In Catwoman #58, Catwoman and Batman come to a shaky alliance to help the mentally manipulated Jason Todd. Vandal Savage and his daughter Scandal gather forces for their final plot against the citizens of Gotham City.
Title: Catwoman #58
Written by: Tini Howard
Art by: Nico Leon
Main Cover by: David Nakayama
Variant Covers: Rian Gonzales, Tirso Cons, Joshua “Sway” Swaby, Gabriele Dell’Otto
Release Date: October 17, 2023
This comic book review contains spoilers
Batman and Catwoman have Laundry Day together
Catwoman #58 takes place immediately after the events of Batman #138. The Gotham War reaches an impasse as Batman (Bruce Wayne) and Catwoman (Selina Kyle) meet on a rooftop. Bruce is visibly distraught as his last POV on the rooftop was his backup personality Zur en Arrh surrounded by his murdered parents. Selina is shocked at the agitation on his face. They come to a tepid cease-fire for the moment. Batman wants Catwoman to cease her goon army’s activities. Catwoman just wants to know what Batman did to Red Hood (Jason Todd). In the previous issue, we saw Jason getting extremely frightened whenever he would try to be violent.
A huge explosion throws the pair off the rooftop and into a large laundry hamper in the alley below. Fires are being set all over this area of Gotham City. Bat and Cat embrace in the fall and nearly kiss.
Then, Bruce tries to leave and deal with the fires, but Selina asks what happened with Jason. Bruce says that he cured Red Hood but is unable to say more. Batman pulls another classic disappear in the midst of a conversation, leaving Selina alone.
Catwoman loses her head, and we are shown the endgame.
Next, Selina gets a radio transmission from an unknown associate asking if she is alone. We see her jumping from Laundry Alley to the rooftops of Gotham City. The associate is tipping her off about trouble with her crew on the 78th floor. Having not read all the previous issues nor a Catwoman comic in some time, I am assuming that the 78th floor is to her HQ in the Gotham War. We see Catwoman confronting Vandal Savage and his perfectly named daughter, Scandal, as they lay out their endgame. Vandal wants these three items stolen that were made from the meteor that created his immortality. If her new army can steal these, he will grant them immortality. Selina refuses the offer. Vandal proceeds to decapitate Selina! End of comic.
No, actually it is just Lady Clayface masquerading as Selina Kyle. She slithers off to inform Selina of Savage’s plan. The radio transmission earlier was from Selina to Lady Clayface. This is not made abundantly clear at all.
In the next scene, we see Professor Pyg has assembled most of the big crime bosses in Gotham City for Vandal Savage. Vandal berates Firefly for the fires that he set in Gotham City. He praises the superiority of the bosses versus the flunkies now given power by Selina. The great solution presented to these men is to destroy both Batman and Catwoman, and their flunkies will come crawling back.
Variant cover by Tirso Cons
Red Hood is still Robin, for better or worse.
Meanwhile, Jason Todd sneaks up from the sewers in the midst of fires all around him, trying to get past some GCPD beat cops. He starts to run past, knowing he is only four blocks to Bruce’s brownstone. But, that zany fear kicks in, and he stumbles to the ground. He hears a little girl in the fire and leaps in to save her.
Meanwhile, in the Gotham Museum of Natural Science, Catwoman steals the Blade of King Ludwig II to keep it out of Vandal Savage’s hands. Selina remarks that she has some last-ditch plans. As she is making her getaway, she is intercepted by Scandal Savage. Scandal and her have a five-second tussle. Scandal is trying one last effort to get her former prison pal on board. She fails, and they part company.
Next, Selina comes to Bruce Wayne’s brownstone. She is worried about Jason and encouraged by their laundry encounter. After meeting up with Batman, they go out to find Jason. What exactly Bruce did to Jason is bothering Selina, but Bruce will not say.
They track Jason to a burning building and find him pinned under a beam. Batman wrestles it off, and we see Jason has saved the little girl. Batman piggy-backs Jason out of the inferno, and the three of them decide they have to work together against Vandal Savage.
This issue ends with a full page of wealthy Gotham residents complaining about the effects of Catwoman’s new thief army. We are shown all of the crime bosses of Gotham City decked in Batman inspired costumes. Ventriloquist is dressed like Batman with Scarface as Robin. Black Mask has donned full Batman armor, and Mad Hatter has a Bat-belt.
Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with an advanced copy of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Comixology through Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
