|
CATWOMAN #22
(Best of the Week!)
"Wild Ride Part Three: Meanwhile"
Highly Recommended (10/10)
|
DC Comics
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Cameron Stewart
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Letters: Sean Konot
Editor: Matt Idelson
Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN |
Man, I love this book. Hmm... just got a sense of deja vu, have I said that before? Oh, right, I have, every single time this book comes out lately. I've been a fan of the new Catwoman from the start, but with this road trip arc, both Brubaker and Stewart are just at the absolute top of their game. This issue pans away from Catwoman a little bit, as she and Holly have a brief B story, and instead focuses on Slam Bradley and Batman. You can tell from the cover how well that goes, but you won't get the fantastic interaction between the two that happens on the interior. Many writers, upon seeing their lead character given a major status quo change in another book (Loeb and Lee's Batman, for example), might have thrown up their hands, but Brubaker uses Catwoman's new relationship with Batman as a jumping-off point for one of the most entertaining exchanges I've seen in this book. Fantastic stuff, and deserving of so many more readers than it has.
I know that some don't like Slam Bradley in this book, thinking that he takes away from Selina. I've never been bothered by his presence, because he's such a great character, and this issue is another example of that. Brubaker spends the majority of the issue with Slam Bradley and Batman talking about Catwoman. The way their conversation goes, in specifics and in general, not only develops both the male characters in the conversation, but it shines a light on Selina as well, showing how she relates to men and what her affections can do to them. Certainly it was interesting to see Batman in a more human light in this issue, as he even laughs, something we rarely see in the comics anymore unless it's being done to disturb someone.
What I loved about their conversation, though, was that Slam is clearly not someone who will just give Batman his way because he's Batman. He's cantankerous, and the two of these men talking is not a washed-up P.I. and a super-hero, it's a couple of guys with plenty of stubbornness and affection for the same woman. Predictably, this results in some sparks flying, and the results of that are what make the book so entertaining to me. Slam knows he's out of his league, but he still starts up and doesn't quit. Brubaker manages to make Slam come off as a tough guy without having to denigrate Batman at the same time, and that's huge. It's also highly entertaining to watch. My favorite moment of the issue came when Slam, beaten up and just completely outclassed, grins at Batman and says "Why? You gettin' tired?" in response to whether or not he was ready to quit. It's a character-defining moment, as much as Batman's reaction that finally ends the fight is.
While Slam and Batman take center stage this issue, there's still plenty of story for Holly and Selina, on their road trip across the DC cities. I was a little surprised that Selina didn't pick up on what was going on immediately, since I figured it out as soon as we were told the door was locked, but it got her inside for a fun little story and a fantastic action sequence by Stewart, so it's hard to complain. Especially since Selina's disposition of the money makes it clear that she's not a super-heroine just because she's the protagonist of a book.
One of the reasons I'm wary of the impending art change on this book can be seen in this issue. Half of the reason the book bowled me over as much as it did was the awe that Stewart's work inspires in me. The panel of Slam and Batman on the roof is phenomenal, worthy of framing, and Stewart makes Selina and Holly both very real but undeniably sexy as well. In addition, the storytelling is just note-perfect, as you can feel the brutality of Batman's beating of Slam and you just can't help but appreciate the smooth quickness of Selina and Holly's takedown of the would-be robbers.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review. |
