Catwoman #79 review

So I have made no secret of the fact that the Catwoman run up to this point has been slow and generic. There were far too many uninteresting characters, all of them new, and most of whose motives we learn far too late owing to the in medias res style of storytelling employed. The art has also been on a bit of decline, as despite Patricio Delpeche’s excellent coloring, we have had three different pencillers and currently Danilo Beyuth’s stuff isn’t quite meshing well with Delpeche’s work.

But we have a new beginning with this issue. And I am happy to report that there are some changes around these parts. As a matter of fact, these changes are pretty big owing to the fact that we go from Catwoman being the only recognizable character in her own comic to a deep dive of Catwoman lore. We see a flashback with Maria Kyle, Selina and her sister Maggie’s adopted (?) mother. And this is a treasure trove for Catwoman’s fans. Not only do we visit characters from Selina’s established past, there is an attempt to tell new stories with them as well. The character histories are accurate and not really shuffled around…except for Selina’s actual parents but that works in the service of the plot.

Returning to the flashback for the moment, Patricio Delpeche draws and colors it so it looks really good compared to the more recent stuff. That said, when we return to the present Beyuth’s art works better at least during the night scenes in this issue.

There does remain a stark contrast in the two styles though

So the plot of the story is that Catwoman is in Rome to steal a pearl owned by her father (?) Carmine Falcone. However, unlike most Catwoman heists there’s actually a decent emotional reasoning behind this one. The comic implies that Carmine seduced Maria Kyle with the pearl, which may have led to Selina’s conception. And the reason Selina wants the pearl is because one of the only happy memories she has of her mother before she took her own life was when she reminisced about wearing that pearl for that one night. This actually gives this Catwoman heist something that most of them don’t have – a reason for the reader to care. Yes, we often hear about the dangerous people she has to overcome, and how deadly the obstacles she has to face, and the exotic locations she has to travel to. But frankly, having read so many of these, all that stuff just reads like white noise. Even if she was doing this to piss off her father, that wouldn’t really be much of a hook. But doing it because she has a reason to care makes all the difference here.

The memory of a mother’s smile is a powerful motivation

Recommended If

• You’ve been waiting for this run to reference Selina’s history.
• You like reading about something that actually makes Selina care.
• Patricio Delpeche’s art is a draw for you.

Overall

Catwoman #79 embraces the character’s messy convoluted history and manages to craft a compelling first issue to hook the reader in. While we aren’t completely free of forgettable new characters, by giving Selina’s current motive a connection to her established past, this issue does a lot of work to bring back fans of Catwoman who may have been isolated by the previous issues completely ignoring her past.

Score: 8/10

Disclaimer: DC Comics provided an advance copy of this comic for review purposes.