Review: Catwoman Vol. 2- Far From Gotham

Quick Summary

Pros: The main storyline is interesting from the start and maintains this interest all the way through. The narrative is fun and exciting. The artwork looks nice in places.

Cons: The pacing can be choppy at times. The artwork is inconsistent and doesn’t look the best in some places.

Overall: This is a solid second book in the series. It capitalizes on the setup in the previous book by immediately launching in to a compelling narrative. From here, readers are treated to a book filled with moments of tension and moments of fun that never get uninteresting. There are a few problems here and there but nothing too serious. Overall, fans of the first volume should continue reading here and fans of Catwoman should consider checking out the series.

Story

Catwoman Vol. 2: Far From Gotham, by Joëlle Jones, contains an enjoyable and interesting storyline, with some occasional problems. The main narrative here is just as interesting as it was in the previous volume. It pulls you in with a mystery or an in medias res introduction and remains interesting from that initial hook. Plus, Catwoman’s escapades remain fun and exciting. Unfortunately, there are occasional pacing problems that end up making the narrative feel choppy. Overall though, this is still a solid read that should please most fans of the previous volume.

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Like its predecessor, Far From Gotham is great at generating and maintaining interest. The book has Catwoman and Raina Creel fighting over a mysterious artifact. Initially, readers aren’t quite sure what this is. Then, they find out it has something to do with reanimating the dead and contains a map that apparently connects to this goal. The evolution of this mystery and the battle that results from it is really enjoyable to see.

In a similar way, the book’s two closing stories are also great at grabbing interest. The annual starts with a dramatic introduction and explains itself from there while the book’s final story, by Ram V, starts with an intriguing premise.

The other success in Far From Gotham comes from the fun and excitement within the storyline. This volume has Catwoman running for her life in some scenes, chasing down villains in others, and pulling off a few neat heists. The battle against Raina Creel also has a tense climax, ending in a hostage faceoff. Altogether, this makes for a pretty engaging reading experience.

The biggest problem in Far From Gotham is that the pacing feels a bit off at points. The book takes a while to introduce Penguin and set him on a collision course with Selena. Then, just as quickly as he shows up, he is gone and has no further relevance to the story. In a similar way, the woman protecting the artifact initially appeared as if she was going to play a part in the storyline. However, she ended up mattering even less than Penguin. These aren’t big problems but they do create a few bumps in the read. 

(spoilers end here)

Art

Unlike the previous collection, the artwork in Far From Gotham comes from a variety of different artists. At some points, this is good. Elena Casagrande and Fernando Blanco’s work on the first few chapters is mostly positive and John Timms’ work on the final chapter looks nice. Casagrande and Blanco, in particular, do great in presenting a moody Villa Hermosa populated with cool-looking characters. However, the chapters without Casagrande do not look nearly as nice. As this accounts for the later half of the book, it gives the book a more mixed appeal than it would have otherwise.

Other problems come from the continuous shifts in the visuals. Nearly every chapter features two different pencilers and the work as a whole features around five. Jumping between these artists, particularly when one is good and the other is lackluster, ends up being a bit jarring. This is specifically noticeable when it comes to the book’s main villain, as her depiction can vary dramatically depending on who is drawing her. Sometimes books work well with a variety of artists but, in this case, it hurts the read.

Continuity

Catwoman Vol. 2: Far From Gotham continues the story from Catwoman Vol. 1: Copycats (Review).

The story here continues in Catwoman Vol. 3: Friend or Foe? (Review).

This volume also references and continues the stories from other comic books, detailed below:

• The story explaining Maggie’s current condition is told across the “Catwoman: Relentless” story arc, collected in Catwoman Vol. 2: No Easy Way Down.
• The conclusion of Catwoman #13 serves as a tie-in to the Year of the Villain (Review) event.