Another lost (to me) treasure discovered on the used shelf of my local comic shop, Catwoman: Relentless. Always a fan of Brubaker at the time I didn’t care for Stewart or Pulido’s clean lines and simplified styles; now I can’t get enough.
Triumph and tragedy are the name of the game in this 192-page trade paperback reprinting CATWOMAN #12-19, plus the 6-page Black Mask story from CATWOMAN Secret Files #1! Catwoman has crossed the Black Mask — now he’s making her pay!
I can’t believe how solid this book is. This is a team book with a solo title, as Catwoman shares the stage with her on and off again boyfriend Slam Bradley, the toughest private eye I know. Plus Selina Kyle out of her costume looks after Holly in an older sister type role. Fighting crime, hard-boiled action and tough relationships provide a solid and slightly dark world. Kyle tries to get out into the sun and build something good but gets thrown back into the shadows. It’s classic Brubaker, or possibly just Brubaker getting into gear since these stories were first published in 2003.
It’s light, funny, dark, moody, brooding, violent and touching all within a few pages. Stewart gives wonderful expression to the characters and solid storytelling through the varied panel sizes. Gotta love the old costume flashback.
And then Pulido gives something even more stripped down. It’s an abrupt change but it looks great. Real life moments of love and uncertainty, plus Catwoman kicking ass. Not sure why he thought Slam should look like Robert Mitchum but it works, and I can see this as a film noire. Maybe Ava Gardner as Selina; she’d do the costume justice.
Yes this book was published in 2005 and seems to be out of print but there are lots of copies on Amazon for cheap.
Originally published at Comic Book Daily.
