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A review by uosdwisrdewoh
Catwoman, Volume 1: Trail of the Catwoman by Ed Brubaker
4.0
Masterful rethinking of a previously cheesecake character as a convincing and compelling noir protagonist.
Throughout the 90s, Catwoman, mostly drawn by Jim Balent, sported an insane skintight outfit and unrealistic proportions. When she didn't serve as a romantic foil for Batman, she often took part in misguided storylines, like when she was sent to prison, sporting her costume the whole time. In 2002, though, Darwyn Cooke and Ed Brubaker rethought the character from the ground up, taking inspiration from the greats of crime noir.
The volume begins with the outstanding Darwyn Cooke graphic novel "Selina's Big Score," an almost perfect heist movie in comic book form. Cooke's animation inspired style fits surprisingly well with the hard-boiled tone he establishes, and he wears his influences well, introducing a old grizzled killer named Stark to the proceedings, a character who is obviously deeply indebted to Richard Stark's "Parker" novels, which Cooke would go on to adapt to comics to great acclaim.
The remaining three quarters of the book is taken up with the first nine issues of Ed Brubaker's very good Catwoman series as well as the prologue story "Trail of the Catwoman," a very tightly plotted P.I. tale introducing supporting character Slam Bradley. Brubaker and Cooke's next story, "Anodyne," feels almost too straightforward, with a perfunctory climactic fight with a superhuman antagonist. The two follow up stories, with Brad Rader on art, are a step up. With introductions out of the way, Brubaker spins a fascinating tale of police corruption, setting up twists and schemes that pay off perfectly. As good as these chapters are, though, they can't help but feel like a comedown after Cooke's tour de force in the first part of the book.
Unlike so many books published by their competitors, this is a great value at $30. Well worth a look, even if you aren't into superheroes.
Throughout the 90s, Catwoman, mostly drawn by Jim Balent, sported an insane skintight outfit and unrealistic proportions. When she didn't serve as a romantic foil for Batman, she often took part in misguided storylines, like when she was sent to prison, sporting her costume the whole time. In 2002, though, Darwyn Cooke and Ed Brubaker rethought the character from the ground up, taking inspiration from the greats of crime noir.
The volume begins with the outstanding Darwyn Cooke graphic novel "Selina's Big Score," an almost perfect heist movie in comic book form. Cooke's animation inspired style fits surprisingly well with the hard-boiled tone he establishes, and he wears his influences well, introducing a old grizzled killer named Stark to the proceedings, a character who is obviously deeply indebted to Richard Stark's "Parker" novels, which Cooke would go on to adapt to comics to great acclaim.
The remaining three quarters of the book is taken up with the first nine issues of Ed Brubaker's very good Catwoman series as well as the prologue story "Trail of the Catwoman," a very tightly plotted P.I. tale introducing supporting character Slam Bradley. Brubaker and Cooke's next story, "Anodyne," feels almost too straightforward, with a perfunctory climactic fight with a superhuman antagonist. The two follow up stories, with Brad Rader on art, are a step up. With introductions out of the way, Brubaker spins a fascinating tale of police corruption, setting up twists and schemes that pay off perfectly. As good as these chapters are, though, they can't help but feel like a comedown after Cooke's tour de force in the first part of the book.
Unlike so many books published by their competitors, this is a great value at $30. Well worth a look, even if you aren't into superheroes.