CATWOMAN (BLACKEST NIGHT) #83

Review by: comicBOOKchris

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Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Marcos Marz & Fabrizio Fiorentino
Cover by Adam Hughes

Size: 32 pages
Price: 2.99

I don’t know if it’s odd for me to love the old Catwoman series  as much as I do, but goddamnit, I thought that was an incredible book. There were always very tense and engaging stories written by both Ed Brubaker and Wil Pfeifer, as well as interesting and gorgeous art by Darwin Cooke for the first few issue, and then long hauls by David Lopez and the amazing Cameron Stewart. The drama was always on and consistent for a great majority of its 82 issue run, which is a very rare thing to have such a great consistent title with its creators in it for the long run. I was upset when it was cancelled, but the stories had a lasting impression on me, and I came away from this series with Catwoman being one of my favorite comic characters.

Naturally, when DC announced that they were reviving a whole bunch of titles for a single issue, Catwoman #83 was the one that I was excited for the most. Yeah, I was a little peeved that it didn’t feature any of the creative talent that helped propel the book to greatness, but I’m happy that the saga of Selina Kyle is continuing here. And even though Tony Bedard isn’t a name we saw on the previous title, his story heavily draws plot points from it. This is a continuation of the rivalry between Catwoman and the Black Mask, which was a story started by Brubaker and Stewart in the early issues of the title, and is without a doubt the best and most gripping story that was told in that book.

So just like most of the other Blackest Night tie-ins, a once dead advesary has risen from the grave to torment our hero, which in this case, the advesary is Black Mask, who was capped by none other than Catwoman. All the characters were written quite well, as Selina is still the whimsical theaf with the heart of gold, and Black Mask is still a wisecracking yet sadistic creep. Selina is also assisted by her recent partners in crime, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and they are nice little additions to the cast. What I liked most about this story, though, is that it isn’t just an empty fight between hero and previously dead enemy. This issue does a pretty decent job in evoking old emotions from Brubaker’s initial Black Mask arc, where he sadistically tortured Selina’s sister and left her comatose. It added to the horror of Black Hand’s return, and was equally gut wrenching when you found out that he wants to continue his horrible deeds on her sister.

Even for those who didn’t read the arc that this one references, the story is 100% penatrable, as Bedard uses the first page to set the stage and mood for the entire issue with a recap and pictures of the events leading up to here. It’s not complicated at all, as it’s a pretty simple story going in. There were also about 4 artists credited for this issue, but everything looks pretty seemless and almost imitates David Lopez’s style for the latter Catwoman issues. So everything about Catwoman #83 was great, as I had quite a bit of fun reading this. Not only does this have more heart and emotion than a big chunk of the Blackest Night tie ins, but it also continues the story from what, I think, is one of the best comic runs ever. If you enjoyed this issue, I urge you to pick up the rest of this Catwoman series, as it is absolutely stellar.

Story: 4 - Very Good
Art: 5 - Excellent

Comments

  1. Yay we agreed on the same pick!

    Great review and I really think I am going to find the Catwoman issues prior. This sounds like a really great series cancelled unfairly.

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