Selina is behind bars. She’s getting along, but she knows she can do better. There are people on the outside who are willing to help her out. One of these people has chosen to take on the role of her secret identity in Catwoman #52. Writer Tini Howard continues an engaging run with DC Universe’s greatest thief in an issue drawn by Sami Basri with the aid of inker Vicente Cifuentes and colorist Veronica Gandini. It’s clear that Selina won’t be in prison for much longer, but Howard and company give quite a bit of life for the Catwoman behind bars as her ally takes up her mask in her absence. 

Eiko Hasigawa isn’t as convincing as she needs to be. Everyone in the Gotham City underworld knows she’s allied with the Catwoman. Thankfully, none of them know that she’s decided to take up the mask of the thief to work on her business while she’s in prison. Selina isn’t exactly having the best time either. She’s trying her best to assemble a team behind bars, but she’s going to need to teach them to work like a team before she can do so. And that’s a very difficult bit of work to tackle...

Howard balances matters between Selina and Eiko. They’re both interesting enough on their own. Either one of the Catwomen could carry the book on her own. The alternation between Eiko and Selina feels brisk enough to keep the action moving, but it would be intriguing to see a single issue dedicated to either one of the central characters. Eiko needs more of a focus to really establish herself as an alternative to Selina...and Selina’s journey through prison would be much more fascinating if it was the sole focus of the issue as well.

Basri frames the action with a steady hand, though it doesn’t feel as powerful as it could. The drama feels suitably tense in Basri’s hands. The overall sense of mood and form are given volume and atmosphere by Cifuentes’s embellishments and the stylish colors of Gandini. Prison poses a challenge since about half the issue is dominated by orange jumpsuits and grey institutional walls, but Gandini conjures slick shadows that coolly hang over everything in a way that feels appealing enough to keep everything moving along from beginning to end. 

Selina is kind of a challenge to work with as a writer. The ultimate thief who is always in control of any situation is only as clever as the situations that she finds herself in. Eiko proves to be a little more of an interesting character in the 52nd entry of the current Catwoman series, as she’s clearly in WAY over her head. There’s more of a sense of heroism to the larceny that makes for much more of an impact. Theoretically, Selina could have picked up more personality in prison if she was given more of a challenge to deal with from rock bottom. 

Grade: B+