I'm late for International Women's Day, but I'm still gonna use the opportunity to talk about one of my favorite comic series. So, the thing about Catwoman is that in order to stop seeing her merely as a fandom image of a "hot cat thief meow girl boss lady," you really need to read that damn Catwoman (2002) run…
Catwoman (2002) tackles topics of misogyny, sex trafficking, child abuse, CSA, SA, alcohol abuse, and drug use. We start the very first issue with the fact that an unnamed man is killing sex workers in the East End. Batman won't do anything because he has Gotham's rogues gallery to deal with, and Gotham's police simply wouldn't bother with "low-class" women. So, the only person who is willing to do anything about this situation is Catwoman.
Well, isn't that a fun and totally-not-relevant-to-real-life thing. Speaking about the police angle: I think Gordon and Batman's dynamic is so fundamental to bat-stories that writers frequently pull their punches when it comes to showing the GCPD as truly rotten. As a result, the takeaway about the system usually ends up being pretty weak: "Yeah, Gotham's police force is pretty corrupted and rotten, but there are some good people here, so they're still allies. Also, sometimes police brutality is okay."
Fortunately, the Catwoman (2002) run doesn't have that problem — you'll find yourself genuinely hoping for all cops to die in that one, which is a win in my book
That run is a DC classic in the sense of how gritty and dark it gets sometimes, but I still wouldn't call it hopeless or edgy. What always set Selina apart from other rogues for me is that she never uses her trauma as a free pass for her actions. She's constantly walking the line between selfish (Batman's villain) and altruistic (Batman himself), and exists in that grey area: part rogue, part hero. The thrill of the hunt balanced against real compassion for victims who remind her of her young self.
The reason why Selina resonates to me is that she's sharp and resilient, but also very vulnerable and human. My favourite scene is when she comes close to giving up on being good, because trying to help has only ever brought her and the people she loves suffering. Oh, Selina, my poor meow meow…
On a brighter note, Selina gets to off Black Mask not once but twice in the series (with a third round in Blackest Night), plus she forms an incredibly sweet bond with a jaded detective Slam Bradley and her very own Robin figure, Holly Robinson.
Unfortunately, the second Brubaker stopped writing for the series, the quality of the story immediately went downhill. It still had some moments that I liked, but the previous atmosphere and social commentary were no longer there, in my opinion. Also, it has one writing decision that I won't spoil, but it's perplexing at best and downright misogynistic at worst.
That said, it's still absolutely worth reading if you want to understand Catwoman as a character or just enjoy a good woman-led story.
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