The Gotham War continues in Tini Howard and Nico Leon‘s Catwoman #58, as Batman and Catwoman finally talk.
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
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Catwoman #58 Review:
After clashing over the fate of Gotham City, it turns out Batman and Catwoman may not be opposite sides: Vandal Savage has been manipulating things in the background in order to take charge of a mystical artifact hidden in the city. And with our two leads together, a lot of emotional baggage comes to light.
“I love the Bat/Cat stuff,” host Pete LePage said. “It’s a nice start for the comic… and it builds to the last line, which is great… Tini Howard is killing this.”
LePage also appreciated that Batman is “finally opening up, and [is] willing to talk.”
While Justin Tyler agreed with Batman “being reasonable in this issue,” he added that it was tricky to come around to Batman’s side after, in the last issue, he messed with former Robin Jason Todd’s brain to make him feel fear every time he had a violent impulse. Adding in Batman chiding Catwoman for crime at the same time, Tyler stated, “This event is a little messy.”
Alex Zalben called out one panel at the beginning of the book where Batman “completely crumbles” and asks for help as “a really good emotional beat.” He also loved Nico Leon’s take on Vandal Savage, likening it to looking like an Umbrella Academy character.
Getting back to the Jason Todd of it all, which is expanded further in this issue, Zalben said, “I don’t know how — other than the fact that I’ve been reading comics for decades at this point — they work their way out of this one. Where everybody isn’t like, ‘Hey, Batman, you’re the villain.'”
Catwoman #58 Official Synopsis:
Every general puts their plans into play as Selina Kyle’s cat’s cradle threatens to pull the city apart. Red Hood, fundamentally changed, struggles to find his new role in this broken city. Claws fly, secrets are told, and hearts are on the line in the penultimate chapter of the Gotham War event.
