This review contains spoilers!
The first issue of the rebooted Catwoman is called “...And Most of the Costumes Stay On”, and while this is technically true, the story begins with our anti-heroine’s costume mostly off. In every panel of the first page, we see Selina’s red bra and ample cleavage as she frantically packs up her apartment to escape a gang of masked men. Even as the men burst through the door and begin firing at her, leaving her no choice but to jump out the window, her sleek black suit is still partially unzipped. Page 3 marks the first time we actually see her face.
So far, we can’t be sure if the first issue’s story will be more concerned with the men who are chasing Selina or Selina’s varying stages of undress. The latter will soon win out.
Selina seeks refuge at the apartment of an old friend, Lola. (Yes, Winick goes out of his way to make a reference to "Copacabana" here.) Lola is clearly aware of Selina’s double life and even seems to share her affinity for cats. Lola then acts as dispatcher, sending Selina to perform reconnaissance work at a nightclub frequented by a Russian mob. Rather beautifully disguised in a red wig, Selina tends the bar and uses her fluency in Russian to eavesdrop on mobsters’ conversations. Just as she finds information that interests her (a priceless painting), she recognizes the voice of a man called Renald. Startled, she remembers watching Renald kill an as-yet-unnamed woman in front of her when she was a child.
She follows Renald into the men’s bathroom, where she opens her shirt—revealing a purple bra this time—and distracts Renald with the sight of her half-naked body, then attacks him, ruthlessly slashing his face with her nails. Once she’s done with him, the real bartender of the club has been found, unconscious and tied up, leaving Selina no choice but to escape the club as Catwoman. It’s a shame that this part of the scene is so short; given the brutal flashback we just witnessed, it seems that Selina’s retaliation against Renald should receive more emphasis than her showing him her bra. Furthermore, it’s also a shame that both times she dons the Catwoman suit in this issue, it’s because circumstances have forced her to do so, not because she is Catwoman and thus is on Catwoman business.
So far, we can’t be sure if the first issue’s story will be more concerned with the men who are chasing Selina or Selina’s varying stages of undress. The latter will soon win out.
Selina seeks refuge at the apartment of an old friend, Lola. (Yes, Winick goes out of his way to make a reference to the song by The Kinks here.) Lola is clearly aware of Selina’s double life and even seems to share her affinity for cats. Lola then acts as dispatcher, sending Selina to perform reconnaissance work at a nightclub frequented by a Russian mob. Rather beautifully disguised in a red wig, Selina tends the bar and uses her fluency in Russian to eavesdrop on mobsters’ conversations. Just as she finds information that interests her (a priceless painting), she recognizes the voice of a man called Renald. Startled, she remembers watching Renald kill an as-yet-unnamed woman in front of her when she was a child.
She follows Renald into the men’s bathroom, where she opens her shirt—revealing a purple bra this time—and distracts Renald with the sight of her half-naked body, then attacks him, ruthlessly slashing his face with her nails. Once she’s done with him, the real bartender of the club has been found, unconscious and tied up, leaving Selina no choice but to escape the club as Catwoman. It’s a shame that this part of the scene is so short; given the brutal flashback we just witnessed, it seems that Selina’s retaliation against Renald should receive more emphasis than her showing him her bra. Furthermore, it’s also a shame that both times she dons the Catwoman suit in this issue, it’s because circumstances have forced her to do so, not because she is Catwoman and thus is on Catwoman business.
She seeks refuge in a penthouse Lola recommended to her. Batman mysteriously appears behind her. Rather than wasting any time conversing, they begin kissing…and progress from there. Selina’s silent narration informs the reader that while she has no idea who Batman really is and suspects he is similarly ignorant about her, this affair has been ongoing for a while now. The issue ends with a shocking image: Catwoman and Batman, still mostly clothed, making love on the floor.
