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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Life isn't fair, Selina., September 22, 2009
I've never read any Catwoman comics before, but "Catwoman Dies" was readily available at the local library so I picked it up, and I have to say I'm very happy I did. The first issue or so of this collected edition seems like I came into the series somewhere in the middle -- which I did -- but writer Will Pfeiffer does an excellent job of drawing in the reader regardless of not knowing any backstory. You can pick up this edition and enjoy it from the get-go. By the time I closed the book, I was actually sad for Catwoman and now I want to know more. If I have the opportunity to pick up more issues, I most certainly will.
Some cool positives:
*Catwoman's on hiatus in the beginning, so a friend of hers named Holly is filling the "role." Holly finds she's in way over her head. Luckily, Selina Kyle (the original Catwoman) shows up soon enough to resume her leathers and cat'o'nine tail (translation: whip), pulling Holly's butt out of the proverbial fire.
*We're talking downright vicious villains, Blitzkrieg, an Amazon splinter group called The Bana, and especially killers-for-hire Hammer and Sickle. Talk about mean. None of these villains have any of what us regular folks call "redeeming qualities."
*Catwoman's a mommy. The main thrust of this graphic novel is how Selina is adjusting to life as a mother, and when her identity is compromised, the baddies make it personal by coming after the only family she has, forcing Selina to get personal-er. Some great cinematic stuff here by artists David and Alvaro Lopez.
*Batman. Yes, of course, ol' Bats makes a couple appearances. But Pfeiffer does a good job of maintaining that this is Catwoman's title, not Batman's...although I did notice Selina leans on Bruce (and Alfred) quite a bit (Alfred basically ends up as a babysitter through quite a bit of the novel). Gotta say, there's an amazing gentleness about seeing the Caped Crusader cuddling a cooing six-month-old baby. Pfeiffer includes an excellent scene to note: Selina is looking on as a smiling Bruce/Batman has his cowl pulled back and is holding her baby. It's 3 am as he stands in Selina's barren apartment, comforting her child, who's little hand is touching his chin. Selina narrates:
"See, here's the thing people don't get about Bruce. They think he's all about beating up badguys or striking terror into the hearts of the underworld. But that's not it. That's not it at all.
"When you get right down to it, when you take away the cape and the cowl and the capital 'T" in 'The Batman'...He's all about protecting the innocent."
*Ultimately, "Catwoman Dies" is a story of sacrifice, and also Selina will stop at absolutely NOTHING to protect her baby girl. Let's just say it's a good thing the baby is too young to remember some of the stuff that went on around her while she was ga-ga-ing in her crib.
Highly recommended! A MUCH better read than Frank Miller's "All-Star Batman & Robin," which is absolute trash.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not too impressive..., May 3, 2008
I usually don't read too many DC comics, but I remember the excitement when Catwoman was revamped and now, some years later, have decided to take a look. I've loved waht Adam Hughes has done with the covers, but, at least in this volume, I'm less impressed with the storytelling. This volume, Catwoman Dies, finds new mother Selina Kyle struggling to balance the life of a roof-hopping antihero with that of a full-time mom. However, as new foes adn old keep coming out of the woodwork, Selina continually finds that the balance shifts unfavorably. Will she have to make a decision between anti-(super)heroics and motherhood? The answer may surprise you.
Overall, I'd say this is fairly mediocre as far as comics go. The art is passable (a little on the cartoony side, but fine); however, I'm unconvinced by the storyline. The entire Catwoman-as-mother angle simply rings hollow; it may have worked better if done with another superheroine.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Cover art??, November 19, 2009
Compare the cover art for Catwoman: The Long Road Home (featuring Selina
climbing up the side of a wall, with jewellery) with that of Catwoman: The
Replacements (featuring Selina preparing to step off of a tall building)...Did
somebody not mix up these two covers? For you might REPLACE (switch) jewels,
if you were a "cat burglar", and it is a LONG way down, from a ledge...That's one
small step for a cat, but one giant leap for a man.
I find it difficult to believe that the artist, Pfeiffer (or Lopez), would mix these two
covers up...So can only assume the publishing company was asleep, or did not care
about accuracy, and mixed the two titles up with their respective covers.
The character Selina is interesting because she really does care about what she wants...
She has great taste in art, fashion, food, etc. She loves that which is good, and that is
what makes her heroic, especially in an era where enviro-mentalists want others to
get used to consuming garbage. Selina thinks about what she wants BEFORE she
makes an acquisition. What are the true riches?
Many, it would seem, do not focus on needs versus wants, but they look at a dollar
bill and think what can I get with this, go shopping, and then think about the
consequences, later...Can I return this? Why did I get this? But if you know what you
want, then you might ask, Can I replace this? Got the wrong one.
The love OF money: What can I get with this?
The love of money IS shopping, but shopping may not be the love of money.
A sparrow IS a bird, but a bird may not be a sparrow...He could be a pirate though...Poly.
Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Your enemy is not your neighbour.
Catwoman has a lot of enemies.
That said, the cover art for the book, Catwoman: The Long Road Home, featuring
Selina climbing up a wall wearing a faux jewel necklace she possibly wishes to
switch for "the real thing", I find rather ugly compared to some of the art found within:
Rather surprising, since it is the same artist. For some odd reason a lot of the covers
of Catwoman (by the team of Pfeiffer and Lopez) are unattractive while a few are
outstanding. This inconsistency is puzzling.
Also puzzling:
"Beauty is what the human soul aspires to and responds to.
And yet we persist in creating ugliness all around us with no thought for the future."
- Prince Charles.
Again, Selina's love for "finer things" is inspiring, especially considering that many do
not appreciate aesthetics, beauty, design, or art in general.
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