I love Joelle Jones. Her distinct, stark style is 1960s mid-century modern sensibilities combined with the angular art and noir throwbacks. Her LadyKiller series about a housewife assassin was a mix of danger and sex appeal that translates exceptionally into Catwoman, Vol 1: Copycats. Much like LadyKillers, the art and writing in Catwoman: Copycats is true Jones. The story is easy to follow, it is well paced, and the script is mostly tight. There are a few loose ends, but the story builds naturally even with the minor gaffes. The emotional range of the characters is visible and palpable. You can see the horrors, fear, and the triumphs indelibly on the characters faces and bodies.
While styled a reboot, Copycats is actually Volume 5 in the latest chain of DC Catwoman reboots. However, it has been released as Volume 1, collecting #1-6 with Jones at the helm. Copycats picks up after Batman #50 in the New 52 where Selina jilts Bruce at the alter. Selina flees to to Villa Hermosa, a city not unlike Miami, theoretically there to lick her wounds while she figures out her life. She spends sleepless nights prowling the casinos. As a new string of burglaries happen across the city, Catwoman is named as the culprit as she is seen fleeing from the scenes. The catch, however, is they aren’t Catwoman, but rather an army of actresses hired to play the part. After cracking the whip on the merry band of fake thieves, this storyline is then dropped. No explanation. It just disappears. This is one of the minor gaffes in the story but even the dismissed storyline doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the book.
While this is going on, an interesting creature by the name of Mrs. Creel begins to take control of the local governance. Her husband, once a bright political star, becomes an utter disappointment when it is revealed he has no stomach for the wheeling, dealing, and blackmailing of the local glitterati. Using her sons as lackeys, Mrs. Creel pays off the local police department as it turns out she is the one behind the crime sprees taking over Villa Hermosa, thus presumably the one who hired the copycat Catwomen. After killing her husband, Mrs. Creel uses Selina’s sister, Magdalene, as the bait to lure Selina in.
And this is where the cliffhanger occurs.
What I loved most about Jones’ art is the sheer magnitude of work she puts into the details of her art. I could even count the treads on the bottom of Selina’s boots, they are so clearly depicted. Jones’ Catwoman has been re-tooled to reflect less of the sexy catsuit-wearing Catwoman of days gone by. However, the purple under-shading does give a nod to the Catwoman of the ‘90s. Catwoman here, while still gorgeous and sexy, seems relatable, self-aware, and sturdy. Even her shoes were traded from stilettos to chunky work boots, albeit with a heel. Jones penciled and colored four of the six issues with Fernando Blanco picking up the other two. With collaborations, it’s important to look for style influences as well as how cohesive the art works. In this case, the art looks a bit off and it doesn’t seem as strong when Blanco draws the characters as it does when Jones does. In one panel, Blanco’s Selina looks like The Joker’s kid sister.
While many reported they fell out of love with Selina Kyle in the “Bat/Cat Wedding” issue in the New 52, Catwoman, Vol. 1: Copycats reinvigorates that love to old readers and introduces a new generation to the anti-heroine in Catwoman we didn’t know we needed.
Catwoman Vol. 1: Copycats
By Joelle Jones
Art by Joelle Jones, Fernando Blanco
ISBN: 9781401288891
DC Comics, 2019
Publisher Age Rating: Adult
Series Reading Order
