Catwoman #15 // Review
People are trying to kill Selina Kyle. She's okay with that, people try to kill her a lot. She's got way more than 9 lives as writer Ram V shows in the second half of his two-part "Hermosa Heat" story in Catwoman #15. Artist Mirka Andolfo's slickly curvy explosiveness brings a sharply appealing narrative to the page that is illuminated by color from Arif Prianto. The smart humor of Ram V mixes enticingly with Andolfo's art in another thoroughly satisfying issue. There's a sharp mix of heroism and villainy in the wrap-up to a story that really stands as one of the better ones to make it into the current Catwoman series.
Catwoman has recovered from a particularly rough time last issue. She knows that people are out to get her. A lead on the situation finds her in a trap, sprung by a villain known as Lock-Up. If Catwoman can escape Lock-Up's trap, she's going to have to find a way to track down the people who hired him to kill her. It's just another Monday for one of DC's sharpest thieves. It's going to be dangerous, but she's no stranger to danger.
Ram V has a dazzlingly sharp handle on the perfect way to mix action hero characterization with action in a way that neither mute the action nor compromises the intensity of the inner drama. Catwoman's name is on the title. We know she's going to be okay. There are going to be problems, she's going to overcome them. It could get really dull, but Ram V gives Catwoman a level of vulnerability that keeps it interesting from cover to cover. With wit and fearlessness, Ram V's Catwoman is a deeply, deeply appealing character. Pitting Catwoman against the very, very wealthy also allows her a certain amount of dark radiance. Zs she squares-off against a brand of villainy far more malevolent than her own.
Andolfo brings an endearing emotion to the page that serves Catwoman quite well. In less accomplished hands, the cute curviness of her art might run the risk of making it all too preciously adorable to feel like genuinely visceral action. Andolfo finds a way to bring the cuteness into the service of a genuinely fun story that bounces through some very imposing bits of action. Granted, it IS weird seeing Catwoman execute "acrobatic hangman-style strangulation." Especially in a way that looks playfully adorable, yet Andolfo has a way of embracing the drama and brutality of the action with the cuteness of her characterization in a way that feels astonishingly balanced.
Things drift back in the direction of Joelle Jones for the next several issues. And though her style is slick and intriguing, Ram V. and Andolfo will be missed in issues to come. This is Ram V.'s third Catwoman issue this year. It would be really nice to see him return for more fill-ins later on. And if Jones ever decided to leave the book, they'd have a brilliant back-up in Ram V.
