Catwoman #33 Review

 

The Other Gun

Writer: Ram V

Artist: Fernando Blanco

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 21, 2021

I have been hot and cold with Ram V's Catwoman run lately. Unfortunately, right when I thought he was elevating the book by making it connected with what's going on in the rest of the Gotham books, we took a two-issue detour that, unlike others, I did not love.  We are getting closer and closer to Fear State, so things have to pick up, right?  Well, let's find out if they do and if that is a good thing...

We start with some talking heads giving their news reports on the growing tensions in Alleytown. The residents are taking it to the streets while Mayor Nakano announces his Magistrate Program.  It's "straight from the headlines," for sure, but there isn't much meat to the whole thing to make it feel that important to the story in this book.

Selina (it's nice to see her more in her book, btw) makes her way to the Strays, who have set up a new base seemingly out of thin air.  It feels like Ram V is playing it up as if Selina has been gone for an extended amount of time when she was hiding out.  She talked to the Strays as recent as the Annual, which takes place right before this issue.

The new HQ is cool, but things feel rushed and forced to keep things moving.  Riddler helped set things up, they got the high-tech equipment at the docks, and also the mysterious stranger from a couple of issues ago is Basil Karlo, and he's brought along some friends.  I loved when Selina yells at Clayface that he better not be turning the kids into fighters when she has been doing just that since this book got back to Gotham.  Maybe it's just displaced anger at a certain other someone.  More on that later.

We then catch up with Hadley, whose dialogue is 100% "loose cannon cop who needs to get the job done," that it's pretty laughable.  I expected him to have to turn in his gun (and the other one) at any time.

Ram V then decides to bring Pit Rollins back into the book, but only to tell Selina, "someone's going to pay for your poor choices," right before Father Valley arrives with a bang.  Of course, we get some scripture, an extended fight, and almost the death of Catwoman.  Without spoiling too much, I wasn't sure if the guest star that shows up at the end of the issue was there to save Catwoman the woman or Catwoman the book, but seeing where this book falls on the sales charts, it might be the later.

After all that, this issue wasn't horrible, it just felt very rushed.  I understand that we are heading into Fear State, so things must be put into place, but why not do some of this in the last issue and oversized Annual?  I would have rather spent more time setting this book up for the big Batman crossover than trying to explain how Father Valley has a convoluted connection to St. Dumas and Azrael.  I usually love Fernando Blanco's art, but that seemed a bit rushed as well.

Bits and Pieces:

Catwoman #33 gets the book ready for Fear State, but everything feels a bit rushed.  I still like what is going on in this book, but it all felt too cluttered in this issue.  I'm sure Ram V will straighten things out, but I can't give it high marks for now.

6.9/10