REVIEW: ‘Catwoman’ Issue 92

Catwoman Issue 92 is published by DC Comics. Written by Torunn Grønbekk, pencils by Danilo Beyruth, inks by Joe Prado, colors by Patricio Delpeche, and letters by Steve Wands.

This is Part 2 of Week 9 of the Batman: Bad Seeds event. Catwoman tries to hide a terrified child through a transformed, deadly Gotham.

Taking place in the immediate aftermath of the first part of the tie-in, this issue continues the descent into madness. But Grønbekk also reattaches the two major strands of Catwoman Issue 92. The story of the missing child wasn’t in the same plotline as Selina’s journey across the city, but this comic puts him in her purrview.

The comic is just as intense, opening with Catwoman dealing with the consequences of people getting infected by spores. It sends them mad, amplifying their anger and turning them into monsters. But there are other forms of monsters in the streets of Gotham, including those seeking to profit from the most heinous of actions.

The plot can branch off into various small lines, especially with the added mob elements that Carmine Falcone brings, and there are surely seeds that will grow in later issues. But then the importance and immediacy of the young boy in danger takes hold, and the intensity ramps up. Catwoman Issue 92 is always energetic, and there is a constant threat because of what’s in the air. Just breathing in can have horrific consequences for anyone, and people do face gnarly fates.

The script within Catwoman Issue 92 is impeccable. The use of dual narration returns, helping scatter thoughts and prose around the city. When in the third person, describing the thoughts of other characters, there’s a very visceral feeling to how things are described. What’s happening inside their lungs, with the spores digging in and infecting, is disturbingly yet delightfully depicted multiple times.

Then Selina’s narration shifts to first person, offering a direct, honest window into her thoughts. She’s having to think on the fly, figuring out ways past threats. And after a long time of working with the most nefarious people in Gotham, Catwoman gets to fight for something that matters.

There is also a significant loss of innocence within Catwoman Issue 92, but with a twist. This young boy has already witnessed so much in his life, with a knowledge of adult words and concepts without fully understanding them. Despite this, Selina still tries to put on a brave face and push back against fear to keep him from collapsing in terror, too.

The art is a continuation of revealing a transformed Gotham. It is already a city with a massive class divide, and yet Beyruth and Prado show just how much worse it can get in a crisis. Catwoman Issue 92 begins in a penthouse, where even the security systems haven’t completely insulated those inside from the horrors outside. The first example of a change in behavior simply exhibits a feral human, with wild eyes and a rabid mouth, but others have started to develop fungi growing on their skin.

It’s unsettling to see dead bodies taken over by the Green, with crawling roots and vines wrapping around them. The artists take time to have large panels full of detail, transforming Gotham into a dystopian hellscape. But there are also times when these big panels just have Catwoman and the young boy walking together, quiet and alone.

The action is flawless. The movement is glorious, with Catwoman fighting with a vicious savagery. She flips, throws, punches, and uses her whip, with some terrific grappling. Particular attention has to be paid to the gas masks, because losing them changes the battles entirely. The artists manage to convey emotions spectacularly, even when the eyes are hidden behind plastic goggles.

The colors are crucial to creating a hostile, suffocating atmosphere. The pink haze is everywhere, manifesting as a cloud that seems to cover the streets. Within those clouds are the spores that carry so much menace, and that pink glow becomes inescapable. It’s not just a solid color, either; it hangs in the air, giving it texture and substance. The lettering is fantastic. The narration boxes are color-coded, which makes it easy to differentiate between them.

Catwoman Issue 92 is a relentless push against an asphyxiating assault. Grønbekk superbly demonstrates just how much the entire city is dying. Other comics within this crossover have highlighted the vines, but Catwoman makes the very air itself hostile. This can feel more relatable and relevant in a world choking on wildfire smoke, exhaust fumes, and pollution. It’s an all-encompassing ordeal, and the story is so action-packed and intense that you feel exhausted in its aftermath. But within Catwoman Issue 92 is fantastic dialogue and action, making it well worth the read.

Catwoman Issue 92 is available now wherever comics are sold.