Before DC’s All-In initiative saw the shake-up of several creative teams on its books, writer Tini Howard tackled her final arc with Catwoman. From Catwoman #39 (2022) to Catwoman #68 (2024), Howard wrote for Catwoman, seeing Selena Kyle blackmail crime bosses, reunite with old flames, survive prison, and finally pull off her most deadly heists to date.
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Catwoman is no stranger to adrenaline rushes or dangerous heists; however, the scores she takes on in Catwoman #59 through #68 are almost all death sentences. Thankfully, Catwoman has been given the gift of nine lives after the events of Gotham War. While Catwoman does not often have superpowers in the comics, her film counterparts have had some special abilities similar to this.
In Batman Returns, Catwoman Has Nine Lives
Specifically in Batman Returns, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman dies and comes back to life after a supernatural encounter with some alley cats. As the film progresses, Catwoman survives several more deadly experiences and realizes she has nine lives to use up. At the climax of Batman Returns, she even uses a few of them to take down the man who killed her, evil industrialist, Max Shreck (Christopher Walken). However, she still has one life left after seemingly dying, and the film ends by confirming she is still around.
Even outside of Batman Returns, Catwoman has been depicted onscreen as someone who can defy death thanks to supernatural powers. Just like in Batman Returns, Halle Berry’s Patience Phillips is brought back to life thanks to a supernatural encounter with cats after her death in Catwoman (2004). While the comics often depict Catwoman as a world-class thief without the aid of powers, there has been a precedent from other media to give her abilities like the nine lives.
Tini Howard’s Catwoman Has Nine Lives For Nine Deadly Heists
While much of Tini Howard’s run on Catwoman is grounded in reality, the final arc leans into the mythical. Like in Catwoman (2004), Howard’s Catwoman is gifted supernatural abilities thanks to a feline goddess. In the case of Howard’s Catwoman, though, the execution of these powers falls more in line with Batman Returns’ iteration of Catwoman, as she is not just brought back to life. She is also gifted nine extra lives.
However, where Pfeiffer’s Catwoman uses these nine lives to exact revenge on the men who wronged her, Howard’s Catwoman uses her nine lives to pull off her deadliest heists. This includes stealing corium from a highly radioactive nuclear reactor, working with the Suicide Squad, going to the deepest parts of the sea, facing off against a cannibal, exploring the far reaches of space, and much more.
The stakes are high for Catwoman, and while she is using her nine lives to pull off her deadliest heists, those lives are running out as she powers through each death-defying mission. It’s a powerful send-off for Howard, one that allows her to put Catwoman in some of her most dangerous situations to date.
You can read Catwoman over at DC.