Review: Catwoman Vol. 8- Run Like Hell

Quick Summary

Pros: The entire collection is a nice return to Catwoman’s roots as a thief. The first half is well done and has an excellent twist to it. Pages are laid out nicely and the city streets look great.

Cons: Unnecessary cameos feel a bit intrusive. The second half is alright but feels rushed.

Overall: With life as a mob boss behind her, this volume brings Selina Kyle back to basics as one of the world’s most prominent cat burglars. Here readers get to see Catwoman pull of a number of engaging heists and outsmart a number of opponents. However, a few issues with writing and pacing prevent this from being a truly exemplary tale. However, this is still one of the best volumes in this series and is a great choice for anyone who wants to read a more standard Catwoman story.

Story

Though not as unique or revolutionary as the previous two volumes, Catwoman Vol. 8: Run Like Hell is a solid Catwoman story that focuses on and celebrates Selina Kyle’s abilities as a thief. The first half of the book details a clever heist which has Catwoman outsmarting a number of enemies in ways that are always fun to watch. The second half is also heist focused but suffers from how quick the narrative is rushed along. Together, these make a collection that isn’t necessarily the best Catwoman book out there but certainly provides a solid level of entertainment.

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The first half of this collection is fairly heist focused. Catwoman pulls off one heist and begins another within the first couple pages. Readers get to see plenty of action as Catwoman dodges security and beats up anyone in her way. For a book immediately following Selina’s tenure as a crime lord, starting out with basics like these is a great idea.

Things become more complicated, and more interesting, as the story progresses. The diamond Catwoman stole turns out to be far more important than she initially believed, causing her to run afoul of Penguin and a corrupt police force. This means that the action and suspense already present begins to magnify. It also means that readers get to see Catwoman outsmart or outplay enemies who always seem more powerful than she is, which is always fun to watch.

The only problem is that, while Catwoman deals with the enemies coming at her, a number of unnecessary cameos take place. Characters like Batgirl, Riddler, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn make quick appearances before being unceremoniously ejected from the story. Their appearances feel forced and disturb an otherwise entertaining narrative.

Despite this, the conclusion of this first half ends up being one of the best portions of the entire collection. Lex threatens Selina’s friend and is, seemingly, able to get the diamond without paying Selina at all. However, it turns out that this was Selina’s plan all along, as his actions allowed her friend to break into Lex’s system and steel her payment. It is a great twist that paints Catwoman as the master thief that she truly is.

The second half of the collection has Selina go head to head with the enigmatic “False Face Society”. For the most part, this part of the book is also entertaining and exciting. It has Catwoman pull off another exciting heist and has a few good moments from Black Mask.

However, this story is far to short to have the impact it tries to have. Flashbacks detail how an old boyfriend of Selina’s is “killed” while the present has him unexpectedly show up in her life and tell how he betrayed her. Unfortunately, the story is so short that readers are never able to connect with this characters, thus dulling the impact of both his return and betrayal. This is still a decent story but it could have been far better if it were given a full volume on its own.

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Art

This collection has Catwoman leave the streets of Gotham in order to hit the streets of New York City. This move places a high level of focus on the beauty of the city’s lights and architecture, something in which artist Inaki Miranda and colorist Eva de la Cruz excel. This means that the neon street signs and impressive building facades seen here all look great and give the city even more life.

In addition, Miranda’s layouts are also very well done. Pages progress in a logical and ordered way that is also diverse enough to avoid being boring. This diversity makes it more meaningful when a characters is singled out or when Catwoman needs to make a more noticeable entrance. The only problem with the quality of the artwork is that action sequences tend to look a bit static. Overall though, this is a good looking book that suits Catwoman well.

Continuity

Catwoman Vol. 8: Run Like Hell follows the events of Catwoman Vol. 7: Inheritance (Review).

The Catwoman series ends with this volume, so the story here does not directly continue anywhere. However, Catwoman’s adventures indirectly continue in Batman Vol. 2: I am Suicide (Review).

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

• Batgirl’s new costume is created in Batgirl Vol. 1: Batgirl of Burnside.
• Batman’s memory loss comes from his traumatic experience at the end of Batman Vol. 7: Endgame (Review).
• The new Batman starts working for the police in Batman Vol. 8: Superheavy (Review).