Cat Woman #70(and 69 too)

Written by Will Pfeifer

Art by David and Alvaro Lopez

Cover art by Adam Hughes

DC Comics $2.99 

Checking out a new book is incredibly fun for a few reasons that don’t really transfer to an old favorite.  First off, you don’t actually know what you’re getting into.  If you’re familiar with the writer, in this case, Pfeifer is the lead writer of the wonderful DC mini-series that wraps up next week, Amazons Attack, which I’ve been reading.  So I had an idea what I was getting into, strong characterization based around solid action scenes and a script that relies on a well-balanced mix of dialog boxes and scenes that make effective use of an action-based story.  I also knew David Lopez from the first 20 issues of Fallen Angel, back when it was being put out by DC Comics.  I knew his pencils were a good match for a strong writer because they tend to be mild and mellow, instead of screaming for attention, they add to the overall story without really grabbing the reader with the tackiness that some pencilers for superhero books tend to use.  So, I had an idea that this book had the potential to be pretty entertaining.  Plus, this Adam Hughes cover didn’t hurt.

I really love that cover, it’s beautiful and the simple background makes her stand out even more.  That image is from the official DC page about the comic, which is slightly different from the final product that actually appears on the issue I have.  But you get the picture.  I went and looked up Adam Hughes and realized I have a whole bunch of covers by him and I generally really enjoy his work.  And he has a thing for big breasts, in case you didn’t notice.  I really like the shades of light reflecting off of the costume, so you can tell it’s leather and not spandex, the detail of the zipper, the goggles and the fact that there’s actual detail to her face, which makes her look like a real person, not just a thieving sex symbol.

The issue ended up being an Amazons tie-in about Selina’s workings with the Bana, the Amazon offshoot terrorist group.  It was really good.  I found out that she had a kid and had semi-retired from crime, had become friends with Batman and had allied herself on the side of the heroes since the Amazonian war had begun in the states.  The issue relied heavily on dialog boxes and let Selina narrate the story in reverse, which was an interesting change.  I liked it enough to go  out and pick up the issue before, which was also good and featured all of the same talent, down to another Hughes cover.

I think I’ll be reading this on a regular schedule if this book continues to be as entertaining for a few more issues.