World Famous Comics: Catwoman: Crime Pays (Catwoman (Graphic Novels))
Catwoman: Crime Pays (Catwoman (Graphic Novels))
By: Will Pfeifer Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: DC Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 144 Publication Date: October 28, 2008 Release Date: October 28, 2008
Product Description: Selina Kyle has prowled the skyline of Gotham City as Catwoman, the protector of East End, for years. Following a year off, during which she became mother and left the costumed world behind, she's returned to her old turf.
But now the identity that Selina Kyle built for herself to protect her baby daughter is being destroyed at the hands of Hammer and Sickle. With supervillains and the Gotham police hunting for both Selina and her replacement, Holly, drastic measures are needed!
This must-read graphic novel ends on a stunning cliffhanger, as Catwoman walks away from her costumed identity -- seemingly forever!
Catwoman, your series shall be missed. Catwoman has been a fun and well written comic book ever since it was relaunched with the team of Brubaker and Cooke. Will Pfeifer's run on the series was certainly not the let-down some people have made it out to be. It was different, yes, and there were certain changes to the character's situation that seemed like contrivances by the editors to sell more comics, but the neat thing about Catwoman was that the writing stayed sharp despite that, and the art was always wonderful to look at. Despite being side-tracked by a child, an encounter with Amazon terrorists, and a trip to a planet full of super-villains, the comic never stopped being entertaining. The creative team would take these obstacles and turn them into wonderful stories, and turned gimmicky cross-over events into character-building exercises for Selina Kyle and her friends.
It's a shame they cancelled the series, but at least it looks like DC's going to collect everything from the Pfeifer/Lopez team's run in trade paperback. These are good superhero stories, written with humor and style. This particular volume has Catwoman dealing with a couple of Russian supervillains (Hammer and Sickle, they're called. No clowns or acid-scarred attorneys to be found here), while trying to keep her child safe from harm. Unlike the Film Freak or Angle Man, these Russian goons possess real superpowers, and pose a real threat not just to Selina, but to everyone she knows. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Film Freak story in "It's Only a Movie", but I still liked this book a lot.
The art inside is fantastic, the writing is good, and Adam Hughes draws incredibly sexy and dangerous looking Catwomen for the covers. What more could you want from a comic?
It's time to say goodbye In my review of the previous Catwoman trade I stated that, due to weak sales, the inclusion of plot elements like a replacement Catwoman and motherhood may not have been the best direction for this character to take. Judging by the conclusion of this trade, DC may be in agreement. Despite the fact that she has had two lengthy runs, Catwoman will always be a difficult character to star in her own ongoing series. She is not a true "superhero", and any comic with a villain as its' protagonist has inherent problems also. This particular trade illustrates many of her limitations when she is portrayed as a hero. In her defense, she was not immensely aided by the extremely poor storylines involving such lame villains as Hammer and Sickle, or the ridiculously bad crossover with Amazons Attack. Only the last two issues, involving the emotional resolution of the dilemma with her daughter, salvaged this book from total mediocrity. Pfeiffer himself practically admits to the overall misfiring of his tenure by his attempt at the very end to basically retcon much of what has occurred during it. It was recently announced that this comic will be cancelled within a few months, which was quite disappointing news at the time, but not so much now. DC needs to figure out the best way to use this great character in the future, and another ongoing may not be the best fit for her. She will always be a major player in the DCU, and will be involved in the upcoming Hush story in Detective, and probably other projects as well. Time will tell.
Not too impressive... I usually don't read too many DC comics, but I remember the excitement when Catwoman was revamped and now, some years later, have decided to take a look. I've loved waht Adam Hughes has done with the covers, but, at least in this volume, I'm less impressed with the storytelling. This volume, Catwoman Dies, finds new mother Selina Kyle struggling to balance the life of a roof-hopping antihero with that of a full-time mom. However, as new foes adn old keep coming out of the woodwork, Selina continually finds that the balance shifts unfavorably. Will she have to make a decision between anti-(super)heroics and motherhood? The answer may surprise you.
Overall, I'd say this is fairly mediocre as far as comics go. The art is passable (a little on the cartoony side, but fine); however, I'm unconvinced by the storyline. The entire Catwoman-as-mother angle simply rings hollow; it may have worked better if done with another superheroine.
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