Catwoman (USA) di Ann Nocenti

[Azrael]

Povera Selina, è stata

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[Walter Kovacs]

Povera Selina, è stata

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Sul serio? 

[The man who falls]

Come al solito la Nocenti non mi piace.

La gestione di Winick era stata fantastica, ma ora...
Le nuove origini di Catwoman mi fanno rabbrividire.

Perchè riportare in auge una storia camp ed insesnata come qella? Non era meglio la Catwoman come ladra in costume che sceglie di iondossare un costume per sfuggire agli squallidi orrori della sua vita fino ad allora? Non era meglio la Selina Kyle dai natali misteriosi (sarà davvero la figlia illegittima di carmine Falcone?).

No a quanto pare.

Meglio una storia gotica|camp scirtta con i piedi e che toglie solo profondità psicologica al personaggio ed una possibile identità da spystori di serie B che mette fuori contiunuity alcune tra le storie più belle scritte in passato sul personaggio. E soprattutto, tanto per rendere il tutto più digeribile, svisceriamo questo cambiamento epocale in un albetto di una ventina di pagine!!! Ma andate a...

[Azrael]

Ann Nocenti and Rafa Sandoval present a vague Catwoman vs. The Joker story in "Catwoman" #14. Unfortunately the two villains don't get to have an interesting fight and the concept appears to have nowhere to go, thus falling frustratingly flat.

The Joker is a great character, but without a real purpose behind his apparent madness, this issue has nowhere to go and feels like filler designed to drag the crossover audience into the book. They're likely to be disappointed, because so far as I can tell this book reveals nothing. It's just a series of uninteresting puns made by a madman, who then abruptly goes away when he gets the feeling that Catwoman "no longer wants to play." It honestly feels like an incredible waste of time with the exception of some gorgeous artwork.

It's hard to blame Nocenti for the non-existent plot because I'm not sure how much control she has at this point (being both new to the book and her book being a small cog in a massive crossover), but other things she should have a handle on, like Selina's voice, still miss the mark. Some of Selina's interior narration, particularly about her feelings for Batman, read especially shallow and a huge step backwards for the character. If readers are going to be asked to retread the Bat/Cat relationship, it needs to be more interesting and less banal. This issue is neither.

On the plus side, Sandoval is already finding his groove on this book after only two issues with a great visual handle on Selina. While the book still skews a bit sexy for my personal tastes, it's far less overt, especially considering that several plot points in this issue involve Selina's clothing being shredded or entirely removed. I prefer how Sandoval tackles a singular character to his recent work on X-books where he felt spread a bit thin. Conversely, everything in "Catwoman" is beautifully detailed and lush -- there's not a thin panel to be found. Selina looks consistent throughout the book and he moves her sublimely through the pages. The opening splash page with her half-covered in snow is stunning, and kudos to colorist Sonia Oback for her part in that. However, the storytelling still needs some work. It's especially important when you're dealing with a character like The Joker who barely makes sense to begin with. Some of the pages (and panels) take a pretty big leap on behalf of the reader to make much sense thanks to the Joker's rambling.

While this issue might hang together more impressively within "Death of the Family," it's incredibly unsatisfying as a standalone. While Sandoval is quickly finding his footing for Catwoman and has the potential to be a great artist for the book, it feels like we won't know what Nocenti can really do as writer until she's out from under the shadow of the crossover.

2/5

CBR

[Azrael]

The appeal behind DC's newest Bat-crossover, "Death of the Family," is that we're ultimately gaining new insight into the relationships between Batman, his extended network of protégés, and that blackest of black sheep — the Joker. When done right, this additional layer puts a new spin on the tried-and-true carnage of the Clown Prince of Crime. When done wrong, however... you get comics like Catwoman #14.

Honestly, I was expecting a lot more. Ann Nocenti is a legend, and while she does decent work in terms of creating new deathtraps for Selina Kyle to struggle with, it's all spectacle and no substance. That's not to say she doesn't try — in many ways, the tension between Catwoman and the Joker is actually kind of catty, in a sort of "The Boy Is Mine" kind of way. It's a little weird, because the Joker's digs at Selina needing Batman to save her ring way truer than Selina's tired "you can't even smile" retorts, making the main character feel like a rube in her own book. When the big insight is that the Joker "just wants to be Batman's be-yotch," you know things have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

The art, meanwhile, tries to make the best out of a not-great situation. Rafa Sandoval's composition is really nice, particularly a sequence where Catwoman's rooftop reminiscing is interrupted by a nasty-looking blowdart barb. He also adds in the sex appeal, even to the point of cheesecake, as we see Catwoman literally holding her breasts in her miraculously in tattered lingerie — it's hard to blame him for what's in the script (and how this comic has been set since issue #1), especially when even Selina looks embarrassed. Yet Sandoval isn't without sin himself, as his take on the Joker is completely toothless, with the horror-show quality of his skin mask barely registering in the art.

Ultimately, there's more than one way to skin a cat, but beyond the sly humor in the concept, Ann Nocenti doesn't make the most out of a strong crossover, delivering a really disappointing comic. If we cared more about Selina (or the child she rescues, then promptly forgets about), this would be different. If the stakes were higher, if we believed Selina might actually perish, this would be different. If we actually learned anything about Selina or the Joker's relationship with one another or with Batman in general, this would be different. This book is surface-level, shallow. A little more curiosity and care wouldn't have killed this particular cat.

3/10

Newsarama

[Azrael]

CATWOMAN #18
Written by ANN NOCENTI
Art and cover by RAFA SANDOVAL and JORDI TARRAGONA
On sale MARCH 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
• Guest-starring Batman!
• In the fallout from "DEATH OF THE FAMILY," Catwoman and Batman spend a night at the museum—fighting over stolen art!

[The man who falls]

Continuo piangere lacrime amare pensando all'eccellente gestione di Winick e March ed a questo obbrobbrio...

[Bobby Drake]

Il secondo tp americano avrà 400 pagine, sento odore di chiusura imminente...

[Azrael]

Il secondo tp americano avrà 400 pagine, sento odore di chiusura imminente...

Catwoman Vol. 2: Dollhouse TP
Writer: Judd Winick
Artists: Adriana Melo, Mariah Benes, Guillem March and Julio Ferreira
Collects: CATWOMAN #7-12
$14.99 US, 144 pg

[Bobby Drake]

CATWOMAN VOL. 2: NO EASY WAY DOWN TP
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Brad Rader, Rick Burchett, Dan Davis, Mark Lipka, Cameron Stewart, Mike Manley, Javier Pulido, Guy Davis, Michael Avon Oeming, Paul Gulacy and Jimmy Palmiotti
Collects: CATWOMAN #10-24 and CATWOMAN SECRET FILES #1
$24.99 US, 400 pg

Avevo letto solo il titolo e le pagine, pensavo fosse questo. Che idiota

E comunque questa regular è abominevole. La quota rosa di Gotham, almeno per il sottoscritto, è saldamente in mano a Batwoman e Birds of Prey, serie che sto adorando.

[Azrael]

PREVIEW: CATWOMAN #15

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[Azrael]

Catwoman #19

[Azrael]

CATWOMAN #19
Written by ANN NOCENTI
Art and fold-out cover by RAFA SANDOVAL and JORDI TARRAGONA
On sale APRIL 17 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
• Catwoman needs help—but what is the only place the Justice League of America can take her?

[Azrael]

PREVIEW: CATWOMAN #16

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[The man who falls]

Più guardo queste immagini, più mi viene da piangere. Winick torna da noi!