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Catwoman (2018)

Catwoman, Vol. 3: Friend or Foe?

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The Year of the Cat

Selina Kyle came to Villa Hermosa to get away from the chaos of Gotham City. But chaos has a way of catching up, even to Catwoman.

Lex Luthor is prepared to give Selina a gift that could change her life forever--as long as she leaves the path of righteousness behind and bares her villainous claws once more! If Selina accepts, Lex's gift could give her the advantage over her top criminal rival in Villa Hermosa, the diabolical Raina Creel.

With an offer that tempting, how could Catwoman resist sliding back into her old ways to once again be a cat whose path you never want to cross?

Eisner Award-nominated writer/artist Jo�lle Jones (Lady Killer) weaves together every plot thread she's created since the start of Selina's saga, joined by Fernando Blanco (Batwoman) and Laura Allred (iZombie). Collects Catwoman #16-21.

152 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 2020

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About the author

Joëlle Jones

268 books390 followers
Joëlle Jones is an American comic book artist based in Los Angeles.
Jones attended the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland and has worked with a number of comics publishers, including DC, Marvel, Boom, Oni Press. She wrote and drew her own series Lady Killer, published by Dark Horse comics.
Jones has also provided illustration work for a number of clients, including Prada and the New York Times.

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5 stars
63 (14%)
4 stars
152 (34%)
3 stars
185 (41%)
2 stars
38 (8%)
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4 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
Profile Image for Chad.
10.2k reviews1,047 followers
July 1, 2020
Joelle Jones closes out Selina's time in Villa Hermosa along with any dangling plot threads. The Year of the Villain issues are told in such a nonlinear fashion that it's hard to tell what happened in them. I'm still not sure if she accepted Lex Luther's offer or not. Selina also fights a whole lot of zombies which I didn't really get why. The art by Jones and Fernando Blanco is pretty grand.
Profile Image for Gabrielle (Reading Rampage).
1,175 reviews1,724 followers
July 3, 2020
I continue to love Joelle Jones' "Catwoman" series: her artwork is simply stunning and while her stories sometimes suffer from uneven pacing, they are still loads of fun!

This third volume wraps up Selina's stint in Villa Hermosa, and brings to a conclusion her fight against the disguting Raina Creel. The non-chronological narration was a touch confusing at first (did I miss something between volume 2 and 3 or did I just need to re-read volume 2?!), but I eventually figured it out and then it all made sense.

Lex Luthor finds Selina and tries to convince her that she must make a choice between being a good cat or a bad cat. But Selina has always walked that line like a talented aerialist, and she isn't so sure she's about to choose a side. She wants to go back home to Gotham, where being a little of both worked for her. But before she can pack her bags, she needs to make sure Raina won't use her access to a Lazarus pit to turn all of Villa Hermosa into zombies.

I was a bit disappointed that Jones hadn't produced all the art in this volume: Blanco is a great artist, no doubt about that, but I prefer Jones' touch. The way she draws eyes and mouths make her characters truly pop, and I wish it had been consistent through the whole book.

Besides that small "meh", I was very pleased with this latest installement of "Catwoman", and I'm looking forward to volume 4!
Profile Image for Chris Lemmerman.
Author 7 books120 followers
April 3, 2020
Actually collecting issues 14-21 (because solicits are never right anymore), this is the end of the first phase of Joelle Jones' Catwoman story, bringing her time in Villa Hermosa to a close.

We get Catwoman's Year Of The Villain tie-in, which Jones manages to weave nicely into her ongoing plot featuring Raina Creel and some Lazarus Pit zombies, but then things begin to fall apart a bit. Jones is juggling a lot of balls, and some of them crash down as the series starts telling the story in a non-linear fashion, which makes it extremely hard to follow at times. Maybe re-reading it in trade will make more sense, but single issues with a month between wasn't the best way to experience the story.

Otherwise, when it does make sense, it's pretty great. There are also some fill-in issues by Ram V which give Catwoman some stealing to do (she doesn't seem to do that quite so much under Jones), and the ending of the volume is a real triumph as Selina manages to save the day and herself, and her friends, and it's such a hard-earned victory that you can't help but smile.

Jones draws some of these issues, but the main bulk of the artwork is handled by Fernando Blanco, whom I've sung the praises of numerous times before. His unique line gives his art a really different feeling to it, and the shadows of Villa Hermosa have never looked as good as when he's drawing them.

A few timeline issues aside, Joelle Jones' Catwoman continues to impress. You just might have to rip some pages out and put them in the right order first. (Or maybe I'm just dumb. That's always a possibility.)
Profile Image for Rylan.
396 reviews15 followers
October 18, 2021
Much better than the last volume, there are some really emotional moments in here that show how much Jones knows who Selina is. The issues drawn by Jones look amazing she’s probably the best Catwoman artist next to Cooke.
Profile Image for Robert.
4,469 reviews28 followers
March 6, 2021
Disjointed, inconsistent, disconnected, and worst of all boring. Jamming in pieces from a mega-crossover with no context is useless filler, and marketing something as 'tying up loose ends' is just marketing code for trying to shine $hit we screwed up or forgot about in the first place
78 reviews2 followers
May 23, 2025
I've found all of Jones' Catwoman unfortunately boring, and the final Villa Hermosa volume does little to add to it. Not much happens and it's skippable overall.

Jones' art was one of the few positives, as well as the moments with Maggie and Zatanna, though I'm struggling to understand how Zee actually helped. Then again, a lot of things didn't make sense like Selina in the Lazarus pit, the new costume or Luthor.

The villain of Raina Creel was alright but worse than usual here, I wasn't particularly moved by or interested in anything that happened, maybe because it was clear the city would be left to its own devices afterwards anyway.

I think the problem with this and the preceding volumes is that the stakes are low. I don't need drama, but this felt like filler until Selina could get back to Gotham and actually do something of note, so I didn't care about the characters.
Profile Image for Shaun Stanley.
1,261 reviews
June 25, 2024
Catwoman Vol. 3 Friend or Foe collects issues 16-21 of the DC Comics series written by Joëlle Jones with art by Joëlle Jones, Fernando Blanco, Geraldo Borges, Aneke, and Inaki Miranda.

Set during the events of the Year of the Villain, Catwoman continues her battle with Raina Creel.

Story wise, this is extremely messy. There was so much going on and it was hard to figure out why. Thankfully Joëlle Jones returns as the primary artist so at least it’s extremely pretty to look at. This volume wraps up Jones’s writing and interior art for Catwoman though she will continue to provide art for the covers as writing duty moves on to Ram V.
Profile Image for Marie.
181 reviews4 followers
July 4, 2023
Un run très chouette par Joëlle Jones, malgré un deuxième tome moins convaincant.

L'histoire : Selina a quitté Gotham - et Bruce - et tente une nouvelle vie en toute discrétion à Villa Hermosa. C'est sans compter sur une mafieuse locale qui l'a prise en rogne...

Un récit qui rejoint les thèmes classiques de Cat : affirmation de soi, famille, honneur, justice... tout en ajoutant une pointe de fantastique surprenante mais qui fonctionne !
Profile Image for Susan.
1,686 reviews38 followers
October 13, 2020
The artwork is amazing. Selina is sexy as hell. There are lots of cats. What more do you need to know? The story was a bit confusing as it kept jumping back and forth in time. I wasn't a big fan of the zombies but the overall it was engaging. Raina is one villain I'll be happy to never see again! I liked the ending and I'm glad Selina is headed back to Gotham.
Profile Image for Quentin Wallace.
Author 34 books177 followers
July 16, 2024
We get a wrap up to the story arc here. I have mixed feelings about the arc. It had its strong points, but it got weird in a way that didn't really fit the story at parts. Overall I liked it, just didn't love it. I did like that we got a fairly definitive ending, considering sometimes we don't.
Profile Image for Pao Vargas.
59 reviews
September 24, 2021
3.5/5☆

“What will it be, Catwoman — hero or villain?” — Catwoman vol. 5 #16

“Falling with you never felt like the destruction I feared. It was closer to salvation.” — Catwoman vol. 5 #17

“Your trust issues run deep, you know that?” “So I’ve been told.” — Catwoman vol. 5 #18

“You never know how important a good night’s rest is until you don’t have it.” — Catwoman vol. 5 #21
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,733 reviews34 followers
March 26, 2021
Even though I’m still upset with Selina for breaking Bruce’s heart.... I have enjoyed watching her development in this series. Solid action and some nice “girl power” moments—I loved the team-up with Zatana. I’m hoping Selina realizes how manipulated she was and that she and Bruce can eventually find happiness. (Though a small part of me doesn’t want Bruce to take her back, but.... I digress.) A quick read that delivers exactly what it promises: Equal parts Catwoman action and character development. (Though can someone tell me how the Lazarus Pit gave her a new costume....??? That kinda bugged me lol)
Profile Image for Kat.
2,343 reviews117 followers
December 3, 2020
Basic plot: Catwoman continues to deal with the underworld of Villa Hermosa as she contemplates her future and past.

I love this series. Joelle Jones is a good writer and artist, and I love the way she pulls both together for Catwoman. Selina Kyle is a complex character, and that causes her to struggle with her life choices. Sure, in the heat of a tense moment she deals with the hits as they come, but the quiet times are quite a bit harder. She has hard decisions to make. I am thoroughly enjoying this.
Profile Image for FrontalNerdaty .
467 reviews8 followers
July 19, 2021
Catwoman begins her life over… again.

What I liked -
The constant costume call backs was a fun thing to have throughout. The purple dress was a particular highlight and somewhat refreshing from the overtly sexual redesign Jones bought to the book (heels… really?). The team up with Zatanna is fun.

What I disliked -
The use of Luthor as a faux guide for Selina was a bit odd, it did give some interesting interactions but it didn’t entirely work. Having the Lazarus pit featured was quite pointless and served no real purpose beyond an attempt at comic cred.

2/5.
Profile Image for Garrett.
1,731 reviews22 followers
June 18, 2022
There's non-linear storytelling and then there's just being all over the fucking place. And why does the Cat change outfits every five seconds? And really? Zombies? The best thing about this volume is that it ends things that needed ending, like Raina Creel (whose zombie kid is still out there somewhere?) and Villa Hermosa, which just never really congealed for me in terms of stakes. The art in this one is inconsisent, too - a transitional volume?
Profile Image for Sarah.
651 reviews2 followers
January 17, 2023
This ended well and gave Selina closure.

As a whole, I wasn't all that impressed with this adventure. I felt that the angle it took was way out of where her story began in the Batman series. Admittedly, zombies aren't my thing but still it seemed to come out of nowhere. I was much more invested in Selina's relationship with her sister and her struggle with her feelings for Bruce. All in all it was ok. But I have read better.
5,870 reviews144 followers
July 29, 2020
Catwoman: Friend or Foe? picks up where the previous trade paperback left off collecting six issues (Catwoman #16–21) of the 2018 on-going series.

The trade paperback has Selina Kyle as Catwoman taking a dip in a Lazarus Pit, lead there by Lex Luthor – a tie-in for the Year of the Villain event. Meanwhile, Selina Kyle is trying to stop the mad Raina Creel and save her new adopted city of Villa Hermosa. Leaving aside any established information about Lazarus Pits, the pool produces a seemingly powered-up Catwoman. Continuing to seek Creel, Selina then solicits the help of one Zatanna Zatara.

Joëlle Jones penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written mediocrity well, but the trade paperback is being pulled in so many different directions that it's tough to find a core story, which makes it seem directionless. The crime noir elements were done rather well and surprisingly the Year of the Villain tie-in was done better. However, it did not overcome the directionless of the trade paperback. Furthermore, this trade paperback skipped many issues to jump into the Year of the Villain tie-in and it makes me wonder if I missed anything important between issues.

Joëlle Jones (Catwoman #16–18), Fernando Blanco (Catwoamn #18, 21), Geralod Borges, Aneke, and Inaki Miranda (Catwoman #19–20) penciled the trade paperback. For the most the pencilers are rather distinct with each other, which make the flow rather disconcerting.

All in all, Catwoman: Friend or Foe? is a mediocre continuation to what would hopefully be an equally wonderful series.
Profile Image for Adam Fisher.
3,557 reviews21 followers
October 12, 2020
This action packed Volume has Selina making some very important decisions.
1) It appears (by rejecting Lex's offer) that she has finally permanently chosen the take the side of hero. While I knew inevitably she would, I know the character over all these years has bounced back and forth. I hope this cement her for the future.
2) Selina has finally taken down Raina Creel and her syndicate she had setup in Villa Hermosa. True it took a dip in a Lazarus Pool (that somehow gave her a very sexy and sultry new outfit), battling lots of zombies, and a team up (sort of) with Creel's son Adam (while he was a zombie). I hope this villain doesn't show up again for a long time. She was very annoying and I wondered the entire time why Selina had so much trouble with her.
3) She heads back to Gotham where she belongs. I'm assuming that she will reconnect (and hopefully reconsider marriage) with Batman and help him with whatever he has going on.

Now... my previous review (Vol 2) had indicated that this title run was over, but obviously with this Volume as well as the upcoming Volume 4, I'm guessing there are more Selina focused stories to tell.
I really like what Joelle Jones has done with her run here. This is a definite fav at DC right now.
Recommend.
Profile Image for Alex E.
1,685 reviews12 followers
November 30, 2023
After Luthor approaches Catwoman with the offer he has been giving all of the villains in the DC Universe, she seriously considers what type of person she really is.

Joelle Jones wraps up Selina's time at Villa Hermosa in this one, and she chooses to tell this last story in a non linear way. Now, this is an interesting choice, and I will give her credit for trying something outside the norm. However, the plots for Catwoman have been a bit clunky at times and the pacing doesn't help when it falters. Add to that the non linear aspect of the story, and you got yourself a (at times) confusing read. Don't get me wrong, you can definitely get the gist and understand the plot eventually, but the out of order storytelling felt like an extra obstacle to overcome at times.

Now, the art.... fantastic. This is one of the best looking books out there and I added an extra star for the art alone. A big part of why I have the patience for the book is because its so damn nice to look at. When the book is in synch in terms of writing and art quality, it's a treat to read.

This volume is a fun, albeit confusing-at-times, adventure for fans of Catwoman.
Profile Image for Jamie Revell.
Author 5 books13 followers
July 1, 2020
Yet another mixed bag from Jones, although the story is rather more straightforward than we've had so far, and actually makes some progress. The artwork's mostly good, and Jones' writing skills are on display, getting inside Selina's head and providing some good material. The Year of the Villain arc intrudes on the story, and doesn't really help much, although one can't really blame Jones for that one. The weakness, at least for me, is that the main story concerns a lot of zombies going around smashing things and killing people... and I'm no fan of zombie stories. There's visibly an attempt here to make a dark, gritty, Catwoman story that keeps away from the trappings of Gotham, but if what that means is a bunch of mindless zombies getting trashed... well, it's well written, with some well-drawn fight scenes, but it doesn't do much to grab my interest, either.
Profile Image for Ronan The Librarian.
371 reviews1 follower
May 10, 2022
At this point, I've let go of the search for extra depth in this title, and am just enjoying it issue by issue as fun and not as impactful. This volume builds to and crescendos with the showdown between Selina and Creel. Creel isn't a very compelling villain, outside of being a real b****, but she does make a zombie army for herself that wreaks havoc on Villa Hermosa. The Year of the Villain tie-in wasn't the smoothest transition, and having not read that event, was somewhat jarring. While there is some emotional beat (specifically the last couple of issues) and an attempt at overarching story here, it feels too scattered to really make impact. I think this comic is best digested expecting a very pretty, mildly entertaining read that probably won't stick with you.
58 reviews2 followers
June 10, 2024
Heads up: This Volume starts at issue 16, while Volume 2 ended at issue 13. Issues 14 and 15 are collected in Volume 4. My assumption is that this choice was made so the collections would reflect the authorship of the issues (Volumes 1-3 feature Joelle Jones as writer and illustrator while new creative teams pick up the rest of the series). And in fairness, issues 14 and 15 are their own isolated story, separate from the main plot. Just know, that if, on page 1, it seems like there's a break from where we last left Catwoman, it's because there is one, but you haven't missed anything vital.

But all in all, a satisfying conclusion to the Villa Hermosa arc!
Profile Image for Eric.
698 reviews8 followers
August 24, 2020
I was glad to see more of Jones’s art here, and loved the purple aesthetic. The Blanco/Plascencia fight scenes were jarring, but a bit more palatable when they got their own issues. In several frames, Blanco made Selina’s angry face look very odd and out of proportion. I would’ve been pretty dissatisfied with a few of these single issues, but as whole they work well together. I can’t wait to see what happens next in, presumably, Gotham.
Profile Image for Josh.
Author 1 book28 followers
August 31, 2020
Wrapping up Jones's run with the character, volume three takes the story to some unexpected places, but Jones's writing takes some risks with style and structure that I think largely play off well. The art is excellent throughout, and the core of this story blends well with King's co-current run of Batman, bringing Selena to her own moment of reckoning of where she has come from and who she really wants to be.
Profile Image for Sesana.
6,175 reviews330 followers
October 5, 2020
I liked the Year of the Villain issue, despite the fractured chronology. I'm sure a lot of people will hate it, but it worked for me. Zatanna's guest role is also great. She's a very fun character to have around, and I liked how she worked with Selina here. As for the rest of it, there's pointless zombies and Raina Creel never actually came together as a villain for me. It doesn't help that the apparent end to her scheming is so anticlimactic. But at least the book looks amazing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews

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