Catwoman #36 is published by DC Comics, written by Ram V, art by Nina Vakueva and Laura Braga, colors by Jordie Bellaire, and letters by Tom Napolitano. Having shaken off the worst of her guilt for the moment, Catwoman prepares to rally her allies in an attempt to keep The Magistrate from their primary objective: capturing Poison Ivy. But with time running out and the Wight Witch in play, things are looking bleak for Alleytown and its Queen.
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With The Magistrate continuing to push into Alleytown through sheer numbers and tech advantage, Selina and her allies are forced to act fast to keep Ivy out of the enemy’s hands. Writer Ram V delivers the opening moves in Selena’s gambit with the perfect tone as the writer delivers the story in the classic voice-over walkthrough that heist movies so frequently utilize. This fits wonderfully with Selina, as she explains the planned caper as the reader watches it unfold. However, things look like they might not go according to plan, as there seems to be a traitor in their midst. But, if push comes to shove, there is always Plan B.
While the heist tone and overall story in Catwoman #36 are delivered with skill, the crowning achievement of this story is how Ram V continues to integrate this story with the more significant Fear State event. As someone who is reading none of the other titles in this event, it impresses me how the event has been able to become so central to this book’s plot while not making me feel like I’m lacking the information I need to understand what is happening in this story. This gives the story the feeling that since Alleytown is currently cut off from the rest of Gotham, so too is the reader. It’s a great approach to implementing a larger event into a book while not requiring the book’s fans to buy additional issues they don’t want.
The only area where the story struggles a little for me is in the handling of Wight Witch. When we first met this antagonist, the character implemented stealth tech and showcased a level of combat prowess that Catwoman could barely keep up with. At the time, it felt like it was primarily circumstance that allowed Selina to escape the villain’s clutches. As is often the case, the villain’s second outing against the heroes feels a bit neutered. Granted, the circumstances are different, but how the villain is portrayed just feels watered down compared to their original appearance.
The art in Catwoman #36 is a little more of a mixed bag than in previous issues. While artists Vakueva and Braga continue to create the signature tone that this run of Catwoman has always lived in, the combat moments of the story feel a bit more wooden and lack the flair that previous combat encounters have delivered. It’s still good, just not great.
Helping the art achieve what it does is Bellaire’s wonderful colorwork. The colorwork in this issue continues to help reinforce the mood of the fight for Alleytown.
Lastly, we have Napolitano’s letters. The letters guide the reader along as Selina lays out her caper wonderfully. The dialogue is laid out in such a way to keep the story clear to follow while also being placed in a way that accentuates the flow of the illustrations.
When all is said and done, Catwoman #36 delivers a solid start to Selina’s newest plan. While the combat lands a bit stiffly, the story still delivers its previous sense of cool and sets up the next issue for a big twist to the situation.
Catwoman #36 is available wherever comics are sold.
Catwoman #36
TL;DR
When all is said and done, Catwoman #36 delivers a solid start to Selina’s newest plan. While the combat lands a bit stiffly, the story still delivers its previous sense of cool and sets up the next issue for a big twist to the situation.
