Convergence Catwoman #2
Written by Justin Gray
Art by Ron Randall
Colors by Gabe El Tabe
And the award for the most improved book goes to Convergence Catwoman! But don’t get too excited because it’s still just average at best.
Last month I came down pretty hard on this title, and I stand behind my review. There was nothing worth taking away from the issue. The characters were predictable and shallow, and the plot was unfocused. Yes, Catwoman tried to steal some stuff, rescued someone from the mob, was chased and shot at, and a mob boss was set up as the main threat… but I didn’t care about any of it. Nothing seemed interesting until Batman showed up, and that was on the last page, which was just a splash page of him dropping in on Selina. Think about it… Batman dropping in from the sky – as Batman is known to do – was more interesting than anything else in that issue. That’s bad.
Thankfully, Batman’s arrival makes things more interesting! Catwoman still has members of the mob after her, so she positions Batman and the mob against each other while she makes her escape. Batman makes quick work of the muscle though, and Selina realizes she’s not going to be able to outrun this problem… She’s going to have to face it. This is where I expected everything to go downhill. I thought Selina was going to be overly confident in taking Bruce on, but instead, she acknowledges the impossible feat in front of her, “I’ve never beaten him. Not the way I need to for everyone to survive… I have to try.” And with that determination, she manages to get a quick upper hand on Batman by disabling his suit with an EMP, sending him crashing from a seven story building.
With his suit disabled, Selina is able to ask questions rather than attack. This allows each of them to learn some of the differences between their worlds. Selina is more than just a thief on this world, and Batman is… well… older. His age doesn’t stop Selina from being flirtatious though. As much as I didn’t want this to happen, it looks like the creative team decided to go there. I’m not even going to try to figure out the age difference, because I’m sure I’ll find it slightly disturbing. Before anything can go anywhere – plans or lust – Batman and Catwoman are faced with Metropolis’ new mob boss, as well as the damaged society who have endured living under the dome for the past year. The two work together to stop the rising conflict before actions of the event unanimously decide the outcome of each world – one champion clearly the victor, and thus saving their home.
Check out the spoiler tag for a sample of some of the internal art.
The Art: Randall delivers solid art, but when it comes down to it, it does nothing for me emotionally. His lines are clean, and for the most part he’s consistent, but nothing ever stood out to me as being great. It’s almost as though each of his panels we. The life of the characters just doesn’t seem to be there. Pay close attention to their faces, and you’ll notice that most of the characters expressions are blank. I know this sounds super negative, so I want to clarify that the art isn’t terrible. It just isn’t great.
To get a look at some of the art, check out the spoiler tag below.
The Good:
Direction. Compared to last month, this issue had more of a direction and purpose. Aka: there was actually a story rather than just a random collection of less than average scenes.
The Bad:
On your own. Remember the woman that Selina rescued last month? If you remember, Selina saved her from being killed by the mob. Then while fleeing the mob (roughly ten minutes later), Selina leaves her on her own… while the mob is still looking for two of them… and Selina sent the woman in the direction that the hired muscle will most likely be coming from… It just doesn’t seem like the best plan, especially after you risked your life to save said person.
Catwoman is apparently super human. Selina jumps off of a seven story building (yes, I counted), and lands on the ground completely unharmed. No tools. No lines. No death.
The Mob. I have a few issues with the mob in this book… they’re pretty much the worst mob ever. After proving they have terrible aim in last month’s issue, this month a whole group of decide to start a fist fight with Batman… Really? I mean, I know they suck with guns, but the probably would’ve been better off trying to shoot Batman than punch him…
People appearing out of nowhere. Did anyone else notice that near the end of the book, the mob practically appears out of nowhere? In one panel, the streets are completely empty aside from our two heroes. Then in the next panel, members of the mob magically appear right behind our heroes. A similar thing happens with the citizens of suicide slum. Once Batman and Catwoman take out the mob, the streets are empty again for as far as the eye can see. The suddenly, it’s like the whole community is closing in. These aren’t major issues, but they were definitely noticeable and it distracted me from the story.
Recommended if:
- You’re a fan of Chuck Dixon’s Catwoman.
- You want to read all of the Convergence tie-ins.
Overall: Although it’s better than last month, this issue is still far from great. At this point, I’m happy to leave this Catwoman behind, and get back to cannon.
SCORE: 5.5 /10
