Review CatWoman #69

Catwoman - #69

Synopsis: In Gotham City, a Bana terrorist holds a handheld radioactive device in her hand and threatens to destroy the city if nebody shoots her b/c it's rigged on a deadman's switch. :o Catwoman tells us that she's supposed to be part of the Bana and stole the dangerous part of the device for them. She tried to stop them but things didn't go according to plan. She jumps out at lashes her whip.

We back up a week, and Catwoman is watching the news with her child thinking about how she had to give up her life. The news talks about how without Batman, the hero forces are disorganized.

Holly checks on Karon in the hospital and then flies away. XD

Catwoman goes to check on her kid when she sees Batman holding her. Batman recruits her to infiltrate the Bana and promises to keep Helena safe.

Catwoman breaks into a jewellry store and gets the Bana's attention and they approach her to join. She breaks into STAR labs and steals the device. She tries to take the radioactive part out and hide it but the Bana catch her and shoot her with a dart.

She wakes up and they inform her that they want her to witness the destruction of Gotham City. She beats them up and whips the Bana holding the bomb but she let's go of the switch and Gotham City is destroyed, everybody dead, including Batman!

Actually it's too be continued.

OMG IS GOTHAM CITY GONNA BE KILLED?

Review:

I dun even know the point of cliffhangers like this nemore. :\ Cliffhangers still DO work, but they at least need a "what's going to happen" type of question at the end, rather than a "will the city get destroyed or not?" question.

To me, and I'm sure a lot of other readers unfamiliar with the Bana, it's like they just appeared and everybody's talking about them in a way that suggests that they know them well but yet vague enuf that the rest of us dunno what's going on. :\

It's like not being allowed in on a joke. >:|

And that's a feeling that you dun want your readers or your fans to have. :(

No matter how much I keep not wanting it to be this way, Amazons Attack keeps appearing to be an anti-feminist rant. :\ Or at the very least "extremist feminism is bad!"

ORLY?

I thought Catwoman was skilled. :O How did she get caught so easily? And why isn't Batman around to help her? :o

I love how the news says that once Batman left the JLA is totally discombobulated and confused! XD So much for Black Canary being the leader. :\ It's not like all of the heroes are n00bs or nething! They KNOW how to operate as a team without Batman!

And considering how Hippolyta's only orders seem to be "KILL PUSSYCAT KILL!!!", how exactly are the heroes being outmaneuvred?

I love how the Bana realize that Catwoman's a traitor (in the issue that she joined them too!) and knock her out, but dun tie her up, or take any precautions around her even tho they've spent weeks watching her (apparently) and therefore should know how fast she can move, or how strong she is. :o

What WAS the point in having Catwoman infiltrate them if she's not there to learn nething? All it seems is that she needs to steal a weapon for them to use, that they would never have been able to obtain if she didn't do it for them.

Great plan Batman.

I have this annoying feeling that the bomb will be a dud and the Bana were "testing" her or something and by some bizarre fluke of writing, she passed. Or she swapped the radioactive thing with a fake radioactive thing. Considering the device is supposed to be able to spread radioactivity across a half mile and she took out the radiocative core, wouldn't it KILL HER!? My job is working with radiation (doing safety tests for medical labs) so to me this is such a stupid thing for her to do XD

Or something.

I dun care. Amazons Attack is dead to me now.

I love how Holly jumps off the building after visiting Karon but there's nothing visibly nearby for her to land on. XD It looks like she just flew off :O

Neways, I can't wait until DC's summer o' crossovers is over. >:|

Oh! I love how at comicon when interviewed, Didio said that ALL of the Countdown Crossovers are INTEGRAL to the plot and therefore you HAVE to get ALL of them. >:|

CONVENIENT!

>:|

Angelwings Rating: 2 stupid Catwomen out of 5 stupid Bana :(
Recommendation: This isn't a Catwoman issue, it's an Amazons Attack issue. :\ If you like Amazons Attack, you might want to get it to see more about the Bana, otherwise.. no >:

http://ami-angelwings.blogspot.com/2007/07/catwoman-69-review.html


Catwoman #69 - Review and Spoilers
Posted: Jul 18, 2007 1:43 PM

This was totally a filler issue. And not one of Pfiefer's greatest. Neither was Amazon's Attack #4; I shouldn't have even bought that.

I don't understand why the JLA are having such a hard time with the Amazons and the Bana. Seriously, Superman and Wonder Woman could handle this whole catastrophe alone. So when Supergirl and Wonder Girl help them, that should make the task so much easier. I also don't understand why Diana doesn't simply take her mamma down hard without killing her, nor why Superman would interfere with Diana's and Hippolyta's argument, or whatever you can call it. The JLA seem pretty incompetent right about now.

I also don't understand why Batman selected Catwoman of all people to help in the fight. I know the Bana are interested in her, but how does Batman know this? He sure knows a lot about them and learned it all in a short amount of time, from Wonder Woman I guess. So if the JLA know who the Bana are, and who they are interested in in Gotham City, then why can't Superman and Wonder Woman just crush them? See, this whole thing is just a little weak and half-hearted and I suppose Will Pfiefer's to blame, but he may be answering to someone else, who knows?

I thought it was sad that Selina had to sit at home and just watch the destruction happen on CNN; if I were in her position and couldn't find a babysitter, I'd probably turn on Spongebob Squarepants and enjoy what little time I had left with my daughter.

But it was great to see Bruce, Selina, and Helena riding down the road together in Bruce's Batmobile going to the good ol' Batcave. It's also good that Alfred is taking care of Helena. These things make purchasing this issue a little worthwhile.

Catwoman really blew it in the end, easily losing the Bana's trust and all. If Pfiefer's trying to direct people's attention to Catwoman, shouldn't he present her in a more flattering manner? This issue will probably sell more than previous issues of "Catwoman" since it's all but advertised in "Amazons Attack" (then again, who's buying that?), and people are going to buy this issue just to see that Catwoman FLOPPED on her first assignment.

She'll get no respect from anyone with this issue, so Pfiefer had better work some "Myth and Magic" of his own (soon) if he's going to redeem the reputation of his Home Comic's star character.

kkglinka

Posts: 54
Registered: 7/29/06
Re: Catwoman #69 - Review and Spoilers
Posted: Jul 18, 2007 4:03 PM in response to: hunters2

You mean, why didn't she just hire a bodyguard, let Holly, who is both loyal and qualified babysit, or even have Alfred do the job in the safety of Wayne Manor? Well, that would require her to have a brain and, more importantly, it would completely undermine the writer's intended direction for this subplot. You see, there were two ways Pfeifer could have handled Helena: a) how does Selina overcome the new challenge, which assumes for competence and ultimate heroic victory and reconcilement or b) can Selina overcome the new challenge, which suggests some level of incompetence and likely failure at either one task or the other.

Everything I've seen indicates Pfeifer chose the latter path, especially his revealing comment that the Helena subplot would have a conclusion, which is incompatible with a permanent cast roster change. As a result, a molehill has been exaggerated into a mountain to service a pre-defined ending. We have been shown over and over again that Selina as a mother is tired, falls asleep on the job, unhappy that she can't do Catwoman stuff, ignores legal problems like homicide investigations, relies on other vigilantes to solve her problems (Zatanna, Calculator, now Batman and probably Zatanna again), is incapable of maintaining a secure double identity, etc. She's only happy when she's stealing stuff, landing on her butt a lot, and whining to Superman about how unfair he's being.

In short, we've been given the latest variation of the ham-fisted, cliched standard about how superheroes just can't have families. (Just because). Selina has been reduced to a plot device to meet this goal; she's stupid because the writer needs her to be stupid to avoid seeing obvious solutions or avoid problems. Above all, she can't be a competent working single parent because that would reveal the underlying straw man logic that she must make a "tragic" choice. That will probably involve giving away Helena and a mind-wipe from Zatanna so Selina can forget all about it, to avoid any sort of character growth.

Or maybe there'll be an 11'o'clock turnaround and Selina will heroically overcome the challenge instead of failing and taking the coward's way out. Because, you know, failure and incompetence are so inspiring. As a reader, I totally identify with a hero who distinctly lacks heroic traits or idealized achievements. Wouldn't it have been awesome if No Man's Land had ended with all the heroes realistically admitting they couldn't hack it and giving up? I also want to see a story that emphasizes, for 1.5 years, how Bruce Wayne just can't handle being Batman in Gotham, Batman in the JLA and CEO of his company. Clearly he needs to choose between one vocation or the other because it's not like delegation of tasks is an option in life.

As for AA!, I find its flaws very consistent with Pfeifer's writing on Catwoman, especially the way characters' established motivations are being ignored for the sake of the plot, which then makes their arbitrary action or inaction look incredibly stupid and out of character.

http://dcboards.warnerbros.com/web/thread.jspa?threadID=2000123372


CATWOMAN #69 REVIEW
Reviewer: Terry Verticchio terryvert@hotmail.com
Quick rating: Good
Title: Life During Wartime

The Amazons bring their war to the streets of Gotham.

Writer: Will Pfeifer
Pencils: David Lopez
Inks: Alvaro Lopez
Colours: Jeromy Cox
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Cover: Adam Hughes
Editor: Nachie Castro
Publisher: DC Comics

Just when she thought her life would become a bit quieter Selina becomes involved in the war with the Amazons. Batman has learned that another side has entered the war and Bruce wants Selina to infiltrate their ranks and help bring them down. The Bana are a splinter group of the Amazons themselves and they have been watching Catwoman for some time. It’s no problem for her to become part of their movement. But can she accomplish her mission in time before being found out?

This issue unfortunately feels a bit rushed to me. Will Pfeifer I think tried a bit too hard to get this title into his Amazons Attack story line and having Selina become part of the Bana so quickly didn’t feel real to me.

The art was good with this issue. The Lopez team is growing on me more and more. There is one really fantastic panel of a Bana warrior on the second to last page.

I’m not sure if Catwoman really belongs in the Amazons Attack crossover, but this was a fair issue nonetheless and an interesting interlude.

http://www.comixtreme.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35740


Catwoman #69

One-sentence summary: An Amazon Attacks tie-in -- woo...

I guess this is all biased because I'm just not into the Amazons Attack stuff, but I really didn't care much for this issue. Nothing was that bad about it; just very neutral.

I did like seeing Selina's bad side a little more than we normally do, as the book seems to want her to be a hero more than an anti-hero, but that's a personal preference of mine I suppose.

It seems to me everything having to do with Amazons Attack has a sort of weaksauce story (yes, I said weaksauce -- thanks Dino Comics). Here the second act (stop the evil Amazons with the bomb!) has almost no correlation with the plan of the first act (infiltrate the Amazons to stop them). It's like the writer knew what he wanted to happen in both acts, but just couldn't think of any really good ways to connect them, so just, well, slapped some stuff down and called it a day.

I hate to be so negative, but, yeah, this wasn't very good. It wasn't awful, but I wouldn't recommend the title to anyone.

http://justcomicbookreviews.blogspot.com/2007/07/catwoman-69.html


Catwoman #69
Written by Will Pfeifer
Art by David Lopez
Rating: Check It
Dan's Review: Like Birds of Prey, Catwoman takes a step in a rather worrisome direction with its current issue, as Selina Kyle throws her hat into the boring quagmire that is the whole Amazon Attacks storyline.

Whether this disappointing new direction is a result of DC mandating that Will Pfeifer tie his Catwoman series into his Amazons mini, or Pfeifer himself decided it would be useful to do so, I don't know. I do, however, know that the reason I took such a strong liking to Pfeifer's work on Catwoman had little do with Selina mixing it up with the rest of the DC Universe and a lot to do with the inspired, energetic and self-contained stories he told in this series. The character-driven drama and zany D-list villains Pfeifer introduced in this series seem to be taking a backseat for now, and I can only hope they return sometime soon.

The good news is that, unlike so many of these tie-ins, Pfeifer is able to maintain the series' unique tone and energy, and besides the presence of Batman and a rogue Amazonian terrorist cell, there's little to distinguish this issue from its mostly fantastic predecessors. Artist David Lopez is his normal crisp and dynamic self, reminding me once again that - despite what they might believe - DC has some incredibly talented artists on their payroll that are also capable of churning out a monthly book on time.

http://comics.ign.com/articles/806/806078p2.html






CATWOMAN 69
Written by Will Pfeifer; Art by David Lopez and Alvaro Lopez; Cover by Adam Hughes

I don't know what was supposed to happen in this issue based on the cover art and solicitation. I don't actually follow Catwoman, but occasionally I'll pick up an issue out of curiosity and because I like a good Adam Hughes cover.

This issue ties in with the events in Amazons Attack 4, as Batman returns to Gotham to recruit Catwoman to infiltrate the Bana Mighdall. It's not clear that the events of this issue will be that important to the upcoming events of Amazons Attack, but it explains the page or so of conversation about Batman's return to Gotham, etc...

Falling in to this issue provided me with most of the problems I have picking up any series mid-run. I vaguely know what's going on, but not really. I guess Catwoman had a pseudo-identity set up that is now in tatters, which sets the emotional groundwork for this issue. Not knowing much about that, I'll just accept that and move on.

One is left still wondering if Batman is not, in fact, Catwoman's baby daddy (as he is also Talia's), and the bit with a babyseat in the Batmobile is sort of cute.

The issue itself works pretty well, tying in to the Amazons Attack storyline as it does. The art is well rendered, and Will Pfeiffer seems more at home playing in the streets of Gotham than he does trying to write about a foreign invasion in our nation's capital.

Readers looking for a sideline tie-in to Amazons Attack which is far more coherent than the actually Amazons Attack storyline may wish to pick up this issue, which, again, has nothing to do with the cover.

http://www.filmfodder.com/comics/archives/2007/07/dc_comic_reviews_week_july_18.shtml


Catwoman #69 — Writer: Will Pfeifer; Penciller: David Lopez; Inker: Alvaro Lopez
Batman runs over from Countdown, or Amazon Attacks, or somewhere, and ropes Selina into the whole Circe’s-giving-Hippolyta-a-hot-flash-and-the-Amazons-are-attacking-the-U.S. thing. Part one of two, for those of you excited by this news (and, to be fair, at least it offers a consistent part of the crossover, since Pfeifer is the writer on that too).

http://www.allaboutcomics.com/blog/?p=98


Catwoman #69
Review by PBR Staff
Permalink: http://www.paperbackreader.com/permalnkreview.php?id=1957

Grade : B
DC Comics $2.99
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Other Reviews by PBR Staff
Catwoman #69
W : Will Pfeifer
A: David Lopez
I : Alvaro Lopez
C: Jeromy Cox
The Catwoman character has always been a hard one for me. What motivates a theif-in-the-night to fall in love with a costumed superhero -- but never act on it -- and alternately steal things and save the world? We know that Selina has no special powers, just like Batman, but she still is able to do just about anything she sets her mind and her limited abilities on. In some ways, she's like the Huntress, in other ways, she's like Talia Al Ghul. A very hard character to pin down.
So, in this issue, we see her doing a few things that seem incongruous. In the first part of the issue, we see her attempting to watch the news around a screaming baby on the floor. Watching tv and raising children are two things I wouldn't have put high up on her list of things to do. But those pale to what comes next; The Batman is standing in her nursery.
Opening the door to her babe's room, she sees Bruce standing there, holding the child in one arm, and a packed suitcase in the other. He tells her it's time to save the world, time to come back to Gotham, and the time for discussion (as it was) has passed. Selina agrees.
She returns to Gotham, to infiltrate an offshoot of the Amazons, known as "The Bana" (maybe a shout out to the Hulk movie?) in order to figure out what they are plotting, and to stop it. In this issue, she succeeds in neither. Instead, she merely steals some amount of weapons-grade "radioactive material" which is quickly made into a bomb for The Bana. As she says, things didn't quite go according to plan.
This is a pretty nicely done issue, though it's a bit slow moving (by the time Batman shows up, the book is 1/3 over.) My sense is that this story could have been told in much less space, or at the least, more story could have been put in. However, what's there is pretty good, and gives some pretty good depth to Catwoman's feelings -- especially demarcating how she's changed and grown as a person in the intervening years. I'll have to read #70, to determine if the payoff is worth the start, but this was certainly good enough for me to give it at try.

http://www.paperbackreader.com/review.php?ReviewID=1957


Catwoman #69 – The previously mention Will Pfeifer has made Catwoman into one of my favorite series. The official hype “The conclusion of the "Catwoman Dies" storyline! The identity that Selina Kyle built for herself to protect her baby daughter is being destroyed at the hands of Hammer and Sickle, and that's just the beginning. With supervillains and the Gotham police hunting for both Selina and her replacement, Holly, drastic measures are needed!” Of course if you follow Countdown you know Holly has ended up in Metropolis and in an Amazon Center for Women, but where this leaves Selina is still unknown.

http://comicsand.blogspot.com/2007/07/what-im-getting-wednesday_16.html


Catwoman #69: I know I say this virtually every month, but if you’re not reading Catwoman–and statistically, you’re not–you’re really missing out. Will Pfeifer routinely turns in some of the sharpest scripts in comics (which explailns why I’m still reading Amazons Attack, even though I’m only getting half of the story), but the real star of this issue is the art team of David and Alvaro Lopez. Their work’s always gorgeous, but this one’s got a scene Selina walks into a room to find Batman holding her baby, and there’s a little smile on his face that’s… well, it’s just perfect. It’s a great piece of a great issue of a great run, and if you’re one of the poor suckers who’s missing out, jump on. Assuming that you like things that are totally awesome, I doubt you’ll regret it.

http://www.the-isb.com/?p=85


10. Catwoman 69- More people need to be reading Catwoman. It's just a great read month after month! The issue is a tie-in to Amazons Attack and does a nice job standing on its own. David Lopen does a great job on the artwork as usual.

http://blog.myspace.com/pmhernandez


Catwoman 69:
Batman holding a baby. That all I have to say
5 out of 5

http://destinysgarden.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html


Catwoman #69 - This issue didn't blow me away. I liked the stuff with Batman and Helena. I liked the stuff with Selina and Helena. But the crossover stuff still felt forced, even though Pfeifer is the mastermind behind both this issue and the crossover. It wasn't a bad issue, it just wasn't the usual greatness I'd come to expect.

I like that it made a whole lot more sense than Amazons Attack has yet, but since I'm not really onboard with that book, this one sort of went in one ear and out the other. No real staying power.

http://comicsnexus.insidepulse.com/article_v3.php?contentid=69174&rssZone=1


Catwoman #69 by Will Pfeifer, David López, and Alvaro López. $2.99, DC.

Man, remember when Adam Hughes did interior art? Look at that cover and tell me you wouldn’t drool to see him doing interior art again. And where the hell is All Star Wonder Woman, anyway?

Anyway, I suppose this is a personal feeling, but for me, Catwoman crackles with tension in a way that Birds of Prey does not. Everything that happens makes sense and feels like it happens for a reason and ups the ante for Selina and her child. Pfeifer here constructs a story that begins at the end so that we can see the threat - a rogue Amazon with a radioactive bomb standing in the middle of Gotham with the cops all around her, and Selina dashing forward to save the day. Then, of course, we have to have the flashback to how we reached that point. Pfeifer ties the story into Amazons Attack! (and really, DC, would it kill you to put a footnote in the book that reads “Confused? Don’t be - pick up the Amazons Attack! mini-series, on sale now!”? or would that be too smart from, I don’t know, a marketing perspective?) but also continues the stories he’s been working on for a while in this title, as we check in briefly to see Karon in the hospital and Holly leaving to do something drastic, I would say. Batman recruits Selina to infiltrate the Bana, the Amazon splinter group who’s been blowing things up across the country, and Selina agrees, but things go pear-shaped pretty quickly. It’s a tense little drama that zips along, ending at the moment we began, when things get even worse. But it leaves us wanting more, and that’s kind of the point, isn’t it?

Oh, and this issue features one of the Top Ten Batman Panels of all time. It’s awesome.

You want to buy Catwoman, you just haven’t yet. So why not now?

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/07/19/what-i-bought-18-july-2007/