Catwoman #59 Review

 

   

Writer: Tini Howard

Artist: Stefano Raffaele

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 21, 2023

Now that we are done with the Gotham War, we can get back to regular Catwoman things, right?  Well, in a book where the regular is having a cat deliver street flavors of Ramen through the vents of a prison, you really never know what you are going to get.  Thankfully, Tini Howard rarely disappoints when it comes to writing laugh-out-loud stories and Catwoman #59 is certainly one of those.  Let’s get into it…

So, what does Tini have cooked up for readers after the ridiculously awful Gotham War?  Well, we get a classic callback mixed with something that kind of ruins the character all rolled up into an eye-rolling means-nothing caper that is played up as the most important thing ever!  It really is pure Tini madness!

The issue starts off with a cold open that is action-packed and exciting.  There is enough recap of recent events to allow new and lapsed readers to get involved, but if you have been reading every issue since Tini started writing, it’s a punch-in-the-face reminder of how bad things have been.  Since we are kicking off a new status quo (more on that in a bit), Tini seems to want to tie up some loose ends and after all this time, the biggest loose end is… Duchess the Cat?!?  Yep, no more vent ramen for her as Catwoman tries to return the feline to her rightful owner, Valmont’s ex-lover, Paoa Molina, a woman known as “Our Lady of the Sword!”

Like I said, there is some recap before we fully get into things, and while I love saying “I told you so,” it scares me that I am crazy enough to think like Tini.  I made a joke during our podcast review of Scorched Earth, the Gotham War finale, that Catwoman would 100% get powers from the Vandal Savage meteorite and even said it would be something stupid like her having Nine Lives.  So stupid that it happened!  It’s getting to the point where I’m starting to think that DC has been running a monthly contest of worst ideas for Catwoman and Tini just keeps on winning.  I hate to say it, but this feels like a Marvel thing and does not elevate the character at all!  

Watch our Catwoman #59 Video Review

I already mentioned it, but with her new power (which involves cat scratch marks on Selina’s back that fill-in as each life is spent), Tini has Catwoman doing the impossible… returning a cat to its owner.  While that’s already laughable, the crazy serious dialogue makes it feel way more like a parody than any sort of serious story.

By the end of the issue, none of it matters which is hilarious because Selina spent two lives doing it.  I get that Tini is trying to show that with this Nine Lives power, Selina is a bit more daring and sloppy, but that just proves to me that she never really got the character in the first place.

    

The art is decent throughout the issue, but the script ends up being a great example of unintentional humor.  It’s hilarious, but as has been the case for a while now, I am laughing at one of my favorite characters, not with her.

Bits and Pieces:

Catwoman #59 answers the question of what happened to Selina at the end of the Gotham War and the answer is downright hilarious!  Tini Howard seems intent on proving that she has no clue what makes Catwoman a great character and I don’t think any Nine Lives power will be enough to save Selina or her fans!

2.5/10