Selina brings some strays under her wing in Catwoman Annual No. 1

Selina has just arrived in Villa Hermosa only to be immediately pulled into a case that she was so desperately trying to escape from in Gotham. Spoilers for Catwoman Annual no. 1 follow.

The first annual for Catwoman is a standalone story that takes place around the time Selina had just arrived in Villa Hermosa. She’s even still wearing her old suit. Thinking that she’s out of her life in Gotham completely though, a very sick woman essentially falls into her arms and despite Selina’s best interests, she cares for this woman. Because this issue is presented in a true crime documentary style, from the get we know that this woman is dead, so the issue is about the journey to get there.

After a couple of weeks of caring for this woman, Chessa, Selina has left her apartment and when she comes back, Chessa has invited a few people over, causing Selina to become extremely angry. Eventually though, the group convinces Selina to teach them how to become thieves. Some of the group is good, some aren’t, but eventually, they become confident enough to strike out on their own, arriving at a mansion to steal an ancient spear. Once there though, the group surprises Immortal Man who accidentally kills three of the girls and covers it up with the help of another.

Image by DC Comics/Art by Scott Godlewski

After her trainees die, Selina searches for the rest, whisking them away to be safe, before finding the trainee who helped fake the crime scene. This leads her directly to Immortal Man, leading Selina to nearly kill him, at least for a time. Superman arrives last minute, thanks to a call Selina made to Lois just prior, catching Immortal Man from a fall and seemingly giving more mystery to the story.

Honestly, if this had been the first issue of the series, albeit with some slight story changes and pacing adjustments, this series would’ve begun on a much better foot. This issue is pretty dang great. It’s an interesting mystery with a format that is not that easy to do in comic form and provides some great characterization for Selina. This issue is really everything that the series should’ve been in the first place and it’s probably the best issue yet.

9.0/10 

Catwoman Annual No. 1 presents a good story with some great characterization and, if indicative of the series going forward, is a very welcome thing.