Customer Reviews

Catwoman (Book 2): Crooked Little Town

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a real gritty street level book that seems more real than most comics set in the normal DC Universe. Although Catowman is the main character, the East End is maybe the true main character. It has a soul all its own. Added to that is the remarkably fun Holly and old school cool Slam Bradley. Throw in a little sexual tension with Batman and you have a really good book. The art, mostly by Brad Rader was pitch perfect for this noir book. A very good read!

Ed Brubaker writes better crime comics than anyone. With Catwoman, he applies that crime-centered template to a grey-area heroine at the crossroads. Catwoman plays her own game, regardless of what the law or Batman thinks. And this volume is where it starts to get good. Really really good. The plot is thick, the dialogue natural, the surprises sharp, the emotions real, and Catwoman proves her worth as an independent character. The art may look cartoon-y (reminiscent of the Batman Animated Series), but it all totally fits the story being told. Brubaker and his artists craft their own inhabitable world.

writing: [8/10]
art: [7/10]

The problem with this book is trying to figure out which artist does the best Catwoman. The trouble is that Brad Raider, Eric Shanower, Michael Avon Oeming and Paul Pope (!) are all so masterful that I couldn't come to a resolution. What a great problem to have! Catwoman has come a long way since the T & A ghetto she was stuck in throughout the 90s. Now she's strong, practical, smart and even more sexy.
And the story! Ed Brubaker is on his game as usual. Great art, great story. Selina is wonderfully fleshed out and her supporting cast (Holly, Slam Bradley) really shine here.
If you love Batman, Catwoman or are a fan of good comics, you'll love this book.

Catwoman has reevaluated her existence, and has come down on the side of becoming a protector of her part of town. So, she is not happy with drug dealers using kids as part of their operation, or when Holly, a friend of hers, is framed on a murder charge.

She becomes a very busy feline of the night trying to get all this sorted out.

This comicbook is a good read... I've been an on-again, off-again comicbook reader since about 1970, and recently fell into the graphic novel habit... A friend who's a diligent DC fan recommended this series to me, and I gotta say, he was right on the mark.

This second volume of this revamped Catwoman series isn't quite on par with the first... Artist Darwyn Cooke is sorely missed, though his replacement Brad Rader does hot his stride after an issue or two... The art reminds me of the Terry Collins "Ms. Tree" crime series of the 1980s -- cartoonish, but with a certain elegance and unpretentious stylishness. The storytelling is less nuanced as well, but still pretty compelling... There's a sense that the reenergized Catwoman is just getting up to speed herself, and you really want to be around to see what happens when she finally lets the throttle out... Overall, another nice book... Plus, detective Slam Bradley is still around, so I'm hooked!