The Cats Of Gotham: Reviewing ‘Catwoman’ Vol 3

Selina Kyle is a free-roaming cat, so putting her behind bars won’t be good for her or really anyone else. Insert in whatever quotes there are about caged animals here and it would be pretty darn apt about the situation one Catwoman faces.

Catwoman Vol 3: Dutchess Of Gotham picks up where the last left off, with Selina adjusting to her life behind bars (a familiar place) and the horrible choice that got her there. A captivating tale from Tini Howard, Sami Barsi, Vicente Cifuentes, Nico Leon, Marcus To, Marco Santucci, M.L. Sanapo Veronica Gandini, and Lucas Gattoni.

Often when status quo changes befall a character there isn’t a lot of time for the character or the audience to process this change. There are big events or moments to get to, so things have to ramp up and some of the impacts of the change might be lost. Not in this series.

Howard has spent a lot of time getting in Selina’s head in this run and giving moments to properly breathe and grow, and that’s what we are getting here. Plenty of time is spent in this story arc with Selina thinking about the change, letting it weigh over her, as she makes moves to solidify her position in the jail because there is part of her that might believe she deserves to remain here.

I’m a big fan of these types of stories where the plot moves forward, but the development of a character, which alongside their personality is often what makes us care about them, has plenty of space to flourish. It  felt like that got lost a bit there during the era of big bombastic event story arcs meant to fill a trade paperback every few months. Honestly, the Batline of books is a place where this type of thing is doing well, as almost every member of the family is getting this and more in their respective series.

Even as we bounce back and forth between Selina and Eiko, and also Darrio, the moments feel well represented and developed, with a weight and emotional anchor to them. Enough is given to stretch the moment out as needed before moving to the next and then slipping right back into where we were with the first moment. This allows Howard to pack every issue full of tons of stuff that makes it feel like a double, or even triple-sized issue despite being normal-sized. Howard knows these characters through and through and we feel and see that on the page as their voices and personalities radiate off the page.

It’s nice to see Barsi and Cifuentes back on the title, after some previous issue work. There is a smooth sort of slickness to the artwork here but it has great weight and power to it, plenty of detail especially when there are so many tight closeup style shots to be found. Such views are perfect for showcasing emotional moments, or vulnerable moments period, but also allows us the reader to feel like we’re right there on the ground with the characters because visually it appears that way. This is a street-level style comic book series, quite literally in many cases, and these visual choices make sure that we know and feel that with every panel we let our eyes move across.

Leon’s artwork is very kinetic and smooth, with an air of noir and sexiness, that keeps the story moving as quickly as the characters within. All the facial expressions and body movements are on point, creating a world that truly feels alive in every single panel. Plenty of space is left open for shadows and white space, which is often filled with vivid off-the-wall colors.

From layout choices that frame things in a variety of ways, with close-ups and wide shots mixed in with other focuses, to some very interesting choices for how to present a scene, it all does a lot of work to create the right atmosphere.

Much of this series run has been a musical chair of sorts with artists. Beyond the rotating artists in the first issues of this volume, the final collected issue is an artist jam with numerous hands on the issue. With To and Santucci switching off various pages, with Sanapo delivering finishes for the first few pages. It works since they are handling different characters and moments until they aren’t. Their work has the same overall energy and style that doesn’t make it jarring to switch. Noticeable but not jarring.

All the action is pretty solid and fluid, with decent capturing of emotion/feeling. A ton is going down and it’s pretty rapid-fire. I would say their style isn’t quite the same level as some previous ones at capturing the crime feel. It works as a superhero-adjacent book though with lots of action.

A lot of shadows and darkness show up as Gandini mixes them in alongside colors that are vivid in the right spot but far more natural/toned down in other spaces. These are darker stories in tone, so the colors need to match that and make it felt and Gandini accomplishes that. Yet, it’s also a superhero-adjacent story so we need the bright flashes of color that pop up because these are costumed characters with big wild powers, personalities, and presences that need to stand out from all things that are considered normal. It feeds into that slick/smooth quality I mentioned above while also helping create a weight & depth that makes the entire world feel even more tangible and fleshed out.

Character-heavier issues mean there is often more dialogue that also needs to carry much of the weight in conveying the emotional or tonal qualities of the story. That’s proven not to be even close to an issue with Gattoni handling the lettering work, easily bringing the energy and personality to every bit of lettering on any issues that have his name attached in this series so far. Just all the right stuff is done to make sure we hear the voices as they are meant to with changes made to make louder, quieter, or heavier dialogue clear as we move through the issue. Also making sure it flows around the page in logical impactful ways that accompany the artwork, often helping keep our eyes on the right track as we follow along.

Catwoman Vol 3: Dutchess Of Gotham is now available from DC Comics.