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The cover to Catwoman vol 3 #2 by Darwyn Cooke.

Catwoman is the title of several series published by DC Comics starring the character Catwoman.

The illegitimate daughter of a Mafia boss, Selina Kyle grew up on the streets, where she took to thievery to survive. Like Batman, she travelled the world to hone her craft, studying under numerous martial artists before learning how to blend in with high society in Italy. As Catwoman, she has become Gotham City's greatest thief. Blurring the line between hero and villain, she also serves as the unofficial protector for Gotham's East End.


Catwoman provides examples of:

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    Volume 1 
Catwoman Vol 1 (1989), also known as Her Sister's Keeper, was a four-issue mini-series written by Mindy Newell, with art by Joe Brozowski. It retells Catwoman's origin story, this time incorporating Frank Miller's Batman: Year One where Selina Kyle was a prostitute. Deciding that she's had enough of her abusive pimp Stan and inspired by the recent appearance of the Batman, Selina Kyle decides to don a costume of her own to get some payback.
  • Accidental Murder: While trying to save Holly, Selina accidentally pushes Stan off a ledge.
  • Damsel in Distress: Sister Magdalene, who also happens to be Selina's actual sister. Stan kidnaps her in order to kill Selina.
  • Dirty Cop: Captain Strunk.
  • Dominatrix: Stan gets Selina the costume that becomes her Catwoman costume originally as a dominatrix outfit.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Detective Flannery, who gives Selina the phone number for Ted Grant after she's beaten by her pimp, but refuses to say anything.

    Volume 2 
Catwoman Vol 2 (1993-2001) was a series primarily known for long-running artist Jim Balent, who drew the book from 1993 to 2000, for over 75 issues. Over the years, the book had writers such as Jo Duffy, Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Alan Grant, Devin Grayson, John Ostrander, and Balent himself. The series continued the story of Selina Kyle, but this time in the present day and it intersected with the rest of the Bat-books and the wider DC Universe, having tie-ins to Knightquest, Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!, Underworld Unleashed, Batman: Cataclysm, Batman: No Man's Land, and more. It lasted a total of 94 issues and four annuals.
  • An Arm and a Leg: One of Selina's friends lost use of his legs during a bridge car accident. The only way to help him is with a new chip designed by someone that helps to fix disabilities. Catwoman attempted to steal it, but other thieves beat her to it, and then she must chase the new thief and get it.
  • Bad Boss: Bane fears that Catwoman, now working for him, may betray him. There are no reasons so far to suspect it, but he arranges a hitman to go after her anyway.
  • Banana Republic: Santa Prisca. Catwoman followed a hitman there, and stayed in it for a time. "El jefe del país" lives in a mansion in luxury, the rest of the country is a giant slum, and his soldiers are everywhere.
  • Boxed Crook: Selina becomes an involuntary agent of some government spies for a while.
  • Karmic Death: Leopold smokes all the time, it's his charm... or so he thinks. Everybody hates him when he smokes, from Catwoman (who says that's disgusting, and will kill him someday) to Bane and his henchmen (turn it off or you leave this room foot first!). Catwoman had an adventure in Santa Prisca and sent Leopold to inform Bane, now in prison, about the personal things she learned. Bane is angry enough by the things he hears, and Leopold lights a cigarette while talking. Leopold, Leopold... didn't Catwoman warn you that smoking would kill you someday?
  • King Incognito: A hitman tried to kill Catwoman, and escaped back to Santa Prisca. She followed him and found him sneaking into a luxury mansion, where he was trying to kill someone else. She jumped to the scene, fought him, and the other guy stabbed him in the back. Several soldiers surrounded them, but he ordered them to lower their weapons: this woman has just saved him, and she's now under the protection of el jefe del país!
  • Loveable Rogue: Selina is this more than in the other volumes, being a smartass Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
  • Prima Donna Director: Selina is hired to steal the script of one of these, who, unfortunately for her, actually doesn’t have a script, but does have a 40 foot tall robotic monster, a gun, a mental breakdown, and a drinking problem on top of the god complex.
  • Reverse Relationship Reveal: An elseworld annual takes place in the distant future, and the curator of a museum shows statues of Batman and Catwoman against Joker and Riddler, the superhero battles of old. But, as it turns out, in this elseworld Batman and Catwoman are an Outlaw Couple, and Joker is the chief of police!
  • Super Window Jump: Played with. Persecuted in a building, Catwoman enters a room and throws a table through a window, "to check how dumb they are", and hides behind a desk. Security reports that she's out of the building, that she jumped from the 51st floor.
    Catwoman: Pretty dumb!

    Volume 3 
Catwoman Vol 3 (2002-2008) was Catwoman's second ongoing series and was mainly known for the complete costume redesign done by Darwyn Cooke and the intricate noir storylines by writer Ed Brubaker. Cooke would leave after four issues (although he would later write and draw Selina's Big Score, which he regarded as his favorite book), while Brubaker stayed on the book until issue 37. Selina would temporarily retire after the Time Skip of "One Year Later" due to having a baby, with Holly Robinson taking over the role of Catwoman, although this wouldn't last of course. The book would tie-in to Batman: War Games, Amazons Attack!, and Salvation Run. It would last for 82 issues (although it would be revived for another issue for Blackest Night).
  • 10-Minute Retirement: In the beginning of the book, Selina has put down the catsuit for six months. It doesn't take much to get her to put back on though.
  • Affirmative-Action Legacy: An unusual example: Holly Robinson, a lesbian, takes over as Catwoman for a time from Selina Kyle, a (at the time unrevealed) bisexual.
  • Arch-Enemy: Black Mask effectively becomes Catwoman's arch-enemy during this volume, doing horrible things to her friends and relatives.
  • Back from the Dead: Brubaker reintroduced Holly Robinson from Batman: Year One and Catwoman's original mini-series. However, Holly Robinson actually died in Action Comics #613, as part of the "Tin Roof Club" arc, with Brubaker stating he just didn't realize it. Eventually, he wrote a story in Catwoman Secret Files and Origins called "Why Holly Isn't Dead" in which Holly complained about death in comic books. It's then hinted that she's alive due to the changes of Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!.
  • Crossover: Since Ed Brubaker was also co-writing Gotham Central at the time, Detectives Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya show up in order to investigate dirty cops.
  • Disposable Sex Worker: The first arc is about Selina and Holly trying to find and stop someone murdering prostitutes.
  • Happily Adopted: Selina asks Bruce to make sure this happens to her daughter Helena.
  • Legacy Character: Todd Russell ends up being another Clayface, although Catwoman quickly stops his rampage and he ends up frozen.
  • Mythology Gag: Selina names her daughter Helena, like the daughter she and Bruce had on the pre-Crisis Earth-2. However, unlike then, Helena isn't Bruce's daughter.
  • Recovered Addict: Holly. When she begins the series, she's still taking drugs, but eventually quits and stays clean. She has a hard time admitting this to Selina, but it turned out that Selina already knew
  • Save the Villain: Subverted at the end of the "Relentless" arc, where Black Mask begs her to save him from falling off the balcony of his penthouse, despite the horrific and irrevocable acts he has spent the arc performing on her family and friends. She stands back and watches him fall, apparently to his death.
  • Time Skip: For "One Year Later." It's long enough for Selina to have a baby with Slam Bradley Jr.

    Volume 4 
Catwoman Vol 4 (2011-2016) was Catwoman's New 52 series. Initially written by Judd Winick, with art by Guillem March, it got off on the wrong foot with controversy over the ending of issue one: Catwoman and Batman having sex on a rooftop. After Winnick left, the book was written by Ann Nocenti and then Geneveive Valentine. Valentine's run came during Batman Eternal and the revelation that Selina was the heir to the Calabrese crime family, with Selina trying to becoming the new kingpin of Gotham crime while still maintaining her morality. The run also revealed Selina to be bisexual, as she was involved in a romantic relationship with Eiko, the new Catwoman. After this, Frank Tieri would take over for the remaining issues, with Catwoman going on the run. The book would tie-in to Night of the Owls, Death of the Family, Batman: Zero Year, and Futures End. It would last for 52 issues and 2 annuals.
  • 10-Minute Retirement: As the head of the Calabrese crime family, Selina has stopped being Catwoman, but that doesn't mean there's not a Catwoman.
  • Affirmative-Action Legacy: Eiko Hasigawa, a lesbian or bisexual Japanese woman, takes over as Catwoman for Selina Kyle, a bisexual white woman.
  • The Don: Selina becomes the head of the Calabrese crime family and uses it to try and curtail their more evil aspects.
  • Yakuza: Eiko Hasigawa is the daughter of the head of a Yakuza clan in Gotham. She becomes the new Catwoman in order to stop her father's activities and spy on Selina.

    Volume 5 
Catwoman Vol 5 (2018-ongoing) is Catwoman's post-DC Rebirth series. Spinning off from Batman (Tom King), after the disastrous non-wedding, the series was initially written and drawn by Joëlle Jones. In it, Catwoman decides to move to Villa Hermosa and uses it as her base of operations for a short time. After Jones left the book, writer Ram V took over with issue 25, returning Selina to being the protector of Gotham's East End, specifically Alleytown, this time taking over a gang of street urchins named the Alleytown Strays and gaining an apprentice named Shoes. The book has tied-in so far to The Joker War and is still ongoing. V left the book with Fear State, being succeeded by Tini Howard.
  • Back from the Dead:
    • It turns out that Shoes is an amnesiac Lian Harper, who was previously thought deceased.
    • Onyx Adams makes her Rebirth debut after losing a hand and apparently dying in the New 52 Green Arrow series.
  • The Bus Came Back:
    • After ten years and a literal reboot, Magdalene "Maggie" Kyle returns. It turns out that Selina has been keeping her in a mental health facility in Villa Hermosa.
    • After thirty-two years (and being dead), Snowflame returns.
  • Evil Makes You Ugly: Raina Creel is a complete sociopath who will do anything for more wealth. After years of drug abuse and plastic surgery, she also has a face that has completely deteriorated. In public, she wears a blonde wig, facial prosthetics, blue contact lenses, and dentures.
  • Street Urchin: The Alleytown Strays.
  • Two Decades Behind: Done deliberately with Snowflame, for whom the '80s has apparently never ended. He drives a Delorean!
    Snowflame: It's been a while.
    Catwoman: A few decades, by the looks of it. Apparently they don't have calendars on this island? Or online shopping?

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