Absolute Catwoman #3: Cat’s Eye

Selina, Victoria, and Helena have narrowly escaped the collapsing auction house, but the search for Holly is far from over. As the secrets behind the purpose of the Yarn start to unravel, Selina finally begins to realize that saving the future lies in her trusting faces from her past.

One of the best things about Absolute Catwoman is that despite it being a spin-off of Absolute Batman, it relies very little on its setting or characters to tell its own story and remains true to the core traits of its titular character. However, despite how far this cat strays Selina is still tied somewhat to the city she was abandoned in, whether that be through her old group, or the fact that she returned to help Bruce deal with Bane (which she states was because of Bruce’s mother Martha). Selina is constantly trying to run back to a home she never knew, but her ties to Gotham remain in her heart and that past is quickly gaining on her elusive tail.

Scott Snyder and Che Grayson continue peeling back the layers of Selina’s sordid past in intriguing fashion as each flashback somehow informs the event unfolding in the present day. Its in this issue that we finally see the job that caused the Calico’s to break up, and more importantly how that ties to the “copycats” being led by this universe’s Cassandra Cain. The purpose of the Yarn is revealed and while it’s a bit high-concept, it fits for this type of Mission Impossible/James Bond-esque spy story.

Bengal and Giovanna Niro continue to do great work in the art department. There are more than a few gorgeously crafted wide shots and the enhanced suits worn by the three remaining Calicos are also pretty cool (special points to the Iron Man-inspired visual displays inside the helmets).