Catwoman has existed in our popular culture for nearly a century, subverting expectations surrounding a female protagonist all along the way. At times, the tapestry of her story has hit some snags, whether in the form of an ill-fated movie adaptation, a drastic new story arc, or the many retcons and reboots that have hit the larger DC Universe around her. With that in mind, it’s remarkable that she has remained such a beloved and distinct part of the DC Comics lexicon, who is able to sustain over sixty issues of an ongoing title in an ever-tumultuous industry. The latest issue of Selina’s ongoing title, this week’s Catwoman #64 takes Selina’s challenge of endurance into the cosmos, and continues to exemplify what has made this story arc so unpredictable and entertaining.
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Catwoman #64 sees Selina Kyle embark on her latest impossible heist, which could possibly minimize the danger that has been provoked by her recent string of actions. As Selina conspires to steal an experimental spacecraft, things get complicated by the arrival of an unexpected DC team, and the threat of Selina’s extra lives dwindling. ย
It is an interesting challenge addressing an arc that is already six months underway, but isn’t quite at its final chapters yet. Luckily, the “Nine Lives” storyline has been ambitious and wide-ranging enough to consistently keep things interesting, a mindset which continues to be exemplified by Catwoman #64. In terms of pure emotional impact, this issue doesn’t quite deliver the gut punch of January’s Catwoman #61, in which Selina gruesomely faced the gravity of her mortality while her face melted due to nuclear waste. But throwing Selina into the cosmos, a setting that even she knows she’s ill-equipped to survive, does make way for a fascinating moral exploration.
Those kinds of unconventional premises not only make me love the boundless potential of superhero comics, but the particular premise of Catwoman #64 helps illustrate the sheer love writer Tini Howard has for the titular character. The issue is largely driven by Selina’s inner monologue, which (outside of a few one-liners that rest on age-old tropes) delivers the clever and earnest characterization that fans have come to expect from this run. Once Selina does interact with the issue’s villain, who has dipped in and out of a sort of comic book limbo for years, the juxtaposition of their wildly different personalities is simply delightful.ย
Artist Carmine di Giandomenico is proving to be a pretty stellar fit for Catwoman, especially when fitting in to the series’ ever-changing premises and parameters. Here, his scrappy but digestible aesthetic lends itself well to both the grandiose and mundane of Selina’s cosmic heist, allowing for a claustrophobic sense of action. Veronica Gandini’s color work falls right in line with that energy, while also delivering some genuinely breathtaking sequences when the vastness of space is shown. Lucas Gattoni’s lettering effortlessly grounds the reader in Selina’s inner thoughts, while subliminally driving the tension of the issue forward.ย
The “Nine Lives” story arc has been a fascinating development in the overall arc of Selina Kyle, as well as one of the more inventive showcases of the DC Universe’s weird pockets in recent memory. This week’s Catwoman #64 continues that trend in style, delivering another great and unexpected predicament that only Selina can seemingly escape. With clever writing and gloriously cool artwork, this issue sets a high bar for the remaining issues of “Nine Lives.”ย
Published by DC Comics
On April 16, 2024
Written by Tini Howard
Art by Carmine di Giandomenico
Colors by Veronica Gandini
Letters by Lucas Gattoni
Cover by David Nakayama
