Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper

Rating:
Summary: Catwoman as you never will see again
Review: It's a very good book, featuring the "firt" and more adult origin of Catwoman (before being spoiled in the zero hour fiasco), linking it to the batman origins also, giving us a chance to see the dark night when he was just a begginer, the book has a dark tone, but it tells a very good story about pain, suffering and vengance, I only dislike the fact that there isn't much about the origin of the custome (first one, with a tail) maybe because of the comic restrictions for the time it was published.

Rating:
Summary: Catwoman as you never will see again
Review: It's a very good book, featuring the "firt" and more adult origin of Catwoman (before being spoiled in the zero hour fiasco), linking it to the batman origins also, giving us a chance to see the dark night when he was just a begginer, the book has a dark tone, but it tells a very good story about pain, suffering and vengance, I only dislike the fact that there isn't much about the origin of the custome (first one, with a tail) maybe because of the comic restrictions for the time it was published.

Rating:
Summary: Catwoman: Year One
Review: This is the notorious Catwoman story that D.C. Comics wanted to erase from memory but it somehow surfaces every now and then. "Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper" is actually "Catwoman: Year One" (or the closest we will ever get to a "Year One" for the feline fatale) as it ties in very closely to Frank Miller's justly-classic "Batman: Year One". In fact, it more than "ties-into" that work; entire scenes were lifted from Miller's original and put into this volume. In fact, the present writer/artist seem to have created their story in this volume by wrapping some "filler-info" around those famous Miller-scenes.

As to the notoriety of the work, this volume, like Miller's "Batman: Year One" gives us a Selina Kyle who works as a prostiture/sexual-dominatrix. But more than that, it ties her to religion (Selina's sister is a Catholic nun) and child-prostitution/abuse in the character of Holly. Furthermore, this tale revives the classic sexual attraction between Batman and Catwoman with a classic kiss shared by the two on the rooftop (a scene stolen by Tim Burton and added to the movie, "Batman Returns").

According to DC Editorial decrees, this work is no longer part of official continuity (after the continuity altering event called "Zero Hour"). However, DC continuity is a tricky thing and so are Editorial decrees. In recent years, it seems to be back in "official continuity" as the current Ed Brubaker "Catwoman" series seems like a direct continuation of this book (Holly and Selina's sister features prominently in Brubaker's run). Therefore, it is an essential read in Catwoman's long legend.

Continuity aside, this is really a difficult book to like. The art is choppy at times, and the scenes "lifted" from Miller's work (originally drawn by David Mazzuchelli) does not help either. In truth, it only adds to the frustration that this work wasn't done by the original Miller-Mazzuchelli team! About the only element in this tale that is half-decent is the introduction of Ted Grant (the Golden Age JSA-er, Wildcat) as Selina Kyle's mentor. The writing is very, very uneven and the pacing is hopeless. Reading it again recently, I felt like I was watching a bootleg, unedited David Lynch movie. After a while, I gave up on the pacing and tried to make as much sense of the story as possible. Honestly, if not for my great love for the characters (Batman and Catwoman), I'd probably give up by the first chapter.

My copy is an original first-print tradepaperback with the original painted cover and an excellent foreword by the late Archie Goodwin. Goodwin compares Catwoman to the movie "Cat People" and talks a little about sexual repression and the need for split-personas. Interesting stuff.

This volume is recommended to all Batman/Catwoman historians as well as the new fans just getting in with the Ed Brubaker monthly. It is also recommended as an antidote to purge the poison of the new Warner Bros. "Catwoman" movie starring Halle Berry. The real Catwoman is in here; NOT in that movie!