Review: Catwoman Vol. 7- Inheritance

Quick Summary

Pros: The criminal elements in this book are incredibly exciting and suspenseful. Catwoman’s role in the book is well executed. The book’s conclusion is bittersweet and works well with established themes. The art style suits the story well.

Cons: A plotline in the middle of the collection unnecessarily complicates the story.

Overall: The second volume detailing Selina Kyle’s tenure as head of a criminal empire is another rousing success. This dive into the criminal underworld is constantly entertaining and manages to keep the reader in an ever-present state of tension and suspense. There is a small point where the collection becomes confusing in the middle but this negative is outweighed by the book’s many positives. Anyone who read and enjoyed the previous volume should pick this one up.

Story

Catwoman Vol. 7: Inheritance continues the unique drama and organized crime base from the previous volume but adds an additional element into the mix: Selina Kyle is still going out as Catwoman. Writer Genevieve Valentine creates a book that combines the tension of mob violence with the flair of the superheroic. Overall, this mixture is a winning combination that keeps this series fresh and interesting. Though there are a few moments where the story gets a bit too convoluted, especially in the middle, the suspense and action more than make up for it.

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Inheritance picks up right where the previous volume left off. Selina and here family are still in the midst of a gang war, where an uneasy alliance with Penguin and the shaky allegiance of her subordinates add constant tension. The possibility that any friend could turn foe and that no one is above betrayal keeps the story interesting and adds a level of suspense that most comics are unable to obtain.

These feelings of paranoia and unease are heightened by multiple fantastic moments throughout the book. Antonia’s demand for the death of the man who shot at Selina, Penguin’s demand for Selina’s head, and Eiko’s near death experience all show just how ruthless these criminals can be. They are also all unexpected moments that highlight the book’s organized crime base.

Then, this volume adds in the fact that Selina has also been sabotaging her enemies as Catwoman. This complication allows readers to see how uneasy criminal relationships can be and how allegiances can be turned at the drop of a hat. It also shows how intelligent Selina is and gives readers a better appreciation for her as a character.

The only negative with this Catwoman element is that it introduces one to many plotlines into the mix. Readers are already following along with a police investigation, internal power dynamics of two crime families, and Selina’s role as head of a family but are now expected to entertain a plotline about Selina’s search for Batman as well. This wouldn’t be all bad if the Batman search actually lead to something interesting, which it unfortunately does not. This is a minor flaw in the collection but is something worth talking about.

Once this is over though, the book’s epic finale takes place. On one hand, things work out rather well for Selina. She is able to leave her position as mob boss and give it to someone she trusts to get the job done. She is also able to accomplish all this with a surprisingly limited loss of life. This happy ending is a bit unexpected but is definitely earned considering how much work Valentine put into depicting Selina as an intelligent and competent woman.

On the other hand, things don’t work out quite as nicely for Eiko. Her father is killed and she is forced to wipe out a large portion of the criminal families under her control. This adds to the unexpected moments discussed earlier in this review and gives the finale more weight. It also contrasts nicely with Selina’s happy ending by rehashing the theme that someone is always forced to pay when it comes to organized crime.

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Art

The switch from the previous volume’s artist, Gary Brown, to this volume’s artist, David Messina, works well when considering the story being told. The previous volume was all about ground level maneuverings, such as board room meetings and street corner shakedowns. This volume adds in some theatrical elements from Catwoman and other acrobatic vigilantes. Messina’s more reserved use of lines helps in displaying these elements in a way that would not look quite as good otherwise. However, his style is also not dramatically different from Brown’s, so the series is able to maintain a solid level of consistency with this change.

Continuity

Catwoman Vol. 7: Inheritance follows the events of Catwoman Vol. 6: Keeper of the Castle (Review).

The story here continues in Catwoman Vol. 8: Run Like Hell (Review).

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

• Batman’s death is mentioned. This happened in Batman Vol. 7: Endgame (Review).
• The new Batman starts his job in Batman Vol. 8: Superheavy (Review).
• Selina’s connection to both Spoiler and Killer Croc is brought up. These connections were forged back in Batman Eternal Vol. 2 (Review).