Catwoman: Nine Lives of a Feline Fatale (Paperback)

~ Ed Brubaker (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Just in time for the release of the Catwoman movie comes this sharp gathering of nine Catwoman comics from the past 64 years. They provide not only an unintentionally hilarious synopsis of seven decades of fashion history but also some very entertaining comics. From her first appearance in the 1940s as a burglar to the high camp of the 1950s and '60s to the varied characterizations of the last 20 years, Catwoman has always added a touch of glamour to the gritty proceedings in Gotham City. In this collection, Catwoman is sometimes a hero, mostly a villain; sometimes Batman's nemesis, other times his lover. But all along, she's the subject of very affectionate comics, such as the woman-scorned tales of the '60s, or the 1986 story "A Town on the Night," which is entirely devoted to a Bat and Cat date. There's also "Object Relations" (1998), about a complicated love affair with a diamond. Recently, Catwoman has become more stylish and cartoony, as she carries her owns stories sans Batman. The art throughout most of the collection is top notch, encapsulating the many shifts in graphic styles since the 1940s, and includes standout work by Bruce Timm and Michael Avon Oeming. Superhero fans and newcomers will enjoy this entertaining collection equally.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

This collection of nine stories featuring one of Batman's oldest foes, timed to coincide with release of the Halle Berry movie Catwoman, opens with the character's 1940 first appearance as a seductive jewel thief simply dubbed "The Cat." Shortly thereafter, she donned mask, costume, and such accoutrements as a secret hideout (the Catacomb) and the souped-up Kitty Car. The standout among these cat tales is a seriously deranged, high-camp 1966 story, featuring a cameo by LBJ, in which Catwoman uses a magic wand to transform Superman into a supercat. As these stories show, over the years Catwoman altered her comic-book costume to correspond to what she wore in more-dominant-media manifestations, such as her 1960s TV series and the 1992 film Batman Returns. Although no story here is particularly distinguished, the character's current incarnation as a vigilante protecting Gotham City's downtrodden is arguably her best ever. Berry's cinematic realization bears little resemblance to any of the comic-book versions. Even so, the movie may extend readership for this collection beyond the comic-fan base. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401202136
• ISBN-13: 978-1401202132
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #862,593 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good selection of stories, August 31, 2004

By	J. Smith "JThree" (Williston, North Dakota United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Catwoman: Nine Lives of A Feline Fatale" presents some of the best "Catwoman" stories from the sixty-some years of the character's existance in the world of the Batman. While Michael Uslan gives a pretty decent introduction for this particular Bat-foe, and a quick mention of the upcoming movie, the stories do the best job for presenting the different interpretations of the character.

One note. It would have been nice if someone had mentioned the previous Batman trade paperback, "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told, Volume II" which was split between Penquin and Catwoman stories when Batman Returns came out. That collection also had some landmark stories for the felonious feline, that also deserved mention in this volume.

Still, an excellent selection that shows the character evolution from a mostly romantic adversary for our favorite masked dark knight detective to a fully developed character in her own right. Though, I do somewhat cringe with the dialogue in the earlier stories that almost seem embarrassing to hear (much less read). For an example of this, check out "Catwoman Sets Her Claws for Batman" and see what I mean. It's almost like its from the Adam West television program. Not that is totally bad, I loved the sixties show,but still . . you find yourself wondering how Mr West could say the dialogue straight and not break down laughing.

Both collections have missed out on one of my favorite stories from 1974, the title to that classic tale, "Catwoman's Circus Trap." I loved that story, it pretty much summed up Batman's/Bruce Wayne's problems with women. Great quote. Dig it up, if you can find it.

As mentioned by the previous reviewer, it does have an excellent cover done by Brian Bollard, though the white background seems a bit off to me.

This collection, was released to tie into the recent Halle Berry film version of the character, which has since bombed at the box office. If the average comic reader wants to get introduced to the character, they can't do better than this selection and DK's visual guide to our favorite Bat-villainess.


Sincerely,

JThree
[e-mail]

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nine lives of Selina, July 12, 2004

By	Mark L. Mckenzie (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's almost worth buying for Bolland's great cover. But inside are some other nice pin-ups by various artists touching each phase of Selina's costume's and stories. I actually prefer the "Cat", thats the first story she's in with Batman saying "papa spank!!" So you get one story from each costume you see on the cover. I admit the mid 60's Catwoman brought this book down from 5 stars. But the early and later versions are a hoot!! Between Selina and Bruce, the never consumated love affair reads from the last story to the first. She's always been a great character and this is a good read and fairly priced. Hey, it's been put out to catch the new Halle Berry movie readers. But the dyed in the wool older fans know that there is only 9 versions of Ms Kyle, check it out!!!!