Catwoman is nothing if not obsessive. So, when it comes to her search for Raina Creel, she’ll go to any means to find her. Minor spoilers for Catwoman #16 follow.
The past couple issues of Catwoman were a high point for the series. So much of the series has often been middle of the ground, with nothing ever really standing out. Then those last two issues were extremely enjoyable and seemed to be paving a new path for Catwoman to go down. Now that Joelle Jones is back as both writer and artist, it remains to be seen. This issue is good, but there are some heavy writing and editing problems that lessen the enjoyment of the issue.
One thing has been really consistent with this series, the quality of the art. Whether it be Fernando Blanco, Elena Casagrande, or Mirka Andolfo, the art has been spectacular. Now that Joelle Jones is back on art duties though, arguably the best Catwoman artist in recent memory is back in action. Seriously, Joelle Jones’ art is spectacular no matter context, tone, or scene, her art is magnificently gorgeous. She gets Selina so right it’s astonishing. All of her other character work is great as well, but it’s really Catwoman that we’re here for and Jones understands that. Jones’ Catwoman works especially well if you read her in Grey DeLisle’s voice like I do.
Beyond just getting Catwoman’s character work down pat though, her style itself is gorgeous. It combines classical comic stylings, i.e. Ben-Day dots, and more modern, heavily inked stylings. This creates a unique visual style that is very different from most other artists. If you want to look at great art, even if it suffers from a middle-of-the-road story, then this issue is for you.
The biggest problem with this issue though has to be the story. it’s not that it’s a bad story, it’s actually incredibly interesting, with a great sequence set during a birthday party. The problem with it is the structure and editing of it. It constantly jumps around between times with no real transitions between the time jumps. Often, this creates a confusing narrative that feels surreal, even when it shouldn’t.
The most confusing thing about it is when it takes place within the timeline of the series. Not the DC Universe as a whole cause let’s not get into that insanity. Just within the series though, it’s hard to tell where this issue takes place. Hopefully it will become clearer as the storyline continues, but for now, it makes little sense.