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Catwoman by Jim Balent #2
Catwoman by Jim Balent, Book Two
By day she is a beautiful socialite, by night she becomes the world's greatest thief. Catwoman by Jim Balent Book Two will take Selina Kyle on an adventure that will change her views of herself and the world. The only question is: How many of her nine lives will she have to use?
Written by fan favorite Batman writer Chuck Dixon with stunning art by Jim Balent, Catwoman by Jim Balent Book Two continues the epic story of the now-legendary Catwoman series as she walks a tightrope between a life of crime and a road to redemption!
When Catwoman is captured by a secret government organization and blackmailed into committing an impossible robbery, she is caught in a no-win situation: the infamous feline burglar must steal an ancient relic of a small European country or suffer the detonation of a cyanide capsule that has been implanted in her arm! Realizing success will lead to her termination by her captors, Catwoman will have to use her ingenuity to turn the tables against the government agency and save her own life.
Collects Catwoman #14-24, #0, Catwoman Annual #2 and Showcase '95 #4.
Written by fan favorite Batman writer Chuck Dixon with stunning art by Jim Balent, Catwoman by Jim Balent Book Two continues the epic story of the now-legendary Catwoman series as she walks a tightrope between a life of crime and a road to redemption!
When Catwoman is captured by a secret government organization and blackmailed into committing an impossible robbery, she is caught in a no-win situation: the infamous feline burglar must steal an ancient relic of a small European country or suffer the detonation of a cyanide capsule that has been implanted in her arm! Realizing success will lead to her termination by her captors, Catwoman will have to use her ingenuity to turn the tables against the government agency and save her own life.
Collects Catwoman #14-24, #0, Catwoman Annual #2 and Showcase '95 #4.
360 pages, Paperback
First published March 12, 2019
7 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Jim Balent
506 books30 followersJim Balent's work has been published by several comic book companies, including Marvel, Dark Horse and DC Comics.He has drawn some notable characters, such as Batman, Vampirella, and the sexy femme fatal, Catwoman.
He has worked on many character designs and posters for the film and video industry. In the year 2000, Jim Balent and Holly Golightly started their own comic book company, BroadSword Comics.
Jim's creation, Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose, is an ongoing story about a voluptuous young Witch who battles to keep the balance between Magick and Mankind. Jim Balent lives in Eastern Pennsylvania with his beloved Witch , Holly, a pesky cat, Brujah and he has a black lagoon that he calls a kio pond.
Jim was never breast fed as a baby.
He has worked on many character designs and posters for the film and video industry. In the year 2000, Jim Balent and Holly Golightly started their own comic book company, BroadSword Comics.
Jim's creation, Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose, is an ongoing story about a voluptuous young Witch who battles to keep the balance between Magick and Mankind. Jim Balent lives in Eastern Pennsylvania with his beloved Witch , Holly, a pesky cat, Brujah and he has a black lagoon that he calls a kio pond.
Jim was never breast fed as a baby.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 5, 2019
Some standard Catwoman stories from the nineties. The stories are pretty much all the same.
Catwoman steals something. The person she stole it from wants revenge. Catwoman weasels out of trouble. Rinse. Wash. Repeat. Future Catwoman runs like those by Ed Brubaker, Darwyn Cooke, and now Joelle Jones put these tired stories to shame. Balent's art is the star here. It reminds me some of Barry Kitson.
Catwoman steals something. The person she stole it from wants revenge. Catwoman weasels out of trouble. Rinse. Wash. Repeat. Future Catwoman runs like those by Ed Brubaker, Darwyn Cooke, and now Joelle Jones put these tired stories to shame. Balent's art is the star here. It reminds me some of Barry Kitson.
May 12, 2019
This volume contains issues #0, 14-24, and Annual #2. It does have Showcase '95 #4, but there is no cover included to indicate that is what it is (it's the short story titled "Fear No Man").
Balent and company serve up more of the Catwoman we love; the series is reliably fun and entertaining.
I seriously hope DC speeds up the publication schedule for subsequent volumes; a year and a half between releases is a long wait for GN treatment for a series that has been completed for nearly 20 years.
Balent and company serve up more of the Catwoman we love; the series is reliably fun and entertaining.
I seriously hope DC speeds up the publication schedule for subsequent volumes; a year and a half between releases is a long wait for GN treatment for a series that has been completed for nearly 20 years.
June 19, 2020
This was a pretty formulaic story, as others have pointed out. Selina steals something, gets in a tight spot, cue fight scene, Selina escapes. I did rather enjoy the few volumes where she was "recruited" by the government agency, they were reminiscent of Suicide Squad. Overall, it was decent, but not a must read, unless you are a completionist or a huge Catwoman fan.
December 7, 2019
More Catwoman, my favourite anti-hero! I enjoy Selina Kyle's adventures and love to see classics such as these, where all Catwoman did was jump from one thieving job to the next. She's spectacular and in her prime, never needing anyone to help her and fighting to stay alive.
The first story was completely random and threw me off a little bit, but the majority of the stories are fun with snappy one-liners, great action, and Selina Kyle being the feisty queen she is. While each of the stories is still a product of its time, I was still able to see Selina Kyle as the powerful, independent person she is, and look forward to more of her stories in the future!
The first story was completely random and threw me off a little bit, but the majority of the stories are fun with snappy one-liners, great action, and Selina Kyle being the feisty queen she is. While each of the stories is still a product of its time, I was still able to see Selina Kyle as the powerful, independent person she is, and look forward to more of her stories in the future!
July 29, 2022
The second volume of Catwoman did not wow me as much as the first did. I kept trying to pin point why. I think it may be because it was a lot of the same thing as the first volume and the stories were very predictable or things happened that were very convenient. I know they’re just comics, but the little stuff does sometimes get to me. And I love this character so it’s hard not to get invested.
For instance, the storyline about the crime family where everything blows up in smoke at the end. That was so dramatic and the panels did not really tell or fill in the entire story. I though that storyline was rushed as were others. I also felt like Catwoman was thrown into typical male action hero situations that didn’t necessarily fit in well with her, like the whole crime family situation and the swashbuckling buccaneer looking guy. It was very formulaic and didn’t feel like it went with who she is at all times.
With that being said I did still enjoy the dark art that was reminiscent of the time. Jim Balent is really great with this, although I felt the character was way more sexualized in this volume. Maybe that was just me? I felt like maybe comic book execs pushed to make her more sexual as the series went on. I do love the torn wedding/cat suit look though. That was truly a great image and cover. Her tiger green outfit during the movie storyline was cool too.
Other positives were that Catwoman still comes off as bad ass and dominant over men and others around her which is still true to her character. I also enjoyed the Year One story line although the ending was a bit lackluster. I know I don’t sell it, but I’m still glad I read this collection. It was worth the read as I do feel these stories make a fun entry in the Catwoman canon. They’re definitely a must for any Catwoman fan.
For instance, the storyline about the crime family where everything blows up in smoke at the end. That was so dramatic and the panels did not really tell or fill in the entire story. I though that storyline was rushed as were others. I also felt like Catwoman was thrown into typical male action hero situations that didn’t necessarily fit in well with her, like the whole crime family situation and the swashbuckling buccaneer looking guy. It was very formulaic and didn’t feel like it went with who she is at all times.
With that being said I did still enjoy the dark art that was reminiscent of the time. Jim Balent is really great with this, although I felt the character was way more sexualized in this volume. Maybe that was just me? I felt like maybe comic book execs pushed to make her more sexual as the series went on. I do love the torn wedding/cat suit look though. That was truly a great image and cover. Her tiger green outfit during the movie storyline was cool too.
Other positives were that Catwoman still comes off as bad ass and dominant over men and others around her which is still true to her character. I also enjoyed the Year One story line although the ending was a bit lackluster. I know I don’t sell it, but I’m still glad I read this collection. It was worth the read as I do feel these stories make a fun entry in the Catwoman canon. They’re definitely a must for any Catwoman fan.
February 8, 2022
It's fine. The second book of Balent's run as artist on Catwoman features mostly heist-of-the-week stories, so you get a mix of thieving, fighting, and mob entanglements. Will the writing in here win any awards? No. But, it is not even close to being among the worst written comics of this era. The art, by Jim Balent, can lean into the cheesecake, but Balent certainly can draw. This volume also contains The Catfile, Chuck Dixon's story about Catwoman being coerced into acting as an agent for a shadowy government organization. It's also fine. On the whole, not necessary reading for either the Bat Family or Catwoman, but is still a fun read.
January 1, 2020
Rolling tales of adventure of different quality.
The best of the second volume is written by Chuck Dixon. This man knows how to get the action going. Chases, acrobatic tricks, martial arts combat and shootouts, he juggles it all effortlessly. He has a four issue story arc about Catwoman being forced to work for a nameless spy agency doing heists. She, of course, hates every minute of it but the implanted cyanide capsule insurance makes her jump through some hoops. The next short story has her running away from robot dinosaur in a tornado on a tropical island. If that doesn't sound great, this comic book is just not for you. The rest of the stories are written by other authors and are significantly weaker, sometimes descending into a downright mess in contrast.
The best of the second volume is written by Chuck Dixon. This man knows how to get the action going. Chases, acrobatic tricks, martial arts combat and shootouts, he juggles it all effortlessly. He has a four issue story arc about Catwoman being forced to work for a nameless spy agency doing heists. She, of course, hates every minute of it but the implanted cyanide capsule insurance makes her jump through some hoops. The next short story has her running away from robot dinosaur in a tornado on a tropical island. If that doesn't sound great, this comic book is just not for you. The rest of the stories are written by other authors and are significantly weaker, sometimes descending into a downright mess in contrast.
October 16, 2021
I liked it. Not as fun as the first volume in this collection of graphic novels. If I had to pinpoint the portion that made it lose its 4th star, I'd have to say it was the 3 part arc: Family Ties. Felt all over the place, up to the point where I didn't much care anymore for the story and just felt like finishing it finally. But Selina Kyle still manages to keep my interest throughout it all.
January 12, 2024
Fun read. Dixon's arcs are entertaining and provide action and laughs and Balent's work is just splendid. The closing arc "Family Ties" was a step down for me, not bad just less interesting. Year One was just fine. 4.5
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews