The Batmom

Batgirl Annual #1

Batgirl Annual 2012, Gail Simone, Admira Wijaya, Daniel Sampere

Covergirl: Batgirl. Catwoman. Talon.

I loved DC’s Night of the Owls cross-book series earlier this year, so I am excited to see a Talon back in action. I assumed they all were frozen.

(Talons, for those who didn’t lovingly pore over my 1-2-3-4-post set on Night of the Owls, are strong-arms set to task by the power-hungry Court of Owls, who attempt to rule Gotham from behind the scenes.)

The black-latexed trinity promises much in the way of superheroics and quippery.

Ramble: Great read. Thank you Gail Simone (writer) and Admira Wijaya (artist) for letting Catwoman be all that she can be.

I’ve floundered with Catwoman this year – should I stay or should I go? – but here, she is everything I want her to be. Recklessly fearless. Sexy-smart-strong, not sexy-slutty-silly. Straddling the moral divide between good and bad, with one boot on each side and the agility to hop across the gap without missing a beat.

I’d vote “stay” if Gail Simone took over Catwoman. But I don’t want Simone to desert Barbara Gordon, because she’s the superheroine with whom I’d most like to get cocktails.

Though what would Babs talk about at Moms’ Night Out?

“I’m so psyched, I got the entire pantry cleaned, every last decimated Cheerio bit.”

“Today was crazy! Sally’s karate class, Billy’s baseball practice, and Jo’s clarinet lesson were all at 3!”

“I hear you, mamas. I got attacked by, like, 73 hammer-wielding bad men and I had to tear all of them new ones before saving this baby from the flames licking at her heels. Plus, Catwoman.”

The Batgirl-Catwoman duo couldn’t help but succeed: They are similarly witty, fierce, and possessing of a strange inner mix of self-doubt and self-assurance. The best moment comes at book’s end, when Catwoman’s street-code smacks up against Batgirl’s my-dad’s-the-commish rule book. Should they turn in the Talon (Mary) as law demands (Batgirl), or should they offer her a shot at redemption because she’s been ill-treated and she saved their lives (Catwoman)?

That Batgirl cedes to Catwoman is testament to the strong character of both.

 

Catwoman #0

Catwoman #0; Ann Nocenti, Adriana Melo, Julio Ferreira

Covergirl: See “Heroines Take the Mic.”

Ramble: Chibberty Chabber.

Loud tweeny children walk down my street loudly being loud. I can’t quite grasp what they’re saying, nor can I quite grasp what happened in Catwoman #0.

While the Issues 0 were supposed to take us, the New 52 readers, back to our superheroes’ pasts in order to shed light on their current situations, Catwoman #0 managed only to confuse. Me, anyway. Maybe you got it.

I mean, I got the gist. A shitty childhood gives birth to Selina’s craving for that which isn’t hers; luxuries that prove achingly tempting before the steal, but offer little satisfaction post-heist. A Mysterious Handsome grants Selina a Second Chance, which she dashes by illegally snooping to gain insight into her possibly Russian past.

Yapperty Yipper.

Now the little dogs across the street are sounding off, perhaps at one of the skunks with which Salem Town seems accursed at present.

Does my zip-zapping, from my life to Selina’s, backity-forth, give you narrative whiplash? Now you know how reading Catwoman #0 feels.

The book temporally travels thusly:

1. A Few Years Ago

2. A Year Prior

3. Back to the Office

4. Long Ago

5. Oliver’s Group Home

Etc.

Adding to the confusion, the place settings like those you’ve sampled above sometimes refer to a time period, other times to a place. “A Few Years Ago” and “Back to the Office” are the same scene, split down the middle by “A Year Ago.” But when I got to “Back to the Office,” it took me several frames to realize I had actually returned to “A Few Years Ago.”

I was confused; now you are, too.

I was, as always, enticed by bits and pieces of the book. Selina the character will never share all of herself with anyone; I do wish her creators would share a little more with us.

Speaking of creators, excited to see a new Catwoman writer, Ann Nocenti, who also writes Green Arrow. Perhaps, after a year of Catroversy, she can save Selina.

She had best do it quickly, as I’m fading fast. 

For more on Ann Nocenti and Catwoman, visit:

UPROXX: Ann Nocenti to Clean Up Judd Winick's Mess on 'Catwoman'

Comic Alliance: Parting Shot: New 'Catwoman' Writer Ann Nocenti Calls Selina Kyle an 'Accidental Feminist'

iFanboy: New Writer Ann Nocenti Talks About Taking Over Catwoman from Judd Winick

Heroines Take the Mic

Wonder Woman #0; Brian Azzarello & Cliff Chiang

I am Diana, Amazon warrior. No, no, no, all the other Amazons turned out to be sailor-boffing succubi. Take two.

 I am Diana of the Left Fist of Might, a hand so powerful I choose to use it to smash through newsprint even when I have a giant letter opener in my right hand. Yeah, no. I’ve never seen this weapon before, but I’m thinking maybe it’s not a letter opener.

I am Diana, owner of the Lasso of Truth and (I cannot tell a lie because that would make the whole Lasso thing kind of ironic and that’s not my bag) a big sword made of old license plates I just scored on Etsy. Nope. Way too long, Azzarello never lets me talk that much. Reading this over, I get why.

I am Diana!

Supergirl #0; Michael Green, Mike Johnson, Mahmud Asrar

Go team. Okay. Yeah. Um, woohoo? Whatever. How do my abs look? Superflat, right?

 

Catwoman #0 (right); Ann Nocenti, Adriana Melo, & Julio Ferreira

Oh my god, I am SO glad DC changed the original cover. I mean, I’m okay trotting out my Bonnie and Clydes on occasion, because, after all, you use what you have to get what you need. But really. The original? Hisssss.

See it over there to the right? Do you get what I’m saying? Do you know how many $100 hours I spent on the chiropractor’s table after that shoot?

I’m a sexy thieving cat lady, not a balloon animal, people!

 

Batwoman #0; J.H. Williams & W. Haden Blackman

Eat my motherfucking red boot, motherfuckers!