Monday, July 21, 2008

Catwoman at her best



We are still visiting our shrink years after seeing that traumatizing Catwoman film, with Halle Berry. Why in the world would any studio license a character, then do a picture that has absolutely nothing in common with the property, not even the title character? Where were Gotham City and Selina Kyle? Can anyone tell me if there were unresolved legal issues related to the rights or just an injunction against a good film? And, if so, why didn't they simply call the film Feline Girl and spare us the pain? Luckily for us lovers of the cat, we can always turn to two fabulous series of comics, both very different in tone and style. First, Jim Balent's 1993 marathon tenure. This artist was known as the iron man of comics for drawing over 70 issues of Catwoman and several annuals without missing a deadline. Oh, and for making Selina Kyle look obscenely hot. The Balent issues, with various writers, are sexy and campy, filled with over-the-top situations and villains. A world of sheer fun. Second, the 2001 run by writer Ed Brubaker, with art mainly by Darwyn Cooke and Cameron Stewart. The masters of retro-noir rebooted the series with a gritty hard crime approach, targeted at an adult audience. Catwoman tales have not been written better, nor drawn with such draftsmanship since.

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