By Mark Rodriguez
I was lucky enough to run into the first issue of Catwoman's run in the 90's at the local mall. We have a shop that sells all sorts of vintage items like 80's and 90's action figures and comics.
Catwoman runs into an alley where she runs into two thugs named Leopold and Bird. They were sent to check up on her by Bane. Catwoman hands them the stolen jewels she managed to escape with. Catwoman asks for her cut and Bird leaves, telling her it's too suspicious now and to send Leopold later.
Catwoman covers up her costume and puts on a hat while Leopold apologizes. He tells her that Bird also caught him off guard. Catwoman says it's the price of working for Bane, but she hates being spied on.
Catwoman takes Leopold to her apartment where her roommate Arizona is happy to see her. Arizona calls Catoman 'Sel' in front of Leopold and asks if she sold the gems she stole. Selina reminds her that nowadays she gives the loot to Bane and then she gets her cut. Selina tends to her cats while Arizona complains about Leopold smoking. Selina gives Leopold a magazine with a rich couple on the cover and says he should tell Bane about them since they can be their next target. Leopold heads off and says once Bane gives the go-ahead, he can start to research them.
Once Leopold leaves, the women throw pillows at each other and Arizona asks Selina how she can stand him. Selina says he does whatever she says but she still doesn't trust him. She also says she didn't spend a fortune on a custom virus to wipe her real name from every file in the country to have her blurt it out in front of Leopold. Arizona says she's sorry and Selina says she'll be sorry if her enemies find them and kill them.
Arizona asks why she trusted her with her real name. Selina explains it was a moment of weakness. She once found Arizona being attacked and she saved her as Catwoman. Arizona says she always thought Catwoman as a bad guy. She had a fantasy that Gotham was safe because Batman lived there, but instead she was adopted by the city's worst enemy. Selina says she prefers to be called the greatest or most elusive.
Selina says Arizona reminded her of someone from a closed chapter in her life. She says she's lucky Batman wasn't her protector of she'd be in a mess with Gotham currently being under Bane's control. Selina pulls out a jeweled collar and puts it on one of her cats. Arizona is surprised she held something back. Selina says she didn't take to crime to be waiting around her cut as if she were some office worker. She says Bane might run the city, but he doesn't run her.
Meanwhile, Bane is with his underlings. One of them is named Throgg and he says there's a hitman in town that's been sent after Bane but they weren't able to trace who sent him. Bane says it could be a problem because unless they find who sent him, he can just send another hitman after him after they take care of this one. He asks if any of them have discovered the real name of Catwoman. The men says they never seem to find the same name twice, and every name they find belongs to someone that's already dead.
Bane sends his men off and calls for a classier looking man named Zombie. He says that the men are right and Catwoman is no amateur when it comes to covering up her tracks. Bane says he'd be disappointed if she was. He says her true identity means nothing, what matters is what she made of herself, similar to Batman and himself. He says that Bane had nothing to do with the unborn child to a surrogate father he never knew being sentenced to lifelong imprisonment in Santa Prisca. Bane was forged by years of harsh cruelty and by the power of man-made Venom still within his veins. It wasn't the child he was once was, but the man that he's become that led to him being able to defeat Gotham City's champion.
Bane says he still wants a hold over Catwoman, as felines aren't known for their loyalty. He puts on his mask and calls for Leopold. Leopold's smoking annoys Throgg. Throgg threatens him and Leopold puts out his cigarette. Leopold says Catwoman wants to know when she'll get paid. He also shows him a picture of their next target, the Darracourts. Bane asks if he agrees. Leopold says he trusts Catwoman's instincts and the party they're giving the following weekend would be a good time to strike. He says collectors everywhere want to get their hands on Tiffany's jewels.
Bane gives his permission and says the man outside has the money for Catwoman's recent heist. As he walks off, Bane warns him not to join her in any acts of disloyalty. He says if he sees any sign that she has turned, he'll let him know. Bane asks if there had been such signs, and he says not so far.
Bane is interested to see that Leopold made no attempt to cover up for Catwoman. He says Leopold is anyone's dog and he sees how one of his concerns might be applied to the other.
Later on, Zombie, now sporting a spider tattoo on his right cheek, is sent to a bar named Celito Lindo, He asks for a man named Guillermo and is pointed out to him by the patron. Zombie says the word is out that Guillermo is paying for information on how to get to Bane. Guillermo says it depends on what his information is worth. Zombie tells him that Bane is in love, which makes him a fool. If Guillermo attacks Catwoman, he will come out of hiding to avenger her. Gullermo asks if he knows where to find her, and he says he can tell him where to find a man that knows.
The party begins with Burke and Tiffany Darracourt wave to the cameras. The security guards watch as the armored security truck with Tiffany's jewels arrive. Leopold says he's surprised Catwoman isn't at the party. She says she wouldn't risk being filmed by every news crew in the country. It was easier for her to sneak in as one of the caterers.
The security guard goes on break and Leopold takes over. As soon as the guard leaves, Guillermo shows up and aims a gun at his head.
Burke watches over the jewels and tells Tiffany that the guests have arrived. Tiffany steps out of the shower, still in her bathrobe and says she lost track of time. She tells him to leave the lights off since she likes the shadows. Tiffany sees that the jewels arrived and tells Burke to put them on her. 'Tiffany' hurries off to change, when the real Tiffany steps in and asks Burke who he was talking to. Burke realizes that the jewels are gone. Catwoman makes her escape.
Later on, Leopold, Catwoman and Arizona check out the stolen loot. Arizona was surprised Burke was fooled by Catwoman impersonating his wife. Catwoman says she's the same size as Tiffany, which is why she chose them as a target. She says that Bane would love to see these jewels. She tells Leopold to give them to Bane before he comes looking.
Catwoman asks Leopold if he's alright. He says he's out of smokes, to which Catwoman responds with 'good'. As Leopold leaves, Guillermo is waiting outside.
Catwoman shows Arizona an extra jewel she kept for themselves. Suddenly something freaks out the cats, making them run off. Outside, Guillermo takes out a compact missile launcher and fires it off at Catwoman's apartment, blowing it up.
One of the things that grabbed my attention the most about the story was that it takes place during the time where Batman was out of commission after Bane broke his back. Bane runs the city and Catwoman (and I assume other criminals) have to do as he says and wait for their cut.
The comic served as the set up and establishing Catwoman's status quo. We also see two examples of Catwoman's methods for her crimes, either sneaking into places in full-costume, or using disguises like she did to rob the Darracourts.
Bane is still a huge factor in the story. He's dealing with a mystery hitman that's after him, while also not trusting Catwoman, so he sends one to the kill the other. Even if he were to succeed to in killing Selina, I'm not sure how that would help find out who sent Guillermo after him to begin with. Even after Catwoman somehow escapes her apartment getting blown up, things are going to get rough as now she'll have both Guillermo and Bane after her. She'll also have to deal with Leopold's betrayal.
One thing I found humorous is the constant bagging on Leopold over smoking. Yes, we know smoking is bad for you, but wow. Selina isn't fond of his smoking, Arizona is completely repulsed by his habit, and even a fellow thug threatened to put him in the ground if he didn't put out the cigarette. I guess that's one way to hammer home the fact that smoking is bad for you. Smoke and nobody likes you.
In terms of going back in time with the comic, the comic has ads for the Meteor Man movie, the upcoming arrival of Mortal Kombat for 16-bit home consoles and the SNES version of Batman Returns.
There was also a cool ad for the opening of a second Mile High Comics shop in California, giving the fans a chance to meet Rob Liefeld and Jim Shooter. For those that don't know Rob Liefeld was one of the founders of Image Comics and helped created characters like Deadpool, Cable and Domino. Jim Shooter is one of the founder of Valiant Comics and helped create character for the Legion of Superheroes as well as the Superman villain, Parasite.
Overall a pretty cool comic and I love the artwork and Catwoman's design during this era as well. I'll see if I can track down other issues later on.
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