Eiko is looking after Selina’s business while she’s away. She’s not exactly out of town or anything, but it’s kind of hard to play Gotham City’s sharpest cat burglar in an orange jumpsuit. Things continue to get complicated for everyone involved in Catwoman #53. Writer Tini Howard has found a clever momentum between Selina, Eiko, and their accomplice Dario in an issue that proves to be one of the best in Howard’s run on the series. Artist Nico Leon and colorist Veronica Gandini provide some beautiful contrast between Gotham City at night and the bright lights of a big prison interior.

Eiko is getting into the rhythm of life beneath the ears as Catwoman. Dario is getting into the swing of things as her Tomcat. Everything seems to be working out for her. She even has the opportunity to talk to fellow Catwoman Selina Kyle. Selina’s got her own phone in prison. It’s a risk, but she’s already looking at decades in prison, so it’s not like it’s going to endanger things all that much. Eiko has problems all her own as the Queen of Hearts looms into view with her card-themed gang: the Crazy Eights. 

Howard is attempting to have it both ways: one Catwoman is in prison while the other is out doing more traditionally Catwomany things...surveilling enemies and dealing with weirdly costumed rivals. Somewhat surprisingly--she IS managing to work the dichotomy between the two leads. That being said, the Catwoman in the street is A LOT more intriguing than the one behind bars. Kyle has been under the ears for so long that a new face feels a lot more interesting by contrast. It doesn’t hurt that she’s got a distinctly different posture and fighting style. 

Leon and Gandini give Eiko her own look with bigger, floppier ears that feel a bit more anime/manga than the traditional look of the character. Leon nails a unique action feel and page presence for Eiko that’s a great deal of fun. And Gotham City dazzles in the background without the art team gratuitously throwing the imagery at the reader. By contrast, there are a few beautifully angular establishing shots in the prison that give Selina’s life that much more visual grounding. The ever-present orange jumpsuits and the institutional lighting give Selina’s life a powerful counterpoint to the dangerous open spaces that Eiko is dealing with.

As nice as it is to have Kyle punctuating the action throughout the issue, her inevitable prison break seems kind of dull next to all that’s going on in Eiko’s life. A new face working under the auspices of Kyle’s prison presence just feels more interesting than the Catwoman comic book has managed over the course of the past couple of years. Now that it’s up and running, there are a lot of different directions that things might move in once Catwoman emerges from prison in the months ahead. With any luck, Eiko and Dario can find a place once Kyle is out of prison. 

Grade: B+