Catwoman Rebooted
One of my all-time favorite comic story arcs is Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. The only sour note in it, for me, however, was making Selina Kyle a dominatrix prostitute. Her sexuality (and use of it to get what she wanted) was always there for the character - going back to her earliest appearances as 'The Cat', where she would flash some skin, or even convince Bruce Wayne to massage her leg for her; and the dominatrix aspects of her character were always there - she carried a whip fer cryin' out loud. But, just as I thought it was too blatant - too obvious - when Tim Burton decided to put her in a literal catsuit in the film Batman Returns, so too did I feel it was just too blatant to make her a literal dominatrix (instead of a lifestyle one) in the pages of Batman. But, just like the catsuit, I've come to accept the retooled origin, and even grown fond of it.
The reason is because of how well writer Mindy Newell and artists J.J. Birch and Michael Bair integrate Miller's Catwoman bits from Batman: Year One into a new 'Catwoman: Year One' type story here. Having her receive her fight training by Wildcat just makes so much sense - and fits well with the gritty Gotham Miller established.
The artwork is also very well suited to the story, paying some homage to the style of Batman: Year One, while still giving this series its own flavor. My only real complaint here is with a choice made by the colorist, Adrienne Roy. She chose to make Selina's pimp Stan white, as in white as a sheet or snow. It looks weird and supernatural, it just doesn't fit with the 'realistic' look of the rest of the issue.
If you like Catwoman, this issue of this mini-series is not to be missed!
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