Under the Moon is a retelling of Catwoman's origin, starting from well before she ever even dreamed of becoming the thief we all know her as. This origin story's purpose is to explain how Selina ended up growing into the woman who would become Catwoman.
This isn't the first retelling of it's kind, but they've been such a hit lately that I understand why they wanted to go forward and make a graphic novel focused on this beloved character.
Warnings: There is a lot of abuse in this graphic novel. Selina herself it one of the victims, along with her mother. There's also a really graphic animal death scene.
Under the Moon is the first time I've read a Catwoman origin story. I was surprised that they opted to go back so young, but when I stopped to think about it, it made sense. They were trying to explain how she became who she is today, and thus they needed to cover her most formative years of her life.
It all starts back when Selina was a little girl, but quickly speeds ahead to when she's fourteen. As a teenager, she's tired of her mother's abusive boyfriends. And understandably so. I honestly think that her home life alone was enough to justify her stepping out on her own. From there I could see her developing to the character we know her as.
There's more to the story than that, of course. I'll confess that I didn't love that she went to the same school as Bruce Wayne. That made very little sense in my mind. There's no way he went to a public school, and I don't see Selina affording a private school. So that broke the immersion a bit.
My other complaint would have to be what was done with the kitten. I completely understand what they were going for here, I really do. But I also think it was too much. I knew it was going to happen from the moment they introduced that little guy, and I just couldn't handle it. I personally had to skip over that, but it tainted the rest of the graphic novel for me. I just couldn't enjoy any of it after that.
I think that the core of this graphic novel did have some good points and concepts. There were just elements I didn't love about it. Maybe I was just being too sensitive though.
I would love to see more origin stories like this, all things considered. Just maybe with them being slightl

brief summary
A new take on Catwoman's early teenage years, appropriate for teen readers who can handle swearing, self-harm, abusive home lives, and dead cats.

full review
The thing about stories like this is you always know something awful's going to happen to a cat. And it does. But the story Myracle tells about young Selina Kyle is a very human one, kept to a non-super scale that makes it all the more believable since the main character is fourteen years old. The decision to make her fourteen seems a little odd, given how heavy some of the material covered in this story is, making it perhaps a bit too dark for the middle grade readers who would be the expected audience for a story with a fourteen-year-old protagonist, but perhaps it is setting up for further stories which would see Selina growing older.

I am not going to go into DC continuity or canon versus non-canon. As far as I'm concerned, this is a stand-alone work unless there are sequels produced in the same series, and unrelated to the greater body of the DC Universe, sort of like Smallville. I will say, however, that there were lots of hidden DC details which those familiar with the universe will recognize. These are buried in the writing and the background illustrations, so be on the lookout as you read.

The book's greatest strength is its artwork. Artist Isaac Goodhart uses tone to great effect, differentiating between past and present by switching between a cool maroon and a nocturnal navy. The cast he portrays have mobile facial expressions and dynamic poses, and even though the characters are not especially well fleshed out in text, the fine details of his artwork give readers deeper insight into their feelings and motivations. And also serious hair envy. As a bonus art detail: take note of the chapter headers.

Overall, this is a quick read, but the subject matter keeps the tone pretty serious. Selina's home life is deeply awful, and even knowing what was coming with her mother's boyfriend, I was horrified by the casual, unnecessary cruelty he inflicted on the people (and especially cats) around him. Even after Selina takes drastic steps which render her homeless, thieving for survival, this life is somehow made to seem preferable to life in her mother's household. I hope that is not a message young readers take to heart, because Selina's experience with homelessness seems unusually benign. The storyline with Rosie is wrapped up a little too quickly, but allows the volume to end on a hopeful note.

This was a delight. I love Selina Kyle and while she occupies in the gray area it was fun to follow along with her and she finds out if not who she is than what her limits are. Her story, as it always is, is sad and heartbreaking. Her relationship with Bruce and her found family are intriguing and definitely something that seems interesting with room to grow. I'm not sure the best age for this but teens seem to be the most likely.

Under the Moon is a part of the graphic novels that DC INK has been putting out that is mostly based on familiar DC characters as young adults. In this one, we get the story of young Selina Kyle AKA Catwoman. There are definitely some trigger warnings to take heed of before going into this one such as abuse, self-harm, animal abuse and bullying.

Selina doesn't have a good home life and it made me so mad to see a young catwoman have such a hard life. I hate reading books where these weak women just let some man abuse their children. LIKE!! What are you doing? That's basically what happens with Selina, her mom has a series of bad boyfriends, but then the worst of the bunch ends up staying and makes her life a living hell. Her mom even tries to make it seem like Selina is the one that is the problem. It made me so mad!

I like that we see Selina and Bruce have a little bit of a relationship, as it definitely plays into the lore between these two characters. Bruce is written as he should be, the intentioned rich guy just trying to help everyone, but he doesn't realize just how out of touch he is. Selina is so angry in this story, which I like, but also I found some of her stubbornness to be super frustrating. Mostly because there are people in her life that genuinely wanted to help her, but she just pushes them all away.

The artwork was kind of interesting here, as it wasn't done it full color, it was more done in shades of blue. I thought that was kind of cool because it really set the tone for the seedy underbelly of Gotham City.

The ending of the book seems to be so open-ended that I felt like I was left hanging a bit. I felt like it just kinda of ends with things not wrapped up. I still had a lot of questions in the end. I'm not sure if this means that there will be another book or not, but it felt a little incomplete to me.

"Under the Moon" stands out immediately because of its art direction: the shadowy blue hues set the tone for the stories that follow, and the action throughout the pages and panels move us through Selina's story at a quick pace. It's a tight story with no unnecessary fill, taking under an hour to read its 200 pages.
Selina herself draws you in early on as well. She doesn't pull punches in describing her life and its troubles from the start, which sets up a natural progression into her fight for survival through the rest of the tale. Bringing the classic antiheroine to the forefront at a younger age, Lauran Myracle and Isaac Goodhart lead us through Catgirl's story with skill. The writer and artist can't make us agree with every decision, but they help you understand.
My favorite parts of the story were when Selina found unexpected allies. Her character shines as the loner, too, but the heart of the story lies with the rare glimpses of who Selina is at her best: talented, confident, and not just in the game for herself.
My main criticism for the book is a muddled audience. Selina Kyle's young age betrays the violence and other mature subjects that the story contains. This book is better suited for an older teen or adult audience because of some themes, to which I caution those uncomfortable with self-harm and abuse.

I read this twice and just did not like it. I wanted to very much. However, not even the awesome amount of cats could redeem this story for me.

So over all I really enjoyed the book. Was it the bets thing in the book universe? No. Was it the worst? Nope. So I am gonna give it a solid 3 stars. I felt like I could relate to Selina on some aspects of her life. Yes things were bad in her life but it is what made her who she is. Trigger warnings for physical and mental abuse along with animal abuse. Also not ment for children as this book does use the words penis, virgin, and dick.
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing me to read and review this book.

REVIEW WILL BE POSTED ON GOODREADS and BLOG ON PUBLICATION DAY.
This is the REVIEW that will be posted.

What a beautiful graphic novel. So visually appealing, I just love having it on my shelf. CatWoman has been one of my most beloved DC characters since I was a little girl. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this when I read about it a while back. This book has multiple trigger warnings which I will list below, but for now, lets just talk about this book.

My emotions were at stake while reading the beginning of this. To me, and I hope not to much of you, this was so relatable. I grew up with a mother who was an alcoholic. She had many different boyfriends, and yes some of them were abusive. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and my mother did nothing. It was bringing up some old memories of mine but this is a story so I just reminded myself of that. Selina Kyle is only 14, but she seems much older in this novel with her wits, but it is marketed for 13-17 year old teens. Selina Kyle walks away from her abusive home, she becomes homeless, and she finds herself with a group of other homeless kids near her age. They essentially become her new family.

I know some reviews have knocked this book for being too vulgar, abusive, animal harm, what-have-you. But here's the deal: She is a teenager who is in a very very very difficult position, and pulls herself out of it to do what is best for her. I can't remember how many times I wanted to run away from my mothers house growing up. I was fortunate enough to have my dad around, but again, that's not so relevant to THIS story. These unfortunate happenings show the true character of Selina Kyle. It gives the reader the sense of who she is, how strong she is, and what she has overcome to get to the point she is at.

And let me just say, I love how this book does not sexualize Selina's character. Yes there is a part in the book where she helps out her gay friend who is being bullied, but you will have to read it to understand it, because I truly don't want to spoil these characters for you.

I won't give away any more details about the book because I truly don't want take away from your reading experience if you decide to read this. Tragedies happen to young kids, teenagers, young adults, and so I think it's important to show books where these things happen, and yet the character can rise from them. Make something of themselves. Do you know what I mean?

Trigger Warnings:
Parental Abuse
Alcohol abuse
Animal abuse
Self harm
Homelessness
Depression
Bullying

Under the Moon has a very diverse set of casted characters. LGBTQ friendly, and so much more. This book is a very important graphic novel for it's age group as long as is it read respectively and not to be taken so seriously.

Please do not ever condone to self harm. If you are in a terrible home situation SEEK HELP. talk to someone. A friend, a teacher, a friend's parent, someone. There is help. You all know my page is a judge-free zone, so go forth and blow up the comments if you need to. Click my CONTACT tab and shoot me a message if you need to. Please seek help and talk to someone if you need to. I truly can't express this importance.

Much love to you all,
DauntlessReading

I have known about Lauren Myracle for a number of years. I sold lots of her books when I was managing Waldenbooks stores in the Seattle area, but alas had not yet read any of her work. I always love finding books for younger readers that I'm encouraging to read. Most of the time, all they need is something to pique their interest. Then the magic of good writing takes over. Myracle provides that kind of reading with this title. Now I want to read more of her work, so I can pass on recommendations to younger readers.

I wasn't actually able to open this book despite trying very hard to follow the instructions on Netgalley. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to read it on my computer or iPad. If possible I hope Netgalley will post better information about how to download and use these kinds of files that aren't easily accessible on Kindle.

First, I have to say that the art is very pretty, but with that said. The story felt slow and like other versions of Catwoman I've read before. I did like the side characters, they are who kept me reading. I was a quick & easy read that has a simple plot. Like I said, the art is pretty and helped the story come alive.

3.5 stars

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but was intrigued and wanted to check it out since one of my favorite characters from the Batman universe was Catwoman. This was an interesting take on her younger years and the events that lead up to her being who she was. I did feel like some points were a little too overemphasized, but overall the story was interesting and enjoyable.

I loved the art style and the more monochromatic theme, especially when past and present had different color schemes. The characters are richly done and easily recognizable once they are introduced.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

The art was nice, but the storytelling was lacking. It's completely understandable to portray her childhood for a better explanation to who she became. However, it was too repetitive.

So, I like to include something good with each review I do, even if I don't like the book. In this case I loved the illustrations.
I hated the book though, it does not feel like a cat woman book at all, in fact I wish there had been a trigger warning for all the abuse and self harm that goes on in this one.
I don't know, it was just weird for me, it is not what I would expect a YA graphic novel to be.

I received this book in exchange for an honest opinion, which has not altered my opinion of the book. I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Trigger warnings for self-harm, abuse, animal death, bullying.

I love Catwoman. I really do, I've never really been one for the heroines in stories. The anti-heroes who really just want to live their lives are where I gravitate. Selena is such a sassy character and I love that she never gave up. The only time she ever allowed someone to really get close to her was Rosie. Even the boys kept back due to their personalities. Honestly, I loved that she didn't want to be a hero and she was honestly alright when she was alone.

The art of this graphic novel was beautiful!! I can't wait to see a physical copy of this, because the art was so amazing. The switch in color theme when there was a flashback allowed the story to flow without confusion. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to see if Ms. Myracle has more coming! 5 out of 5 from me!

Selina Kyle is constantly victimized by her mother's horrible live-in boyfriends. Her current "love'', Dernell seems to be around to stay. Selina has endured his temper and abuse for two years. At school she has three friends (read as...people she doesn't consider jerks...)....Angie, Tristan and.....Bruce Wayne. But, high school isn't her only worry. People in Gotham are being violently murdered by a monster called The Gotham Growler. Sharp Teeth, ripping claws, savage attacks. The kids at school are scared. Selina isn't scared. She already knows the world is full of monsters. She leaves home, vowing to become stealthy and aloof, never allowing anyone to victimize her again.

My husband is a huge comic book fan. He knows the backstory and details of nearly every DC and Marvel character. I love comics too, but as a child I wasn't allowed to read them. My parents didn't let me to read superhero comics. To this day, I'm not sure why. My best guess is that the considered them violent and inappropriate reading for a girl (eyeroll). I've been grown up for years now and can read what I want...so slowly I'm starting to enjoy comics and appreciate the art and storylines. I'm no expert like my husband. Sometimes that's a disadvantage. But when it comes to new visions of established characters, I see it as a positive thing. I can read reboots and updates with new eyes and enjoy them for the fascinating story, rather than being disappointed that an old storyline is getting a reboot. I love this new introduction to Selina Kyle. It follows the framework of the old storyline, but updates it to appeal to a new, younger audience.

Positives first:

The art in this book is awesome! The dark blues and shadowy hues work perfectly for a Catwoman story.

I like the plot and most of the changes in the story & character. I felt so sorry for Selina when she endured so much at the hands of her mother's bad boyfriends...and loved seeing her grow into a strong character. My favorite character in the story is hands-down Selina's new friend, Ojo. Definitely a Parkour enthusiast, Ojo is an awesome character that really brings the updated feel home. Her other new friends, Briar Rose and Yang, are interesting additions to the story as well. They form a family of sorts for Selina, who has learned to withdraw from any emotional ties. It added a nice depth to the character.

I do understand that this story might be a bit of a drastic departure from the norm for some Catwoman fans. There have been other recent Catwoman stories published that are completely different (I haven't read any of them....so this is secondhand information), and this new book does not follow the character or story continuity very much at all. This version of Selina Kyle is only 14. She is a runaway, a high school dropout, and makes some pretty rough decisions -- self harm, living homeless, joining a gang of street kids, etc. There are changes to the character....but I liked the differences. After looking at other reviews, I see that some did not. Not every story (or comic book) will appeal to every reader.

Now a few concerns:

This story is definitely aimed at a younger YA audience....so why all the cussing? And at one point, Selina gets angry and yells about boys being dicks, followed up by a string of rather graphic penis references. I'm not sure that is something a 13-14 year old would be mature enough to read. I do understand that kids cuss...I have a middle school age boy at home, so I'm well aware. But I think putting the F word repeatedly into a graphic novel aimed at 13 year olds is a bit much.....

The storyline gets a bit rough in places....a dead kitten, some rather rough child abuse, etc. I would start the age range for this book at 15+. Older teens can handle the cussing and strong plot. Might be a bit too rough for younger kids. It all depends on maturity level. Some kids are more mature than others. Parental guidance suggested. That being said.....I remember how much I hated my parents trying to "protect'' me from things I didn't need protection from. Kids cuss. Kids say rather graphic things to each other on a daily basis at school. And they are witness to real and fake violence at pretty high levels these days. So...despite the fact I was surprised at the F word popping out in this graphic novel....that word is in just about every Youtube video, television show and social media post that kids see these days. I've played video games with my son on public servers before and heard kids that sounded really young spouting off torrents of cussing that were beyond even what I could string together. So....I suppose even those limits are relaxed and change with the times. Still not sure that the F word was entirely necessary though.....but I also recognize that I am way way outside the target age range for this graphic novel.

I would change the title to "Under the Moon: A Catgirl Tale'' to be honest. Selina takes that nickname...why not run with it? Selina is very young in this story and just learning how to take care of herself. In my mind "Catwoman'' conjures up images of a woman who already knows her way around and has her street smarts at max. In this story, Selina finds herself homeless and has to learn to find her way. Definitely more of a Catgirl.

All in all, an enjoyable graphic novel! I liked the new approach to the character!

**I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book from DC Comics via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I had not read any origin stories around Catwoman prior to this, so I can't speak to how in line/different this is from previous iterations. However, I can speak to how this does a good job of exploring the "Why?" of a villain. This comic focuses on Catwoman's teen years. Said simply, she has to navigate a lot of "stuff" during this time and make some decisions on what she's going to do to help herself - and others, as well as where she's going to fight back. For a comic, this is heavy content. The obstacles and issues she encounters are a lot to process in this form - any form really. Plot aside, the illustrations are outstanding. They are so, so well done, and they perfectly give vision to the story. Overall, I wanted more. This is a quick read, but I wanted more depth and dissection to Selina's tale!

"Under the Moon" is a Catwoman tale, but it is also the tale of a young, frightened, yet bold and determined young woman. I fell in love with Selina and felt every emotion she went through. The story was excellent, as well as the graphics, which were perfect for the tale being told. Each page was mesmerizing and the story and illustrations just pulled me in, in a way a regular novel would not have been able to. This tale stays true to the Gotham canon, yet carves its own way down that gritty path. I loved that Selina was portrayed in her younger years, and in high school, as that is a pretty grim environment itself these days. If you're a fan of graphic novels, or just a really great story told extremely well, check out "Under the Moon," a fascinating and absorbing Catwoman tale.

* Disclaimer: I received a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. No bribes, gifts, or material goods were exchanged for my review. *

Selina Kyle has always been my favorite version of Catwoman. Her story and personality are both as intriguing and complex as the vigilante herself. As far as delving into that complicated history, Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale does an excellent job. Often it’s difficult for new authors to portray such iconic characters as those in the DC Universe but Lauren Myracle comes really close to portraying the Selina Kyle I grew up with and adored.

Even the artist, Isaac Goodhart, brings his A-game with the excellent artwork known in DC comics/graphic novels. Each panel brings a new emotion and empathetic connection to Selina and her fellow cast members. Besides the profound language featured in the story, the artwork is by far one of the best selling points of this graphic novel.

However, Under the Moon does not come without its own problems. There are several side plots that are built up through the story that are never resolved. It leaves the feeling of the possibility of a sequel but one is never mentioned. I would love to see a sequel come from this book, but without one some of the plot feels unresolved and incomplete.

This graphic novel also moves at a fast pace, which is understandable for a comic/graphic novel. They have less room than a regular novel to fit all the information in so they often move quickly from one situation to the next. Even putting that into consideration, there are times where the plot jumps from point A to point B without any explanation, often throwing in seemingly random characters along with it. It’s not terrible, per se, but there were some jumps that often left me confused and I was forced to go back just to make sure I hadn’t missed anything.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Under the Moon. It takes a fresh, new outlook on Selina Kyle and her origin as Catwoman, bringing her into the modern era. If you enjoy graphic novels/comics, superheroes, and the coming-of-age storyline you will definitely enjoy this story.

Trigger Warning: Under the Moon does contain references to abuse, self-abuse, and mature language. Knowing the story of Selina Kyle, these references did not bother me but if you are affected by any of these things this story may not be for you.