Best Shots review - Future State: Catwoman #1 sleek and kinetic

Much like the rest of Gotham in this 'Future State' part of the timeline, Alleytown looks different in Future State: Catwoman #1 compared to how it usually does. Namely, it’s a lot emptier.

Future State: Catwoman #1 credits

Written by Ram V
Art by Otto Schmidt
Lettered by Tom Napolitano
Published by DC
'Rama Rating: 7 out of 10

Ram V, Otto Schmidt, and Tom Napolitano capture a time of transition as the residents find themselves being moved out of the district by servants of the Magistrate. They’re given little choice – either get on the train sans belongings or suffer the consequences of resistance. Selina Kyle however is not going to submit so easily, and she’s got more than a few tricks up her sleeve.

This is a sleek and kinetic issue, one that picks up with her plan already in motion – a train heist, with a twist – carried forth by the sheer energy found in Schmidt’s artwork. The speed with which Selina moves is captured in blurs of color zipping across the page and her foes barely have a moment to register what she’s doing before they’re taken care of. Yet for all the gracefulness of her actions, V and Schmidt ensure that it is also imbued with the righteous fury of fighting a fascist regime and couple this to a strong sense of solidarity between their hero and the citizens of Alleytown prevalent throughout.

An early panel is dense with people showing support for one another and this connection being threaded through the rest of the story goes a long way in capturing the mood of Gotham, not as a city, but as a people.

Make sure you've read all of the best Catwoman stories of all time.

Matt Sibley is a comics critic with Best Shots at Newsarama, who has contributed to the site for many years. Since 2016 in fact.