Catwoman of East End Omnibus

Catwoman (2001) (New Editions) #1-3

by Ed Brubaker, Darwyn Cooke (Illustrator)

A serial killer is racking up bodies in Selian Kyle's old haunts, taking her back to a life she thought she'd left behind permanently. When Catwoman starts investigating it leads her back into the heart of the Gotham Police Department and an encounter with a face from her past...

Is Catwoman really ready for what's waiting for her in the dark streets of Gotham? Find out this and more in Catwoman of East End Omnibuscollecting Detective Comics #759-762; Catwoman#1-37; Catwoman Secret Files #1; Catwoman: Selina's Big Score #1.

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Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Batman, Crime, Thriller, Mystery

1064 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

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

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purrrrrfection.

Very rarely do you get a complete comic-book run by a writer that ends in a satisfying manner. I wasn't expecting this one to, either. But Ed Brubaker surprised me, and pulled everything together beautifully, wrapping it all up in a nice bow. You can come into this omnibus blind, and get a complete story (mostly.....there is a crossover that is missing 27 or so other parts, but it's not as big a deal as you might think.), and a thoroughly satisfying ending, which is almost unheard of in a collected edition.

I have a few quibbles with the WAY that DC collected some of the stories (One small arc is slightly out of order, and the WAR GAMES crossover could have used some recap text to fill in the blanks), and the weird cult subplot was....not good, but this is a GORGEOUS production, printed on nice thick paper, and is a great value for $100. (I paid around $50, so even better!) There was so much GREAT that it outweighed the minuscule amount of not great.

I defy you to read this book and not fall in love with Selina Kyle. Which anyone will tell you is a bad idea......

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

These DC omnibuses are a delight in reading this one is more than 1000 pages long and tells the tales of one Selina Kyle after her much overrated story of her early demise.
This is her story of her return and re-invention of the character Catwoman.
She is no longer a thief but a protector of the East End of Gotham as the many enemies and criminals that crave this part of town will find out.
Her run in with a secret clan of ancient warriors will leave her with extra strength and agility that will serve her well.
Of course Gothams champion is well pleased with her return as is his alterego Bruce Wayne even if he on occasion tries to manipulate her in her actions.
The Catwoman of this omnibus is a special creature that lives up to her reputation.


For me Michelle Pfeiffer has always been the best Catwoman of all the series and movies, even if Zoe Kravitz did do an excellent job.
This Catwoman feels like a fifties look in its art when it comes to her. The art in this omnibus is varied excellent and at times delicious, the writing is good.
Downside is that the many storylines from the DC universe tend to cross like in the wargames story that leaves us after 3 of the 7 installments somewhat wanting before bowing out with a character drawing of Selina/Catwoman and her circle of friends.

This omnibus is well worth the price in its glorious colours and well made hardcover version. And of course the book is kinda heavy which means reading it is also a workout on a physical level.

Enjoy this DC treat you'll not regret it all, this is girl power at her best.

[OmniBen · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 2.75/5
Well, that was certainly disappointing. That wasn't what I was expecting at all. Didn't Mr. Brubaker get the memo. That he is one of my favourite comic book writers writing one of my favourite comic book characters. He was meant to not only meet but somehow exceed my sky high expectations. In all seriousness though, I did have high hopes for this, but even if I'd gone into this with a much more modest estimations. Hell, even if I'd gone into this completely blind, I'd still be feeling pretty god damn deflated. This was several good, perhaps even great arcs, and a hell of a lot of average to god awful sprinkled in between. This is my first time reading one of Brubaker's superhero arcs, and even though Catwoman doesn't quite qualify as a super hero (something I'm very much glad for), this doesn't come within pissing distance of his outstanding noir work over at Image. This feels like a handful of C grade scripts he didn't want to use on his own properties. At least in the first half of the book when he was mostly doing noir type tales, it was solid, if unspectacular. Once we hit the halfway point, it seemed like either he, or possibly DC didn't have a clue what to do with this run, and boy oh boy does it nose dive off a cliff in terms of quality. And with a few notable exceptions, the art too follows suit. My list of gripes with this book is long, despite me doing my best to suppress all the ways this disappointed me. Although to rattle off a few; the art is cartoonish for the majority of the run, in an attempt to mimic the style of Darwyn Cooke. This would be admirable if anyone other than Cameron Stewart could pull it off. Not only does the artist change far too often, but Selina Kyle is meant to be one sultry, sexy little lady. Cartoonish Catwoman me no want. Well known members of Bruce's rogues gallery appear fleetingly for little more than fan service and a few quick sales with variant covers, and are dispatched quickly and very unsatisfactorily. The side characters go from being somewhat interesting to flat and annoying, especially Holly. The poorly crafted girl power vibe gets a little pungent the longer it goes on. We only get one issue of Sean Philips art! Seriously, one! Talk about blue balls. I could go on, trust me...
Ultimately, the main failing of this series begins and ends with Brubaker. Sure, the art rarely matched my expectations either, but had this been a dark, gritty (and a little bit sexy) version of Selina Kyle, with Gotham playing a starring role alongside the cat, with some street level, noir-ish tales, I would be singing this books praises. Instead, we get C grade Brubaker rejects, which quickly descends into farce once he runs out, or DC tried to push another direction on him. I would be more than willing to accept DC editorial having a hand in why this came to stink up the joint so much. But at the end of the day, Ed's name is on it, so he has to take the slings and arrows when its far less than stellar. And believe me, it is. I really am bitterly disappointed in this. 2.75/5


OmniBen.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I put this one off for so long, it was fantastic.

The story actually starts with Cooke's story, Big Score. It's Salina trying to pull off a major heist. It's pretty fun, with excellent art, but the dialogue isn't quite up there with the rest of the book. But it feels very noir, and that makes it feel different. Then soon we get into the main run which is Ed Brubaker's Catwoman run that ran nearly 40 issues. It starts off with Salina trying to start fresh and being something more than a thief.

See after the years went by and No Man's Land, Catwoman is believed to be dead. So this is Salina's chance to start anew. It's both a fresh start and a way to connect her old life with her new one. She soon reunites with one of the best side cast characters I ever got to read in a superhero story, Holly. And she finds out through Holly that prostitutes are being killed left and right and no one is doing a damn because as always the cops are as useful as shit on a brick. And so Catwoman takes it upon herself to figure out what's happening, leading down a really interesting storyline with a villain I ended up actually feeling bad for.

Then we jump into the next storyline of Catwoman trying to hunt down corrupt cops after her friend Holly is injured. This is a fun break into the grimy lowlife cops who are corrupting the city while also giving some great character growth to both Salina and Holly. But the better storyline comes next when Black Mask, that psycho piece of shit, decides to team up with one of Salina's old friends, leaving Salina cornered and her family and friends hunted just like her. This is a excellent paced arc, brutal too, with wonderful twist and turns and a aftermath that runs into the next arc about self rediscovery and healing. I loved both this arc and the next, it was truly remarkable.

After that we start to get more superheroish with this group who worships a Cat god and things highly of Salina. You also have mobster goons hiring crazy serial killers, Z, and it's fun but not as strong as previous volumes. The Omnibus still has some great issues but we end with a crossover with War Games, which is a solid event, but very confusing here as you're missing half the story. The final Goodbye issue though is real solid.

Overall, while the last 8 or so issues aren't as strong, everything else is great to FANTASTIC. A Omnibus I knew very little about but come to really appreciate the more I read. Salina went from a solid character to a excellent one here, and Holly even more so. The art was solid but much stronger int he first 20 issues or so. Cooke or Stewart had unique art that made Catwoman stand out. The rest range from decent to really poor in my opinion.

A 4 out of 5 overall, and very much worth reading.

[Randy Lander · Rating 4 out of 5]

90% of this book is pure perfection. It starts with the best, the standalone graphic novel by Darwyn Cooke that puts Catwoman dead center in a Parker heist, more or less. Then there’s the reintroduction of Slam Bradley by Brubaker and Darwyn, and the first story arc. The stuff with Cameron Stewart is great too, especially the road trip arc.

The book falters a little when it’s about men torturing women… I know it’s a noir trope, but it’s one that I could have done with less of. And good as Paul Gulacy is, his realistic style is so out of place with the look established by Cooke, Stewart, Rader, and a few others, and it’s a little jarring.

It’s also unfortunate that the tail end of the book dragged Catwoman into the sprawling mess that was the War Games crossover, though Brubaker does a solid job of telling his stories around it. It’s clear he had some more ideas for this book that we’re cut a little short, but this is a satisfying package, and probably the best Catwoman has ever been.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually liked this cat woman character. Very much the sense of a girl turning to crime for necessity and then finding she has a taste for it. Probably two drafts and revisions away from a 5 star book, but some sort of morality, silent beats were missing. Imo comic books need long monologues and character soliloquies to really drive home the point. Some of it fell victim to early two thousands comic knockoffs of sin city — random swearing, but did not reach the same gravitas. I still think about sin city. I will not think about this again.

Also can we be done with the overdone “someone is killing the prostitutes and only cat woman can save them”. It’s been done so many times. It could also be the homeless or more drug dealers or something.

That being said l, it was several enjoyable and interesting stories so definitely worth reading.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catwoman is one of my favorite comic book characters and although I haven't read everything, I would be pretty confident in calling this the best Catwoman run of all time. Brubaker and Darwin Cooke lend their superhuman writing talent here, presenting Selina Kyle as a multi-faceted, hard-boiled anti-heroine in Gotham’s East End.

My more expanded reviews of the material included in this omnibus are here:

Selina's Big Score ★★★★★
Volume 1: Trail of the Catwoman ★★★★
Volume 2: No Easy Way Down ★★★★★
Volume 3: Under Pressure ★★★

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catwoman of East End omnibus.

This was awesome !

Catwoman is dead (but really not!) And relocated to the East End, far from superhero's and villains. And just down on the block. She wants to chill, but ofcourse there is none of that. There are scores to make ! This is classy noir with Brubaker at the helm and Darwyn Cooke drawing. Comic book heaven. Cameron Stewart and Paul Gulacy have decent stories aswell. This one was really really good.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the book is a 5, with Brubaker writing the top-notch crime fiction he's so good at in CRIMINAL. The art teams are amazing, in a consistent flat cartooning that suits his world perfectly (and makes Selina less of a sex object).

Then Paul Gulacy comes on with very rendered, highly sexualized art that does not work well with what Brubaker has built, and to really cap the volume off it wraps up with a few slices of a massive crossover before a too-rushed ending issue

Had this ended before Gulacy, it would be one of my favorite runs both of DC and Brubaker. When it works, it is perfection.

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly underrated run. Brubaker and Cooke are a formidable team that really bring a level of prestige to the character of Catwoman. The omnibus opens with Selina's Big Score, a graphic novel written and illustrated by Cooke that introduces several key players for the ongoing title - primarily Slam Bradley. Indeed, it is the re-introduction of Slam Bradley into the Gotham mythos that ends up being an inspired move as he serves as the lynchpin for Selina Kyle's supporting cast. As a story, Selina's Big Score establishes what makes Catwoman interesting - she's a thief, but she's not malevolent.

It's from here that the ongoing title springboards into action. Selina returns to the crime-ridden East End of Gotham City and stakes claim to it. Individual arcs demonstrate Catwoman taking control over the crime, serving as its sole protector without the need for Gotham's more famous vigilante from stepping in. It is the minimal use of Batman that truly makes this run shine. Catwoman's increasing war on crime in the East End brings forth the wrath of Black Mask, who executes a heinous revenge plan to tear Selina down. In the "Relentless" arc, Black Mask and Catwoman finally face off (in a fashion one might say is quite similar to that of Miller & Mazzucchelli's Born Again) and the results are violent and disturbing.

Cameron Stewart takes over penciling duties quite early in the ongoing run, so some might feel a bit disappointed to see the legendary Darwyn Cooke drop off so early. But I'd say Stewart holds his own very well, capturing a very similar aesthetic to that of Cooke's. It's only the switch to Paul Gulacy that feels the most jarring at the tail-end of the run. I love Gulacy's work, but the shift is a bit too much even for me. As the run spirals into the "War Games" crossover it loses steam, and coupled with the shift to Gulacy on art duties, the last few issues feel a bit too unsatisfying. Nonetheless, I'd still argue this omnibus is well worth your time, especially if you're a fan of Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke. I stand by my assessment that this is one of the most underrated DC runs of all time.

[TheMadReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have been a perfect 5 for me if it weren’t for the “Egyptian assassins and other world” storyline towards the end. That’s where Ed really lost me however, I won’t let that distract from the fact that the character development in this book is how runs ought to be written. Close to a masterful job and I’m glad Greg Rucka was not apart of this to ruin it.

[Kurt Lorenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I nice mix of high quality Brubaker character driven crime stories and standard superhero fare. The War Games issues could have used recap pages between but, other than that, a worthwhile read.

[Riley Pilgrim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of times in comics you have a "definitive" run on a character. For Wonder Woman that's the Perez run, for X-Men many point to Claremont's run, and for Catwoman we have Brubaker's run. Brubaker blends clime noir, thriller, mystery, and romance into this run. It may sound like a lot, but Brubaker finds a way to make it work. He made me care for the east end of Gotham, and the people who live there. The stand out is obviously Selina, with Brubaker writing her in such nuanced and compelling way. However, her best friend Holly and P.I Slam Bradley were also stand out supporting characters for her journey in this run. Batman also makes some appearances in this comic, frequently there to help/support Selina in her new mission.

Notably, the Art was also consistently amazing here, with the immaculate Darwyn Cooke penciling early on and Cameron Stewart continuing throughout most of the run too. Both of these artists have a great streamlined style, that to me, elevated so many moments. Really the weakest part of this comic was Paul Gulacy's art, which I wasn't a fan of, and the war games cross over event towards the end of the run. Overall this was amazing, and made me love Selina.

[Fil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alrighty then. I read part of this omnibus as one of the DC Compact Comics books a little while back and gave it a very favorable review, both in content and presentation. This brief review will show just how favorable by starting out saying, I thought enough of it to buy another edition.

This book is much larger than the compact version I reviewed earlier. It is a hardcover book, about the size of the old phone books Ma Bell used to send to our homes and is a bit klunky to hold up like a regular book. But! The art is really oversized and the book is the complete run of this version of Catwoman.

All the positive comments I made about the compact collection still apply to this edition. The only... downside isn't the right word... I think qualifier may be, is the size: I held this in my lap to read when sitting up, and propped against my legs when in bed reading.

So, if you like your stories in a larger format, this is worth getting. The compact book is still a great bargain too. It comes down to ones preference.

[Scott A. Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

An all-around satisfying and well written Catwoman story with several different artists that brings one of my favorite authors work to life.

[Evan Dossey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this relatively blind because of Brubaker's name. My wife actually owned several of the TPB's a few years ago, but they ended up casualties in one more or another. Anyway, I wanted to read this, and the Omnibus showed up, so I ordered it. I really enjoyed it. The earlier arcs have more personality, of course, but that's how most big runs work on these marquee characters: at some point the writer and his team are usually writing their characters past the point where Editorial has decided on a different direction for the book and/or sub-line (in this case, Batman's cadre of characters), so the major arcs get smooshed into whatever mandates were given. That doesn't hurt the overall reading experience here, although I'd say the major resolutions all feel a little abbreviated. I also much preferred the stories when it was Cooke & Stewart vs. Gulacy, whose much more photo-real style just didn't fit the tone of Brubaker's approach to the character. Still, I really enjoyed reading this and got a lot of value out of the Omnibus format. A worthwhile purchase.

[drown_like_its_1999 · Rating 4 out of 5]

All hail Brubaker! This series has everything I wanted from a Catwoman run; thrilling heists, hardboiled crime noir, excellent character drama, smooth action, and even some satisfying romance. The series has all the hallmarks of Brubaker writing with intricate plotting, subtle characterization, and grounded yet compelling dialog but with more heart than I'm used to from his work. The three issue "No Easy Way Down" storyline is my favorite of the run for its creative character development including a missing persons investigation used as a metaphor for the doomed romance between two characters. The more cartoonish art from Cooke, Stewart, and Pulido is fantastic and while the art style changes drastically to a more realistic look when Gulacy takes over I still enjoyed it and felt the aesthetic well suited the more supernatural storylines. There is however a minor decline in storytelling quality near the end and some very traditional panel layout throughout but when the rest is so good these problems didn't detract from what was overall a delightful series. 8.75/10

[Rana Biswas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catwoman of East End Omnibus

By Ed Brubaker & Darwyn Cooke

What a beautiful book. Both Brubaker and Cooke's noir style storytelling reinventing the Catwoman character - is a treat to read. Started with the classic Darwyn Cooke story 'Selina's Big Score' and then covering multiple Catwoman and detective comics issues, the book is a comprehensive read to explore different sides of Selina Kyle and her associates. It's a crime noir saga rather than a superhero tale. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The only problem with the omni might be the inconsistent art. Cooke himself and Cameron Stewart did a brilliant job with the artwork - it only became inconsistent or pale when other artists picked it up and tried to copy their style (except for the issue which Sean Phillips did - it was exquisitely beautiful). Towards the end they included the War Games story arc - which probably would make more sense if read along with other Batman issues or Detective comics issues. Nonetheless, it was a satisfactory experience with 90% of the book is self content and beautiful.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Brubaker can do no wrong. The writing is pretty solid the whole book. Selina felt complex and different from Batman while also being the hero. Slam is a good straight man to tell noir through, and I always love seeing Holly again. The Black Mask stuff is compelling but not so over the top it gets ridiculous.

Paul Gulacy on the other hand? Oh yeah he can definitely do wrong. There were so many panels in his section that just left me questioning how he got on the book in the first place. Between weird faces, off anatomy and a shift to cheap nudity left a bad taste in my mouth compared to the beautifully stylized art of Darwyn Cooke, Brad Rader, and company.

Still aside from the wonky looking art in the back 13 issues, I enjoyed this series a lot and recommend it if you’re a fan of Darwyn Cooke, Brubaker, or Selina

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Quick note for anyone skimming through Goodreads, I'd suggest reading the Trail of The Catwoman story before Selina's Big Score, even though this volume prints them in reverse order.)

I lost the big review I was writing so I'll put it simply:

The first 2/3rds are amazing, some the best super hero comics I've read.

The last 1/3rd is just okay. The art drastically changed and the book loses a lot of it's charm. A portion of it is devoted to a larger Batman crossover. Most of the rest is a long story featuring Zeiss, a villain Ed Brubaker created on his Batman run. I don't find him terribly engaging and he's been redesigned to look more generic this time. All complaints aside, it is still written by Brubaker so it's not actively bad, just not omnibus worthy on its own.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

All other Catwoman material pales in comparison to Brubaker and Cooke's run. Even the other artists, who pick up the yoke when Cooke leaves the series, raise to the occasion and turn in impressive work. It's one of those runs that shines from start to finish. This is an omni that belongs in every DC comics fans collection. Brilliant. I would love to see the rest of this series get the omni-treatment as I quite enjoyed the remainder of the issues past the Brubaker era.

[Chris Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ed Brubaker's storytelling saved this for me,
really did not like the art, at all, well the last few went back to regular artwork,
But artist couldn't even get her skin color right, it changed all over the place,
Is she white? black? Purta Rican mix? sure isn't Eartha Kit.
Anyhow Ed Brubaker brought a lot of depth to the characters,
And did a very difficult thing for men to do, wrote believable women.

[Matthew Kennett-ny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must for any Ed Brubaker fan. A fantastic crime Noir story that happens to be centered around Catwoman. He'll keep you wanting more each issue.

The way he wrote Catwoman and made her grow throughout from being a lone thief to a protector of the East End over the course of the book was simply fantastic.

[Loki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brubaker, Darwyn Cooke, et al, at the top of their games. A fine collection of a great run on one of DC's most interesting characters. Does get a little choppy towards the end when it gets pulled into a big crossover event, but otherwise very solid indeed.

[Nate Deprey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art falls off a cliff about two thirds of the way through this collection but when Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke are working together on the early issues of they revitalize the character and create a vibe that is among my favorites that DC has ever produced.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art changes directions a few times, but it's all high quality. The story arc for. Selina/Catwoman is immaculate, and seems very grounded, even with all the superheroing and some mystic culting. I'll be coming back to reread this eventually, it was very enjoyable.

[Terrance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another gem from Ed Brubaker. He somehow manages to make every character he writes my favorite. No one touches him in the comics world.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Definitely recommend!

[Ethan Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded (crossover near the end + art style change kept it from being, essentially, a perfect run.)

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic series. Once the criminal artist leaves it does go downhill slightly but that's also because the story starts to become entangled with the Batfamily books for War Games.