DCU Comic Book Reviews

CATWOMAN #56

The Replacements:  Part Four

August 2006

Written by Will Pfeifer

Pencils by David Lopez

Inks by Alvaro Lopez

Cover by Adam Hughes

Synopsis

Then... after learning she is pregnant, Selina Kyle decides to pass along the mantle of Catwoman to her friend Holly.  Now...both are dressed as Catwoman and have taken done a street thug.  As they head home, Ted Grant (aka Wildcat) calls Holly for help to bust a chop shop.  Selina tells her to go and then heads home to her baby.  Elsewhere, the Film Freak watches the video of the two Catwoman.  He then poisons the camera man.  At the police station, Detective Lenahan realizes that the woman under the mask is not the same one as before.  While Ted and Holly bust up the chop shop, Holly calls out Ted’s name.  Afterwards, Ted tells her not to do that; their secret is the most important thing.  Meanwhile, Slam Bradley is alone in his office watching Double Indemnity when his son comes to visit.  Later, the Angle Man visits the Film Freak to reveal the two Catwomen and to reveal he knows where Catwoman lives.  Selina receives a phone call from her panicked nanny about men in the house.  Selina investigates as Catwoman and finds the Angle Man with her baby while the Film Freak points a camera in her face.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

“Like that scene in Suspicion, where Cary Grant takes a glass of milk up to Joan Fontaine.  Hitchcock put a tiny lightbulb inside the glass to give it an ominous glow.  Genius.  Sheer genius.

Part of the reason, or perhaps the entire reason, I am liking this story arc and specifically the new Villain, the Film Freak, is that I am somewhat of a film freak myself.  When he describes the above scene in Suspicion, I read along with a knowing smile; it was genius and it was a very effective scene.  And when we get to Slam’s short page, I knew the name of the movie was watching before Slam told us what it was.  I love Double Indemnity and recommend it heartily.  So, in a way I am digging the Film Freak and his skewered view of life through the camera lens.  His deduction to learning where Selina learns made perfect sense, especially when I realized that Slam had made the exact same deduction in the first issue of this arc.  The brief scene in which the Freak dispenses with the camera man was also very helpful to show how villainous (is that a word) he really can be.  At first the Freak was no more than a weird guy, but the murder showed how dangerous he can be and I’ve got to credit Pfeifer for understanding the villain only works if we can believe he can and will kill to get what he wants. 

The first panel of this issue struck me as a nod towards the Hudsucker Proxy, staring Tim Robbins and Paul Newman.  The movie features a large clock on top of a building; the caretaker of the clock has a fairly important role.

 

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