Hello @Jitsu & @Alec.Holland,
I’ve just finish reading book 2 of Catwoman and here’s the answer to Week #2 questions.
That’s probably true, Batman can’t be everywhere at once, there’s always going to be a crime whether he’s there or not.
I think she’s fighting for women who can’t seem to defend themselves, so Catwoman is trying to be a hero for them. Hopefully she’ll help in someway to clean up Gotham.
I think her concern is justifiable, since she cares if anything bad happened to her friend, thankfully Holly manage to escape the killer and tell Selina about it.
It’s sad there can be a corruption in the police force which makes things look bad for the good police officers, Falcone in Batman Begins own the police and knows how to draw fear to people. If he’s in this comic series and own the police, hopefully Catwoman or Batman can find a way to end his corruption.
I would say pretty good, think she’s off to the good start.
I’ll read 3 & 4 tomorrow, til then, have a great evening.
Good Morning @Jitsu & @Alec.Holland,
I’ve just finish reading Catwoman #3, here’s the answer to your questions on week 3, This is turning into a good mystery…
She had one scary nightmare, glad Catwoman woke her up. What they have in comment friendship like Batman has with Gordon, a trust of each other.
That’s a tough question, probably because ever since she put on a new costume, she feel like a new person, as for Leslie Thompkin, being a doctor can be a stressful job, and when you’re stress, you could get nightmares from it, even by watching too many news.
I think she really put that over the top on that one, a guy should never disrespect his wife.
She didn’t seem all interested in the guy, til later she realized her mistake.
Darwyn Cooke is amazing and talented artstyle, and with his art, he really tell the story really well. I’m definitely a fan of his artwork.
Can’t wait to read the final book. Think I know who this Villain is, but then I could be wrong.
Hello @Jitsu & @Alec.Holland,
All good thing has to come to the end, and @Vroom was right, this was a good pick series.
Glad Catwoman won the poll, and I’m looking forward to the next book pick. Maybe we can do a tribute to Neal Adams & George Pérez. I apologize to any DC fans if I spell their names wrong.
Anyway here’s the answer to your week 4 question. I’ve read the book a couple of days ago.
She did really good, she let the badguy explain himself, learning what he had to say. Mostly it should be for the police to listen too.
He really reminds me of Clayface, it’s interesting that this Villain didn’t have a name, so he’s really a mix of both Clayface and False Face!
I think she knew he would survive, if Clayface can survive, why shouldn’t he be any different? Yeah it was a huge risk, but knew he would survive.
It’s a good thing he didn’t say,“You call me here for this? The Batsignal is not a beeper!” @Vroom would definitely get that reference, he may tell her not to touch the Batsignal again, something tells me she won’t listen and will use it sometimes to contact him.
She probably felt good about herself and how things went down. She probably see herself as a start of a hero career then a villain.
That’s it for this week. Thankyou again for a great book read.
In the opening pages of Catwoman #1, we see Selina and a psychologist discussing her identity with and without “the mask”. At this point in the story, who do you think Selina is without her mask? What makes up her character and personality?
Without the mask she’s still her. The grey and complex characters willing to help especially those who are normal overlooked. The mask made her hide that so she can enjoy herself.
As she witnesses Batman confronting Ridder in the streets below, Selina’s inner dialogue reveals that she lives between the black and white world of Batman–in the “shades of grey” between right and wrong. Who’s approach to criminality do you agree with more? The black and white world of Batman, or the “good people forced into bad situations” approach of Selina? Why do you feel this way?
Selina’s. I like bats but that definitely something he struggles with is seeing that good people can make bad mistakes and sometimes even terrible ones that you may think only bad people will do. In the end people are complex. Life is never just black and white even if sometimes it’s may seem easier to see it as such.
What do you think the old Catwoman suit represents for Selina? What about the new Catwoman suit?
The only one is the history. A lot of things she’s enjoyed for herself and the trill of it all. The new one is the fresh start. A chance to find more in her life than just thieving and bats. Maybe even to help some people.
After seeing her new suit, Batman tells Catwoman that “no matter what”, he still believes she is a good person. How does this align with Batman’s general approach to fighting crime? Does this seem contradictory to you, or does it check out?
A bit contradictory. But that’s Bruce. His black in white views make it hard for him to see greys like cat but he’s very picky and choosy with his exceptions. And even those exceptions he still pushes then to be pure white like him.
After finishing this first book, what would you say motivates Selina? What is her cause ?
I think there’s a lot that motivates her. Whether personal thrill or helping those overlooked and less fortunate as I mentioned. He cause it to be herself and if that includes helping or thieving she will.
In the early pages of Issue #2, Selina says "…“No matter how much Gotham changes, some things stay the same.” How do you feel about this statement? Do you believe that despite all the work heroes like Batman work to keep Gotham safe, that their efforts are for nothing?
I wouldn’t say for nothing they do help in the short term. Such as Lee death destruction and the whole shabang. But those problems she’s looking at a the long term societal problems that have been around before bats and capes. Those issues require more that just bats stoping a thug and the occasional inspirational moments which only sticks to a few
How do you think Catwoman can change the trajectory of Gotham? Can she really do enough good to impact the city’s fate, or is Gotham lost forever to crime and corruption?
She can definitely make an impact to those communities bats and the rest may miss and even some of there’s as well.
Why do you think Selina cares so deeply for the underserved/underrepresented people of her city? Do you think her concern is justified?
She sees herself in then and doesn’t want people to go through what she has. She knows how they can be never seen and wants to give them someone they can see looking out for them.
On page 15, we see a GCPD Officer hit a civilian while investigating a crime scene, and take her money. Is trying to fight crime in Gotham even possible, when there’s so much corruption in the police force?
Its possible. There are good cops like Gordon and Montoya out there. Even bullock is iffy but overall a good one. Not going to a a broken egg make me throw out the whole carton.
What are the values and ideals that Catwoman lives/fights by?
They are to be you. Live your best life. Look out for your fellow people. Nobody’s perfect. Everybody deserves a chance.
What do you think Dr. Thompkins’ nightmare says about her, and what she may have in common with Selina?
That she struggles with failure and the pressure put on her but like Selina will help and never give up.
Why do you think that Selina has been sleeping peacefully since she put on the new costume, and how does that compare to Dr. Thompkins’ sleep?
Cat has been feeling like herself. She’s feeling like she’s doing something important to her but helping others. Doc is probably struggling with similar issues of putting other’s issues as your own.
What do you think Selina’s reaction to Honest Jay Little’s disrespecting his wife says about her?
She just cares. She doesn’t care if rich are scammed but if innocent people are then there’s a problem.
What do you think tipped Selina off about the man she was talking to in the bar?
When she saw he left and the poster guy looking like the one that left. She knew she was looking for a master of disguise do that tipped her off.
In just this one issue, the scene changes multiple times, from a nightmare, to a murder scene, to a bright and colorful car lot, and to the “diviest bar”. How do you think the Darwyn Cooke’s style and portrayal of the settings and characters add to this issue?
They show that Gotham is more than just big buildings and dark streets. There is a lively bunch of people here with a diverse range of interests and personality.
How is Selina’s decision to stop and listen to the killer’s explanation compares to what someone like Batman or the Gotham police would have done in that situation?
She’s willing to give chances even to the worst because she herself has been the worst at points and changed. As the rest may only see the worst in people and believe that is all they are.
Do you think the killer’s past makes him similar to the typical Gotham supervillain, or different?
Similar. Many Gotham’s villains are people in situations that lead them to a wrong path. With there mental illnesses and wrong done to them by more powerful.
Did Selina know the killer would survive being decapitated, or was she willing to kill him to stop him?
I think that was more instinctual self defense. Not looking at the results.
Batman makes a point to lecture Selina about never using the bat signal again, even though she had no other options, and he still helps her out. Do you think he’s really bothered by her using it, or is he maybe just trying to maintain the moral high ground over her?
Probably both a bit bothered as she could have used just for attention which she enjoyed in the past. But also to give the sense of his city his rules thing he does with all his allies.
How would you explain what Selina believes her place and role in Gotham are, after this issue?
Her place is to help those the ones on top may miss. Give opportunities for them all. A chance at something better. And even willing to get dirty doing it.
Throughout Catwoman comics, we often see a different side of Selina. Usually, this is to make her a more sympathetic character as opposed to the femme fatale/thief that was previously seen in Batman comics. Her sister is usually involved in some way as the catalyst for Selina trying to do better. Now, things don’t always work out that way for her but the intentions are there. Seeing her with Leslie at the beginning of this series shows she is seeking redemption, another common theme for Catwoman comics, even if she still stealing stuff.
Batman’s view is very limited. I understand why he has that view but he doesn’t have the ability to see the other side. Sure, he has gotten close to Talia and Selina, but those are for his own needs. Selina is more on point, sometimes good people are put in bad situations. That doesn’t mean they are automatically bad people. Now, the question remains if a good person willingly repeats doing bad things are they still a good person? In Selina’s case, sort of. She might be doing things because that is the only way she can see an out of her bad situation but then her greed gets the best of her.
This falls in line with what I touched upon earlier. Batman needs to see the good in her in order for him to not throw the book at her. He needs to reconcile the fact that he likes her and she is a criminal. That is for his own good, not hers. Sure, maybe hearing someone who has faith in her might help her but that isn’t why Batman is saying that. It
Sometimes the truth hurts. I am hopeful that things can change. In the real world, there are former gang members who start bicycle clubs for kids. By getting the kids off the streets and with a joint focus, in theory over time gangs would grow extinct because of these kinds of programs. While it might save lives, it doesn’t fix the problem completely. There are still gangs running rampant on the street. In many ways Gotham mirrors society. There might be a small group of people fighting vicious criminals but it doesn’t put a stop to crime. The efforts aren’t for nothing but it is impossible to expect a huge change in society.
She is one of those people. She comes from an abusive family and ended up in an orphanage. Her concern is valid because of how close to home it hits.
She is comfortable in her second skin. Seline identifies as Catwoman as much as she identifies as Selina. Without one, she becomes restless.
This is Batman trying to place Selina in a box, a world where she follows the rules. Once again, I think this is him convincing himself that she is a good person and good people don’t break the rules, even if the cards are down and there is no other way.
Edit:
May 14th was the anniversary of Darwyn Cooke’s passing. Jimmy Palmiotti posted this picture on Twitter saying “His last gift to me.” To keep things on topic, Catwoman is inside the diner but this might be my favorite picture from Darwyn Cooke.
