Catwoman: Soulstealer (The Graphic Novel) by Louise Simonson

Catwoman: Soulstealer (The Graphic Novel) Reviews

• 
  Chad

  Maas has completely changed Selina Kyle's backstory. Now it's tied into a version of the League of Assassins and Talia al Ghul. That worried me as I was afraid she'd be more assassin than thief. But she does plenty of thieving. The whole love story with Batwing felt very odd to me knowing that she's always had a will she / won't she with Batman in the comics. Maybe it was done for diversity's sake, since Batwing is black. I liked that Maas used Poison Ivy and Harley Quin in the book.
  
  I actually think this worked better than Maas's prose story that this is based on (
  Catwoman: Soulstealer). Louise Simonson worked out some of the plotting issues that made that a frustrating real by keeping the book focused on the main story. Samantha Dodge's art was solid. The coloring was interesting. It's mostly in grayscale with only a few things on each page in color like Catwoman's suit or Batwing's chest symbol.
• 
  Kadi P

  *More like 3.5 stars than 3.*
  
  Usually these DC original graphic novels feel rushed due to the limited number of pages, but in this case it felt incredibly long and stretched out. Whilst I found it a chore to get through for the most part because the plot felt like a meaningless ramble, by the end the reveal tied everything nicely together enough to reconcile the pacing issues.
  
  The characters were all relatively interesting YA takes on classic Batman comic characters. The protagonist Selina was certainly the most dynamic in her fluid morality and driven goals whereas Luke was so static with a rigid view on right and wrong that his change in stance at the end made absolutely no sense. He was terrible as Batwing as he failed again and again to fight Selina’s Catwoman yet somehow he managed to hold his own against multiple other League of Assassin’s members and so the amount of inconsistencies used as and when it suited the plot highlighted the lack of integrity in this graphic novel. Luke’s one personality trait was PTSD and there was so little else to him that his romance with Selina disguised as Holly made no sense and they had no chemistry. It was fun to see other characters playing pivotal parts in the plot such as Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn; that was not expected. They never felt under-utilised or made the character roster seem overstuffed, instead they helped make up for the lack of personality in Luke’s character.
  
  The ending was more ‘happily ever after’ than I would’ve liked, and the art style was an unpleasant grayscale muck. But for the most part it was an acceptable if overly long graphic novel adaptation. Its main positive would be that it was probably a faster read than its
  novel counterpart .
• 
  Cisz Geverink - Strasters

  Afgelopen 2 nachten las ik deze graphic novel, en ik heb er echt enorm van genoten! Ik ben normaal niet zo fan van "kleurloze" comics, maar de kleuraccenten waren genoeg om het onderscheid te maken en de illustraties aantrekkelijk te houden. En Batwing vs Catwoman met een vleugje Harley Quinn en Poison Ivy, wie smult daar nou niet van ♡
  
  
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• 
  Robert

  I don't know who this is but it certainly isn't Catwoman. A few of the trappings are there, but far to much of the her background has been changed for no good reason for it to be enjoyable. And the subtitle makes no sense at all since it is never referenced even incidentally in the text, so poor work all around.
• 
  Khurram

  A very good comic adaptation of the novel. I think they managed to get all the main story points, not as much of the action but a good amount. The artwork I really like. The book is mainly black snd white, but shades and colours are added at the correct times for me.
  
  Selina Kyle was known to the Gotham PD as a gang member and fighter. Then she disappeared. Now Catwoman is terrorising Gotham City with the help of two other Gotham sirens. Luke Fox defended jis Country as a Marine, now he protects Gotham City as Batwing. Both will stop at nothing to get what they want. For Batwing it is simple protect the city in Batman's absence. Nobody knows what Catwoman wants apart from chaos.
  
  A very good book. I like that both Selina and Luke narrate the book, but this is more Selina's story. Great plot and story as I would expect from SJM, good scene selection and artwork. The book finishes with a preview of a new Gotham hero. All in all a good adaption.
• 
  Cherlynn | cherreading

  ✨ "Robbery, mayhem, notoriety... What else could a girl want?"
  
  When Poison Ivy appears: You had my curiosity
  When Harley Quinn appears: But now you have my attention
  
  The feminist retelling I have been waiting for! Three of DC's greatest icons in one book? Yes please! There was never a dull moment and I loved all the characters. I have mixed feelings about the artwork though - it's dark and gritty, which is fitting for Gotham and its morally grey characters, but also hard to read at times. An exciting and enjoyable read overall!
• 
  Kat

  Basic plot: After spending 2 years training with the League of Assassins, Selina Kyle returns to Gotham to escape the League and start a new life.
  
  I really wish I knew why this book was titled "soulstealer," because there is literally no explanation for that in the book. None. Otherwise, I honestly have no complaints. The story was paced well, the art was good. The interpretation of the characters was on point. I liked that Harley and Ivy were part of the story, even if they were relatively fringe players who didn't really drive much action. The use of Luke Fox/Batwing over Bruce Wayne/Batman was surprising, but not unpleasant. I like Luke as a character, and they worked well as a team/couple/antagonists, just like Selina and Bruce do. It was nice to see their interplay. Overall, a worthwhile read.
• 
  Sophie Snow

  This has the exact same plot as the novel, which I still absolutely love, but I just don't get as much emotion when reading graphic novels so it wasn't quite as good for me. I really enjoyed the art style though and would recommend it.
• 
  Bevany

  I really liked a different take on catwoman and other villains in Gotham
• 
  Tilly

  4 Stars
  
  I really enjoyed this version of Sarah J Maas's take on Catwoman. I don't think it was as good as the actual novel which I LOVED, but it was a fun read and I really liked the illustrations. Really recommend it if you liked the novel!
• 
  Isabel Hinen

  I really liked this! The art was amazing, the story was deep, and there was a huge twist at the end I did not expect! It was so good. It was fairly clean, other than some violence and minor language.
• 
  Aslan Claire

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
  
  I really enjoyed reading this! A fun and different take on Catwoman and the classic Gotham City characters. Had a good grittier edge, but still a great heart to it as well.
  
  
  Spice level: a few kisses shown but otherwise clean
  Language level: some uses of sh*t, a few uses of Jesus or JC, a couple uses of b*tch
  Clean grade: A-
• 
  Haley | wickedbeebooks

  Thank you NetGalley, DC Comics and Sarah J Maas for giving me the opportunity to read and review this title before publishing. I have a lot to say, beginning with: I ADORED this story.
  
  The scene: this is an off-canon Selina Kyle/Catwoman story that essentially takes a “what if Selina Kyle was never up against Batman, but one of his protégés? And what if she trained with the league of assassins?” and let me tell you, this was a wonderful idea.
  
  I am a Batman and Bat-family fanatic. I’ve read almost every major Batman story written at this point, and a number of Catwoman led stories as well. I’ve never seen this particular approach. It does something different with her origins and her story in Gotham while still staying very true to the roots of who she is. Sometimes creative liberties taken with “what if?” stories end up seeming like an entirely different character, and sometimes that works, but I certainly don’t always prefer it. This story takes the Selina Kyle we know and love and puts a new spin on her. Not to mention: gives her a new love-to-hate rival and love interest.
  This story was thrilling and captivating, and I had no trouble finishing the entire book in a day. The team up with Poison Ivy and Harley is kick-ass and full of girl power, without getting anywhere near campy. Selina is morally grey (but I’ll always maintain that she’s closer to the lighter side,) and she cares for her own those she knows have suffered first and foremost.
  
  The art: for the most part, I was dazzled by the art in this novel. The gala scene, at around page 100, with Selina in the red dress and dancing with Luke with the lanterns in the background: this whole scene was completely swoon worthy. I don’t always like the style of mostly black and white coloring with artistic splashes of color, and I wasn’t sure about its use here at first, but I think this is my favorite I’ve ever seen it. My ONLY qualm: particularly during fight scenes, which tend to be darker in coloring and have a lot of movement going on, the darkness of the coloring made it much more difficult to tell what was happening that I would have liked (ie. Who just kicked that person in the gut? Who did the gut kicking? Who just went flying backwards? Did someone just leave the scene? Did that guy get knocked out, or is he still up?) It is hard to confidently assert this qualm, though, as I think it may have been a consequence of the device I was reading on.
  
  All in all, I LOVED this book. I’ve already purchased the hardcover of the regular book version of this because of how much I enjoyed it. I wholeheartedly expect to purchase a physical copy of the graphic novel when it releases. I will absolutely be recommending this to friends.
• 
  Sarah

  Perhaps this worked well in novel form, but as a graphic novel it had LOTS of problems. Basic things weren't shown (they kissed? WHEN?) and the feelings between Catwoman/Batwing are very disjointed and confusing. Perhaps in novel form where one could hear the characters inner voice it worked, but here it did not. The art was good, but the color choices of b&w with tans made it hard to pick out details at time. The best thing was the friendship with Harley, Selena, and Ivy. That alone saves it from a 2 star review.
• 
  ♡Julalicious Book Paradise♡

  Rating: 3.75/5
  
  I don't know why I had more difficulties to get into this graphic novels than the others, but I felt like this one would have been less confusing from time to time if I had read the book that this graphic novel is based on.
  
  But I still enjoyed it and once again I'm going to say that I wish there were more to follow because I feel they could easily do a few others, but I don't believe it's going to happen.
• 
  Teawarrior

  Loved it when I first read the book, still love it even after reading the comic ✨
• 
  Marsha

  This version of Catwoman gives her an interesting origin story. She’s a poor girl, one of two daughters, poorly cared for by an abusive, indifferent mother and forced to engage in petty crimes and illegal underground matches to earn money. She desperately needs it to save her little sister, who suffers from severe cystic fibrosis. It’s incurable but Selina fights to give her sister the best life she can. It’s not enough.
  
  Sadly, it’s not enough to redeem this Selina Kyle, either. She grows up to be tough, agile, independent, cunning, shrewd and calculating. But there’s an iciness at her core. She seems to care only for Maggie and, in a cold way, the underdogs of Gotham. She maintains a rabid dislike of the wealthy and monied, a kind of idiotic hate-the-rich attitude I’ve never condoned and dislike for its envious pettiness.
  
  She comes off as being a truly superior villainess especially when contrasted against Nightwing. This is where the story turns very sour for me. Nightwing isn’t Batman and, boy, does it show. Luke Fox, like Bruce Wayne, is monied, tough and smart. But he keeps getting bested by Catwoman and her two cohorts, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Time and again, Catwoman runs rings around him, making him look incompetent and stupid. She’s twelve steps ahead of him at every turn and has no trouble letting him know it.
  
  On top of that, Nightwing suffers from PTSD, a holdover from his stint in a war. That’s all we needed, a Batman knockoff with psychological issues. Bruce Wayne saw his parents killed as a child. That’s got to mess up a little boy. Does anyone ever suggest that Bruce get therapy?
  
  It’s a shame that we can only see Catwoman looking good by besting the Batman or, rather, his second-rate stand-in. It renders the whole tale rather unpleasant reading. But, apart from that, Selina comes off as one of those chilly, calculating figures that make it hard for you to find sympathy for them. Like Artemis Fowl, Severus Snape or Sherlock Holmes, her intellect casts an icy pall over her actions. Even her rare moments of emotional self-revelation seem more calculated to soften others than genuine moments of opening up or sharing.
  
  In the end, you don’t know whether she entertains any warm feeling towards Nightwing or her two accomplices in crime. Poison Ivy actually wonders whether Catwoman’s “friendship” was all an act or whether she and Harley Quinn were simply means towards a rather elaborately plotted end.
  
  This graphic novel left me with a frigid feeling at my core. In spite of Nightwing and Catwoman forming a tentative alliance at the end, I remain unconvinced of her ability to bond with others. Nightwing had better watch his back.
• 
  Geno

  4 ★
  ---
  Basada en una novela, "Catwoman: Soulstealer" nos presneta en menos de 400 páginas una nueva versión de la popular villana.
  
  Si uno es amante de las versiones clásicas de DC, esta novela gráfica va a causar una desilución, sin embargo, como en otras versiones YA que ha lanzado la editoral, este libro mezcla lo suficiente del "saber popular" con cosas nuevas.
  
  Aunque la historia se enrosca y complica en algunos momentos -en gran parte para no alertarnos del motivo real detrás de las decisiones de Selina-, resulta una lectura entretenida.
  
  El argumento descansa bastante en las relaciones humanas, especialmente aquellas que alcanzan a nuestra protagonista (Talia y Nissa como mentoras, la hermandad con los leopardos, el romance con Batwing y -tal vez el mejor ejemplo de todos- la amistad con Ivy y Harley).
  
  En cuanto al arte, el diseño de personajes es hermoso e interesante una vez que uno se acotumbra. La puesta en página de algunas escenas es interesante y la paleta de color ayuda a entrar en el clima de Gótica.
  
  Al final del día, como con otras historias de DC en dónde intenta romper con su canon más tradicional y apuntar otro público, a mí me convence mucho.
  
  ---
  This graphic novel is an adaptation of a book.
  So this is not only a new take on Catwoman, is a new take on a new take.
  
  Frankly, I found it really enjoyable, it's a compelling story.
  My main complaint is that the "Soulstealer" part of the title made no sense, but other than that, this is a nice way to present Catwoman to another audience.
  
  The Harley-Ivy-Catwoman dynamic is one of the absolute best parts, and even if Batwing looks a little less competent than he should be, this comic is about female power and I loved it.
  
  Regarding the art style, I wasn't sold at first but I ended enjoying it a lot.
  
  A fun read with action and an interesting plot.
• 
  Julia Pika

  Thanks to NetGalley & DC for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Disclaimer: I never read the original Soulstealer book.
  
  Soulstealer follows Catwoman who is struggling to raise her younger sister with a plethora of hospital bills to pay off. She gets in trouble with the police but is rescued by Talia al Ghul and taken to the League of Assassins for several years of intense training. She returns to Gotham in disguise as Catwoman...but why is she back?
  
  Soulstealer also focuses on Luke Fox who is Batwing (Bruce/Batman is out of town) and dealing with PTSD and Catwoman's rise to infamy.
  
  I am a long-time fan of DC and was pleased to see Luke getting more of a focus since he's pretty much forgotten within the Batfamily lore for some reason. He's fleshed out very well here and I like the PTSD addition and how it is incorporated in the story. This is a very stupid nitpick but I couldn't understand why he was paired off with Selina. It's hard to take this pairing seriously since Bruce/Selina have been dating since the 50s....how do you compete with that? That said, it was well-written here, it's just my nit-pickiness not letting me really enjoy the relationship.
  
  I especially LOVED the Gotham City Sirens (Harley, Ivy, Selina) misadventures in the book, they were my favorite parts! Their banter was great and I liked that Harley was still having trouble being 'free' of the Joker. They were all very human characters which I loved.
  
  The artwork was fantastic and fit the story very well. I especially like how the style was 'gritty' which is befitting of Gotham. Great graphic novel and a great introduction to Gotham City and its various criminals while fleshing them all out.
• 
  Sean

  Surprisingly fresh and original. Dragged on a bit in the middle but all of it was a set up for the finale. More depth than a lot of what DC Comics has been spitting out with some of the popular titles. Wished the League of Assassins were used more than small plot devices, but nothing’s perfect. Age was not realistic but this is superhero/antihero stuff meant for young adults, so I’m not complaining.
  
  While hardcore comic readers may not like the changes in the origin story and characterization of Selina Kyle, I loved that the character and her alter ego Catwoman finally escaped the limitations of the male gaze. Yay for a smart, badass, and compassionate antiheroine with Robin Hood ideals toying with the League of Assassins, Gotham’s villains, the GCPD, Gotham’s corrupt museums and banks, Gotham’s elite socialites, and of course, Batwing.
  
  While not at the forefront, I also appreciated the brief mention of Ivy and Harley’s complicated relationship, and a brief glimpse of gay dads in the background. Hope to see more of these in the future.
  
  4.1/5 stars
• 
  Amanda [Novel Addiction]

  I really liked this story, but also.. I'm kind of surprised. I thought they originally wanted this "series" (and I use that term loosely) to be able to cross over eventually? I don't think this book and the Batman one could cross over, but.. who knows.
  
  Still, good story, though. I'll have to read the actual book eventually. It's on my list.
• 
  Miranda

  This is a great adaptation of the novel. The emotionally charged moments hit stronger in the novel, but this graphic novel adaptation can scratch that itch for rereading the story fast. And I love getting the imagery handed to me on a silver platter--I've got some costume ideas I'd like to add to my list!
• 
  Jenna

  Enjoyed this adaptation but I didn't care for the dull color palette, although I suppose it does match the gloomy, smog-filled Gotham atmosphere. I liked the Harley and Ivy character design and the overall look of Selina's costume. Some action sequences felt clunky but nothing too bad.
• 
  Zoe Nepolello

  Such a great adaptation! I do think the novel is overall better (and more people seriously need to read it, I love it SO MUCH), but I still loved this graphic novel version of the story.
• 
  bugreadbook

  it was good but the book was better
• 
  Bridget Byington

  Gotta love me some illustrated sjm
• 
  Christine

  This wasn't bad but not that entertaining for me... I know there's a novel version of this as well and I think I would enjoy that better.