know her properly, though I understand in reading it, why former fans of the character would be offended. Selina Kyle is no longer the lady whom Batman both loved and respected. Now she's a reckless 22-year-old who keeps walking the edge that will get her, or worse, someone she cares about, killed. Batman is determined to stop her - to save her from herself - if only she weren't so damn enticing.

Catwoman is also very angry and very violent in this incarnation. It was the violence of the story that caught my attention more than the (gratuitous) sex splash page. In fact, that angry Bat/Cat sex is all part of this new, angrier Selina persona. This isn't exactly the Catwoman I wanted to learn about, but I do like her and I can see her learning to become the woman Batman loves and respects, once she figures out the baggage she's hanging on to.

I'm happy with the way she handles Batman. He's a strong influence in her life and I assume he'll continue to show up from time to time (well, it's Batman and if there's one thing common to just about every book in the New 52, it's that Batman needs to stick his pointy ears in every one of them), but it becomes clear that she's not one of the many problems that the great detective can solve, no matter how much he wants to.

The art is slick, perfectly capturing the agility and expressions of the character. I loved the use of reflection in many scenes, allowing the focus to remain on Catwoman and her reactions.

Without getting into spoilers, I was somewhat disappointed with the treatment of a certain character who was very important to Selina. It upset me enough not to want to actively pursue the series. However, I recognize the purpose of the particular plot device and appreciate where things ended up at the end, implying that maybe Catwoman will begin to learn the lesson Batman is trying to get through her head.

Comic Review: Batman: Red Hood - The Lost Days by Judd Winick

Batman: Red Hood - The Lost Days by Judd Winick
Before watching Under the Red Hood, I knew very little about Jason Todd. I knew there was a Robin that had died, but being as I was never a big DC fan growing up, I never read about his death or even had much insight on the character. I enjoyed the movie Under the Red Hood, and it prompted me to read more about the history of the character and find out about his return.

I'm not a fan of comics bringing back characters whose deaths have such a strong impact on the other characters involved. To me, that cheapens a character's death and the changes that he/she brought about in this fictional world. But I'm going on a whole different tangent.

This comic chronicles the years leading up to Jason Todd's return to Gotham. He's found barely alive by Talia al Ghul who has an unhealthy obsession with Batman and at first sees Jason as a means to getting to Batman. After being put in a pit by Talia to be made whole (an overall bad decision), Jason spends the rest of his years training for his return and his revenge, acquiring new skills that he hadn't learned during his time as Robin, funded by Talia.

Jason is an interesting character. I don't think he can be called a true villain. He does things that go against the "good" standard, but in his own twisted way, he is trying to do what Batman taught him. However, unlike Batman, he feels that a hero has to serve the same cruel punishment as the scum they fight, that doing the things they do doesn't make him any less "heroic." He believes it makes him "realistic."

Jason can't be called a true hero either because of his actions that go beyond that "good" standard. He's also not afraid to take out anyone who stands in the way of his goals of wiping out the criminal element. For him, it's less about protecting the people who need protecting and more about getting rid of the criminals using their own tactics. It's better to sacrifice a few to the greater cause than allow these criminals to hurt the masses.

I'm still not sure how I feel about Jason coming back, but the stories that are written about him show a character who obviously still wants to impress Batman and still has strong familial ties to the Bat Family and vice versa. He annoys them, but they still care about him and treat him like the wayward son that needs saving.

Final Verdict:

3 of 5 stars