| Title | : | Catwoman, Volume 1: The Game |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 140123464X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781401234645 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 144 |
| Publication | : | First published May 22, 2012 |
But this time, Selina steals from the wrong man, and now he's got her. He wants his stuff back, he wants answers and he wants blood. Writer Judd Winick begins a new chapter for CATWOMAN–hopefully she makes it out alive!
Collects: Catwoman #1-6.
Catwoman, Volume 1: The Game Reviews
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(A-) 82% | Very Good
Notes: Notably non-status quo, abundant blood and skin on show, not quite PG, and seems to me, it's less DC more Vertigo. -
4.5 stars
Before I had a chance to read this, I went looking online to find out which of the New 52 titles I wanted to zero in on. I remember one critic/blogger blasting the new Catwoman saying it was sleazy garbage. It was, by the way, the same critic/blogger who was singing the praises of the new Wonder Woman. Outstanding!
Well, I thought
Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Blood was crap.
Hmmm. Guess I shouldn't be terribly surprised that I thought Catwoman: The Game was fantastic, huh?
The moral of the story is that you should never take advice from a critic. Or a blogger. Also anyone that reeks of urine. 'Cause let's face it, people who smell like pee are stinky. And everyone knows stinky people give bad advice.
The art in this was slick and eye-catching, and the plot was engaging.
Selina is an excellent thief who is driven by the thrill of the chase. Or maybe she just likes being chased? Whatever her motivations, she isn't an evil person. The way she walks the line between villain and hero is what makes this story so good.
There's also that Batman/Catwoman thing that's been going of forever. And it's always been sort of left up to the readers' imagination as to what the thing between them actually was.
Who knows? Maybe they really have been just running around on the rooftops chasing each other around, right?
Or not.
Anyway, Winnick did a great job, and it was a lot of fun to read.
Highly recommended! -
Honestly, I don't really give a damn about Catwoman. But I'm a fan of Judd Winick. We won me over with Barry Ween, and I'll pretty much pick up anything he writes.
So I picked up this book, and I wasn't disappointed. I like that it focuses on Selina Kyle as a character. I like her voice. I like that Batman shows up, but only a *very* little. He's an occasional walk on. He adds a little flavor, but he's not a major player in her story.
Simply said: I liked it. Good story. Good characterization.
Downside: You're going to be seeing a lot of vinyl covered Catwoman ass in this. And her boobs should probably be given second billing on the cover. "Catwoman: And her boobs."
Don't get me wrong. I like boobs. They're nice boobs. But it makes me roll my eyes a bit. If I was reading a batman comic, and the artist was taking Wayne's shirt off to show his killer abs every third page, I'd feel the same way.
It would be one thing if it was part of the story. Part of her character. But she's written as a damaged, playful, reckless wildcat, not a vampy sexpot: So why is she drawn that way? -
I had fun with this crazy mess. Selena is pretty messed up for a catburgler. I do like that Batman and Catwoman have some sort of relationship. As the two are both antisocial in their own way, it works out really well. I like that part.
Catwoman gets mixed up in some dirty money dealing with the police that really gets her in trouble. Well, she spends the whole book in trouble. She is a crazy maker. At least she isn't drinking out of milk bowls and such.
I thought the art was great and there was a plot here. I was entertained and thought this was good. -
This was quite a fun read omg!
We see Selina stealing stuff and all that and living her life and well the the tensions with Batman ad all that results in and what happens when she steals something ad gangster targets her for it and to her close mentor "Lola" who sort of raised her ad her emotional state after it, and the police after her too and a new enemy in Bones and what she does with him. Plus when she steals dirty cops money and they target her plus a new meta-human enemy called "Reach"!
Its a fun book and really balances the emotional drama with the high stakes heist action and I love the emotional state of Selina after losing Lola and how it drives her to do certain things and I also loved the inclusion of two new enemies for her in Reach and Bone plus the fight with Batman in the end was so awesome and establishes the tensions going forward for both the characters. The art and covers were the best part and are really gorgeous and makes for a good compliment to the writing and yes are they too revealing? Yep. But its Catwoman so well. -
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I generally like Catwoman but have to say that I’ve never read a book with her as the central character (though I’ve tried) mainly because I felt the character to be far too one dimensional; Judd Winick turns this around with his first book on the character in “The Game”. His Selina Kyle/Catwoman is confident, skilled, and greedy, but is given more of a personality through her vulnerability for her friends, her feelings of justice and retribution against abusers of women, and a confusing love for another masked vigilante of Gotham, the Dark Knight.
I think what made me really like this book was the emotional edge the story walks throughout. Selina’s friend is killed because of her gung-ho actions which leads her to more rash actions. She’s constantly stealing and running, both loving and hating the thrill and fear of it all and Winick writes a fantastic scene between her and Batman at the end when he asks her to change, to be a force for good in Gotham, and that her path leads only to one inevitable end. Her response of frustrated raw emotion was the most real this character has seemed as a person rather than another face in Batman’s rogues gallery.
There’s lots of action as well with Winick not being afraid of putting a character with no superpowers into situations where superpowers would come in really handy, making Catwoman become more inventive in her fights. Guillem March’s artwork is great, he makes Selina look as incredible as fans of the character would expect and the expression he gives Batman after he and Selina get it on is quite funny (the masks remain on of course).
“The Game” is an excellent comic book and a continuation of the class shown in DC’s “New 52” rollout. Judd Winick converted me to read more of the character and I’ll keep an eye out for more Catwoman in the future. Recommended. -
A lot of
controversy surrounded Catwoman's reboot as part of DC's New 52. Along with
Starfire's questionable outfits, sexuality and posing, Catwoman's raunchy, angry sex with Batman, culminating in
this splash page, DC successfully offended many of their established readers.
I have always liked Catwoman (and totally
ship her with Batman, though I'd never followed her titles. The New 52 gave me an opportunity to finally get to know her properly, though I understand in reading it, why former fans of the character would be offended. Selina Kyle is no longer the lady whom Batwoman both loved and respected. Now she's a reckless 22-year-old who keeps walking the edge that will get her, or worse, someone she cares about, killed. Batman is determined to stop her - to save her from herself - if only she weren't so damn enticing.
Catwoman is also very angry and very violent in this incarnation. It was the violence of the story that caught my attention more than the (gratuitous) sex splash page. In fact, that angry Bat/Cat sex is all part of this new, angrier Selina persona. This isn't exactly the Catwoman I wanted to learn about, but I do like her and I can see her learning to become the woman Batman loves and respects, once she figures out the baggage she's hanging on to.
I'm happy the way she handles Batman. He's a strong influence in her life and I assume he'll continue to show up from time to time (well, it's Batman and if there's one thing common to just about every book in the New 52, it's that Batman needs to stick his nose in every one of them), but it becomes clear that she's not one of the many problems that the great detective can solve, no matter how much he wants to.
The art is slick, perfectly capturing the agility and expressions of the character. I loved the use of reflection in many scenes, allowing the focus to remain on Catwoman and her reactions.
Without getting into spoilers, I was somewhat disappointed with the treatment of a certain character who was very important to Selina. It upset me enough not to want to actively pursue the series. However, I recognize the purpose of the particular plot device and appreciate where things ended up at the end, implying that maybe Catwoman will begin to learn the lesson Batman is trying to get through her head.
See more reviews at
The Bibliosanctum. -
Well this would be my first offical Catwoman comic review. I never read her solo stuff (Despite owning Ed brubaker's run, I know I know, I own a ton of stuff I haven't read) and heard this one was controversial.
I really like Judd Winick's writing style. It's fast paced and very fun. He gets the human moments to hit but also let's the art flow and give some great set pieces. So we have Cat doing what she does best, stealing a ton of shit. Her main mission here, to steal expensive things, goes sideways as she attacks someone she wasn't supposed to. That and a gangster gets tired of her shit and comes after her which leads to some screwed up moments for the poor thief. Oh yeah and then she steals something that has dirty cops after her and Batman even gets involved.
Good: The art is very "sexy" at times, but also really great for fight scenes. They flow and work so well I was really impressed. I thought giving Cat her own thoughts and style worked well for her. She's def not boring, not one bit, and her fun and adventurous side is great. My favorite moments are when her eyes grow wide like a cat and you can tell she is getting ready to strike. The sex scene is great too, despite people complaining about it, and shows how screwed up Bruce and Salinas's relationship is.
Bad: The death in here kind of easy to see coming. It's in most movies like this where someone steals something, pisses off the wrong guy, and then ends up suffering. I also thought the half hanging out boobs at the start was a little much.
Overall, this was a ton of fun. I really enjoyed the style, the fights, and the Cat personality. I'm hoping this series continues to be entertaining. A 3.5 out of 5 but I'll tag it with a 4 because was never bored. -
Bullet Review:
Surprisingly good! Sure, she's scantily clad and that bugs me, but it *is* Catwoman after all. I love her humor, I love how she can be upbeat but also serious, I love her relationship with Batman and I love how she has female friends. Story is good, art is good, action is good.
Would not hesitate to pursue this line. -
I had a blast reading this first volume of the New 52 Catwoman. The main selling point was Catwoman's character, who's portrayed as a relentless thrill-seeker, a woman who feels truly alive only when in dire danger. While she ends up in lots of avoidable situations, this comic makes clear that Catwoman is extremely intelligent - she lands in bad spots because part of her wants to, not because she doesn't know better. Her backstory makes her live-for-the-moment attitude very compelling.
The art is very good, a fine vehicle for the story. The story is intense and emotional. It's set against a sleazy and violent underworld, full of gangsters, drug-dealers, strippers, and corrupt cops: this would make an excellent HBO series. The story also explores Catwoman's rocky relationship with Batman, but that's not the central point of the tale - some of Catwoman's friends are explored more thoroughly than her connection with Batman, and it turned out to be a great choice.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it wholeheartedly. -
I'm working my way through my library's graphic novel collection and availing myself of the New 52 titles. I would be remiss if I didn't check out Catwoman. I did start reading an earlier run (single issues) with Ed Brubaker several moons ago (still have a stack I never got around to reading). I thought, why not try this?
Catwoman isn't always my favorite. On one level, I like that she's morally ambiguous, sometimes on the good side, sometimes on the bad side. I like strong women who can fight and hold their own, but her selfishness and how it leads to others being hurt is hard to handle. I couldn't stand her in the last Nolan Batman movie. I didn't like her with Bruce/Bats, but I did like them together in this book. I can see why some ship Batwoman and Catwoman so avidly. I think they understand each other, even though they are on the opposite side of the line more than not.
I didn't like the artwork. Catwoman looks harsh and rather scary. Her features don't have the catlike beauty or appeal that I would associate with her. The colors were too washed out for my tastes as well.
I like Judd Winick's writing. I didn't find that much fault with the storytelling in this one. He shows Catwoman as a morally conflicted person who has made poor choices out of a damaged psyche. I can get that about her.
Overall, this was pretty good. The biggest issue for me was the artwork. Otherwise, I'll keep reading this title. Batman showing up drove my rating up a lot (I can't even lie). My library also has Brubaker's run, so I may grab those to read next year (which is only two months away now).
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars. -
Catwoman, Volume 1: The Game is fucking amazing. I loved everything about it. I loved how Batman lurked throughout parts of the story. I loved the villains Bone and Reach. I loved the character of Catwoman (who I didn't know much about before reading this). I am dying to read the next volume. This was just so fricking good.
-
Wow!
All I can say is , AWESOME!
Before I started writing this review I quickly paged through the GN again to get a feel for it and it gave me goosebumps!
Sick artwork , fast-paced story and amazing main character.
I have always been drawn towards Catwoman (before I recently got into comics) because of her seductive, mysterious image. I was not disappointed.
Another cool element of this GN was that the story was easy to follow , I didn't once feel lost like I do with some other titles. The suggestive and complicated relationship Selina has with Bruce is definitely a bonus throughout the pages.
I like to read a few reviews before I write anything and a lot of readers found the suggestive nudity very distasteful. I completely disagree. It is well known that Catwoman is a seductress and always has a sultry aura about her. I don't know , I liked it.
Vol 2 will be seeing me very, very soon. -
One of the better entries in the new 52 movement. Catwoman can range from comically laughable to one-dimensional pussy; however here, Winick makes her an interesting case study of a broken person on a self-destructive tear that she knows cannot end well. Batman is involved, but he's used very well; not just as a crutch or a way to boost sales. His presence makes sense, and you see more about their strange relationship and why it is how it is; there's genuine love, but he cannot stop her from the path she is on, and he finally realizes it. Selina is shown to suffer consequences for her actions, including the murder of a close friend, which sets her even more on edge.
This Catwoman is the wild ride/action movie careening out of control in the best possible way.
I feel it's worth a read for sure.
Kudos Winick! -
Beautiful illustrations and a very good story line. Good intro to Catwoman and her friends and foes. There were definitely some sad moments in this story of Catwoman inadvertently stealing some "dirty cop money" rather than simple drug money as she suspected. And - whoa! - her relationship with Batman! That carries on for some pages and I had to go show that my husband. I thought he'd appreciate it.
-
Well this was much better then I thought it was going to be, probably shouldn't have passed over it about 100 times at my library picking other random titles instead.
-
What is Catwoman's deal? Seriously.
She goes back and forth, living the fast life with stolen diamonds or whatever, but then always feels regretful when one of her dopey sideline friends gets caught up and usually murdered in a fairy non-graphic fashion.
I mean, what's the deal here?
I'm cool with a reckless lady stealing weird jewels and living it up on the run. And I'm cool with a story about a lady trying to get things right. But honestly, I'm fairly bored and frustrated by a story about a lady who wants it both ways. For example, I feel pretty ambivalent when Catwoman does some righteous street justice stuff on a dude who killed one of her friends back in the day because I've just watched her also do a bunch of bad stuff. So sometimes she's doing Catwoman stuff to steal, sometimes to do justice-y stuff? And how does that get decided? And when a cop rolls his car chasing her from a crime scene and dies, what then? And how come she makes the "that's it, from now on I work alone" declaration only to go back on it two issues later?
You know what Catwoman is like? Did you ever know a person who was in college and was always changing his/her major every three months? And could never decide on anything because ultimately he/she was very unhappy but couldn't connect that, without any sort of commitment to anything, the happiness would never come? And you always had to hear the deep thoughts of this person, but in the back of your mind it was always grating because the person seemed completely unable to apply any of the thinking to him/her self? And one week it was short blue hair and the next week it was something with bicycles and then right after that it was thick-framed glasses and then weird piercings? Always something that the person thought was an expression of personality when it was really being used to stand-in for personality? THAT'S what Catwoman is like, and it's annoying because I don't really want to read about a woman in her 30's with superpowers who doesn't really know who she is. The only difference between her and a total loser is that she runs around on rooftops instead of rewatching the Wings box set over and over.
Also, the whole Catwoman/Batman love affair makes no sense to me whatsoever. I just don't understand why this dude, who has a bizarrely strict crime-fighting code of sorts, can't seem to apprehend Catwoman. Or at least convince her that maybe Gotham City, home of the world's greatest detective, isn't the best place for robbing safes. -
Catwoman, Vol. 1: The Game by Judd Winick is the start of the Catwoman series, issues 1-7 during the much maligned New 52 run. Now that it is over and we are on the way to Rebirth, lets take a quick look back at some of the books that were actually pretty good during this brief time. Catwoman certainly stands at the top in this respect.
Selina Kyle, Catwoman, has a serious problem. She has an addiction. She's addicted to shiny objects, danger, Batman and the night. Only this time, Selina may have stolen from the wrong people and when latest place gets torched, she's in need of a new place and new work. Only this time, she may have bitten off more than even Catwoman can chew.
"...I don't think he knows who I am. Although he is the master detective. So, maybe. But I sure as hell don't know who Batman is. And I don't need to know. This isn't the first time. Usually its because I want him. Tonight I think its because I need him. Every time...he protests. Then...gives in. And he seems...angry. But that doesn't slow either of us down. Still...it doesn't take long...and most of the costumes stay on..."
This is a Selina Kyle we have all dreamed about but DC was afraid to give to us. Visceral, sexy, vulnerable and full of spite and anger. Dangerous, yes and needing the danger to make her fell alive. Now she may have gotten all the danger she can handle. From a mid level mobster named the Bone to a Metahuman named Reach hired by the cops to break her. And as always, there is the Batman and their relationship that just keeps getting more and more complicated.
With the Game, we get the Catwoman we have all dreamed about. This is not your father's Selina Kyle but it is the one he has been having wet dreams about. Think Michelle Pfieffer in her own movie, only directed by Quentin Tarantino and you have the Catwoman who started in the New 52. She has settled some since then, becoming the crime boss of Gotham and all that. But here, in the start of the New 52, she is all her troubled and crazy self.
The kind of girl only the Batman could handle, and even then, not so much. -
Un comic que compré casi exclusivamente porque me encanta el dibujante. Y en ese sentido valió la pena. Y no es que el guion me parezca malo, Winick suele ser buen narrador. Pero más me meto en el "Nuevo Universo DC", más me molesta que se caguen en todo, incluso dentro de la sub-franquicia Batman, donde supuestamente todo iba a quedar más o menos parecido. Para ilustrarlo me basta con un solo y perverso ejemplo: en un momento Catwoman se disloca el hombro y dice que preferiría parir a un pibe que sufrir ese dolor. Por lo tanto, se deduce que ahora nunca fue mamá. Por lo tanto, queda fuera de continuidad la historia de "Un año después" donde Selina tenía una nena. Por lo tanto, esta buena gente de DC comete otro infanti-femicidio haciendo que el personaje de una nena que ya de por sí había sido bastante ignorado quede directamente borrado de la existencia.
En fin... tengo que admitir que me están resultando entretenidas varias de las series de los "New 52", pero me está incomodando de más esto de tener que hacerle cada vez más concesiones a los distintos títulos.
Ah, y a eso hay que sumarle que la traducción de la edición argentina nuevamente es 100% idéntica a la española, con todos los giros y modismos españoles que tan cacofónicos quedan para los lectores rioplatenses. Ya sé que la edición argentina permite que compre comics que me llegarían al doble -o más- de precio si fueran tomos españoles, pero no deja de ser una desprolijidad estúpida y evitable si tan sólo pusieran a una persona del cono sur a leerse los comics alguna vez. -
I would probably bump this up to a 3.5 stars if I had the option. It was an enjoyable read. I've always thought Catwoman was one of the best villains/anti-heroes/lovers in the Batman mythos.
Is she worthy of her own title though?
I enjoyed reading through this volume. The art is beautiful and really carries the story along. Not that the story is bland, but it's nothing amazing either. Somewhat falling on the fact that neither of the antagonists in this book are very memorable. I'm also really hoping for some more character development in the following volumes. Selena has a knack for getting herself into sticky situations, and not learning from them. In saying that she can definitely handle herself, kicking a heap of ass when she needs too. Her cheeky banter throughout is also very enjoyable.
BE WARNED; As you may know this book has a lot of sexual content, the bat/cat sex scene is a prime example. I have noticed a lot of people getting offended by this but it didn't bother me at all. Although I wouldn't let a child read this.
Overall I'm quite impressed with this series and will definitely be continuing to follow it. -
The first volume of the New 52 Catwoman was definitely a different take on the character. Still robbing people and still sexy, but the story by Judd Winick is more of a character study than usual, and a dark one at that. You have more graphic violence than usual for a Catwoman story, as well as a peek into her mind. It seems she's even more troubled than you'd expect, and may even harbor a death wish. The Batman relationship is also explored, although I don't really like the way it's handled. Maybe it's me, but the dark avenger of the night having sex on rooftops with criminals doesn't seem quite right. But everyone who reads comics knows the relationship between Batman and Catwoman is complicated so maybe it's not as weird as I think it is.
Overall I did enjoy it, but I'm not sure if I like this darker take on Catwoman. The art was sexy as well. Not great, but good. If you're a Catwoman fan you should check it out, but be prepared for a slightly darker version. -
I really liked this. I love that we get to see Catwoman's side of things. We always see her through someone else's eyes and it's about time that we see her through her own. I love how the author presented Selina's issues and problems, especially her friend Lola's death. It was handled amazingly and I like that she didn't go completely soft or anything especially with Batman. I also like that we got to see a little bit of her relationship with Batman. I would definitely like to see more of that in the other volumes. However, I'm not a huge fan of the art style. I don't hate it but it's a little meh for me. I can't pinpoint exactly what is is but it didn't ruin the volume for me or anything.
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This has to be the first DC New 52 comic that surprised me in a positive way.
I knew comics like Batman and Wonder Woman were really good. But I took a risk with Catwoman and I am glad I did.
This is a sexy comic depicting a Catwoman in search of herself that see everyone she gets close to get hurt because of her.. -
Catwoman is a tad crazy. Some might even say she has a death wish. This is bad enough, except when her friends get caught in the crossfire, including Batman -- who seems to have an unhealthy crush on her.
Judd Winick does a good job of telling the tale of a manic anti-hero on a downward vengeance spiral. -
A good volume one story for Catwoman. This is an introduction to the woman with glimpses into her past. The plot sets up her story for this new series. There is a lot of Batman and a new villain. The Batman parts are great! They even have a sex scene! [steamy!] Catwoman is portrayed as someone you can like; she's shown as thief and friend, violent fighter and passionate lover.
