REVIEW: ‘Future State: Catwoman,’ Issue #2

Future State: Catwoman #2 is published by DC Comics, written by Ram V, art by Otto Schmidt, and letters by Tom Napolitano. With the heist underway and Batman freed by Talia al Ghul, the only thing left to do is for the various parties to make their hasty exit. But with Selina trapped in a steel box and Bruce and Talia fighting an army of goons, breaking in might have been the easy part.

One of the hardest aspects of reviewing comics is when external forces lessen the impact of moments within the story. How should this impact my perception of the story? Do I hold it against the book if it was given a task it couldn’t possibly pull off? Should that reflect in the score you find at the bottom of this page? It’s a challenging quandary that I once again find myself in. But it’s the life I signed up for. So here we go.

Future State: Catwoman #2 sets out to deliver a poignant reunion between the title character and her long-believed dead love. And while Ram V writes this book and its climactic reunion with great skill, it can’t help but fall short of what it feels like it’s striving to achieve.

In the narrative that is presented, Selina hasn’t seen Bruce in years. Gotham has been in the grip of an oppressive regime for roughly as long. But while this is the narrative that is being pitched, just two months ago, I read about Selina taking back alley town. This tell, not show approach required for the truncated story build-up that Future State: requires, makes it all but certain any emotion built off of the time before the story occurs will be lost. For Selina, it has been years since she saw Bruce. For me, it was Tuesday.

Setting the external difficulties aside Future State: Catwoman #2 delivers an exciting narrative that builds a strong sense of tension throughout its tale. With multiple threats being dealt with at once, Ram V keeps the reader off-balance and unsure how the heroes will escape from their peril. But my favorite part of the writing comes from Selina herself.

I have often praised Ram V’s ability to show the calm, cool, and collected nature of Selina. She is virtually never out of her element during the recent issues. Future State: Catwoman #2 takes full advantage of the mystique Ram V has built-in his Selina by finally shattering it. The calm suave cat burglar is on the ropes here. Her struggles, both external and internal, are forcing her to emotional places she is unaccustomed to. The contrast from her recent stories makes the moments hit extremely well.

The art in this book delivers all the story points solidly. The action puts the reader right in the middle of the fights. While the emotional moments of the story also land well within the art. Schmidt gives both sides of this story their equal do within the story’s panels. The artistic presentation is further aided by his excellent colorwork. The frequent changes of color scheme keep the pages feeling vibrant and striking.

Wrapping up this book, we have Napolitano’s lettering. The letters here bring the reader along through the panels in a clear and easy flowing manner.

When all is said and done, Future State: Catwoman #2 manages to deliver a strong story that balances big high octane fights with emotional moments. External factors aside, I feel that the creative team does a great job of getting as much out of the story as possible.

Future State: Catwoman #2 is available now wherever comics are sold.