Characterization is what matters most for fictional protagonists like Selina Kyle, someone who has been penned and enacted by many people in a far variety of ways, since Batman’s inception. Every time she is incarnated through whatever medium, among comics, television, or films, she’s never really exactly the same, sometimes in bafflingly conflicting ways, though there are some constants. Mischievous and duplicitous; regal, yet with the instincts of a thug; always slick, always sexy; brazen and of course beautiful, the Catwoman has held our imagination for years, and continues to successfully do so in Joëlle Jones’ dynamic rendition.

Jones’ Selina is not quite the mature noire sophisticate from Brubaker’s run; nor is she the wild Jim Balent sex kitten from the 90s. One thing is for sure — she’s certainly a vast improvement here from the scatty, uncentered New 52 Cat. Jones’ Selina may be battling her own internal choices in life, having recently jilted billionaire Batman at the altar, but she certainly knows exactly who she is. Selina here is a nimble class act, equally elegant and assertive, with all of Selina’s natural self-confidence, probably her most defining attribute. She’s a woman in control.

The narrative itself is compelling, more than just a frivolous romp, more than just a rehash of recent events in Batman; and Selina's glossy costume, even some of her posturing, is a direct recall to Michelle Pfeiffer, the actress who has undeniably left the most lasting impression on our understanding of the character. The aesthetic as a whole feels intensely vivid and graphic, no pun intended, but in a thematic, dramatic way. Nothing is ever obscene or excessive, as is the case with many modern comics, and Selina -- sometimes facially reminiscent of Angelina Jolie -- stands out gorgeously with all the heavy line work and .

Jones is proving that she is the best person by far to maintain this current track for the character, leaving us all eager to see where else this cat meow.

I love Joelle Jones. Her distinct stark style with the 1960s mid-century modern sensibilities combined with the angular art and noir throwbacks. Her LadyKiller series was a mix of danger and sex appeal that translates exceptionally well into Catwoman. The action is well plotted and paced; the story is easy to follow and tightly worked; there is no loose holes and actions that take away from the story. Emtional range of the characters is visible and palpable. While many reported they fell out of love with Selina Kyle in the "Bat/Cat Wedding" issue in the New 52, "Catwoman: Copycats" reinvigorates that love to old readers and introduces a new generation to the feminist anti-heroine in Catwoman.

This is *very* noir (so much violence, y’all) and that’s not really my style, but the writing is great and the art is AMAZING. I haven’t been reading Batman so honestly I don’t know what’s up with the wedding that wasn’t and I still don’t because Catwoman doesn’t get into any details, but I was able to follow the story without it.

Joelle Jones' Catwoman Vol. 1: Copycats relocates Selina Kyle to the fictional town of Villa Hermosa, California, Spanish-tinged and palm tree-d, a far cry from Gotham City. Selina's not actually looking for trouble, but with her mere presence trouble finds her, and the mix of casinos and pawn shops, high politics and drug deals, and clean and dirty cops is very much a winning one. Jones' series is distinctive, to be sure.

We learn that Selina's sister, Magdalene "Maggie" Kyle, now mostly catatonic, is being cared for in Villa Hermosa, and Selina has moved there (post Bat-wedding) to be close to her. The fourth chapter then, with flashback art by Fernando Blanco, follows Selina and Maggie from Mindy Newell's 1989 post-Crisis Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper through to Ed Brubaker's 2000s Catwoman: Relentless, bringing these two best-known Catwoman stories back into continuity.

Copycats is a strong crime noir story overall, tinged with a vein of horror we don't often see in the DC Universe.

*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

I have not read a Catwoman comic in so many years. I have heard about her most recent stories mainly because of all the news about her wedding to Bruce. Going into this not knowing much I still was able to pick up what was going on and why. While I still am not a hundred percent sure why she left Bruce that reason didn't really quite matter to me. All I wanted to know about was why these people were hiring fake Catwoman imposters. This was a fun read that I would like to continue just to figure out what might happen to all of the characters next.

A decent trade collecting the first few issues of this new series, but I wasn't very impressed. The story isn't particularly unique, and there are various elements that seem to be introduced and then promptly forgotten about or barely utilized, not least the whole idea of the titular "copycats" of Catwoman. The art was all right but there was too much uncomfortable posing and too much of Catwoman drawn to appeal to the male gaze. It was nice to see what the character is up to these days, as its been a while since I've read any Catwoman comics, but I don't think I'll be continuing to read the series.

A fresh start with a rushed end, Jones brings a stunning look to the art and an interesting story that sort of falls apart at the end.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read Catwoman vol. 1. The following is my honest review.

To start with I really enjoyed the art style in the book. It is a good looking book. I liked the way Catwoman herself was written. I also liked the idea of copycatwoman.

My only big complaint was the main villain. Not interesting in the least. Something I feel like has bern done plenty of times in other comics and fiction.

I would still recommend it to Catwoman fans!

This was a really quick read and I liked it a lot. I haven't read a lot of stand alone Catwoman titles so I didn't really have much in the way of expectations coming into this. The story picks up right after her and Batman should have gotten married (which I missed because I'm woefully behind on Batman monthly-s) and I had no problem jumping into the story here.

Catwoman got out of Gotham for a bit and ran afoul of one of the darker villains I've seen from a mainstream DC title that wasn't a Morrison creation. Someone is copying her down to the costume and it's a part of a much larger (and entertaining) picture. It gets pretty spoiler-y from here, but it's definitely worth your time as the story and art sync up really nicely and make for a satisfying read.

Looking forward to seeing where this story is headed.

Thanks to DC and Netgalley for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

After leaving Bruce Wayne at the altar, Selina Kyle finds herself in California. Suddenly being the focus of dangerous political figures and doppelgängers, her journey to reconnect with a part of herself she hasn’t been familiar with in some time, has become unnecessarily complicated, as usual.

Acting as author and illustrator, Joëlle Jones guides the viewer through this world with so much precision, creating a really wonderful balance between text and images, that allows for them to coexist in harmony. So much so, where I really found myself breezing through this volume, due to how harmonious all the elements were, being presented to the audience. My favorite moments were just any of them where Selina would be in battle, especially the one in the mansion, holy moly.

Besides from the action sequences, there’s some truly amazing instances of horror that are presented here. The back story with Black Mask, and how the ramifications further fuel Selina’s drive, as well as any of the moments with Mrs. Creel, goodness.

Speaking of Mrs. Creel, what an interesting villain, as well as her family, just so fascinating, as well as the physically of Creel adding a real degree of horror that’s presented very well in her psyche.

I’m really hoping that we can get more of these amazing stories of the female gaze, by the female gaze. It’s just so important and really makes a difference when approaching a character like Catwoman, specifically, where it’s really easy to focus on flair/style/sexuality, over emotional weight and character development. I definitely feel that this is a marvelous beginning to a new series, and cannot wait to continue and follow up with what’s next for Catwoman.

Joelle Jones is one of my favorite comic creators working today, so I was VERY happy to see that she had been tapped to take on my girl Selina in the new CATWOMAN series for DC. Mostly because I knew that she would be able to handle the moral ambiguity of the character and balance it out with the dark to her and the light. While I'm still sad that the wedding between Bruce and Selina didn't happen, I think that this series is a good place to give Catwoman some time to shine on her own. I also like that while she did leave Bruce, she's having mixed feelings about it, but not enough so that she's pining and moping all the live long day. The corruption and scandal that she finds herself mixed up in in this story arc is intriguing and twisted, and I really thought that it gave the character a lot to chew on without being overwhelmed by it. I can't wait to see where Selina goes next!

An interesting take on the Catwoman series. I have always loved comics and been a fan of many versions of Catwoman through the years and this is a pleasant continuation of that.

This graphic novel focuses on Catwoman in the aftermath of leaving Batman at the altar at their wedding. She is dealing with heartbreak along with returning to a new city for a reason that is at first unclear. She battles the family of a politician who is using her image for their own purposes. It was interesting to read a story that was just focused on Selina, but I felt that it could have been more engaging.

Like most other Batman comic book/show/movie fans, I grew up loving Catwoman in all of her incarnations - Eartha Kitt, Lee Meriweather, Michelle Pfeiffer (the greatest) and Anne Hathaway - but I had yet to read any of the acclaimed comic books by Joelle Jones until this one. It's a great read for any Catwoman fan who may or may not be following the recent rebooted D.C. Comics lines. No prior arc knowledge is needed as the story starts with Selina outside of Gotham in a new adventure-- well, predicament anyway. Joelle Jones writes an addictive mystery and does double duty supplying the sleek, sinewy art. We all know cats can't stay away from trouble for long. This new town is full of secrets and danger for Selina, but the strongest part of the story is the revelation of someone from Selina's past, giving us more of her history -- and future? Stay tuned, this will absolutely have you clamoring for Volume 2.

I certainly enjoyed Joelle Jones' take on Catwoman, both from a writing and artistic standpoint, but there were a few plot elements/threads I was mixed on in regards to the resolution/development (or lack thereof, at times).

The story jumped too fast and was hard to keep up with it. Nothing about this kept my attention.

The art was really beautiful and the colors used were breathtaking.

I loved this version of Catwoman! The art is spectacular, and her characterization is phenomenal. I'll definitely be looking for more volumes of this!

An absolutely brilliant look at Selina Kyle as she leaves Gotham to lick her wounds and try to make amends with her disabled sister. The art work with its combination of shadows and neon palette serves the book well. The writing is very good and does a great job of further developing Selina's backstory as she tries to forget Gotham and Bruce Wayne.

I've tried two different apps and I can't get this graphic novel to download. I give up. Thank you for the opportunity. The main character looks like Miley Cyrus.

I haven't read the Batman/wedding arc, but I followed along with what was happening. If I hadn't, I don't think I would have appreciated this book as much. The emotional drive of this book was really seeing Selina deal with that fallout. At the same time, she didn't come across as just a mopey ex-girlfriend, either. There was a good balance there.
That being said, there wasn't much noteworthy to the story outside of that. It could be the start to a solid series, but it would take some pretty good reviews or a super strong hook to make me pick up the second volume. In the end, what really makes this story worth reading is the artwork. I, personally, loved the style, and while there were a few unnatural proportions/poses, overall it was gorgeous.