Bongiornio, folks! Does anyone fancy a trip to Italy with everyone’s favorite feline antihero? Let’s hop on a plane and join Catwoman in Rome. The graphic novel fills some of the gaps from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s Dark Victory and brings us a new take on Selina Kyle.
When In Rome sends Selina Kyle to Italy, where she aims to solve the mystery of her lineage. Who are her real parents? And what is her connection to Gotham City and Rome, two places thousands of miles apart? She brings Edward Nygma—The Riddler—along to help parse any clues she encounters. But a mysteriously timed death while she visits a local Don puts Selina and Catwoman in the crosshairs of the mob. Meanwhile, she’s having some very strange dreams, and trademark calling cards of classic Gotham City villains are showing up halfway across the world. Selina has to juggle it all along her quest to find out who her parents are.
First thing first, you don’t need to have read Dark Victory to appreciate Catwoman: When In Rome. The six-issue collection can easily stand on its own as a fun outing featuring Catwoman, though fans of previous Loeb-Sale Batman team-ups will appreciate the connections.
Overall, When In Rome is a fun jaunt in the DC universe. The book strikes a deft balance between its focus on Catwoman and making full use of Gotham’s rogues gallery. I’ve read my fair share of graphic novels purportedly featuring one character (say, Harley Quinn) that instead focused on a different character entirely. When In Rome is firmly Catwoman’s story, but it stars familiar faces like the Riddler, Batman, and other Gotham mainstays.
The plot has a thrumming energy at first. Why is Catwoman in Rome? What exactly does she hope to find? Is the Riddler really there to help? Who is the mysterious Blonde bodyguard assigned to help her? These questions permeate the story, but none of them (or their answers) make a compelling case for the story’s existence. We’re expected to follow along because that’s where the story is going. I’m as content to be railroaded along a plot as the next guy, but I want that train to come to a stop somewhere interesting. I can’t say When In Rome does it. It loses near the climax because the answers Catwoman seeks aren’t interesting beyond the reader having been told to be interested. Fortunately, the falling action makes up for this foible as each character’s arc draws to an interesting close. Blondie—Catwoman’s companion slash bodyguard for much of the book—has a particularly satisfying end.
Even so, there’s enough here to make When In Rome worthwhile. Sale’s art style pops off the page and lends gravitas to every panel. The relationships between the characters are mostly interesting when they aren’t focused on one man or another’s lust for Selina Kyle.
If you were already interested in reading Catwoman: When In Rome, I’m probably not going to move the needle for you. I’m a mid-tier Batman comics fan, and this was a fun enough side quest. Readers who are already invested will find plenty of morsels, but newcomers may be left wanting.
Rating: Catwoman: When In Rome – 7.5/10
-Cole
