Absolute Catwoman #1 Review

 

Absolute Catwoman #1 Review

Writers: Che Grayson & Scott Snyder

Artist & Cover Artist: Bengal

Colorist: Giovanna Niro

Letterer: Lucas Gattoni

Variant Cover Artists: David Nakayama, Sozomaika & Kaare Andrews

1:25 Variant Cover Artist: Mateus Manhanini

Foil Variant Cover Artist: Bengal

Also Available: Logo Cover

Editors: Andrew Marino, Katie Kubert & Chris Conroy

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99 US/Variants $5.99 (cardstock)

Release Date: June 10, 2026

 

She grew up with Bruce, Waylon, Ozzie, Eddie, and Harvey in Crime Alley. Selina helped Bruce set up the deal with Carmine Falcone that got Waylon his gym. Then she escaped Gotham and made a name for herself as she traveled the world. But when Bruce went missing for months, Selina Kyle returned home to see what Ark M did to him.

 

"Don't trust her, kid," Alfred Pennyworth advised. But Bruce knew what he needed to know about Selina Kyle. Her gear suggested an association with Black Mask, the organization that had wracked Gotham with violence. "Don't tell me you got where you got by playing clean," Bruce said to her. Still, she helped him battle Bane. "If the rules aren't fair, stop playing by them," was Selina's slogan.

 

What did Selina Kyle do in Penang that turned Alfred against her? And where will Catwoman turn up next? Let’s leap into Absolute Catwoman #1 and see!

 

Story

As a woman in a Catsuit slips into her apartment on a rainy night, Selina Kyle is ready. She shoots the intruder with tranquilizer darts. But then someone starts shooting at Selina. And they're not firing darts. After finding cover, Selina spies more women dressed like her. But unlike her, the copycats' gear is a mere costume. Selina uses her enhancements and abilities to send them scurrying away. Then Selina notices the explosives they left. And before she can deactivate them or escape, the Semtex detonates.

 

The explosive beginning in Absolute Catwoman #1 hurls readers back in time. When she awakens that morning, Selina is contemplating a major life change. Then the clock winds back further. Before Selina Kyle could afford a penthouse flat in London, she was a foster child in Gotham. Selina never had a loving family. But she forged friendships along the way. And she always had a dream.

 

Che Grayson and Scott Snyder interweave past and present to bring readers up to speed on Selina's life. Amid the rapid-fire action, Selina realizes that her plans have abruptly changed. In one crazy night, she loses the sense of security she fought hard to achieve. Yet even though people have done her wrong, Selina risks her life to protect them from danger in Absolute Catwoman #1. 

 

Art

As cats watch from a dark alley, a gleaming tower rises above the London streets. Within the glass-walled flat, a silhouette crawls along the floor. After removing a painting from the wall, the woman in a catsuit turns as the shadow of a cat rises on the wall safe. Bengal devotes a two-page spread to show Selena utilizing her weapons and fighting skills against her opponents. Then, Selina's blue-and-green apartment transforms into a yellow, orange, and red inferno.

 

Giovanna Niro draws on a collection of limited palettes to differentiate time and location. Sunlight fills her apartment with pink and purple. Green, blue, and yellow fill spaces without windows. Gray links Selina’s past with her present, while orange, yellow, and red hint at how she was always one step ahead of trouble in her youth. Yet as Selina remembers the evening before her apartment exploded, pink foreshadows the violence to come in Absolute Catwoman #1.

 

Lucas Gattoni slips black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and white uppercase letters into blue boxes. Dark blue boxes indicate Selina's thoughts and comments to her aide, while medium blue boxes convey Jonesy's responses. Stylish black letters in light blue fields locate readers in space and time. While orange and red exhalations indicate fatigue, purple communicates pain. Sound effects enhance Selina's reaction to threats, while gunfire and explosions threaten her glorious future. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Serena had seen how people could abuse positions of trust. Instead of loving and safeguarding her, they had exploited her. So when relationships proved too difficult, Selina Kyle opted for isolation. After so many years alone, she may have consigned her childhood dreams to the dustbin. But then, an unexpected reunion sparks a journey that could offer Selina Kyle another shot at everything she once wanted in Absolute Catwoman #1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Absolute Catwoman #1.

 

For Selina Kyle's relationship with Bruce Wayne, see my preview of Absolute Batman #12, 

 

 My preview of Absolute Batman #13, and 

 

My preview of Absolute Batman #14.