Catwoman: Copycats (Review)

CATWOMAN: COPYCATS

Writer: Joelle Jones

Artists: Joelle Jones & Fernando Blanco

Colorists: Laura Allred & John Kalisz

Letterer: Josh Reed

Publisher: DC

Rating: 8.5/10

When this series first came out, it was right after the failed Bat/Cat wedding. Selina had left Gotham and headed off to another corrupt city, Villa Hermosa, to lick her wounds. Joelle Jones crafted an interesting story and delivered the best take on the character in years. With Catwoman on her own once again, she had to deal with a new adversary whole also tying up loose ends from her past.

This first arc sees Selina dealing with a whole new type of criminal. The Creel family, headed by Raina Creel, are ruthless and will do anything to maintain power. With Selina new in town, she immediately is framed for murder, due to an imposter posing as Catwoman. As she makes her presence known to the Creel family, we see that this won't be an easy task for Selina. As we learn a little more backstory on the Creel family, we see just how dark and twisted they really are. I love how Joelle wrote the scene where Raina explains her backstory but it differed from what we were actually seeing. Just goes to show you can't always believe what people tell you.

I absolutely love the way Joelle writes Catwoman, it's like she was born to write her. She portrays a cool and confident Selina and really showcases how, no matter what, she can always adapt to any situation thrown her way. As the story continues we see the return of Maggie, Selina's sister. It's clear this was one of the reasons she came to this town. It's nice to see Selina out on her own again and distancing herself from Gotham was the perfect way to do it. While we see little moments of her reflecting on her decision to leave Bruce, it doesnt overshadow the story, but it adds an underlying layer of sadness to Selina and she deals with her new problems.

Not only can Jones write but man does she draw a gorgeous Catwoman. The art in this book is beautiful and one of the main things I love about this book. She draws Selina with an elegance and grace that exudes confidence. Not to mention the perfectly executed fight scenes. Jones coupled with the amazing colors of Laura Allred is a match made in heaven. Allred's muted colors gives the feeling of being out on a cool summer night.

Fernando Blanco and John Kalisz handled the art on Raina's backstory. Man they really captured the evil of what that woman is capable of what that woman is capable of. The way the peoples face were portrayed were downright disturbing and really helped the narrative of the story being told from Raina.

I feel like Catwoman fans are finally got a book they deserve. Not since the days of Brubaker and Cooke or Pfeifer & Woods has their been a reason to be excited about a Catwoman series. After previous attempts and putting out lackluster stories the past few years, Selina is finally being done justice. While Jones is currently wrapping up her run, this will always be remembered as one of the great Catwoman stories/runs of all time.