Scott's Take: Catwoman: Lonely City by Cliff Chang

Catwoman: Lonely City by Cliff Chang takes place in one of the many Elseworld Universes. It is set ten years after Batman and Joker died in an event that killed many others. Catwoman, Selina Kyle, was sent to prison and Two Face used that event to become Mayor. Catwoman is now out and seeking to figure out what Orpheus is as that was the last thing Bruce Wayne, Batman, said to her before he died. Because she believes that the answer might be in the Batcave, she is planning a break in to the Batcave.

 

In doing several things before the break in, she becomes a symbol for the people of Gotham who wish to fight back against the tyranny of Two Face who is ruling the city through fear and police brutality.

 

Featuring legendary artist Cliff Chang who is writing this four-issue book, this read is pretty good despite the fact it is a short series.  Cliff Chang’s art is excellent as usual, even though some of his faces could use a little work since some of them look very similar to each other.

 

One wishes more time could have been spent exploring the actual events of Batman’s death. Some of it is explained through flashbacks, but they come across as rushed parts of the book. There is an interesting wrinkle that is not really explored in this book as the Joker remained his usual vicious self, but several of the other villains in Gotham were less bloodthirsty and kinder in this universe. Riddler is claimed to have never killed anyone. In this book, Riddler is clean now after having a cocaine addiction that caused him to battle wits with Batman. He also was married and had a kid. Things like this are not explored enough.

 

I did like how they compensated for Selina being older and how things would be physically harder for her. The art was also very good, as mentioned previously.

 

I enjoyed Catwoman: Lonely City, but it is very rushed. Four issues were not long enough to give this storyline to breathe. This is a Black Label book, so that means that there are darker issues at work here than the normal books. One should graphic death, graphic violence, and a somewhat graphic sex scene. This is not a book for kids and that includes a pretty gruesome death scene that might disturb some adult readers.

 

 

My reading came from the White Rock Hills Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023