Comic Review: Catwoman (2018-) #2

Catwoman (2018-) #2

DC Comics

Writer: Joëlle Jones

Artist: Joëlle Jones

Catwoman’s fight against the Copycats continues as we see her go against a room full of…copycats. It’s not an easy fight as there is only one of her, and many of them – and some of them are quite ruthless. But, ultimately, Selina emerges victorious. The whole situation is fishy, and Selina won’t leave until she gets some answers.

The focus shifts to the other big character of the current story – Raina Creel. Jones is positioning Raina as the big bad of the story, as she obviously has a bone to pick with Selina. Her animosity towards Catwoman is still unknown, but I’m sure we’ll learn more in the coming months.

What’s Good

The opening sequence of the book is Catwoman’s fight against the Copycats. It’s fun, and it’s exciting – it’s a really good executed fight. Jones adds some additional depth to the whole ordeal, as we see Selina contemplate on her failed relationship with Batman. 

Jones’ does a really good job of addressing that relationship, as we witness Selina hurt. It’s not loud, and it’s not in-your-face – it’s really subdued and respectful. It’s not a story about someone’s life revolving around a failed relationship, but a story about a character dealing with some other problems AND a broken heart.

Raina Creel gets some additional exposition in this issue, and she is shaping up to be a ruthless villain. Her design is okay, maybe a bit too goofy, but it’s palatable nonetheless. I am curious to learn more about her motives though, as she seems like a really vile person.

The biggest draw to this book, personally, is the artwork. I love Jones’ art, and her work on Batman has been my favourite in King’s series. There’s a lot of texture and depth to her panels. The best thing about her art, however, is the way she does faces. Her rendition of Selina is perfect, possibly my favourite.

Laura Allred adds another layer of quality to the art with her colouring. It adds a noir flair to the book, further amplifying the already great atmosphere.  

What’s Bad

The first third of the book is fun and exciting, but it hits the breaks real hard after the fight sequence. The rest of the book is spent on some character exposition, which isn’t that bad of a thing to do, but it also doesn’t really progress the story that much. The part with the guys from the police is especially unnecessary, as it adds absolutely nothing to the story. Hell, I couldn’t even remember who the two characters were since we only got a glimpse of them in the first issue.

As mentioned, Raina feels like a really ruthless and compelling villain, but I feel her design is overdone and feels like a borderline caricature. Her design reminds me a lot of Jesse Custer’s grandmother from Garth Ennis’ Preacher.

Verdict

Despite some minor hiccups, Joëlle Jones’ tenure with Catwoman is shaping up to be a really good read. Placing a well-established character in a new environment can be difficult, but Jones proves she is more than up to the task. I’ll be looking forward to the next issue!