Will Batman and Catwoman have one more big blowout fight in the final issue? Maybe, but right now it seems like this is more about tearing them both down for future stories. Read Full Review

Whilst The Gotham War hasn't resonated with all fans it's hard to ignore the emotional impact that Tini Howard is able to instil with this issue. The Gotham War is racing towards its conclusion with plenty at stake for both its central forces. Read Full Review

Plot and character, emotion and action clashes in Catwoman #58, working against one another instead of feeding off the other. Much like Catwoman and Batman, these elements just cant sync up, creating an interesting at times, but overall weak reading experience. Howards writing is at its best when the plot is put on the back burner and the clashing personalities of the two masked figures get to the surface. Reminding readers of the human aspect of these characters, the art does its best to sell the sexual, but more importantly, romantic, tension between the duo. Gandinis color is just as stuck in between the oscillation of quality, never quite blending with the art to perfect effect. Read Full Review

The characterization is pretty inconsistent with what we have seen in the past issues of The Gotham War. Tini Howard paints an interesting picture with Selina's thoughts, but, overall it feels like editorial realized that Batman and Catwoman need to team-up to stop the Savages. As a result, the issue feels flat. Read Full Review

Gotham War needed a strong chapter to keep the momentum for this divisive storyline going. This issue failed to properly advance the war with an installment more confusing and convoluted than entertaining. Read Full Review

The "Gotham War" event barrels on and if you're someone who is just keeping up with the Catwoman portions of the story, the ride might not be entirely worth it. Read Full Review

Catwoman #58 is a disaster. Howard either has never read a Batman comic or has no idea how to present a valid Batman in her own script. The plot is a haphazard sequence of events, and the character work leaves much to be desired. Overall, this issue and event have been lackluster at best. Read Full Review

Catwoman #58 continues the massive disappointment that Gotham War has been as a whole. Every problem with this Batman and Catwoman crossover appears here. The sooner this crossover is wrapped up the better it'll be as the Batman franchise can move on to what's next. Read Full Review

The art in this issue is frequently solid but between the lack of many backgrounds and the highly suspect nature of others, I don't think I can really list that as a selling point. The writing of this title remains slightly better than Batman but still isn't doing anything to redeem this event. The Gotham War has been a huge miss and I for one am more than ready to leave it in the past when it wraps up this month. Hopefully, we'll be on to better things then. Read Full Review

I'd say this was an improvement over the previous issue. It's still not as good as the initial two issues of the crossover, but I think it's given the Vandal stuff introduced in Batman #137 a little more direction. I also think Howard handled Bruce and Selina's interactions well. I will say that I do wish Gotham War was more consistently good, as I think it has the potential to be something a lot better, but it's not pure garbage like some people may try to make you think.

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ItsJess - Oct 20, 2023

Not pure garbage, just regular nasty, wet, stinky garbage.

Screaming Enigma - Oct 20, 2023 (edited)

Sorry I’m not insufferable like you.

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I could barely make it through this issue.

Is anyone interested in this "war" event? How many times has Gotham been held hostage, invaded, or threatened in the last 4 years? Way too many times to count. Please for the love of God, do not let Tini Howard write Batman. I don't want to see DC's titular hero being reduced to whining and moping, basically on his knees for Mommy Selina. Same goes for Chip Zdarsky,

What an absolute shame, Nico Leon's art is the a big highlight and I think he's putting his best pencil work into this series it's just a shame that his work is tied up in a mediocre story.

Not recommended.

bleh. Art is bland and ugly, and the story is finally picking up but it's too late now. I just want to get this event over with. This is by far my least favorite event of 2023

I stopped reading gotham war but decided to give this issue a once over. I admit I only read it because I knew it would be bad....and I was right.😆 I guess I'm just being a dick to be a dick but it's the only way to enjoy writing & plot this horrible.

I think the best way to describe Howard's handling of this issue & this event in general is poor characterizations. I don't think she's doing it on purpose like Tom King would (he just does pure character assassination) but instead she just doesn't know any better or doesn't care enough to research any of the people in the bat family. It also feels like she sometimes adds twists & forgets they are in there or forgets to explain them when they clearly NEED explaining. To be fair, while the Batman book has MUCH better writing and dialogue Chip seems equally clueless at times. Another big problem is that this event is sooooo not needed. Constant huge events surrounding Gotham is getting old and can only be done so many times before everyone gets fed up. This includes both Howard & Zadarsky fans who normally love their stuff. more

Batman crying, Jason Todd Clockwork Oranged, and Vandal Savage offering everyone immortality? What am I even reading here? This will be the last Catwoman comic and Batman comic I review until new writers come in. This is just plain garbage. Tini and Chip do not understand these characters and it become more apparant with every new issue. I'll get the wrap up single issue and then I'm out. Great way to lose customers, guys - write herendous stories. They need to be pulled off these books immediately - but you know they won't. They probably have another three years of destroying characters in them. Let the demolition begin.

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Symphonie dissonante
the problem is, you can't make a good story if the source material is bad. And right from the start, Gotham War's story is a smoky one. The synopsis didn't augur well, and so it proved. The pretext for this Catwoman/Batman war was shaky, but the way it was handled was worse. There isn't a single really good issue. Also, Zdarky and Howard don't have the same voice for the characters. It's blatantly obvious. One treats Batman like a mental patient (that's the spice of his story), the other like a lost child whom a little love (not his children's, by the way) can bring back to reason (where's Zur-En-Arrh)? These are two dissonant symphonies. It hurts the ears (and the eyes). And if that's all...but the rest is sloppy.... A real mess. more

This is the third time Selina has seen Bruce break down in front of her and only this time does she display any sort of care or empathy. The difference between now and the previous times is that the plot finally allows for her to react as her character is supposed to react, rather than in an unnatural way that serves solely to move a poorly constructed storyline forward.

Fight scene with Scandal was pathetic, art is meh, dialogue/prose is subpar. Not the worst issue of this event but still bad. The Bat editors need to be fired for allowing this pathetic excuse of a storyline and such gross mishandling of characters to exist.

DC should be embarrassed to allow such bad writing for Catwoman let alone Batman!

It's a dumb story. The worst part is that it is not close to being done. They are going to drag this nonsense on forever. So find something else to read, and there is some good Batman fanfic out there... or make up your own Batman fanfic and graphics. The heck with DC's nonsense. Make your own stories and your own Batman graphics. You really don't need them anymore, let them get a job doing something more relevant to their talents. I am sure there is a horror comic or WWE comic that needs Tini Howard's "writing skills." Stop paying her.

So this was a character shattering and terribly written plot. Tini clearly no longer cares.

Start off with Batman. Who thought it was a good idea to have him act like an overly hormonal 12 year old? He starts off crying on a roof top and needs to be comforted by Catwoman and is deeply upset that they might be enemies. You might argue, well he is being controlled by zur en arrh, but Zur doesnt really do that. Zur is crazy, unhinged, not a whimpering child. This is not Batman. This is some lame character that I dont want to read about. Also he makes out what Lady Clayface looking like Catwoman? Did I read that right? He couldn't tell the difference when he was making out with her? (The same Catwoman who makes out with Batman runs non-stop to Savages location, and is beheaded as Clayface, so its the same person unless there is something super indicating they swapped out). Batman is written like a fool.

Also, while I did laugh at it, Batman giving Jason Todd a piggy back is hilarious in the bad way. Like did the artist not care at all or were they told to do it that way? Who would have him carry him out of rubble that way? It honestly feels like we are at the point where I cant tell when Chip, Tini and the artists are just trolling/dont give a crap, or if they really are bad at what they do. Shame.

As for Catwoman herself. She is written as some plot armour, all knowing OP character. She somehow knows of Savages plot, even though she never directly heard it from him (Remember the Catwoman who heard it, was Clayface), so unless Savage just let Clayface run away and tell Catwoman (making him really out of character dumb), she shouldnt know this. She just 'knows'.

This issue has no flow, action for the sake of action, and non-stop plot holes.

This event in its entity is a very low point for the Bat family. I have no idea how long the damage it has done will lasts. more

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Bats20832 - Oct 18, 2023

Did readers ever think that Tini Howard "cared" about the Batman character? I haven't. It has been a job. Other people have jobs too. They don't necessarily care about their jobs. I am sure Tini would rather be doing something else. This is just the job that pays and gets her known.

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Tini clearly lied in her Substack about there being a kiss. She claims it's "in between panels". I don't reward liars, Tini. Hopefully one day Nico will spill the beans about this awful run.

🤢