Future State: Catwoman #1: Here Comes the Railway Cat!

It goes without saying that Gotham’s future would be incomplete without accounting for Catwoman. Selina Kyle has been a part of the Gotham landscape for nearly as long as Batman and Robin themselves. Of course, given that she once left Gotham for a stint in Villa Hermosa, California, you could be forgiven for thinking that Selina might consider departing her native city by the time this issue takes place. After all, Gotham has turned into a police state and Bruce Wayne is believed dead, shot in an alleyway.  Under those circumstances, what is there to hold her? But Catwoman has always been a creature of Gotham at heart, and if she ever wants to see the city she loves return to anything like its previous self, there is a great deal of work to do.

Besides, as she says, it’s what he would have done.

Fortunately, Selina has built up a foundation and connections that can’t be easily lost or abandoned. Part of those connections, specifically her personal circle of peers, can be seen in the Gotham City Sirens backup in The Next Batman. Here, writer Ram V and artist Otto Schmidt explore her more “professional” side, thrusting Selina into perhaps her biggest heist of all time, undertaken with the aid of her Strays. This team, almost more of a movement, is the direct descendent of the Strays currently featured in Ram V’s regular Catwoman issues: a group of ragtag poor or transient youths whom Selina has taken into her paws as mentees.

Living in a fascist state does bring out the better angels in a woman who walks the line, but Selina isn’t Batman – she has methods and skills of her own. So when she finds herself slipping into the role of liberator, she does so by aiming to steal a 10,000 ton prize in the form of the entire train and all of the Magistrate’s onboard captives. If she fails and the children are allowed to be delivered to the Magistrate’s reformatory, they will be “shown the path” to becoming obedient citizens. Given what we’ve seen of the Magistrate regime, it would be difficult not to read that in an ominous mental voice, and even more difficult not to assume that this path involves some form of brainwashing.

With the aid of her allies and her new, high-tech costume, Selina is prepared, but even so there are two complicating factors:

First, there is currently a Gotham Council liaison onboard observing and readying a report for Peacekeeper 01, which keeps the crew of the train particularly tense and alert.

Second, unknown to Selina, two cars hold “special” passengers that require extra guards and strict security measures.

Ah, a challenge! But Selina is resourceful. And if anyone can work something out to use this situation to her advantage, it’s Catwoman!

Future State: Catwoman #1 is similar to the other Gotham FS titles in that the world reflected here is extrapolated directly from events in the present series. With the rise of the Magistrate, the Strays slid even further into hiding, and even developed their own chants, their own signals. A few familiar faces from the first generation of Strays remain as well – a nice tie to the “past” that reminds us of how this all began.

Both V and Schmidt are in their element here, and that is hardly surprising. Like many I originally encountered V’s work as a fill-in writer on the title he eventually inherited, Catwoman, during Joelle Jones’ run. His top-notch work there drummed up enthusiasm and fan support for his coming onto the title long term when Jones left, including from me. But even more, I’ve followed his name onto graphic novels and series I otherwise wouldn’t have thought twice about, and I have never been disappointed. V’s Selina is sharp, confident, and fearless even in the face of extremely long odds.

Her affection for and grief over Batman is clear, but she doesn’t wallow or linger on it. V never allows her to be swallowed by Bruce’s long shadow. Selina had her own agenda, her own allies, her own enemies, and her own life that continues with or without Bruce.

As for the artwork, Schmidt is wildly popular for a reason: his deceptively simple artwork is both graceful and expressive. Moreover, his are some of the most beautiful designs in the entire Future State event. His Catwoman suit in particular is sleek, sexy and functional. He also provides his own colors, which makes for a stunning combination – Alleytown and the interior of the train are washed in complex grey-toned colors that make for a sharp contrast with the brighter pops of reds and blues. Together they create a grungy cyberpunk nightmare Gotham with graffiti on the walls and much of its heart excised by the Magistrate’s scalpel.

Considering the way the issue ends, the second should be even more interesting than the first.

Finally, in honor of Ram V, I have removed as many adverbs as I can from this review. You’re welcome, sir.