Graphic Novel Review: Catwoman Volume 1: The Game by Judd Winick and Guillem March

Catwoman, Vol. 1: The Game by Judd Winick and Guillem March

Series: Collects Catwoman #1-5
Publisher: DC Comics
Publication Date: May 22, 2012

A lot of controversy surrounded Catwoman’s reboot as part of DC’s New 52. Along with Starfire’s questionable outfits, sexuality and posing, Catwoman’s raunchy, angry sex with Batman, culminating in this splash page, DC successfully offended many of their established readers.

I have always liked Catwoman (and totally ship her with Batman,) though I’d never followed her titles. The New 52 gave me an opportunity to finally get to know her properly, though I understand in reading it, why former fans of the character would be offended. Selina Kyle is no longer the lady whom Batman both loved and respected. Now she’s a reckless 22-year-old who keeps walking the edge that will get her, or worse, someone she cares about, killed. Batman is determined to stop her – to save her from herself – if only she weren’t so damn enticing.

Catwoman is also very angry and very violent in this incarnation. It was the violence of the story that caught my attention more than the (gratuitous) sex splash page. In fact, that angry Bat/Cat sex is all part of this new, angrier Selina persona. This isn’t exactly the Catwoman I wanted to learn about, but I do like her and I can see her learning to become the woman Batman loves and respects, once she figures out the baggage she’s hanging on to.

I’m happy with the way she handles Batman. He’s a strong influence in her life and I assume he’ll continue to show up from time to time (well, it’s Batman and if there’s one thing common to just about every book in the New 52, it’s that Batman needs to stick his pointy ears in every one of them), but it becomes clear that she’s not one of the many problems that the great detective can solve, no matter how much he wants to.

The art is slick, perfectly capturing the agility and expressions of the character. I loved the use of reflection in many scenes, allowing the focus to remain on Catwoman and her reactions.

Without getting into spoilers, I was somewhat disappointed with the treatment of a certain character who was very important to Selina. It upset me enough not to want to actively pursue the series. However, I recognize the purpose of the particular plot device and appreciate where things ended up at the end, implying that maybe Catwoman will begin to learn the lesson Batman is trying to get through her head.