Batman/Catwoman #1 Review: Your Angel of Death Awaits

Batman and Catwoman are married, but one of Batman’s former loves has returned to Gotham with vengeance in her soul. Spoilers for Batman/Catwoman #1 follow.

It’s been so long since Batman/Catwoman was announced to be occurring. In fact, it’s been over a year and a half since the initial reveal of the series. The reason that it has taken so long to come out though is due to the fact that artist Clay Mann wanted to draw every issue of the series, with no fill-in artists. That may seem absurd to delay a series so long, but it’s very clear why he needed the extra time once starting the issue.

But now that the first issue of the long-awaited follow-up to Tom King’s run on Batman is here, is it any good? Well, the answer to that more than likely lies in whether you liked King’s run or not. If you liked the run, you will probably love this first issue. If you didn’t like his run, it might win you over because it is very different, but odds are that it won’t land for you. Luckily for me though, I love King’s run and I loved this first issue of Batman/Catwoman.

What’s most evident about this issue though, as every first issue should be, is that it’s all set-up for what’s to come. It establishes the characters involved, their motivations, and, in the case of this series, the timelines that will be featured. It’s the beginning of an intricate puzzle where the only pieces on display so far are some of the border pieces. There’s just the subtlest glimpse and what is come and it immediately is intriguing.

Probably the most notable thing about this issue though is that it brings in fan-favorite character Andrea Beaumont, aka The Phantasm, into the DC universe proper. She has never been used outside of the DC Animated Universe up until this point, so it’s incredible to see her finally being used. She’s not present much in this issue, but her presence alone is the catalyst for the entire series. It’s also clear that Mask of the Phantasm is being used as the jumping off point for her character, which is nice as said film is one of the best Batman films ever.

As for the art, it’s very clear once you open the first page why Clay Mann needed to so long to complete the art for this series (which he is more than likely still working on). Every single page is utterly gorgeous and filled with so much detail. It’s genuinely one of the best-looking single issues to have come out in a long, long time. Mann seems to have elevated his game to the next level with this issue, setting the stage for everything to come for the series to come.

But you can’t talk about the art of this series without talking about Tomeu Morey’s exquisite colors. This is a cliché saying, but if Mann is the peanut butter, then Morey is the jelly. Their work together previously was incredible, but, like Mann, it seems Morey has taking his coloring to the next level with this series too. Mann makes these characters feel real, but Morey truly brings them to life.

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