Catwoman #59: What Happens Next

Selina Kyle has always been a character that stood out from the norm. She is perhaps the textbook definition of an anti-hero, switching sides and always coming out with some twist at the end of a story arc. Since the beginning of Tom King’s Batman run, we’ve seen Selina develop a bit of a softer side but then there come moments where she does the complete unexpected, such as where we are now; a Catwoman desperate to escape Batman’s City after the events of the Gotham War.

Starting the Nine Ways to Die arc, the story takes place in Colombia where it appears, at first glance, Selina is already chasing somebody down. An unexpected turn of events happens where the man turns back and asks for Catwoman’s protection against some assassin named Paola Molina, a.k.a. Santa Espada. As the fight develops into a chase, Catwoman’s narration reveals that she is in possessions of one of her foe’s cats, wishing to return the poor animal without dying at her hand.

Selina also reveals that when she was struck by the meteor during the final events of the Gotham War, she was taken aback, surprised she was still alive. It was some stranger that told her cats don’t lose lives, but are simply reborn. Selina also reveals that she has nine marks on her back, with one of them filled in. This comes to say that Selina has used up one of her nine lives, and that she must tread lightly.

To showcase the brutality of Santa Espada, there are a couple panels in which she instructs her men to shoot at an others’ innocent guy that made a mistake.

When Catwoman tries to break into her foe’s 100 year old house, she finds her ready for battle. They slash at each other with Santa Espada landing more hits than Catwoman. As they fight, they exchange words about their experiences with men in their lives. Catwoman remembers Batman, and how he’s been so patient with her, as Santa Espada hates her ex with all her heart. Catwoman tries to talk some sense into her, telling Espada that her ex practically died for Selina. This enrages Espada to the point where she stabs Selina right in the chest but she’s still standing to Espada’s surprise. Selina then points out that police are on the way.

With Espada dealt with, Selina is back at her friend’s house where she’s staying for the time being. She looks in mirror, only to reveal that she has died twice, and has only seven lives left remaining.

The start of this new story arc, about the life and death about cats, calls into question the direction of where Selina’s character is going. Thinking about it for some time, it’s a scary dynamic to think that, with Selina doing good and having only seven lives remaining, the character’s life is on the line.