The Ultimate Score: Reviewing ‘Catwoman’ #66

Nostalgia, that little hit of something one has sentiment or affection for, isn’t always about things far in the past. Sometimes just a momentary taste of something lost quite recently can attempt to have the same effect.

That’s where things stand with Catwoman #66. This issue pulls a bit from the series’ past, to a very mixed effect. An almost return to form issue from Tini Howard, Ivan Shavrin, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Veronica Gandini, and Tom Napolitano.

In this case, that familiar flavor is a heist story, of sorts. Now that the constant dying and disconnected missions are over, and a threat is at hand, the book is ready to return to its roots. That also could be because it was recently revealed (in Howard’s newsletter) that the series is coming to an end with issue sixty-eight in September.

Now that we know the whole godly death and rebirth thing seems to more “mystical meteor piece is lodged in your brain” than actual godly intervention (though maybe?), things actually have stabilized a bit. This still is not my favorite arc of the book, it feels like a million years long, but I at least appreciate what Howard was trying here. Being the final arc, and a story she’s wanted to tell for quite some time, does lend it some wiggle room for experimentation.

Even if the results are not something that vibes with me, I’ll always appreciate creators getting to try things and tell the story they want to tell.

There are some time issues with how the bait and switch trick goes down, but overall, it’s a mostly satisfying and interesting issue. Still not sure about the White Glove being inserted as this ‘big bad’ all of a sudden, but I’m here till the end. The series, both before and during Howard’s run, has been overall a delight to cover for the past three years.

There are two handoffs in this issue, both on and behind the pages. Shavrin handles half of the issue while Di Giandomenico takes up the second half. Their style of art is vastly different in many respects, noticeably so on the page, but both work for this character and what is going down.

While logistically it would have been probably quite difficult, I almost feel like the two arts should have been attached to characters. Shavrin’s is a very shiny smooth bold style that would work well with the ostentatious Flamingo, while the rougher and sharper style of Di Giandomenico would befit Santa Espada. Either way, it works out because Shavrin gives a lot of flashy stylish flare to the shenanigans of the setup and trick. Allowing Di Giandomenico to bring the weight and heaviness when things hit the fan and the characters are brawling it out ahead Scandal Savage and Catwoman gaining the upper hand (as they planned).

A color shift goes down too because Shavrin colors his own pages, while series stalwart Gandini covers the remaining pages. A lighter palette with plenty of washed-out tones, touches of shadows, and plenty of popping beats can be found in the first half. While in the second Gandini brings a heavier touch as things get darker, a bit murkier, with the poppier colors still finding a way to represent.

Many of those same visual elements find their way into the lettering, as Napolitano is always good at picking up on the differing energies. Which is good since this arc has come with a lot of visual changes since it began. We get a lot of exposition and caption monologue bits here, and it all flows pretty smoothly. Even though it’s a lot of boxes and bubbles on the page, it comes with a light enough touch to not reach the point of feeling like the reader is being buried.

Catwoman #66 is now available from DC Comics.