Reading: UNDER THE MOON: A CATWOMAN TALE - Lauren Myracle (writer), Isaac Goodhart (illustrator)

Forever my favorite Batman villain, Catwoman - in various incarnations - has remained a woman of hidden depth and mystery. I was anxious to start Under the Moon as it seemed like an origin story not really covered before - Selina Kyle from the age of fourteen, living with her mother and mom's current boyfriend Dernell. Unfortunately, from the beginning this beautifully-illustrated (artist Goodhart really incorporates black, blues and purples to great effect throughout, emphasizing the "moon" theme of the book) graphic novel, the cliches run rampant as Selina is forced to deal with unpopularity at school, verbal and physical abuse by her mother's redneck boyfriend, and a love-hate relationship with fellow classmate Bruce Wayne in which Selina comes off weak and tongue-tied. Selina only becomes interesting as a character, in fact, when she flees her abusive home and, after struggling with life on the streets, meets Ojo, another runaway who teaches her parkour, inadvertently beginning Selina's transformation into Catwoman. Or Catgirl, as Selina dubs herself in this story, before finally agreeing to join Ojo's gang for a big heist - which instead finds Selina's newly-minted, hard-as-nails exterior tested when she comes across one of the gang members in the form of a young girl who refuses to speak. Under the Moon is average at best, presenting (at least for me) a not-very-likable Selina Kyle and a dour, uninteresting origin story more filled with tropes than trauma. Not horrible, but to me Catwoman certainly deserves better.  2.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.