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Catwoman: Guardian of Gotham #1
Book Released: 1999
Posted 30 Apr 2007
Writer: Doug Moench
Artist: Jim Balent, Kim DeMulder
Letters: Rick Parker
Colors: WildstormFX
Publisher: DC Comics
5.00 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by Sara Kowalczyk
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Here Kitty, Kitty
Leather, claws, and whip-wielding CRACKS characterize Selina Kyle
as the feline fatale. However, in the DC Comics universe of
Elseworld, writer Doug Moench creates a comic that distorts who we all
believe to be the enemy of Gotham city.
Catwoman responds to the cat-signal that spotlights Gotham’s
midnight sky. After a brief dialog with the police commissioner, she
descends into the sewer to catch a thief and murderer. Killer Croc
attacks her from the depths but is killed by a bat-like blade; the
blade’s dark owner flees before Catwoman sees him. Three nights
later, the Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum. He retreats to the
Komedy Klub after Catwoman gives him one of her punch lines. She
finds him dead, murdered by another bat-like weapon. Batman threatens
her at the scene after she tries to take him to Commissioner Gordon.
She lashes him with her whip, but he disappears into the shadows,
“A bat, another creature of the night… is even darker than
the cat.” (15)
“Batman is recast in
a sinister, gothic look, and Catwoman’s uniform suggests
dominatrix-chic.”
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Commissioner Gordon gives Catwoman another assignment: arrest the
female Two-Face, Darcy Dent, for murder. Two-Face puts up quite a
fight, but she is no match for Catwoman’s skill. Back at the
Cat Lair, hidden safely beneath Kyle Manor, Selina argues with her
maid and confidante, Brooks, over whether she should just settle down
and “raise a litter of kittens.” Meanwhile, Batman loots
all of Gotham city’s banks.
Catwoman catches on to Batman’s M.O. He takes out the other
criminals because they are his competition. Now that they’re
gone, he launches his “one-man, all-out crime wave” and
comes after his final threat, her. Catwoman and Batman battle on the
roofs of Gotham city. Catwoman’s agility cannot defeat the
strength of Batman. She grips his glove and hangs helplessly on the
side of a building as he tells her, “Don’t bother landing on
your feet kitten,” then lets her go (concluded in Book Two).
Whether you call yourself a Marvel Girl or an X-Man, I guarantee
that you will love the non-stop action of DC Comics Elseworld. Doug
Moench’s Catwoman: Guardian of Gotham has everything
including several intense subplots, entertaining match-ups, and
Two-Face and Joker cameos. Jim Balent and Kim DeMulder reconstruct a
strange and unfamiliar Gotham city as well as modify the
characters’ costumes. For instance, Joker transforms into the
laughing lunatic with a sick safety-pinned grin. Batman is recast in
a sinister, gothic look, and Catwoman’s uniform suggests
dominatrix-chic. Balent and DeMulder are the most impressive and
talented illustrators I’ve ever seen. The colors and letters,
an integral part of any comic, are also excellent.
Usually, I read the back issues by Moench, Duffy, and Brubaker, but
Catwoman: Guardian of Gotham’s altered storyline and Jim
Balent’s incredible cover art fascinated me. I’ve always
admired Catwoman as the purrfect adversary to Batman, but I liked that
Moench portrays her as a champion of justice instead of a ferocious
feline. As a female comic book fan, I believe the underlying meaning
of this comic addresses the importance of depicting female characters
as positive lead protagonists rather than as villains in minor roles.
The heightened conclusion of Catwoman: Guardian of Gotham
leaves us with several unanswered questions. Will Catwoman team up
with another one of Batman’s female foes such as the beautiful
but deadly Poison Ivy (my second favorite DC Comics vixen)? Or will
Catwoman defend the fate of Gotham city on her own? We’ll have
to read the second book of this installment to find out.
—CCdC—
Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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