Catwoman #4, p. 13 (1st Series)
Artists: J.J. Birch (Penciller) , Michael Bair (Inker)
20 Comments - 362 Views - 12 Likes
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DescriptionCover dated May 1989.I’ve wanted a page from this book for a long time. After picking up my first DC comic book, Detective Comics #598, I wanted to read more Batman stories. However, in 1989 anything Batman-related was tough to find. Issues of Batman, Detective, World’s Finest, Brave and the Bold, etc. that had been in discount bins in 1988 were in 1989 commanding top dollar (if you could even find them) given the excitement of the pending Tim Burton-directed Batman movie. With few options, I picked up Catwoman #4 off the stands at my regular comic book store. I was apprehensive about doing so for a couple of reasons. One reason was that I didn’t have the first three issues of this four-issue miniseries. How would I be able to follow the story if I was coming in at the final issue? The second reason is that it said on the cover “Suggested for Mature Readers.” What the hell did that mean? I had never before bought a comic book with that listed on the cover. Would the store owner sell it to 12 year-old me? Did it contain material that would get me in trouble with my mother? It ultimately didn’t matter because I wanted more Batman reading material and Catwoman #4 was my only option. Reading this issue was another eye-opening experience for me in my comic book journey. The story was easy to follow despite my not having read issues 1-3, but that doesn’t mean it was a simple story. Mindy Newell’s writing combined with the art of Birch and Bair brought me into a gritty world where the lines between good and bad, right and wrong became blurred. I didn’t know at the time that the story was drawing on what Frank Miller had done in Batman: Year One; I just knew that I wanted more comic books like it. The artwork on this particular page still impresses me all these years after I first read the comic book. The left side of the page in particular stands out, with the inclusion of a water tower an added bonus. Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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John C 
Member Since 2014
1 - Posted on 8/30/2023
Your younger you after reading. "Women have a tail?"
Michael McIsaac
Member Since 2020
3 - Posted on 8/30/2023
John C wrote:
Your younger you after reading. "Women have a tail?"
Isn't that where the expression "chasing tail" comes from?
John C
Member Since 2014
1 - Posted on 8/30/2023
Michael McIsaac wrote:
Isn't that where the expression "chasing tail" comes from?
Ba dum tsh.
Steve N. Comic/Fantasy Art
Member Since 2017
2 - Posted on 8/30/2023
Man, that first panel... just perfect, like a fairy tale of old.
M L
Member Since 2015
1 - Posted on 8/30/2023
Congrats Michael! Fulfilling a quest is as good as catching the tail.
Michael Reyes
Member Since 2014
1 - Posted on 8/30/2023
Fascinating page. Makes me want to pick up this series to read.
Michael McIsaac
Member Since 2020
Posted on 8/30/2023
Michael Reyes wrote:
Fascinating page. Makes me want to pick up this series to read.
I reread it recently. I think it's still worth checking out, particularly due to the stellar art.
Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 8/30/2023
Birch and Newell stray cat sittin' on a fence
Ain't got enough dough to pay the rent
I'm flat broke with inks by Bair
She struts right by with her tail in the air
Stray cat strut, she’s late eighties cat
She’s a feline Batmania, hey man, that's Frank
Get the mood thrown at me as a Year One fan
“Mature Readers?” thrown in garbage can,
Mom
Yeah, don't cross her path
Michael McIsaac
Member Since 2020
1 - Posted on 8/30/2023
Marcus Wai wrote:
Birch and Newell stray cat sittin' on a fence
Ain't got enough dough to pay the rent
I'm flat broke with inks by Bair
She struts right by with her tail in the air
Stray cat strut, she’s late eighties cat
She’s a feline Batmania, hey man, that's Frank
Get the mood thrown at me as a Year One fan
“Mature Readers?” thrown in garbage can,
Mom
Yeah, don't cross her path
Love it! And "Stray Cat Strut" should have been used as the theme song to the Halle Berry "Catwoman" movie. The film would then have had at least one good thing about it.
Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 8/30/2023
Michael McIsaac wrote:
Love it! And "Stray Cat Strut" should have been used as the theme song to the Halle Berry "Catwoman" movie. The film would then have had at least one good thing about it.
If only Pitof used it for the pivotal basketball scene, the whole movie would have worked.
Davide G.
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 8/30/2023
I totally agree with Steve N., that first panel is just fabulous! The color version absolutely doesn't do it justice.
Paul P Spiderversity
Member Since 2011
1 - Posted on 8/30/2023
Great story! And a really beautiful page. Congrats, and thanks for sharing!
F M
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 8/31/2023
I confess that I never read that series but took notice of it because of Bair's inks, whose work I really liked, going backwards in his bibliography. He really elevated Birch's art.
K Gearon
Member Since 2011
1 - Posted on 9/7/2023
Big congrats on a nostalgic get! I can see what you're saying...masterclass in sequential telling of a story here. And those black gutters add a great effect. Congrats, MM!
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