CATWOMAN #1
"Disguises, Part One of Four"
Recommended (8/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Pencils: Brad Rader
Inks: Cameron Stewart
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: Willie Schubert
Editor: Matt Idelson
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
I enjoyed the opening story arc on this book, and last month's return of Slam Bradley was a treat. But "Disguises" looks as though it'll be Brubaker's strongest story on the title yet. The focus on Holly here emphasizes a much more human, down-to-earth perspective. On top of that, Brubaker has developed a fascinating and complex character in Holly, and in the process, he's crystallized the premise and re-ignited my interest in it.
As Holly walks the streets trying to dig up information on a drug dealer for Catwoman, she reflects back on her life and how she arrived at this point. She's come to realize that she had spent much of her life waiting for something, waiting for others, and how empty that waiting was. She's found new purpose acting as Selina's eyes and ears on the street, but somehow, remaining in her shadow seems to sustain her sense of dissatisfaction.
Rader and Stewart bring a slightly more realistic approach to the art than Darwyn Cooke and Mike Allred did for the first story arc, and that suits the street-orientation of the book nicely. Mind you, I find Rader's figures a bit too soft for the darker, more mature tone of the script. While Hollingsworth's colors maintain a downtrodden mood, I'd like to see a slightly more harsh tone to the characters. I also found Rader's presentation of the title character as falling out of a skimy bathrobe to be rather gratuitous.
Opening the story arc with Holly doing one of those silly online quizzes was a brilliant move on Brubaker's part. It gave the reader something specific that s/he could recognize, that s/he could share with Holly. We've all filled those quizzes out, and we've all given the results a bit too much thought, a bit too much weight. And we've all been in Selina's shoes, wondering how someone else's results reflect on us. The content of the quiz -- the numbers and the animals -- also provide some strong symbols that I'm hoping are incorporated throughout the story arc.
While his opening boasts a universal quality, Brubaker takes the reader into what is essentially an alien world for many. I know the street has never been a part of my life, and I found this exploration of that unfortunate part of the world to be enlightening. The script boasts a genuine feel, and it's easier to understand that dirty concrete landscape with this writer as our guide.
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