“Nine Lives” – Part Four
Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Color Artist: Veronica Gandini
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Catwoman #62 keeps up the welcome vignette style of story we’ve been getting since Selina decided that she didn’t want to die (at the end of the brilliant “Gotham War” event).
The story here sees her bringing her expertise, as DC’s greatest thief, to Amanda Waller’s band of happy misanthropes. We get striking, cosmic visuals, and the phenomenal character designs of figures, familiar and new to most readers, from Carmine Di Giandomenico, set to Veronica Gandini’s vibrant colors.
Truly powerful forces are on show, and the mystery of Selina’s final fate continues.
We also get an amazing and subtle homage to Watchmen with the character designs in this issue. There’s a new and understated look at Clock King, and he’s very reminiscent of Temple Fugate from Batman: The Animated Series. As such, he has glasses with clock hands on them.
However, in each panel, the hands seem to be showing a different time, as though they’re winding or ticking away constantly. That consistent change of design harkens back to comic heritage in a relevant, character-driven way.
This run is a delight for new readers and a welcome flex for the creative team. We’re rewarded for knowing about the “Gotham War”, and its consequences, but without forcing fans to go out and buy every issue of the crossover. Any collector can enter this title and find excitement and joy in reading Selina’s ever-evolving antics.
Conclusion
Catwoman #62 brings us a heist story that’s vastly different from those that came before it. The greatest thief in DC Comics has such range, and when handled by a creative team this strong, the stories could go anywhere! I’m eager to see if she spends her remaining lives in vain, and if there’s going to be anything other than the cosmic tug-of-war that unites these intriguing stories.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment