Catwoman: When in Rome

When we last saw Catwoman at the end of Dark Victory, we had learned of the possibility that Carmine Falcone was her father. In this followup, the last of Jeph Loeb's very successful trilogy that started with The Long Halloween, we find Selina in Rome searching for the answers to this mystery. Accompanying her on this roller coaster journey is one Mr. Edward Nigma, aka The Riddler, who ably and humorously provides the fodder for Selina's many acid tongued barbs, and as we eventually find out later in the story, much, much more. From the intriguing plotline to the witty one-liners and Selina's insightful and engaging internal monologue, this tale fires on all cylinders. Loeb's love for Catwoman is obvious, with his extensive use of her in all of his Battales, and who can blame him. Her star power shines brightly throughout them all by the sheer force of her multifaceted and magnetic personality. Loeb delivers, for a delightful change, a fairly wordy script that isn't the rapid read that his two previous installments of this ongoing saga, especially TLH, were and in the process delivers his most exceptional work yet. Most sequels usually end up as pale and disappointing imitations of the original, but he has bucked that trend with this series that exhibited improvements with each installment, culminating here with his grand finale. His place in the Batman pantheon of writers was cemented with these books, and while he may be currently writing for Marvel, here is one fan who would like to see him weave his magic one more time with the Bat and the Cat.

Loeb is one of our greatest comic book writers,especially when it comes to Batman. He'skinda making our hero into something new, much more believable. Loeb and Sale's classic story (where their reputation rests) is the early Batman stories, like The Long Halloween, which features Catwoman quite prominently, though she does disappear. This is the story of her time gone from TLH, in Rome. We learn a lot about Selina Kyle. It seems Loeb's influence is heavily on her as well as many of the other Batman characters.

Jeph Loeb is, in my opinion, the best writer in comics these days. I have thoroughly enjoyed everything that he has written, and Catwoman: When in Rome is no exception! This story works well as a sequel to Batman: The Long Halloween, also by Loeb and Sale. It's always fun to see more character development from these two, Sale's artistic style flawlessly conveying Loeb's story and adding much to it. The Riddler's role in this book is a lot of fun, showing his cowardice and sinister nature amidst much comic relief. Catwoman is, as always, graceful and sexy, and learning further elements of her past is a good time. Highly Recommended for Catwoman, Batman, Loeb and Sale fans!

Catwoman: When In Rome is a graphic novel containing six issues of the comic book series published in 2005. Re-published in graphic novel hardcover format, this is a must-have for fans of the Bat and the Cat. Writer Jeph Loeb has spun an almost magical tale about Selina Kyle going to Rome to find out about her past and to steal a mafia ring from the Vatican. Catwoman has brought along Edward Nigma to help her. The Riddler is in over his head, as he and Selina tangle with Sicily's finest. They meet a man known as "the Blonde." The Blonde is a great character, all man as Selina is all woman. There is sizzling romance and mystery as traces of Gotham's supervillians keep turning up in the Mediterranean. Selina must uncover the truth before it is too late. Artist Tim Sale is staggeringly talented. He draws Selina lushly. She is Sophia Loren with claws. I was entranced by his drawings, and by colorist Tim Stewart's gorgeous palette of colors. Gotham is usually portrayed in cool shades of blue and green. In this graphic novel, Stewart uses all warm shades. The whole book is as warm as an evening in the Sicilian countryside. The story and art combine to create something that is very much like a classic movie from the '60's. The story is old-fashioned and classic. Pour a glass of vino and settle down with When In Rome. I wish I could give this book ten stars. One of the best ever, period.

I love the projects Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale team-up together on (Superman for All Seasons being my absolute favorite) and Catwoman is my all-time favorite comic book character, so when I heard about this project in the summer of 2005 it sounded like heaven. Sadly I missed collecting the original miniseries so I snapped up this hardcover the minute I could get my claws on it. This follows Selina Kyle after the events of The Long Halloween (probably Loeb & Sale's most popular book together.) It's very early in her Catwoman career, and she's still dealing with her attraction to Batman and even her own identity. After the grisley events of Halloween, she decides to hoof it to Rome to find out the truth of her past and maybe pick up a priceless gem and a hot local guy or two. She takes the Riddler with her, which is pretty unusual, but after explaining why he's there he becomes a nice piece of comic relief for most of the book. I loved watching Selina beating him up. A lot. You could pick this book up and enjoy it if you haven't read Long Halloween, but Selina's contacts in Rome are all related to the Falcone family, whose exploits and various murders happen in that book. All in all this was a fun read, and while I love the current Catwoman series (don't get me started on issue #50 though, oy!) it was nice seeing Selina as a self-absorbed socialite-type for a bit. There IS a major revelation in this book about Selina's real parentage, which tweaks her entire backstory. I can only assume the abusive/suicidal parents we've been shown for so long as her backstory happened after the events shown in this book. This is a valentine to Selina Kyle and her prior jet-setting lifestyle, and also to the stylish Rome- and they fit together like a glove. The art is, as usual, unique and gorgeous. Here Ms. Kyle is drawn as a curvy, buxom strong sex kitten with long curly hair. I always thought she looked a bit odd in Long Halloween, but I'm happy to say she looks great in here. This colorful hardcover has a great story inside with a French and Italian couture/film noir look and feel to it, and it'll look great on your shelf. 'When In Rome' is a vacation from current comics that take themselves too seriously while wrapped in ridiculous looking spandex. It's sexy, fun, engaging and highly recommended.