Catwoman #36 Ring the alarm, I been through this too long

We’re knee deep into Fear State, and Cat and her strays are pulling out all the stops to stop the Wight Witch, the Magistrate, Simon Saint, and Selina realizes that all of this, all of the troubles that have been brewing in Gotham, especially Alleytown, is all connected. Catwoman’s crew, and it’s a very eclectic crew, are doing anything they can to turn the tide in their favor, but things aren’t looking up for the crew, especially after that last page reveal. 

This crossover storyline mixed with his own including the Wight Witch, Father Valley, Simon Saint, as well as Mayor Nokano’s Gotham’s shenanigans is Ram V’s swan song, and it’s quite possibly his most ambitious with the character since taking over from Joëlle Jones in 2020. He’s added so many layers of nuance and depth to this corner of the DCU, it’s going to be hard for me to say goodbye. Especially after reading Harley here, and her “Plan B”, I howled. Tini Howard and Nico Leon are going to have some very big shoes (and from the look of the heels from the Jeff Dekal cover 9” heels) to fill. 

Especially after bringing back Lian Harper to the DCU full time as her sidekick, Cheshire Cat. If you don’t know who Lian is, let me break it down for you. She’s the daughter of Titan alum Roy Harper (aka Speedy, aka Arsenal, aka Red Arrow) and one of the most dangerous killers in the DC universe, Cheshire (Jade Nguyen), so with parents like that, you just know she’s going to be an amazingly awesome badass. I’ve known Lian since I was a kid reading my older cousin’s back issues of the New Teen Titans, so I was beyond elated to see her back since the whole New 52/Rebirth era began. 

Nina Vakueva and Laura Braga are the artists here, and I gotta say, while quite the departure from V’s co-pilot for the majority of the run, and while I miss his style, I am very in love with these ladies’ style. It’s energetic, yet still can work with the sci-noir feeling this book has had since its inception. The colors by Jordie Bellaire complement the work here by Vakueva and Braga, setting the mood for every panel. I hope to see these ladies on something else Gotham related (*ahem Birds of Prey needs a relaunch).