COMIC BOOK REVIEW - Catwoman: Death Of The Family
Man, it’s been a long time since I got you a comic book review. Although I’ve been pushing my TikToks and Instagram reels, I can’t ignore that this is where you guys get most of my thoughts. I’ve been making my way through the New 52 nicely now and I thought it was time to return to DC’s most famous femme fatale: Catwoman. Let’s see what part she plays in the ‘Death Of The Family’ storyline!
‘Death Of The Family’ starts with Selina Kyle, aka, Catwoman receiving mementoes from her past that remind her of her late best friend. She tries to put the mystery of who is messing with her aside and focuses on her latest job. The job sees her having to move giant chess pieces on a board, but she soon realizes the pieces have people in them, and they’re rigged to blow. It soon becomes apparent that the person who’s paid her fence is the Crown Prince of Crime, The Joker, who is looking to get under her skin about Batman. Selina, whose feathers are clearly ruffled, brushes him aside pretending that she doesn’t care about Batman. Joker backs off but leaves Selina scarred emotionally. Her method of therapy? More heists. The next one, however, sends her undercover into A.R.G.U.S. where there are a number of dangerous artefacts, each with dark powers and even darker consequences. As she finds herself under the influence of a malicious gem, she questions whether or not she really cares for people. Having now picked up two odd and traumatising jobs, Selina asks her current fence, Gwen, to find her a job like the ones she’s used to. It seems easy enough, a couple of paintings from a museum. But there’s a link to Batman that Catwoman doesn’t pick up on and she finds herself in his bad books again. Just what is the history between these two? And can Catwoman find a way to return to sound mind before it’s too late?
This novel has taken me like a whole month to get through. I can’t remember the last time I found a novel this inconsistent. There are parts of ‘Death of The Family’ where I was hooked, but the vast majority of it had me both bored and confused. Also, this may seem like a really weird criticism, but the actual lines in the story made very little sense to me. That doesn’t take away from the fact that Catwoman as a character is extremely interesting and her relationship with Batman is certainly something that I’d like to see explored more going forward.
The artwork was also something that didn’t particularly excel in the novel. I found it all to be a little fluid and over the top, which isn’t really my style. The covers, however, were decent. Overall, this was a steep drop in a series that was building momentum. Easily the worst tie-in to the ‘Death Of The Family’ storyline and I hope the writers have something to save this series!
Favourite Panel:
Now, now, you don’t really mean that, do you?
Favourite Character:
I mean, it’s Catwoman by default, but I didn’t really have a choice!
Rating:
Story Arc: 8/20
Character Development: 11.5/20
Artwork: 11.5/20
Enjoyability: 8/20
Re-readability: 4/20
Overall: 43/100
Level: Advanced