Catwoman #3 Review

Evil Eye

Written by: Joëlle Jones
Art by: Joëlle Jones, Fernando Blanco, Laura Allred, John Kalisz, and Josh Reed
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 12, 2018

I really liked the first issue of this series.  In fact, I loved it!  The second issue took a step back, in my opinion, because it went against the first issues biggest strength...keeping this book and its lead character on its own, away from the Batman book and the wedding issue.  Yea, there was obvious mentions, but it felt like Selina was on her own and ready to start a new life.  That whole thing took a few steps back in the second issue, but I am hoping we hit the ground running here and put some major distance between Selina and the Dark Knight.  Well, do we?  Let's find out...

 We open this month with Selina right where we left her last, at the Creel's fancy party.  Everything so far has been set up to get Selina's attention and as the old folks at the party partake in some odd looking drugs, Selina is told if she wants to remain in town, she better cooperate with the Creel Family.  Of course, she gives that a big pass and gets attacked by the juiced up eighty-year-olds.  The fight is quick as she gets thrown off a balcony onto a car down below (just like Lethal Weapon's opening) and we move on from there.

This was a really good opening scene.  Jones gives us the tough Selina I love and isn't afraid to get her bruised up.  I mentioned this already in my reviews of the first two issues...leaving the Cat-God Selina that Tom King wrote behind has upped the stakes in this book already and actually makes her more of a badass.

We then take a trip down F'd Up Street as we get the story of  Raina and what happened to her first husband.  Actually, it's what happened to her first husband and his family and the simple answer is...Raina happened!  Jones does such a good job of telling us one story while slyly showing us another.  The other being the truth and a truth that puts the exclamation point on the idea that Raina is the villain of this book.  The scene ends with an exclamation point to the exclamation point!

Back to Selina, she is getting help and advice from both Linda and Carlos and she really doesn't take either.  We end the issue with an extended scene of a hurt Catwoman making her way across the rooftops by moonlight and then see why she is heading to an appointment and not the emergency room.  It's a cliffhanger that isn't shocking or bombastic, but one I am looking forward to seeing play out and how it affects Selina and this book going forward.

This is a quick read and while the last third could certainly be called filler, the middle section with Raina makes up for that easily.  A great book needs a great villain and while Raina has been disgusting enough (in a Michael Jackson/Plastic Surgery gone wrong kind of way), this issue puts her in a whole other category of evil.  Joëlle Jones has me hooked now and this book is standing squarely on its own two feet (or is that four?)

There was never going to be a doubt that this book would look good and it does.  It's not just the pencil by Jones (and Fernando Blanco stepping in to help with the flashback), but also the colors by Laura Allred and John Kalisz.  It has a bit of a washed out look that makes it feel a bit noir and even a little aged which really fits the story.

Bits and Pieces:

Joëlle Jones uses this issue to continue to show that Selina won't take any guff, but also set up the villain who is 100% pure evil.  It's an issue that grabs you the more you think about it after putting it down.  Jones is taking her time setting up her overall story, but I am fine with that and am in for the long haul.

8.5/10