Catwoman #59 is written by Tini Howard and published by DC Comics. Artwork is by Stefano Raffaele and colours by Veronica Gandini. Letters are by Lucas Gatoni. Main cover art (left) is by David Nakayama.
Catwoman #59 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold.
Synopsis
“Nine Lives” part one. The Catwoman we know has vanished. Selina Kyle is gone. She’s no longer Gotham’s fugitive-she’s its ghost. After the events of “The Gotham War,” Selina leaves the city a forever-changed woman with a plan: nine deadly missions, each one set aside for their certain lethality-only possible for a cat with nine lives.
Review
The purple is back! Following the events of The Gotham War Tini Howard is ringing in a brand new era for Selina Kyle. With a new-old costume, a new outlook on life and possibly a brand new super power, Selina is exploring the world and searching for new purpose.
Back in the summer at San Diego Comic-Con Howard talked about moving on to her biggest Catwoman story so-far. Something seismic for the character. Something so large it would change the face of the book. If “Nine Lives” first chapter is anything to go by then Howard was certainly right. Issue #59 feels like somewhat of a reset for the title. It covers a lot of ground, transitioning from the old world to the new whilst setting up a brand new story.
Let’s start with the events in Gotham. It seems that her brush with the Lazarus serum has left Selina with nine… well now eight… lives. Whether there is more to this power or not is yet to be revealed. But it certainly seems very specific to Selina and I wonder if this harbours a deeper story about a latent meta human ability. But with eight lives ahead of her Selina deputises Eiko to take over as the Catwoman of Gotham, leads her crime boss life behind and heads to Colombia.
There’s a great visual transition between periods in Selina’s costume. We say goodbye to the black and hello to a classic purple. What did make me laugh was a visual callback to the disastrous 2004 Catwoman starring Halle Berry. Whether on purpose or not. The moment in the crater left by the Lazarus meteor recalls Patience Phillips waking up after her ordeal in a sewer and subsequence meeting with a strange cat-lady. Of course Howard’s version of a Catwoman resurrection brings much more gravitas.
Leaving Gotham behind also signals a change to the overall style of storytelling. Long-time fans of the series will feels the pacing pick up instantly. Howard is aiming for a much more classic Catwoman adventure and has immediately hit the ground the running. The focus of Selina’s attentions in Columbia is a fairly generic stock villain. But it’s the perfect palette cleanser. Rather than leaping from one convoluted plot to the next, Howard is reminding us who Selina is. She might not always be on the right side of the law, but she always seeks justice just in her own way.
Catwoman has a new artist on board with the arrival of Stefano Raffaele. His grittier style is a welcome change of pace for the series. Selina looks great in her classic costume. Veronica Gandini’s colours are outstanding. The purple of the costume is absolutely perfect. Whether this costume is a stop-gap or a permanent change remains to be seen. But all signs point to this being an exciting new era.
Verdict
A story which feels like a classic Catwoman adventure in the making. A new era starts with a wonderful nod to Selina’s past to an exciting glimpse in to her future.
⭐⭐⭐
