Catwoman, Vol. 1: Who is Selina Kyle?

Catwoman (2018)

by Torunn Gronbekk, Fabiana Mascolo (Artist)

A tale of identity, broken alliances, and pulse-pounding action begins when anattempt is made on Selina Kyle’s life at a fundraiser with Gotham’s high society.What’s more, names and faces from her past begin to make headlines on their wayto the obituary column. It can’t be a coincidence, but who ordered these murders,and why? As she desperately searches for clues as to who has orchestrated thislethal manhunt, one thing becomes abundantly The answers don’t lie in herlife as the Catwoman of Gotham City.To unravel this mystery, Selina Kyle must return to the underworld of the sinisterinternational syndicate that helped transform her into the world’s foremost thiefyears ago. From Berlin to Tokyo and everywhere in between, can Selina turn herpredator into prey, or will the feline fatale meet her fatal end?This volume collects Catwoman #69-74

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Mystery, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes

Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2025

Reviews

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

wasn't really sure the point of what I was reading here.
it's a good idea for a hidden slice of Selina's life...but it didn't really jell for me...both storytelling and art wise.
maybe it can be rescued..as part of a bigger story?
idk.

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, taking a look at the past life of Selina Kyle, and a great jumping-on point for the series.

Selina Kyle has been targeted for assassination. Is this one of her past catching up with her? She needs to stay ahead of the police, assassins, gangsters and meet up with old friends/family/enemies/marks while trying to unravel her past.

Very good story, the artwork goes with it well and lot of action. The book is part heist mostly survival. The book finishes with a big thumbnail variant cover gallery and a sketchbook with character designs.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, but we're rounding up because there's nothing really wrong with this so much as it's just kinda there.

Hot on the heels of her globetrotting adventure where people were trying to kill her, Selina finds herself...on another globetrotting adventure with people trying to kill her. It's not the most original plot, even with the tie to Selina's past, and none of the new characters introduced really make much of an impact. People from Catwoman's past are dying, Selina tries to stop them and ends up beating up some mobsters in different countries. It's a fine plot, but coming so soon after Nine Lives, it kind of pales in comparison. I don't need every arc of every book to be big and bombastic, but this was the other b - bland.

The artwork starts off really strong, but Fabiana Mascolo only draws the first two issues of the book before ceding to Marianna Ignazzi, whose style is far more basic and less interesting. She was the artist for a lot of the back of end of the Boom! Buffy books which...the less said about, the better. I do like the colouring however; Patricio Delpeche gives the book a nice palette, reminiscent of the Darwyn Cooke/Ed Brubaker Catwoman era.

I may be judging this harshly because it's clearly the first half of a larger story, but as of now, not overly impressed.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This started really well until the artist was replaced after only two issues and then it got a bit messy, storytelling-wise. Still looking forward to seeing where this goes in volume two.

[Kurt Lorenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

69-70, No Further Bets, ☆☆☆☆☆
71-72, Rules of the Land, ☆☆☆☆☆
73-74, Long Time, No Time, ☆☆☆☆☆

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid relaunch and I like the fresh start they are doing with new settings and characters.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable enough criminal underworld caper but honestly nothing at all about it requires Catwoman as the protagonist. Perhaps the following volume addresses that but from my current perspective this could have been a comic set in our own world with minimal changes needed.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new storyline kicks off with a hefty bounty being put on Selina's head, leading her to avoid would-be assassins as she tries to track down those behind the contract. It's a straightforward crime thriller, without any superhero trappings - nobody other than Catwoman wears a costume, nobody has powers or alien technology, and so on. Which is probably not to every comic reader's taste, but doesn't feel too out of place for this particular character.

What we get instead is a chase across Europe and Asia, with shootings and hand-to-hand violence that Selina doesn't always come out on top of. It's more like an espionage story than anything else, although in the over-the-top style of James Bond, with a straightforward art style that fits the tone. The plot jumps around a little, incorporating flashbacks to Selina's time working for the Russian mob, and at times gets a little confused (the rapid pace of a comic book as compared with a novel may not help here, but it's still noticeable). Not bad by any means, if conceptually similar to the previous plot arc and without any real stand-out characters beyond Selina herself. Positives include the variety of the settings and a believable threat.

It ends on a cliffhanger.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ending one arc with a character building (reset?) arc...
only to start a new chapter with something SUPER similar?

Somebody wants one of Selina's old alias' dead. Reports spread that an old alt ID she used has been killed. Soon enough there's bounties placed on that same ID. There's even somebody killing off members of the old crew she used to run with.

It's a race (no.....it's really more of a marathon) to find out who wants this old connection to Selina dead.
===
Bonus: This is the kind of story that does well with Catwoman, but a whole series? Ehhh..
Bonus Bonus: Still Gotham free after how many months?

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's OK. Someone is trying to kill Selina Kyle. She learns a crew she used to work with under an alias is being targeted and she heads to Europe. I think that's a good idea given that the writer and both artists are European. However, the story moves really slowly. At the end of these 6 issues we aren't any closer to knowing why this is all happening. It's just a lot of cat and mouse with different new characters so none of them excite me. That brings me to the blandest of bland art. It's so flat. Everyone looks the same so it's hard to keep track of who's who.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Catwoman: Who is Selina Kyle? " drives right to the original roots of Catwoman with its portrayal of Selina as an enigmatic thief who assumes multiple guises while operating in plain view. This book touches lightly on the glamour and feline fatale shtick the character is known for but skips the equally well known kink and fetish themes to focus on Selina herself as a complex and highly intelligent protagonist. The result is a very slick and enjoyable noir thriller with significant elements of suspense and intrigue.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.
Not sure how I feel about this one...
Most of the story revolves around one of Selina's previous identities being "killed" and her needing to go on the run to evade a murder wrap (which of course she wasn't responsible for). Off to Europe, meeting with old contacts and revealing connections with a crime family... Is "Selena Kyle" an identity? How long was she "Evie Hall"? I'm guessing this series will delve into the origins of Catwoman and how she has remained for so long.
Hoping it gets better in the next Volume.

[KrissyKat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this. I'm super new to DC All In and missed out on a lot of things, but as a fan of the Cat this was a great read. This leaves me with a lot of questions (not in a bad way) and ir makes me wonder why someone would want her dead? Can't wait for the next book to see what happens next

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

It's like every time a new writer takes over Catwoman DC editorial wants them to do the same thing: leave Gotham and/or go up against an organized crime family. I just never cared about Selina's relationships with anyone here. Gronbekk's writing is pretty solid, but it all felt very low stakes. I liked the whip tail.

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the stab that Gronbekk has at crypto and Influencers That was good.
The art is growing on me. Colours are nice. Changing lettering balloons is fun.

Story I'm interested in a little but it feels it is dragging. Too slowly paced for me.

Every issue I feel dragged down by the pace of the storytelling. This isn't for me.

[darkwave fairy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pacing is slow, especially at the beginning, but it's worth it. Lots of new characters being introduced, lots of backstory being set up, but it's giving Selina something new and interesting, and taking the character seriously.

[arianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

dite quello che volete, ma a me è piaciuto molto! sia le tavole che la scrittura sono un upgrade enorme rispetto a quello che ho letto fino ad ora, sono curiosissima di proseguire. fate andare la mia cucciola in missione in giro per il mondo un po’ più spesso btw

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the globe hopping but I wanted more of what she is actually looking for.

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* — Enjoyed it. A bit slow, maybe. Long time since I’ve read any Catwoman stories, so wasn’t up on what happened before this. Sets up the next collection.

[Katie 🌸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Selina Kyle as a character. Parts of the story feel a bit shallow though.

[Sebastián · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was doing my best to try and enjoy it but I just couldn't. I was just wishing it would finish after 5 pages every issue

[meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

draw a suitable outfit for a woman to wear in a comic challenge

[Riley Pilgrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is Catwoman back?! I've had mixed feelings on a lot of modern Catwoman stuff in comics. Obviously the biggest problem being the marriage debacle, and her writing being pretty freaking inconsistent. With that being said, Gronbekk decides to look back at Selina's past, and develop a globe trotting thriller. While I personally prefer Selina being close to Gotham, I found this to be incredibly refreshing. Having a story revolve around one of her past identities, and her history with this crime family was cool to see. I think a majority of writers don't dive into her past enough, which is unfortunate, as there is a ton of compelling elements to play with.

The art was pretty good! Definitely not my favorite style, and I felt like the action chorography was kind of uninspired. Not a lot of interesting movement in the panels, for Catwoman her fighting style/movement are really important! As for her new costume design..... Yeah this was not great at all, and to me is another example of iterating on something that you don't need to iterate on. Darwyn Cooke created the best Catwoman costume. Artists just keep creating "holes" in it, and calling it a day. Overall solid first volume.