In this issue we get to see Selina setting her world up around her. In doing so we see the quality of Selina Kyle. While the Batman rogue gallery is extensive, there are few that truly stand toe-to-toe with The Batman. Selina is one of them. She is a master thief and a manipulator on par with Joker.

Catwoman #9: Cover to Cover

First off we have the covers. The first is a great cover that represents the story inside and captures its feel. The second is flat out gorgeous! I would love to see that design of the Catwoman suit become reality at some point.

Building the Foundation

Catwoman #9

I really love the way the first two pages set up Catwoman #9 even though we may not fully understand it at the beginning. Selina is goaded for her losses, but she had a response that is perfect: Xīn xiānshēng, wǒ bìng bù dānxīn. Tā zài wǎnshàng zhǐyǒu bā gè. Dào zhège yèwǎn jiéshù de shíhòu, wǒ yǐjīng yíngle. Or if you are rusty on your Mandarin – “I’m not worried, Mr Xin. Its only eight in the evening. By the time this night is over, I’ll have won.”

What happens between now and the end of Catwoman #9 is a complex weave of plans and intentions that Catwoman/Selina choreographs perfectly. It starts with needing to take down a gangster called The Broker, a tick so dug in the cops cannot get to him. His people just tried to knock off Selina’s apartment and stole from a friend of Selina’s. Big mistake!

She starts her allies in motion when she runs into, or is more accurately is ran into by Detective Hadley. She is told not to interfere with his bust he’s had in motion for some time. Of course, as Detective Hadley is leaving he fails to recognize he leaves sans his wallet.

Catwoman #9: Perfectly Executed

Of course when the action starts, Selina is well ahead of everyone, thanks to insiders. Selina even gets around Detective Hadley once he realizes Catwoman has ruined his plans. The thing is after Hadley loses Catwoman out the window, Catwoman’s insiders have the whole crime scene wrapped up in a bow for him. Everyone wins save The Broker.

A week later Detective Hadley finds Selena and has just one question – how? When you cross a cop, the last thing one generally wants to do is tell said cop exactly how you ran circles around him. Of course Selina does exactly this. She tells him everything – Why? Welcome to the dance, Detective Hadley.