Written by Darwyn Cooke.
Art by Darwyn Cooke & Matt Hollingsworth.
Cover Art by Darwyn Cooke & Matt Hollingsworth.
SUMMARY:
Released in 2002 by DC Comics, this 96-page trade paperback serves as a standalone prequel setting up Catwoman’s then-imminent series relaunch.
Hiding out overseas after her presumed death, Selina Kyle’s luck finally goes bust once a promising Moroccan heist turns up a fake artifact. Forced to covertly return to Gotham City, Selina seeks out a trusted local pawnbroker/underworld fence, “Swifty,” to see if he knows of any get-rich-quick schemes worth her time. Through Chantel, a reluctant contact inside boyfriend Frank Falcone’s mob faction, Selina hears of his $24-million-dollar express train that will be crossing over the New York/Canadian border within the month.
Reluctantly approaching her former mentor/one-time lover, Stark, at his retirement getaway in South Florida, Selina convinces him to assemble the operation. In spite of their mutual misgivings, Selina senses that the ruthless Stark won’t hesitate to kill her, if either she double-crosses him again or becomes a liability.
In Las Vegas, they recruit a young tech genius, Jeff, to devise the experimental method in which they can board the moving train undetected by Falcone’s goons. With Swifty’s help, Selina conjures up an ingenious means of escape off the train with the considerable mob loot. Before the heist can commence, there’s the matter of Selina first shaking dogged Gotham private detective Slam Bradley off her trail.
Unbeknownst to Selina’s makeshift gang, Falcone deduces that somebody intends to rob his money train. Hence, he sends in a deadly mercenary duo to intercept them. A hard-nosed Bradley, through tragedy, learns of the blood money set-up that Selina has inadvertently stumbled into. Despite his misgivings, Bradley takes it upon himself to chase after Selina. The question becomes: it’s not just about the money, but who might still escape this inevitable shootout alive?
Note: This title’s formats also include digitally and hardcover.
REVIEW:
If one correlates Catwoman to The Usual Suspects, that’s the kind of crime noir one gets with Selina’s Big Score. Darwyn Cooke, in that sense, concocts an action-noir melodrama grounded in a bleak shade of reality or, at least, Hollywood mobster fantasy. For such a premise to succeed, its creative element depends upon Selina’s expendable supporting cast to give plot twists more heartbreaking impact.
This assessment, in particular, applies to Selina’s seemingly ordinary enemies in her Big Score. Though pitting Catwoman against the likes of the Riddler, Scarecrow, or the Joker is entertaining (i.e. her initial solo series), Falcone’s generic thugs and/or her crew’s potential double-crosses is close to the same entertainment value. Hence, Cooke ensures that even an experienced Selina’s resolve and ingenuity are tested when there’s no Dark Knight to make the convenient save. In this Big Score, it’s all up to a desperate Selina’s conscience to make or break her own ill-gotten fortune.
Including glimpses of her shady past as a young ex-prostitute-turned-apprentice thief, Cooke’s Selina Kyle reasserts why her characterization can command a long-running solo series. Still, Cooke’s plotting is hardly original for the ‘big heist’ genre; the violence-heavy clichés just fit this particular Catwoman caper.
As for Cooke’s visuals, his artwork falls well short of his best DC works (i.e. Justice League: The New Frontier). Case in point: even a skimming demonstrates that the unimpressive art throughout Selina’s Big Score looks at best passable. Yet, when absorbing the gritty homage to Hollywood heist thrillers (i.e. Stark’s persona resembles actor James Coburn), such low-key visuals then make better sense. More so to Cooke’s credit is that much of the story’s grisly mayhem occurs off-screen. Like any skilled film director for this genre, he infers obvious outcomes vs. choosing to gratuitously spell them out.
That leaves two pertinent questions: 1. How re-readable is Cooke’s storyline? 2. Does Selina’s Big Score justify purchase, especially given its ultra-slim page count? The first answer will surely vary on a reader’s tastes, but a single and thorough read should prove plenty. The second answer is simple: Selina’s Big Score makes more sense as a library find.
Had DC Comics inserted some worthy reprints to bolster the page count to a respectable number (i.e. 128 pages and up), a more persuasive argument would have been made for purchase. That said, Catwoman: Selina’s Big Score merits a chance for re-discovery. If anywhere, the library is really the best place to catch this heist.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Per his thank-you note written in 2002, Cooke introduces a full-page pin-up gallery with its own table-of-contents. The guest artists consist of: Mike Mignola; Michael Allred; Shane Glines; Kevin Nowlan; Adam Hughes; Daniel Torres; Jaime Hernandez; and Jim Steranko.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
