REVIEW: Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale

Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale
Writer: Lauren Myracle
Art by: Isaac Goodhart
Lettering/Coloring: Jeremy Lawson, Deron Bennett

Selina Kyle is constantly victimized by her mother's horrible live-in boyfriends. Her current "love'', Dernell seems to be around to stay. Selina has endured his temper and abuse for two years. At school she has three friends (read as...people she doesn't consider jerks...)....Angie, Tristan and.....Bruce Wayne. But, high school isn't her only worry. People in Gotham are being violently murdered by a monster called The Gotham Growler. Sharp Teeth, ripping claws, savage attacks. The kids at school are scared. Selina isn't scared. She already knows the world is full of monsters.  She leaves home, vowing to become stealthy and aloof, never allowing anyone to victimize her again.

My husband is a huge comic book fan. He knows the backstory and details of nearly every DC and Marvel character. I love comics too, but as a child I wasn't allowed to read them. My parents didn't let me to read superhero comics. To this day, I'm not sure why. My best guess is that the considered them violent and inappropriate reading for a girl (eyeroll). I've been grown up for years now and can read what I want...so slowly I'm starting to enjoy comics and appreciate the art and storylines. I'm no expert like my husband. Sometimes that's a disadvantage. But when it comes to new visions of established characters, I see it as a positive thing. I can read reboots and updates with new eyes and enjoy them for the fascinating story, rather than being disappointed that an old storyline is getting a reboot. I love this new introduction to Selina Kyle. It follows the framework of the old storyline, but updates it to appeal to a new, younger audience.

Positives first:

The art in this book is awesome! The dark blues and shadowy hues work perfectly for a Catwoman story.

I like the plot and most of the changes in the story & character. I felt so sorry for Selina when she endured so much at the hands of her mother's bad boyfriends...and loved seeing her grow into a strong character. My favorite character in the story is hands-down Selina's new friend, Ojo. Definitely a Parkour enthusiast, Ojo is an awesome character that really brings the updated feel home. Her other new friends, Briar Rose and Yang, are interesting additions to the story as well. They form a family of sorts for Selina, who has learned to withdraw from any emotional ties. It added a nice depth to the character.

I do understand that this story might be a bit of a drastic departure from the norm for some Catwoman fans. There have been other recent Catwoman stories published that are completely different (I haven't read any of them....so this is secondhand information), and this new book does not follow the character or story continuity very much at all. This version of Selina Kyle is only 14. She is a runaway, a high school dropout, and makes some pretty rough decisions -- self harm, living homeless, joining a gang of street kids, etc. There are changes to the character....but I liked the differences. After looking at other reviews, I see that some did not. Not every story (or comic book) will appeal to every reader.

Now a few concerns:

This story is definitely aimed at a younger YA audience....so why all the cussing? And at one point, Selina gets angry and yells about boys being dicks, followed up by a string of rather graphic penis references. I'm not sure that is something a 13-14 year old would be mature enough to read. I do understand that kids cuss...I have a middle school age boy at home, so I'm well aware. But I think putting the F word repeatedly into a graphic novel aimed at 13 year olds is a bit much.....

The storyline gets a bit rough in places....a dead kitten, some rather rough child abuse, etc. I would start the age range for this book at 15+. Older teens can handle the cussing and strong plot. Might be a bit too rough for younger kids. It all depends on maturity level. Some kids are more mature than others. Parental guidance suggested. That being said.....I remember how much I hated my parents trying to "protect'' me from things I didn't need protection from. Kids cuss. Kids say rather graphic things to each other on a daily basis at school. And they are witness to real and fake violence at pretty high levels these days. So...despite the fact I was surprised at the F word popping out in this graphic novel....that word is in just about every Youtube video, television show and social media post that kids see these days. I've played video games with my son on public servers before and heard kids that sounded really young spouting off torrents of cussing that were beyond even what I could string together. So....I suppose even those limits are relaxed and change with the times. Still not sure that the F word was entirely necessary though.....but I also recognize that I am way way outside the target age range for this graphic novel.

I would change the title to "Under the Moon: A Catgirl Tale'' to be honest. Selina takes that nickname...why not run with it? Selina is very young in this story and just learning how to take care of herself. In my mind "Catwoman'' conjures up images of a woman who already knows her way around and has her street smarts at max. In this story, Selina finds herself homeless and has to learn to find her way. Definitely more of a Catgirl.

All in all, an enjoyable graphic novel! I liked the new approach to the character!