BATMAN #323 & #324

"SHADOW OF THE CAT!" | "THE CAT WHO WOULD BE KING!"
Writer: Len Wein | Artists: Irv Novick & Bob Smith
Colorist: Glynis Wein | Letterer: Ben Oda | Editor: Paul Levitz

We're entering the final stretch of Len Wein's run on BATMAN today. These two issues, plus the two we'll look at next week, mark his final four installment of the Caped Crusader's monthly adventures. And, at least based on these two, it seems like he wants to go out on a high note. "Shadow of the Cat!" and "The Cat Who Would be King!" are some of Wein's strongest stories out of his entire two-year run on the title, plus they resolve the ongoing sub-plot of Selina Kyle's headaches.

As we learned last week, the headaches were actually the final stage of some exotic virus Selina contracted during her days as Catwoman. She found out that the ancient Egyptians had cured the disease centuries ago, and not long after, a figure dressed as a cat was seen stealing some Egyptian artifacts from Gotham's Riverside Museum. This story opens later that same night, as Batman arrives at Selina's apartment to arrest her for the crime. But Selina professes her innocence and escapes. The next day, she shows up at the Wayne Foundation in costume as Catwoman to make her case to Bruce, but when he suggests she turn herself in and let the law sort things out, she runs again. Eventually Catwoman gets a lead on the stolen artifacts, while Batman shadows her. The pair winds up in some caverns that were once used by bootleggers to smuggle liquor into Gotham. Batman finally believes Catwoman is innocent, but before the two can make amends, they're captured by the villainous Cat-Man.

In the second chapter, Cat-Man escapes with the Egyptian loot, but Batman gets Catwoman and himself out of Cat-Man's trap. Some detective work leads them to Greece, where Cat-Man is looking to trade the artifacts to a local gangster in exchange for an island that he will set up as a haven for wanted criminals. But Batman and Catwoman arrive and spoil the negotiations. Cat-Man is killed by a geyser, and the artifacts are destroyed. However, back in Gotham City, Selina is given a clean bill of health, her disease in total remission. With no other way to explain it, she assumes that a scrap of cloth she grabbed from Cat-Man's costume, which he believed gave him nine lives, somehow saved her.

As I said above, this is one of Wein's best efforts since he came aboard BATMAN nearly two years earlier. The story is well-plotted and engaging, the surprise appearance of Cat-Man is not telegraphed in the slightest, and the resolution of Catwoman's disease (contrived though it felt when first introduced) makes for a nice conclusion.

Even the artwork feels a step above usual. Irv Novick's work, while still nice, has felt a little stiff and uninspired in recent issues, though I honestly believe that may be more due to Bob Smith's inks than anything else. Novick looked very good a decade earlier when inked by Dick Giordano, and early in this run, when Frank McLaughlin inked him, there was a bit of that Novick/Giordano style in evidence. But Bob Smith feels like a major step down from either of those other two gentlemen. Fortunately, McLaughlin returns next week!

Before we wrap up, we should note that Wein keeps his sub-plots moving in issue 323, checking in with Lucius Fox to let us know that Wayne Foundation is losing money thanks to Gregorian Falstaff consistently underbidding them everywhere, and reminding us that Lucius has issues with his troubled son, Timothy:

We also get a couple of new plots introduced in these issues. 323 gives Bruce Wayne an unexpected new secretary who seems to have designs on her boss:

And 324 introduces a killer with a connection to Commissioner Gordon's past:

So, all told, things are shaping up nicely as Lein Wein approaches the end of his time as Batman's writer! Next week, we'll examine his final two issues, as Batman is committed to Arkham Asylum.