Catwoman: Crime Pays TPB (DC)

Before getting into this trade, you open to a page that catches you up on all the plot threads that have entangled Selina for the past many months and think to yourself, “This is too much. I’ve jumped on board at the wrong time.” Not true. Within the first couple pages Will Pfeifer makes this story easily accessible to anyone who wants to give it a try.

The book is sharp. As much fun as it is to watch the current Catwoman fly through air or skulk on rooftops like a slinky ninja, it’s the combination of Pfeifer’s fast paced story that leaps from issue to issue interspersed with fun cliffhangers and the crisp lines of David Lopez’s pencils that make the series such a fast ride. There are plenty of cameos in the book as well, giving Selina a lot to play off of. Everyone from the Calculator to Batman, the Joker, Superman, Mirror Master, Lex Luthor, Cheetah, Captain Cold, Green Lantern… I mean, you name them and they’re in there somewhere!

Now to be honest, my preconceived notion of a Catwoman story is a crime story, or a noir story. I simply believe that a thriller is the best platform for Selina Kyle to do her thing and while the book certainly starts off that way, two issues in, the story takes a bizarre left turn and ends up on a planet billions of light years away from Earth! While this does allow for some cool moments in the book, like our favorite jewel thief kicking the collective asses of the entire Justice League, I just didn’t feel like it was a story that belonged in a Catwoman book.

That being said, I might also point out that this book doesn’t wrap up its story by the end, so a second volume could bring us back down to Earth, both literally and figuratively. Having to deal with the big story plots of previous issues didn’t interrupt the flow of this story or confuse me and Pfiefer does a great job bringing you up to speed so you don’t get lost along the way. In fact the second issue has a perfectly succinct recap in twelve words on one page that was nice to read. (Some books can fill pages with recaps that have you bored to tears.) So bottom line; I’ll check out the next volume, but I’ll be hoping for more cat ninja, less intergalactic mayhem!