BatCat #4 review and discussion arena

[zvrk]

In the past Selina is having crisis of consciousness and she caves in: all glitzed and dolled up before some meaningless rich party, Selina tells Bruce that Mr J has a bomb under an ice rink and it will blow off in 20 minutes. Bruce rushes and finds a joke bomb - I presume Joker wanted to break the BatCat. After that Bat finds his Cat on gothic rooftop and asks her where is the Joker and Cat once again shows off her potty mouth and goes off on him and runs away - not only does she have a guilty consciousness this issue, but that causes an identity crisis in her: was the Joker right last issue? Is she the Batman? What is Bat expecting of her: to fall in line like all of his previous lovers?

Present day Selina in a top and panties was brought into Andrea's headquarters which is Gotham's World Fair of the Future, from the MOTP movie. She wakes up and finds Andrea in her Halloween costume watching a video of her dead son. Andrea tells her that Bruce will probably develop some plan to find them and rescue Selina. It's just who he is: he can't accept when things don't go his way - which dovetails into the past breakup that happens. Selina tries to assure her that they are doing everything they can and that maybe Joker didn't kill his son, and that he is locked away, to which Andy retorts that it's Arkham with it's revolving doors. It's not the last bad guy they locked up, but they can't predict the next bad guy... which makes me wonder what theme is King trying to develop here? Why that sentence? And after that she tells the Cat that Bruce forgives and that she should know that better than anyone, which given that it's present time, we know he forgave her for the past betrayal of trust that happened this issue.

Future deals with Helena interviewing all the Bat villains about Joker and Cat's friendship. One surprise here is the role reversal of Nora and Victor Fries: he's now in the tube while she is alive and smashing. Some awkward sentences King uses which I'm not fond of like Penguin: what kind of Batman says I'm Sorry? And it seems Pengy knows Helena is Batman's daughter? How? Who knows. Afterwards Selina pays Pengy a visit to see what did he tell her daughter? And gives a demonstration how she dominates Gotham by letting her cat rip the throat of the penguin.

So three versions of Selina: confused in the past about who she is, girl talk with her boyfriend's ex about the error of his ways in the present and swinging back to viciousness in the future.

I felt this issue was dragging along with too many splash pages and dialogue being scarce. For example: the people skating on ice rink, Andrea singing future theme park song, two page spread of BatCat on the rooftop...not very much substance, but it has. I'm conflicted and I'm gonna need to reread this to reassess and connect the dots for myself.

How did this issue make you feel, fellow Bat-lovers?

[lilyrose]

I liked it. I think it's hard with this kind of story to have just one issue a month- I feel like I need to have it all in front of me.

[sifighter]

Only one thought stayed with me this issue....that is one vicious cat.

[Frances]

How did this issue make you feel, fellow Cat-lovers?

I was hopeful after #3 but only within the context of the first two issues. #4, I feel, is even worse than those two.

# There was nothing in it we didn't already know. Even the bomb trick was pointless after Joker's "are you the bat or the cat" panel of the last issue. That panel should've come after this issue. Seems an odd thing to pick up, but small details like these suggest King isn't in control of his story/storytelling. He's been looking at this story for months by this point and he can't get his pieces in order?
# Andrea and Selina's first proper conversation is about Bruce *yawn*
# Nothing happens on most of the pages
# If I wanted to read lyrics I'd buy a song book
# Clay/Mann seem incapable of visually depicting Selina in a respectful manner. Oh, wait—granny Lina isn't in her bra and panties. *tut, tut* My silly.

I wanted so much to like this. I might draw some clothes on Selina and tipex out the lettering so I can write my own. That's how bad I'm finding it. Really hurts me to say it. By this point, I'm only keeping a sub because I collect Catwoman. No other reason.

[zvrk]

I empathize with all your hashtags, fellow C@ lover. There's not much thrill here.

But I have to disagree about storytelling: the bat or cat panel triggered Selina and we see her struggling with it in the past, getting another person to talk about Bruce (someone other than Joker, but another murderer haha) for her to figure out her position in the relationship and what she has to give or withdraw when it comes to her identity in the said relationship. She got the rich life and the Bat but can she deal with the baggage that comes with it? Will she make compromises or not?

Just something that I thought about now. I may be wrong, but I think King is mining this and it's not that much exhilarating when you put it into pictures without the big kapows and bams and with now poor dialogue. I have to say that dialogue is not very strong suit for King. At least here. It looks effortless.

Only one thought stayed with me this issue....that is one vicious cat.

Hunger is a powerful thing.

[charliehustle415]

Only one thought stayed with me this issue....that is one vicious cat.

The eyes!

The same ones I see before my fingers get mangled

[TravelerInTheDark]

Not sure why this book is called Batman/Catwoman. Bruce's only real role so far is just being a fixture of the mythos as a means of contention for King's newly-created deep bond between Joker and Catwoman (which I find incredibly uncharacteristic and discomforting, but whatever it's not in main continuity).

It is, at its core, just an "elseworlds" Catwoman story. I mean I wouldn't have any problem with that, if it was packaged as such. But it was billed as a continuation of King's Batman run, and to me, it does not feel like that at all. I have great trouble attempting to frame it with the incredibly strange relationship between Joker and Selina, and the off-handedness with which Bruce has been depicted so far.

Helena and Andrea's inclusions also feel for show instead of substance, like the characters so far could be replaced and not much would have to be changed, but I won't condemn that too hard since I assume their inclusions will come into play more as the story progresses (at its unfortunately glacial pace).

[Frances]

But I have to disagree about storytelling: the bat or cat panel triggered Selina and we see her struggling with it in the past, getting another person to talk about Bruce (someone other than Joker, but another murderer haha) for her to figure out her position in the relationship and what she has to give or withdraw when it comes to her identity in the said relationship. She got the rich life and the Bat but can she deal with the baggage that comes with it? Will she make compromises or not?

It guess it feels like a weak trigger to me. Are you the Bat or the Cat? Who gives a hoot - there could be a bomb umder the ice rink! Selina's dilemma was never one of struggling to be good when the situation demanded it; her problem is struggling not to be bad when there isn't any real need to be good. I don't get why she'd care what Joker thinks about her telling Bruce about the bomb or which part of her identity is threatened by that. I loved that Bat or Cat panel, though. It's one of my favourites so far, but if King wanted to a circle a tale around it he would've done better to drop it after a drip, drip, drip of actual triggers from Joker. Or been confident enough in his story to let the panel stand on its own, especially as readers of this book know Selina's history with herself and with Bruce. The bomb stuff was, I feel, unneeded. But hey, at least it's a conversation starter. Vol au vent?

Not sure why this book is called Batman/Catwoman. Bruce's only real role so far is just being a fixture of the mythos as a means of contention for King's newly-created deep bond between Joker and Catwoman (which I find incredibly uncharacteristic and discomforting, but whatever it's not in main continuity).

This is the biggest concern I have with the book (not the lack of Bruce - completely fine with that ). This series is a collage of completely different Selinas and I struggle to recognise actual Selina in any of them, and because of that I'm finding it frsutrating. It's either going to end in an almighty mess or be tied together in one moment of illumination that reveals why she's been playing so many parts. Until then, this isn't a Selina we've ever seen. I'm really missing her motivation - if you're reading, King, it better be bloody good after murdering Joker.