Batman Catwoman #2 Review
Writer – Tom King
Art – Clay Mann
Colors – Tomeu Morey
Letters – Clayton Cowles
Publisher DC Comics Black Label
So far, 2021 has been all Future State titles from DC which has been a fresh new take on stories and characters we all know and love but I’m not going to lie, it is nice to have the return of a Black Label story in the midst of Future State to kind of ground everything and bring us back to a series that had a phenomenal first issue and really got me excited for a Batman title outside of the main run, which I feel has been a let down the last few months. If you read my reviews of Tom King’s run on Batman, you know I had a love hate relationship for what King did in that series but issue one of Bat/Cat was nothing but love and issue #2 sees me giving the writer even more love!
Writing-
Batman Catwoman #2 continues the same time line sequences we saw in issue #1. Tom King develops the story of this series over three different timelines, which include the past, the present, and the future, which is a continuation of the story King laid out in, Batman Annual #2. A future in which Bruce has died from illness and sees an elderly Selina continuing on without him. The future part of this story continues right where issue #1 left off, with Selina visiting an elderly man who we discover to be the Joker, well passed his prime. As the story progresses, we see some pretty exciting developments as the issue alternates between the three timelines. The main focus of this issue is events that revolve around Batman and Catwoman’s dealings with Joker during what appears to be the same timeline as Mask of the Phantasm for the past, and a current event unfolding with a struggle for Batman to trust Catwoman because of an interaction with the Clown a prince of Crime. Overall, King does a great job keeping all three timelines cohesive, as well as moving all three forward to come back around to bring readers up to date with the events happening in the future timeline. This issue is a bit more fast paced and exciting than the last and King does a brilliant job tying some of the ends from the last issue, while leading up to a climactic end of this issue that leaves readers excited for what is to come as well as ponder new pieces of the overall picture given to us in the end of this issue. It’s an all around beautiful execution of a complex means of story telling that King excels at.
Art –
The art of this series has truly been a challenge to review. The character designs by Clay Mann for this series have truly outdone anything the artist has done to date and is a true reflection on just how talented he is as an artist. The sheer amount of detail Mann adds to every panel is just mesmerizing and while you want to binge the story to see where it’s going, you also have to slow down and really take in and admire the stunning world that Mann has created in this series. You would think that when an artist has to cover three different versions of characters in one story, they might not give as much attention to each one and that one may not look as organic or fluid as another but Mann really has done a phenomenal job on each of the characters designs and they all create a fluid beauty that you can’t take your eyes off of. Even the backgrounds and the city throughout the timelines each have their own unique designs that really help readers distinguish the time period but still feels cohesive and of the same world. Tomeu Morey is the icing on the cake for the visuals of this series, giving the final touch to the art that brings the emotion of it all to life. The colors of the characters, the city, and the background all echoe the fluidity of Mann’s art, creating a cohesive experience but bringing brilliant shadows and highlights that feel real and show off the different environments of different time periods. Just a stunning visual overall that really takes the reader on a rollercoaster of emotional bliss and takes them out of their real world and into the pages of this issue.
Overall –
King is able to take readers along on a cohesive journey across three different timelines that all fell fluid and exciting and bring the reader to a single convergence point of the three that doesn’t loose the reader and keeps the story moving forward. The art team of Clay Mann and Tomeu Morey create a visually stunning world in which the reader is able to get lost in and echoes the realistic tones. Batman Catwoman is the ultimate creative combination that comic readers have been longing for and this creative team delivers it, and so much more!
Batman Catwoman #2 is available today at your local comic shop as well as digital download from your preferred retailer. Make sure you add this one to the top of your reading pile because it is one you are not going to want to wait on. Make sure you guys let us know what you thought of the issue by leaving your comments down below!
-Wes Greer
Art – Clay Mann
Colors – Tomeu Morey
Letters – Clayton Cowles
Publisher DC Comics Black Label
So far, 2021 has been all Future State titles from DC which has been a fresh new take on stories and characters we all know and love but I’m not going to lie, it is nice to have the return of a Black Label story in the midst of Future State to kind of ground everything and bring us back to a series that had a phenomenal first issue and really got me excited for a Batman title outside of the main run, which I feel has been a let down the last few months. If you read my reviews of Tom King’s run on Batman, you know I had a love hate relationship for what King did in that series but issue one of Bat/Cat was nothing but love and issue #2 sees me giving the writer even more love!
Writing-
Batman Catwoman #2 continues the same time line sequences we saw in issue #1. Tom King develops the story of this series over three different timelines, which include the past, the present, and the future, which is a continuation of the story King laid out in, Batman Annual #2. A future in which Bruce has died from illness and sees an elderly Selina continuing on without him. The future part of this story continues right where issue #1 left off, with Selina visiting an elderly man who we discover to be the Joker, well passed his prime. As the story progresses, we see some pretty exciting developments as the issue alternates between the three timelines. The main focus of this issue is events that revolve around Batman and Catwoman’s dealings with Joker during what appears to be the same timeline as Mask of the Phantasm for the past, and a current event unfolding with a struggle for Batman to trust Catwoman because of an interaction with the Clown a prince of Crime. Overall, King does a great job keeping all three timelines cohesive, as well as moving all three forward to come back around to bring readers up to date with the events happening in the future timeline. This issue is a bit more fast paced and exciting than the last and King does a brilliant job tying some of the ends from the last issue, while leading up to a climactic end of this issue that leaves readers excited for what is to come as well as ponder new pieces of the overall picture given to us in the end of this issue. It’s an all around beautiful execution of a complex means of story telling that King excels at.
Art –
The art of this series has truly been a challenge to review. The character designs by Clay Mann for this series have truly outdone anything the artist has done to date and is a true reflection on just how talented he is as an artist. The sheer amount of detail Mann adds to every panel is just mesmerizing and while you want to binge the story to see where it’s going, you also have to slow down and really take in and admire the stunning world that Mann has created in this series. You would think that when an artist has to cover three different versions of characters in one story, they might not give as much attention to each one and that one may not look as organic or fluid as another but Mann really has done a phenomenal job on each of the characters designs and they all create a fluid beauty that you can’t take your eyes off of. Even the backgrounds and the city throughout the timelines each have their own unique designs that really help readers distinguish the time period but still feels cohesive and of the same world. Tomeu Morey is the icing on the cake for the visuals of this series, giving the final touch to the art that brings the emotion of it all to life. The colors of the characters, the city, and the background all echoe the fluidity of Mann’s art, creating a cohesive experience but bringing brilliant shadows and highlights that feel real and show off the different environments of different time periods. Just a stunning visual overall that really takes the reader on a rollercoaster of emotional bliss and takes them out of their real world and into the pages of this issue.
Overall –
King is able to take readers along on a cohesive journey across three different timelines that all fell fluid and exciting and bring the reader to a single convergence point of the three that doesn’t loose the reader and keeps the story moving forward. The art team of Clay Mann and Tomeu Morey create a visually stunning world in which the reader is able to get lost in and echoes the realistic tones. Batman Catwoman is the ultimate creative combination that comic readers have been longing for and this creative team delivers it, and so much more!
Batman Catwoman #2 is available today at your local comic shop as well as digital download from your preferred retailer. Make sure you add this one to the top of your reading pile because it is one you are not going to want to wait on. Make sure you guys let us know what you thought of the issue by leaving your comments down below!
-Wes Greer
A Look Inside
