So Long, Catwoman!

With issue #82, Catwoman has reached its final issue, and I would go so far as to say that it was the best Batman-related book on the stands for much of its run. Sure, Morrison is hitting some high points now, but for a long time, Batman and Detective and all the other Batman comics were trapped in the realm of the mediocre, while Catwoman launched with some excellent work by Darwyn Cooke, Cameron Stewart, and Javier Pulido. It was an awesome first twenty issues or so.

It hit a few slumps in the middle of its run, most notably the issues drawn by Paul Gulacy, but it rebounded with Will Pfeifer and the work of David and Alvaro Lopez.

And the final issue is the perfect capstone on the series, ending with one of Catwoman's best thefts ever.

Pfeifer says he has nothing lined up at DC right now, but he's hopeful. I am too, because he clearly wasn't to blame for the travesty of Amazons Attack! and his other work has been very, very good. If you find back issues of Catwoman in any discount bins, grab 'em -- especially the from the early part of the run or from the last three years or so. You won't be disappointed.

See ya, Catwoman, it's been real.

Catwoman #81 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Catwoman #81, about which I write the following sentences: "Like all of Pfeifer's issues, this is a swift-moving story with action and humor and drama. When Batman shows up at the end, it's no real surprise -- who else would show up to put a capstone on Selina's comic book series? -- but it's well-handled and ends with an almost literal cliffhanger.

"And let's not forget the art of David and Alvaro Lopez who have been consistently excellent for years. These guys deserve a major DC book as much as Pfeifer, and their style has been a perfect fit for 'Catwoman.'

"It's probably futile to review a comic book so close to cancellation, but 'Catwoman' readers know how good this series has been, and if you dropped the series somewhere along the way, you might want to check out the last few years of the comic and see what you've missed. This isn't one of those comics that's limping to the finish line. It's not a mercy killing. 'Catwoman' is a good comic book, standing tall even as it faces its demise."

Read the entire review HERE.