A traveling killer is looking for Catwoman. He has discovered a bit about her past, and now he’s hot on her trail in Gotham City’s Alleytown. The Christian killer’s background is explored by writer Ram V in Catwoman 2021 Annual. The story of Karl Valley and his tragic past is outlined in a relatively compelling story brought to the page by the art team of Kyle Hotz, Fernando Blanco, and Juan Ferreyra. Color comes to the page courtesy of David Baron. It’s kind of a compelling case for a Ram V-written series about the Order of St. Dumas. Catwoman? Yeah: she’s not really in this one. 

Karl Valley wasn’t always a traveling killer. He was originally part of The Order of St. Dumas--the same religious order as the vigilantes known as Azrael. Things got a little mixed-up and homicidal. Karl studied under an Azael. There was some question of the secrecy of the order and how it might be able to maintain. It would be too difficult to hunt the one responsible for the leak of information. Power did what power does, and a great many people were killed. Now Karl seeks his own justice in his own way. 

Two pages. Catwoman is only present in two pages of her own annual. That’s like...11 panels. (Twelve if you include the cover. I counted.) Ram V is telling an intriguing story in Catwoman 2021 Annual, but it’s not a Catwoman story. It’s the backstory of the guy who has been hired to kill Catwoman. While he’s not terribly original, the Christian assassin Karl Valley DOES have an interesting backstory. It’s actually kind of a compelling look at the nature of power and the value of human life. There’s a profoundly resonant drama at the center of the story. It’s just not a Catwoman story. 

The art team has some lovely moments here; there are delicious moods, including a sinister conversation with Order elder Ariel. Azrael looks cooler than ever, shooting his way through his dark errands. Though the art styles of the various people working on the issue sometimes tend to clash a bit, colorist David Baron brings it all together quite beautifully with a radiance of a flaming sword. The ethereal glow of a moon at night, the splash of water off the coast of Morocco at night, the angelic spectrum of stained glass, and so much more. 

Christian maniacs are always fun to explore in justice-based adventure fiction. The deeper concerns of biblical fanaticism aren’t really explored in any great depth. Still, it’s fun to see one of the great villainous power structures from antiquity shown for the corrupting power they have always had. It may be pretty well-trodden territory that Ram V is exploring here, but it’s a fun issue. It’s just...mistitled. And it’s too bad that Selina couldn’t be bothered to show up in more than two pages of her own annual this year. She’s such a diva. To be fair, she IS a star and everything. She’s been around for decades. Maybe she feels too good to be in her own annual. Or maybe she’s trying to be mysterious. Whatever the case, it just comes across as being kind of unprofessional. That’s all. I mean...your name’s on the front cover Selina. Take an interest in your own title. 

Grade: B-