Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper [Paperback]

Mindy Newell (Author), J.J. Birch (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1992

Tie into the excitement and interest generated by the release of the blockbuster motion picture Batman Returns--which features Catwoman (played by Michelle Pfeiffer)--with this graphic novel about Batman's feline adversary. Batman was the top-grossing film of 1989, and the book Batman has more than 1.3 million copies in print.

Product Details

• Paperback: 87 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (May 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446393665
• ISBN-13: 978-0446393669
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #512,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Catwoman: Year One, June 8, 2004

By 

Edmund Lau Kok Ming (Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper (Paperback)

This is the notorious Catwoman story that D.C. Comics wanted to erase from memory but it somehow surfaces every now and then. "Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper" is actually "Catwoman: Year One" (or the closest we will ever get to a "Year One" for the feline fatale) as it ties in very closely to Frank Miller's justly-classic "Batman: Year One". In fact, it more than "ties-into" that work; entire scenes were lifted from Miller's original and put into this volume. In fact, the present writer/artist seem to have created their story in this volume by wrapping some "filler-info" around those famous Miller-scenes.

As to the notoriety of the work, this volume, like Miller's "Batman: Year One" gives us a Selina Kyle who works as a prostiture/sexual-dominatrix. But more than that, it ties her to religion (Selina's sister is a Catholic nun) and child-prostitution/abuse in the character of Holly. Furthermore, this tale revives the classic sexual attraction between Batman and Catwoman with a classic kiss shared by the two on the rooftop (a scene stolen by Tim Burton and added to the movie, "Batman Returns").

According to DC Editorial decrees, this work is no longer part of official continuity (after the continuity altering event called "Zero Hour"). However, DC continuity is a tricky thing and so are Editorial decrees. In recent years, it seems to be back in "official continuity" as the current Ed Brubaker "Catwoman" series seems like a direct continuation of this book (Holly and Selina's sister features prominently in Brubaker's run). Therefore, it is an essential read in Catwoman's long legend.

Continuity aside, this is really a difficult book to like. The art is choppy at times, and the scenes "lifted" from Miller's work (originally drawn by David Mazzuchelli) does not help either. In truth, it only adds to the frustration that this work wasn't done by the original Miller-Mazzuchelli team! About the only element in this tale that is half-decent is the introduction of Ted Grant (the Golden Age JSA-er, Wildcat) as Selina Kyle's mentor. The writing is very, very uneven and the pacing is hopeless. Reading it again recently, I felt like I was watching a bootleg, unedited David Lynch movie. After a while, I gave up on the pacing and tried to make as much sense of the story as possible. Honestly, if not for my great love for the characters (Batman and Catwoman), I'd probably give up by the first chapter.

My copy is an original first-print tradepaperback with the original painted cover and an excellent foreword by the late Archie Goodwin. Goodwin compares Catwoman to the movie "Cat People" and talks a little about sexual repression and the need for split-personas. Interesting stuff.

This volume is recommended to all Batman/Catwoman historians as well as the new fans just getting in with the Ed Brubaker monthly. It is also recommended as an antidote to purge the poison of the new Warner Bros. "Catwoman" movie starring Halle Berry. The real Catwoman is in here; NOT in that movie!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for all Catwoman fans, June 2, 2005

By 

C. Tyler (Canastota, New York United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper (Paperback)

This is a great story which shows Catwoman's origin. It is very interesting and probably the best portrayal of Catwoman I've ever read. There is a lot of character development, cameoes from Batman showing scenes from Frank Miller's BATMAN: YEAR ONE and it is full of crooked cops. A must have for all CATWOMAN fanatics.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Catwoman as you never will see again, July 21, 2000

By 

German J. Rodriguez Davalos "Explorador de Me... (Monterrey, N.L. MEXICO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper (Paperback)

It's a very good book, featuring the "firt" and more adult origin of Catwoman (before being spoiled in the zero hour fiasco), linking it to the batman origins also, giving us a chance to see the dark night when he was just a begginer, the book has a dark tone, but it tells a very good story about pain, suffering and vengance, I only dislike the fact that there isn't much about the origin of the custome (first one, with a tail) maybe because of the comic restrictions for the time it was published.