So, with the latest run on Catwoman starting on a strong enough hook, does this issue carry the momentum forward? Or has this cat been de-clawed and cornered early on in the run?

Alright, in my last review, I had an issue with the writing, where despite having a good voice for dialogue, the scenarios in which Selina Kyle ended up finding herself were not different enough from what we have seen in the past. Unfortunately, that has not changed much in this issue. We learn that during her time as Evie Hall, Selina was employed by some rich man, and now, years later, his family is fighting over the scraps he left behind for them. The secrets between the man’s family members and how they desperately guard them are probably meant to parallel how Selina’s secrets are being exposed as she is being hunted. I do wonder if there are readers who actually find this new family of aristocrats entertaining enough as villains because they seem very one-note. I do like the idea that the family has held on to their secrets for so long that the information runs the risk of becoming outdated.

The Catwoman parts are also a bit stale, with a person from her past showing up and, of course, a chase scene and a fight. Unfortunately, there’s almost no tension to the proceedings, with Selina naturally overcoming the obstacles sent her way. The fact that these are nameless randos only makes the whole thing feel padded out even more. And the nameless randos come in stages, with the first level being amateurs (because they have handguns) and the next being professionals (because they are snipers). With Selina being the only recognizable name here, all these new faces make me feel like I’ve been dragged along to a party where I don’t know anyone by a friend.

The visuals remain consistent (though there are some odd lettering choices where the text can be a struggle to read - just look at the credits). I like that the guy taking pictures of Selina is shown for several pages in the background as Selina and her old pal Suzy talk. However, it is extremely distracting to see that Selina’s civilian outfit in this issue basically consists of a baby-pink tee over her Catwoman outfit, and near the end of the issue, she goes incognito…by basically walking around in her Catwoman outfit maskless.

Recommended If

• You wanted a classic Catwoman story… you can’t tell me this isn’t like that.
• You don’t want to see familiar faces from Gotham City.
• Uhh… meow?

Overall

This issue is definitely a drop in quality on all fronts from the previous one. The writing and visuals can’t mask the genericness of the plot and the new characters emerging from every orifice of this story makes it hard to care for any of them beyond their appearances and generic character traits. Catwoman seems mildly bored with the proceedings and at this rate, I’ll end up just like her.

Score: 6.5/10