Catwoman does everything I think you would want in a Catwoman comic.  It is a tough balancing act, that I think they pulled off.  1) Catwoman needs to be sympathetic but not a sap.  We feel for homeless Catwoman , but she quickly gets an empty penthouse so we know she is capable.  2) She needs to be feminine but not too soft.  We see some female bonding scenes, but we also see some butt-kicking scenes too.  I actually think the writer has a good flair for female dialogue, but it is not so ‘Aly McBiel’ that it will turn away male readers.  3) She has to be a criminal.  I know she does good by accident, or helps the under-dog, but she is after all a cat burglar.  So I’m glad they didn’t soften her up too much.

Her relationship with Batman has always been her hallmark, and I’m glad that stays the same  It is quite the ending scene that I’m sure will surprise many.  I’m not sure how much Batman will be used in the book, but I think there is room for the relationship.

I’m not sure how much of past continuity remains.  She doesn’t think that Batman knows who she is?  That is quite the change.  It is still the first issue, but I don’t know if she still retains any of her past relationships with Batman villains.  Or if her daughter still exists, most likely that has been removed.

The art is mostly good.  I think it is at it best when the artist shows the interactions with the people.  The costumed parts look shiny and sexy, which is what you want in a Catwoman comic.  Some of the scenes looked a bit cartoony for me, like when the skull faced thugs broke in, or when the cat made a surprised expression.  But pretty solid stuff.

B  —   Don

Good book.Good story. Good art. Can’t wait for issue #2. I liked the scene at the end. Not too surprising to me as I always assumed that was going on. I hope to see more of the Batman relationship in future issues. Interesting that no one takes their masks off. Kinda sexy too.

I think it’s funny that the creators actually named this story “…and most  of the costumes stay on….”. At least they’re acknowledging what they’ve been doing.

You can’t go wrong with this book. It’s got something for everybody.

A —–Kelly

After reading so many comments about the prurient aspects of this comic, I was happy to see that they were mostly exaggerated. This is a good start for a Catwoman comic – the main questions a reader might have about her status quo are addressed (her relationship with Batman and her knowledge, or lack thereof, of his secretes) and we get a good feel for what kind of anti-hero she is. The art by Guillem March, from the Gotham City Sirens series, is tight and detailed and is well-suited to both action and dialogue scenes.

My first crush was the Julie Newmar Catwoman from the old TV series, and while nobody since has ever quite matched up, this book still manages to strike a good balance between action, character depth, and sex appeal. It’s not hard to sell me on a Catwoman book, even if I have to compare it with Ed Brubaker’s excellent run from years back, but I think I’ll be very happy with Judd Winick’s take.

A — Ed