“Furious Hearts” – Part One
Writer: Tini Howard
Artist: Nico Leon
Color Artist: Veronica Gandini
Letterer: Josh Reed
Review by Adam Ray
Catwoman #48 whisks us across the world to a truly unique and exotic locale. The new storyline provides a great balance of action and intrigue right off the bat, without any real pause to reflect.
The heightened tension of the most recent run has eased down well and given us something new to look forward to, but all the while it was cleverly tied to the big movers and shakers we already know.
The situation has taken Selina out of Gotham, but her character development, as well as of all new people introduced since Howard took over the title, has remained delightfully consistent. Regular readers are rewarded with an arc of the unfamiliar stranger to unlikely ally, and even more, over the space of a few short issues. Thankfully, it’s all been done in a natural and realistic way.
I’m reminded of Catwoman’s heritage from the Long Halloween spin off, “When In Rome”. Selina’s intrinsically tied to Italy, and the setting provides a lot of glamour and shine needed to bring the greatest thief in DC Comics to her classic heist roots. The strong tones of orange in the architecture and sky, and the tall olive trees make it feel somehow vert European. It’s beautifully offset but the deep colors of the familiar night Catwoman operates in really work.
We see claustrophobically small panels used in the interrogation scenes to give us similar level of tension. It’s moments and style choices like this that really highlight the specific ways comics can tell a story, and why it’s a medium that will always draw me back in.
Conclusion
Catwoman #48 treats readers to a change of scenery that frames realistic developments of character. We get the thrills and heist action from a well-managed Catwoman story set to the score of a richly illustrated backdrop of a faraway location.
Comics handled with this level of care and attention should be treasured.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
