Catwoman #34
War Games: Act One Part 7
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Pencils: Paul Gullacy
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.50

This review contains spoilers.

Catwoman is running along the Gotham rooftops. It is not apparent why she’s running until the vision of two highly tricked-out imports are racing each other with the passengers popping off their guns at each other. Catwoman sees that there are kids in the vicinity and since she’s responsible for the East End, she decides to take action against these warring gang members.

Amid the gun fire, one of the drivers takes a direct hit to the head and passes out. The out-of-control car is gunning for the group of kids that somehow didn’t hear the gun shots. With those East End kids lives on the line, Catwoman launches herself through the car’s broken windshield and grabs hold of the vacated steering wheel to get the car under control. As she climbs through the shattered glass, Catwoman gives a boot to the head of the car’s passenger which jettisons him out the door and onto the street.

Catwoman gets control of the car and starts gunning for the other group of thugs. As she races up to them, she pulls out a gun that has a special rocket attached to it. She pulls up to the driver’s side of the other car and aims the gun at the driver. Needless to say, the driver decides to floor it and pulls ahead of Catwoman. Deciding that she didn’t want him to get away, Catwoman fires the rocket through the glass-less windshield and towards the back end of the escaping car. The rocket hits the car with an explosive result which launches the street racer upside down over two parked cars. The car finally lands and scrapes to a halt with the passenger crawling out of the side windows somewhat faster than the driver.

The passenger aims his gun at Catwoman and almost calls her vulgar term for a female dog when a very familiar Cat O’ Nine Tail Whip ensnares the thug’s hands. Catwoman yanks the punk towards her and his head meets the sole of her boot very violently, which renders him unconscious. She then goes to the driver of the car, throws him onto the overturned wreck and commands him to tell his boss, “.. If any of you come through the East End like this again, I’ll kill you all.” She then drops him writhing in pain. Catwoman turns around to survey the damage and notices that one of the kids that were playing in the streets is lying down on the sidewalk and is not moving.

Catwoman races the injured kid to Leslie Tompkins?s clinic which takes him into surgery. Dr. Tompkins chastises Selina for moving the boy but Selina comes back saying “What, I should just leave him on the street to wait for an ambulance when this city is practically burning down?” Leslie fesses up to being edging and needing a break. They both got to the lounge for a cup of coffee.

In the background, the news coverage of the school hostage situation is playing on the TV. Leslie drops her coffee cup as she realizes that it is Tim Drake’s school that is mentioned. Catwoman inquires about her mentioning Tim. Leslie dismissed her question by stating that he was just a kid that she cares about. Leslie then starts venting her frustration about Batman putting everyone at the school in danger due to his mission. Selina tries to deflect Leslie’s anger by saying it’s not Batman’s fault.

Leslie rebuts her argument by comparing Batman’s methods to the criminals he tries to apprehend. She also adds to her indictment Batman by saying that he’s part of the cycle of violence that first created him. Leslie then blames herself for failing to properly motivate Batman to something more. After a few more words about trying to help innocent children of Gotham, Selina’s cell phone rings. She looks and sees that the call is from Holly who tells Catwoman of a gang meeting in an abandoned tenement building. The problem is not that they’re meeting but that its trap to take out more gangsters by a hitmen looking to ice them - Mr. Freeze.

Catwoman races towards the building but she’s too late. Freeze has made a popsicle out every single person in the meeting and is lording over his easy conquest. He even admonished the frozen bodies for involving the families of the gang’s leaders. Catwoman decides to attack Freezer which startles him. Freeze then threatens her with giving her frozen body back to Batman in pieces. Catwoman then separates Freeze from his gun with her whip.

The battle continues with no one getting an upper hand until Freeze gets his gun back and fires at Catwoman. At the same time, she snaps her whip towards an exposed beam and slings herself at Freeze. She makes contact and they are both flying through a window. Freeze tries to use his gun to cushion his fall (ala a certain frozen X-man) by creating a frozen slide. Unfortunately, the bottom of the slide leads to a frozen wall which Freeze runs into and knocks him out cold.

After taking care of Freeze, Catwoman notices a purple cape in the distance and realizes who is watching her. She catches up to Spoiler and tries to get her to talk. Stephanie pulls her hood and mask off then starts babbling to Catwoman about how everything was wrong and it was all her fault. Catwoman tries to comfort the sobbing Stephanie by telling her that she?ll take her some place safe and won?t tell Batman anything that they discuss.

Once in the safe house in Alleytown, Catwoman removes her mask and gives Steph a cup of tea. Steph asks Catwoman if she?s afraid that she knows Catwoman?s secret identity. Selina tells Steph that she had already assumed that she need since she was a Robin then assures her by saying, ?I guess that I?ll have to trust you, won?t I??

After trading first names, Steph goes over the reasons for her being fired as Robin. Then, she quickly breaks down and tells Catwoman that how she hacked into Batman?s computer and stole one of his worst case contingency plan (eerily similar to Ra?s Al Ghul did in JLA) which describes how Batman would become head of all of the gangs by using a known criminal to act as his underboss.

Selina stays quiet until Steph wonders aloud why the criminal never showed up. Selina questions her reasoning saying that Batman would never make an error in planning. Steph then mentions the criminal name ? Matches Malone. Selina becomes quiet and thinks why Batman didn?t tell her that Matches and Batman were one and the same. And then she sees the Bat-Signal and deep in her thoughts, Selina worries, ?Her plan never had a chance. And now the city may not, either.?

This book basically follows Catwoman?s POV which is good as it somewhat resonates with the tone established in the 12-cent adventure. Brubaker has a great command of Catwoman?s character and the story flows quite nicely. I do have a problem with the Matches revelation as I think that it?s an easy way out. Not counting the previous Ra?s comment, I just can?t believe that the whole meeting of the Gang Leaders was orchestrated by a misunderstood kid. It just feels like there?s something missing. Gulacy?s art is his typical work. Some people like the ?ultra-realistic? look of it but compare it to the previous work of Cam Stewart and Darwyn Cooke and it?s just too jarring of a change of styles for me. However, aside from those personal feelings, the book did come off as more than a plot pusher but it could?ve been far more.

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