CAT-FIGHT!
Written By Gail Simone
Art by Inaki Miranda
Colors by Eva De La Cruz
Letter by Taylor Esposito
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: August 29, 2018
Backup Story:
Written By Shea Fontana
Pencils By Walter Carzon
A lot of people aren’t fans of these crossover/annual issues but I’m always willing to give them a fair shake, all I ask in return is a few laughs and some crazy situations that I couldn’t get anywhere else. And boy does this issue deliver in spades.
The framing device for this crossover is setup up in a straightforward manner early on, some witches are having an argument about birds versus cats and decide to settle it with a wager, sending Sylvester and Tweety to the DC Universe to duel it out in a winner takes all fight that would see every member of the losing species (and even those who just share characteristics or names) wiped out.
Selina and Dinah are the first to be recruited and their initial scepticism is swept aside by some interference by our interfering witches, and so the two of them are soon at each other's throat in the streets of Gotham, a fight, a chase, a whole lot of trash talk and some quick phone calls to some sympathetic ears and soon the situation spirals out of control.
The issue descends in a veritable who's who of cat/bird themed heroes and villains and while most don’t show up for more than a couple of panels the novelty of it doesn't wear off quickly. The pace and escalation of the whole second half of the story is excellent, more and more obscure characters are plucked from the DC universe and watching them square off is endlessly fun.
There are a couple minor downsides to this issue, Tweety and Sylvester’s signature speech impediments are mimicked in their dialogue balloons which while probably necessary to add some authenticity to these strangely realistically drawn animals does lead to some difficulty in understanding what they are saying, there were several panels that took me too many re-reads to understand what was being said, interrupting my enjoyment of an otherwise excellent story.
The seven-page Backup by Shea Fontana and Walter Carzon is a much more traditional all ages story. A simple heist tale as Catwoman and Sylvester team up to steal Granny’s safe while being thwarted by Tweety. The art style is bright and bold with a hefty dose of old-fashioned Warner Bros cartoon violence.
Bits and Pieces:
Entertaining, ridiculous and fun. Everything I want from these crossover books. If your normally one to shy away from these books give this one a shot, you might actually enjoy yourself.
8.8/10
