Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman

Catwoman (2001) (New Editions)

by Ed Brubaker, Darwyn Cooke

For years, Selina Kyle has prowled the skyline of Gotham City as its most famous thief, Catwoman. But when word spreads of Catwoman's demise, Selina decides to leave the costumed world behind and continue her trade cloaked in the shadows.

Unable to enjoy her newfound anonymity for too long though, Selina decides that she must return to her infamous persona. Donning a new costume and attitude, Catwoman returns to the streets and sets her sights on the serial killer that has been preying upon the people she calls friends.

Collects Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, ,Catwoman #1-9, and backup stories from Detective Comics #759-762.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Batman, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Ed Brubaker (born November 17, 1966) is an Eisner Award-winning American cartoonist and writer. He was born at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.

Brubaker is best known for his work as a comic book writer on such titles as Batman, Daredevil, Captain America, Iron Fist, Catwoman, Gotham Central and Uncanny X-Men. In more recent years, he has focused solely on creator-owned titles for Image Comics, such as Fatale, Criminal, Velvet and Kill or Be Killed.

In 2016, Brubaker ventured into television, joining the writing staff of the HBO series Westworld.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catwoman Volume one: Trail of the Catwoman is a 2012 DC Comics publication. (Originally published in 2008)

Because I named my new kitten, Selina, after Catwoman, it was only fitting that I catch up on a few Catwoman comics for fun. There are SO many to choose from, I had a hard time deciding where to begin. This one was on Hoopla and it seemed to be well received- so I thought this might be a good place to dive in.

This volume is hefty. Selina’s Big score, plus detective comics 759-762 = Three hundred + pages.

Why I am drawn to the Catwoman character is her complexity. She’s got a painful past, has not always walked on good side of the law, but is a character who wants to be a good person-at least in this volume of stories.

In this collection, Selina has faked her own death. She returns to Gotham City, has a little bit of a makeover, and then begins doing some detective work, hoping to find a serial killer targeting sex -workers.



The action takes place in the East End where the people need an equalizer of Catwoman’s caliber.

The first part of the novel is part heist, part noir, and sets the stage Selina/Catwoman’s new outlook on life.

I enjoyed the graphics, dialogue and stories included in this collection. I have even more angles of Catwoman to ponder on and found this volume to be entertaining and a nice diversion for me. Now on to Volume 2.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe a 3.75

I'm aware that this is regarded as a classic so I thought that I would love it more. Still enjoyable but it didn't blow me away

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stopped in the middle of the Tom King Batman run because he has Batman and Catwoman make a little music together (I’ve only read through volume 2 so far), and I know more happens in that direction in the Batworld, so I wanted to remind myself what I knew of relatively recent approaches to Catwoman. I was looking for the origins of a sympathetic, vulnerable Catwoman who has—for a time—left her cat burglar life behind and actually wants to fight crime. And I recall Ed Brubaker wrote this Catwoman. I read some of it years ago.

This collection, tracking one "trail" of Catwoman, opens with Darwyn Cooke’s story of Catwoman, “Selina’s Big Score,” which is more a tribute to Richard Stark’s Parker series, several volumes of which he would later illustrate. The guy in this tale, Stark, is really Parker; a “real man,” chiseled and steely and without a drop of sympathetic emotion; that said, it’s not as good as the Parker volumes, as story or art. And Catwoman sort of plays weakly to Stark’s macho strength; the fit is wrong here. This is no set up for King’s version of Catwoman. Or Brubaker's version, either, where he sculpts her into a fully realized, feeling human being and not just vamped up cat-costumed cat burglar, drawing out a richer Cat whose tendencies were hinted at from the very beginning but never fully materialized.

Brubaker’s contributions to this volume, the first of three omnibus volumes of Catwoman he wrote, filled in here and there by the related work of others, is as most of his superhero writing: He’s making a superhero comic into a brooding crime comic. And I approve. The juxtaposition of Cooke’s cartoony retro-sixties art and Brubaker’s gritty brutality makes for an awkward fit, at times, but you can’t fault either of them for what they do here, really. They are great, and putting them together was an interesting experiment, though not entirely satisfying as collaborative event. And they both get better in their later iterations of noir work--Cooke's Parker books and Brubaker's Crimnal (and so much more).

Brubaker begins with a tough guy detective, Slam Bradley (who looks and acts a lot like Stark), who is paid by Gotham's mayor to find Selina Kyle, and uh, finds her. So Catwoman returns to Gotham to catch a serial killer who kills prostitutes. She's a cat burglar who wants to do good! She's a complex character, and likable, thanks to Brubaker, but that also means she skirts the dark side. You can see the Cat-Bat potential, and Brubaker capitalizes on these tendencies.

Importantly, we can also see here the way Brubaker moves forward the push me/pull you tension between the Cat and the Bat, the lively cat burglar and the brooding crime-fighter, and why it is that Tom King and company decided to move them just a little bit closer, shall we say. I also look forward to the Joelle Jones Catwoman run.

I think I will also read the remaining two volumes of this Brubaker run, too.

[Benji's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ed Brubaker's noir writing, with the late Darwyn Cooke on the art? You can't go wrong with either of them, especially when they're paired together on this magnificent series. Even the filler stuff was good featuring Slim Bradley.

This compact edition collects Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, Catwoman issues 1-9, along with backup stories from Detective Comics issues 759-762.


Recommended!

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mixed bag. First, I really liked the Catwoman issues included in this collection. These stories show Catwoman leaving behind her villainous past and turning over a new leaf as a hero for the downtrodden. Catwoman shows compassion for people from her past, which makes her a very likable character.

Second, there are some Slam Bradley stories included in this collection. Those focus on a private detective who is trying to find out who Catwoman is. Catwoman doesn't appear much in these stories. Overall, I'd say that these are OK.

Finally, Selina's Big Score is included. This is a pretty popular story, but aside from the art, I pretty much hated it. My biggest problem is that Catwoman seems like a supporting character in this story. The person who takes the lead is a character named Stark. Stark is an amoral criminal mastermind who, according to this story, is the person that taught Selina how to be a criminal. He is a misogynistic, amoral jerk, but the story sets him up as someone to look up to. Catwoman gets romantically involved with him even if there hint that he cares about her. In fact he even threatens to kill her at times. I'm not into reading stories that show that kind of disrespect to women.

[Annalise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I now know why they originally published these one issue at a time because the way this font puts such a strain on my eyes😭😂 It was entirely worth it though because I feel like I got to see such an integral part of Catwoman’s backstory when it came to who she was growing up to the people like Stark and Slam she met along the way. Not as much Batman as I was expecting, shockingly so, but I’m not mad at it🤷‍♀️

[Molly™☺ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty much what you'd expect from Brubaker, it's a gritty and grounded portrayal of Gotham that focuses on corruption, street level crime, and everything else that goes down once the shadows emerge. Selina, along with her new partners-in-crime, Slam and Holly, takes on a more vigilante role than burglar, focusing on tackling crimes that she feels a personal connection to. Far more detective driven than one might expect from a Catwoman story, it's an incredibly solid experience that adds more layers to one of DC's most iconic characters.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opening with Darwyn Cooke's great heist story Selina's Big Score and then handing off the reins to Ed Brubaker for the start of the ongoing series, this is a much-needed reboot to Catwoman character, one of my favorite comic book ladies. After faking her own death, Selina returns to Gotham City with a new costume and a new mission to protect the downtrodden of the city's East End. She contends with corrupt cops and a serial killer targeting streetwalkers.



This really laid the groundwork for the Catwoman we see today, with it's more modern focus on Catwoman as an urban crime fighter in a crime noir-ish, hard-boiled world of private dicks and travelers of the night, and her more practical costume. And Brubaker and Cooke are both talented writers and a great complement to each other.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

You get a lot of bang for your buck in this trade. First, a reprint of Darwyn Cooke's Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, then a series of Slam Bradley shorts that were originally in the back pages of Detective Comics, and finally the first nine issues of Brubaker's Catwoman. They share a similar, noirish sensibility (especially Selina's Big Score, which is a pure heist story), stylish art, and a take on Catwoman that is part gentleman thief, part friend to the friendless. It's a great take on the character, one that I think makes sense considering her accumulated history and sensibilities. If you read and liked Gotham Central, you'll almost certainly like this take on Catwoman, too.

[Ashley Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Selina's Big Score was fantastic. The Detective Comics pieces were a bit clunky and I wasn't big on the artwork. However, when the main storyline kicked in with the noir vibe in Gotham's East End... yes. This is what I'm here for, thank you. I love this storyline, I love how she and Slam play off each other, I love Holly and Karon. Gimme more.

#CharlieAndAshleyReadComics

[Paz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
First thoughts:
Brubaker's mini arcs are by far the best. I get that Selina's Big Score had to be included here cause, it is the catalyst of the story, but I did not like it at all. After those 100 pages though, everything picks up and there are some brutal stories. I love how Selina decides to be the protector of the people who are abandoned in the streets and how Holly helps her to reach out to those who need her.

There's a LOT of focus in the Gotham Police and Slam Bradley (ugh) is a big main character here. But overall, I was surprised by the mature tone of Brubaker's stories and how much I ended up enjoying this volume after how I struggled with Big Score.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going through books I never read to see what I'm selling to Half Price and what's going with me during my move. This one is going to Half Price.

the good:
- the story about Selina hunting down the man killing sex workers
- Selina taking down dirty cops
- all of the interactions with Leslie Thompson
- Holly and her relationship with Selina
- Cooke's art was unique
- appearance of Allen, one of the cops from Gotham Central

the bad:
- it took about 70 or so pages before there was any real character development for Selina.
- the story at the start is every single noir detective story ever. There was nothing unique about it, Selina just felt like a stand in for any other protagonist from Brubaker's crime stories, it felt more like he pitched a story like the books he wrote later on, and they let him slide Selina in as the main character. Except, because she didn't feel distinct as a female character, it didn't feel like the story was about her really.
- I didn't care for the first story at all. I was so put off that I took me forever to pick this book up again because I just flat out didn't want to
- the story from the private eye trying to follow Selina was as cliche as the first heist story and I could not muster any fucks to give

This book only worked for me when it centered Selina as a champion for the people of Gotham that nobody, even Batsy, seems to care about. The homeless, sex workers, former addicts, children in gang neighborhoods and people screwed over by dirty cops (which is all of the aforementioned). This works as such a great contrast to the often racist, classist stories in Dixon's Robin run because Tim Drake is a rich kid that only sees the good in other rich, white children and Selina is a woman of color (she was Cuban and they keep forgetting that), a former sex worker (at least implied, it's a bit fudgy in this book), she lived on the streets and she didn't come from money. She understands the people she helps in a way the batclan (excluding Jason) never will. It's why her grey morality has always worked for me.

Unfortunately, a lot of these elements that worked for me weren't what Brubaker wanted to focus on. And unfortunately, I just don't give a damn about his noir detective drama stories.

[L. McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this one is exciting!

What’s it about?
This collection contains 4 stories about DC’s famous anti-hero, Catwoman, written by Ed Brubaker!


Pros:
The stories are fun and interesting.
The cartoony and colorful illustrations are absolutely wonderful!
This book is action packed and exciting throughout. I never got bored while reading this.
It’s not a huge thing in the book but there are some fun little comic relief moments.
I often complain that Marvel and DC books can get a bit predictable but there are some exceptions, this is one of them. There’s lots of suspense! I should expect no less from a Brubaker book!

Why not 5 stars?
The characters are sort of uninteresting to me. Selina does some cool stuff and all but outside of action scenes and fan service she doesn’t seem to have much personality. Her friend/sidekick is kinda meh. Slam is kinda cool but a very typical comic book PI. The others are sort of meh.

Overall:
If the characters were a bit cooler I would have given this 5 stars, that being said, I gave it 4 and would recommend this, especially if you’re a fan of Brubaker’s other work.

4/5

[Machiavelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darwyn Cooke and Ed Brubaker’s Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman is pure noir goodness — a slick heist, gritty detective work, and a reinvention of Selina Kyle that still holds up. At 300+ pages for $10 in the Compact Comics line, the value’s unbeatable.
I wrote up the full review here if you want the deep dive ⬇️
👉 Read my Substack review https://open.substack.com/pub/machled...

[M. J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"There was a plan behind this disaster? Hard to believe..."
A full noir take on Catwoman, down to the convoluted arch resolutions and plot twists. Beautiful art and character work for Selina Kyle and her charming side-kicks. Brubaker's interpretation could easily fall flat under the weight of noir tradition (like Darwyn Cooke's opening story does), instead we get a thoughtful exploration of Selina's feelings and motivations. Brubaker understands the character and is able to create a rich atmosphere around her, Gotham feels alive, dirty and brutal as ever.

[Krycek · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's new, pussycat? A lot for Selina Kyle. Having faked her death, as well as that of her alter-ego, the Catwoman, Selina finds herself in a bind when a heist goes sour. Out of money and out of contacts, she returns to Gotham City to begin her old life in a new way.

Catwoman: Volume 1, Trail of the Catwoman is a collection of several story arcs, covering Darwyn Cooke's graphic novel Selina's Big Score, back stories from Detective Comics and Catwoman issues 1-9, authored by Ed Brubaker. This is collection is cohesive and meaty, just the way I like them, and well worth the $29.99 (although I read the library's copy. I may just buy one for myself sometime).

Selina's Big Score begins the new Catwoman saga, as she returns to Gotham, gets word of a big score and puts together a team for the heist. It has the feel of a Parker novel, and it's probably no coincidence that Selina teams up with a guy named "Stark" with whom she has a history, a neat little homage to Parker. Darwyn Cooke's writing is great and his art has a nice retro feel, with broad brushstrokes, simple colors and crisp chiaroscuros. It also has a bit of a rough edge, which I welcome in today's world of overly-polished, computer-assisted comic art.

"Trail of the Catwoman," also by Darwyn Cooke, is a related story arc, that features Slam Bradley, the hard-boiled private investigator, who is hired by the mayor of Gotham to investigate the death of Catwoman/Selina Kyle. In doing so, Slam is exposed to the dark underbelly of Gotham corruption. Slam's a real cool character and tougher than leather. I like this guy a lot.

The stories from the Catwoman comic are "Anodyne" and "Disguises," both written by the excellent Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke and others. The stories do a good job of showing how dark and seedy Gotham City really is, as well as Selina's perspective of it. For example, Batman makes an brief appearance, but he sort of comes off as a bit of a self-righteous prick, which I guess sort of makes sense from Selina's street-wise, grayscale perspective.

Catwoman: Volume 1, Trail of the Catwoman is a great book. I'm looking forward to reading the second volume. (By the way, saying "What's new, pussycat?" to Selina Kyle probably isn't a great way to make friends with her. I'm sure that Tom Jones gets a pass, though. That guy's pretty smooth).

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A varied but fun collection of Catwoman stories, comprised of the beginning of Brubaker's acclaimed run on the book. Also, as a bonus, we get Darwyn Cooke's artful and thoroughly entertaining graphic novel "Selina's Big Score," which puts Catwoman at the center of a classic, hardboiled noir (and serves as a good indicator of Cooke's tastes, which eventually led to his incredible take on Richard Stark's Parker novels). In fact, there's even a character in Big Score named Stark, and I doubt that's a coincidence.

Following Big Score we get a brief backup story from Detective Comics featuring the P.I. Slam Bradley (who has the noir-iest name I've ever heard) that leads us into Brubaker's Catwoman run. However, the first arc doesn't really use any of the information from Big Score or the Detective Comics story. It just starts all on its own, which was a little confusing at first since it felt like the story was building on itself. Cooke continued to do the art on this story, which has Catwoman trying to track down someone who is murdering prostitutes in Gotham's East End. A big loss, though, was the colorist from Big Score. They picked a much more straightforward colorist for this arc, and as such Cooke's art goes from looking a little gritty with a 50s flare to looking like a Saturday morning cartoon. It's a little hard to get into a story about murdered prostitutes when a smiling happy cartoon is trying to solve the case. Add in the fact that the mystery eventually is just thrown out the window and Catwoman just kind of runs across the murderer randomly, and you've got a pretty lackluster first story.

This worried me after having been so entertained by the first 3rd of the book, but luckily the final story made up for it in spades. Here we have a new artist that fits Brubaker's style much better, and we have Brubaker doing what he does best: writing grounded, realistic crime stories. I was hooked beginning to end of this arc, and it completely sold me on the potential of this series. Looking forward to DC reprinting the rest, assuming they do.

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like most comic characters owned by big companies, Catwoman's had a lot of writers over the years. As a result, she's has a lot of different personalities and backstories. Some of them are awful. Some of them are fantastic. Cooke's and Brubaker's Catwoman, and her alter ego Selina Kyle, is my favorite vision of the Cat I've read so far. The stories in this volume are a mix of 50's style detective comics, 60's style caper/heist movies, and a completely modern depiction of her later urban life as a crimefighter instead of a criminal. That last part is the bulk of this book, where Selina Kyle is supposed to be dead, but she's back in Gotham. Something to prove, possibly something to make up for. Or maybe she just can't stop being Catwoman. (Or stealing stuff, as needed.) Whatever the motivation, she's tired of seeing residents of her neighborhood victimized, and she's going to do something about it.

All the folks working on these stories seem to understand that while Catwoman is often a sexy character, and Selina Kyle has a sex life, neither one has to be falling out of their outfits in every panel. Yay! And special bonus for those of us always looking for more diversity: Selina's friend Holly and her girlfriend Karon are an epically cute couple.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend volumes 2 and 3 collecting more of Brubaker's stories. There are some over-the-top horror-movie events in volume 2 that I will never read again (icckk!), and the art is extremely uneven in volume 3. So sad, because I love the first one so much!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke serve up an exciting collection of Catwoman stories, full of crime, intrigue, scams, and corrupt cops.

The first part of the book is Cooke's Selina's Big Score, a six issue mini-series that finds Selina trying to find a way to get an easy $24 million dollars. Cooke's art is fresh and retro like always, and the plot is fun and fast paced. The story re-introduces P.I. Slam Bradley, who ends up becoming a supporting character when Catwoman gets her own book shortly thereafter.

Brubaker writes the new Catwoman series, and Cooke provides the art for the first arc. Catwoman has decided to go kinda legit, and she finds a way to take down a prostitute killer and part of the GCPD that's involved in the criminal underworld. Brubaker writes pretty good noir, and thankfully keeps the Batman appearances to a minimum. It was really nice seeing some of the characters from Gotham Central in this book.

This was a great read. Definitely recommended to just about anyone.

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well done novel that turns Catwoman into an actually likable character.

[Davide Saladino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ambientazione noir che tanto piace a Brubaker con disegni perfettamente adeguati del compianto Cooke.
Si respira un'aria di rinascita, di freschezza potremmo dire, per catwoman.
Sento dire spesso che quando una donna vuole cambiare la prima cosa che fa è tagliarsi i capelli. Bene, Selina cambia anche il costume.
Niente code o robe troppo appariscenti.
Niente furti per piacere personale, ma una sorta di paladina della giustizia.
La Robin Hood dell'East End di Gotham, quartiere malfamato che Batman non tiene quasi mai d'occhio.
Una bella storia che continuerà in altri volumi.
Consigliato.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catwoman has never been very high upon my list of favorite characters in the DC Universe.
Until now, that is. This volume made me fall in love with her. Brilliant writing. I´m a bit on the fence about the artwork, though. Not a real fan, although I appreciate how the style supported the type of story-telling, giving it this lovely classic pulp detective vibe. The use of different typography for the different story-tellers was cleverly implemented.

[Gef · Rating 5 out of 5]

The combo of Cooke and Brubaker hooked me, and it didn't disappoint.

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really Good! Dc Comics brings together two of my favorite creators in the biz, Ed Brubaker & Darwyn Cooke. What more can I say about Ed Brubaker? He is one of the most gifted writers in comics. His X-men run is probably one of my favorite runs. Just check out X-Men: Messiah CompleX, X-Men: Deadly Genesis, & Uncanny X-Men: Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire and tell me those stories weren't great. Brubaker especially excels in writing noir style crime comics. He just infuses enough old school grit with modern dialogue that keeps you interested in reading. His characters are never boring. I would highly recommend readers read his indie series starting with Kill or be Killed, Vol. 1 & Criminal, Vol. 1: Coward. I really want to get to his Batman because after reading this first volume of Catwoman I can't wait read his take on Batman. Although I have read Batman: The Man Who Laughs and It was really good. Now Darwyn Cooke was one of my favorite artists. I just really dig the simplicity and yet golden age flavor he brings to his artwork. His drawing style reminds me of Bruce Timm & Chris Samnee. Both of which have a simple style but uniquely gives each character its own flavor. It is no coincidence that I felt like I was watching an extended episode of Batman the Animated series starring Catwoman. Cooke's pacing is just on point in this book. The colors really give the story a great feel. In a way Brubaker's Catwoman exist in the same Gotham as in Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. In the book we find that Selina Kyle aka Catwoman is trying to find out who she is as she struggles between the gray area of being a vigilante & a common thief. I feel Brubaker gets the character. Catwoman represents the gray area concerning Batman's rigid idea of crime and justice. CAtwoman wants to be good but its the seedy and often corrupt side of Gotham that tempts here to the darkness. Its only with the love and guidance of friends like Leslie Thompkins, Holly & Slam Bradley Selina is able to grab a hold of who she wants to be. This was an incredible well done introduction to the world of Catwoman. I am without a doubt gonna pick up the next volume. If you are looking for comics with a similar flavor I'd recommend: Daredevil, Volume 1: Devil at Bay, Black Widow, Volume 1: S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Most Wanted, Absolute DC: The New Frontier and The Twilight Children.

[Sara Manini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ore 2.10 di notte perché non esiste un altro orario possibile per finire i libri belli. Mai, mai, avrei pensato che questo fumetto potesse essere questo. Catwoman avrebbero dovuto farmela leggere a 14 anni.

[The Sapphic Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I struggled to get through the first part of this book. The art style, though the colours are nice, feels too messy and blockish for me - to the point where I was having trouble focusing on and appreciating the story. The writing, on the other hand, is pretty good. After the "Selina's Big Score" and "Trail of the Catwoman" sections (about the first 1/3 of the book) the art cleans up significantly and the story is much more engaging.

I'm quite happy with how little Batman gets involved in Selina's life here. Don't get me wrong, I love Batman, but Selina needs to be her own character who doesn't depend on Batman to make her story interesting or rescue her. This book does a great job of that. We follow Selina as she rediscovers her self-identity and fights crime in her own way for the latter 2/3 of the book - and it's awesome! The story flows well and is interesting.
One major thing I loved about this volume is the inclusion of and reference to LGBTQ characters. I wasn't expecting it and was overjoyed to see the diversity.

I'm not usually into mystery/crime stories, but I'm impressed with this. Despite disliking the art and, perhaps as a result, not getting into the first third of the book, I really enjoyed it overall, and plan on continuing the series.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far the best part of this collection is the inclusion of Darwyn Cooke's OGN (original graphic novel) Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, with the back-up stories from Detective Comics, which elaborate on things that happen "off panel" in Big Score, namely Slam Bradley's side of the story. 5 stars for this portion of the book.

As for Catwoman issues 1-9, while I praise the artists for their excellent work, I can't help but feel that the art style itself is a bit on the "cartoony" side and at odds with the overall "Noir" vibe Brubaker is going for. *Dramatic story & themes* meet *colourful and cartoony art*. Still fun reading, but the sense of dread that I should be getting is conspicuously absent - which sort of negates the [intended] impact of the stories. 3 stars for this portion of the book.

[Amal El-Mohtar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this completely. This is the Catwoman I've always wanted: one focused on protecting her friends and community, one who fights on the side of the angels who'd condemn her for not doing things their way, who'll tell Batman off, who has her own life, wearing a costume that's more functional than titillating, drawn in a way that emphasises wiry dexterity without giving her a rubber spine.

The first arc in this volume, "Selina's Big Score," is written and drawn by Darwyn Cook, and reads as the catalyst for everything described above. But the narrative really sparks when Ed Brubaker starts writing it, and giving other characters' perspective on Selina. Holly, in particular, is one of my favourites, and her relationships with all the other cast members are gold.

Seriously, this blew me away, and I can't recommend it and the second volume enough.

[Matt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection was Awesome! It contains Selina’s Big Score, the Slam Bradley Back up tie-ins from Detective Comics, which to my knowledge have never been collected, and the first 9 issues of the 2001 Catwoman series. Soooo much comics for 10$.

Salina’s Big Score (SBS) is a fun crime story that sets up the Catwoman series. The Slam Bradley story fills in some gaps and background of SBS.

But the real show stopper is the 9 issues written by Ed Brubaker and drawn by Darwyn Cooke and others.
Catwoman is back from the dead, and decides to help the less fortunate in Gotham’s east side, essentially making her a street level vigilante who focuses on underprivileged and often forgotten people.

A great way to get into Catwoman if you’ve never read the character.

[amara ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ★

this is some of the best comic storytelling i’ve read. forever reading everything ed brubaker writes. he truly elevated the catwoman solo run into something critically acclaimed after jim balent lmao.