Review: Catwoman Vol. 6- Keeper of the Castle

Quick Summary

Pros: The main storyline is unique and interesting. Selina Kyle’s character is examined in an emotional and well executed way. The entire book is smart and very well written. A shift in art style works well with the type of story being told.

Cons: Readers looking for action and heroics will not find it here. The collection’s pacing can be a bit fast in places.

Overall: Catwoman fans can rejoice as this volume may be the best one in this series. Selina Kyle leaves her life as a petty thief in order to engage in a constant struggle to maintain control over an entire criminal empire. This leads to a number of interesting story elements and an examination into Selina Kyle’s character that is both emotional and meaningful. There is not a lot of action here but the unique premise and captivating story more than make up for it. This is the book to get if you want to read something about Catwoman.

Story

Catwoman Vol. 6: Keeper of the Castle is a massive departure from the previous few volumes in both quality and story. Writer Genevieve Valentine completely reinvigorates the series by shifting it from a generic book about a thief, to a unique saga about a crime lord. Seeing Selina Kyle struggle with the complexities and ethics of her new criminal kingdom is immensely entertaining and provides interesting character development for old and new fans. The quality spike also catapults this book to the top spot in the competition for best volume in this series. Readers who have been waiting for a good Catwoman book can finally rejoice.

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From the very first few pages, readers are alerted that this book is going to be different. Selina’s role as head of a crime family takes her off the streets and into the negotiating rooms. This means that there is a heavy shift in focus away from fighting and toward political maneuvering. Those going into this book looking for heroic escapades and acrobatic fight sequences will be disappointed, but there are plenty of other series which scratch that itch. Meanwhile, this book fills a unique and underappreciated void which, to me, more than makes up for its departure from intense action. It also helps that the organized crime plotline is incredibly entertaining on its own and is a story that almost anyone could appreciate, regardless of expectations.

This fresh setting also allows for an atypical examination of Selina Kyle’s character. As Catwoman, she has always been portrayed as walking a fine line between hero and villain. Now, as a mob boss, she struggles with walking this same line in a radically different way. She wants to user her newfound power to help Gotham in a way that she never could before, but has to compromise her morals in order to do so. She acquiesces on selling drugs and even has her own cousin killed, in order to keep doing what she believes is right. Watching her struggle with this is intense and emotional to the point where it easily becomes the highlight of the book.

Another way this book improves on its predecessors, and differentiates itself from many other comics out there, is how smartly written it is from beginning to end. Valentine starts out by quoting Queen Elizabeth and continues to make academic and historic references throughout the collection. This further elevates the quality of the work and gives it a scholarly aura that few comics have. Valentine also does a fantastic job in writing logical dialogue and portrays organized crime in a way that appears to be accurate.

The only problem is that the book’s pacing can occasionally be a bit too rapid and, thus, cause confusion. There were more than a few moments where I had to go back to a previous section of the book in order to understand exactly what was happening. It is quite possible though, that this book may end up ageing like many of Grant Morrison’s works, which are confusing at first but become fascinating after a reread or two. Either way, I’m actually excited to reread this book in the future, which is more than I can say for the past few Catwoman volumes.

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Art

The story isn’t the only thing to receive a massive facelift in this volume, the artwork gets an equally radical change as well. Artist Gary Brown and colorist Lee Loughridge enter the series and give it a look suitable for a book about street level mob activities. A stylized take on the characters and landscapes takes over from the most standard superhero fare, giving readers a visual indication that this series has changed. The addition of harsh lines and muted colors are also indicative of the more serious and tense nature of this comic. Overall, this is a good looking book that makes the reading experience more enjoyable in the way it compliments the content.

Continuity

Catwoman Vol. 6: Keeper of the Castle technically follows the events of Catwoman Vol. 5: Race of Thieves (Review). However, the events here are heavily influenced by the events of the Batman Eternal series, which seems to take place between these volumes. This separation heavily divorces this volume from previous volumes and makes it a great jumping on point for new readers.

The story here continues in Catwoman Vol. 7: Inheritance (Review).

This volume also references and continues the stories from other comic books, detailed below:

• Catwoman first decided to take her father’s place as mob boss back in Batman Eternal Vol. 2 (Review).
• Penguin references being taken out of prison by Catwoman’s “reptilian associate”. This happened in Batman Eternal Vol. 3 (Review)