This Advanced Reader’s Copy was provided by DC Entertainment via NetGalley. Batman: One Bad Day: Catwoman will be released on July 18th, 2023.

Also, there will be SPOILERS, so I’m letting you know in case you didn’t see the spoiler tag.

Batman: One Bad Day: Catwoman by G.Willow Wilson (the creator of Kamala Khan Ms.Marvel) and drawn by Jamie McKelvie is a great read! This is a part of the One Bad Day series of One-shots where we learn the One Bad Day that turned Batman’s rouges into the villains that they are. The interesting thing about this book specifically is that Catwoman is not technically a villain. But Catwoman rides the line so I guess she counts. I guess Wilson had the same thought because this is just a bad day she had and not her villain origins, which is nice. I haven’t read the other One-shots in this series but this book had the same vibe you’d get from a Justice League Unlimited or Young Justice episode. Which is what I love about DC. Their ability to ease us into the world of the DC universe with a simple and satisfying story. This is insane because, to non-comic fans, DC is “that company with 20 reboots” when DC technically had 3 reboots. Crisis On Infinite Earths, Flashpoint (which birthed the New 52), and Rebirth. Rebirth is not really a reboot, but it kind of is. Only on the basis that it combines New 52 lore with Pre-New 52 lore. Then again that’s like calling Zero Hour a reboot but that’s not important.

Batman: One Bad Day: Catwoman is a tale as old as time, Catwoman wants to steal something and she does it. But it takes this simple story and uses it to reveal some of her backstory which brings stakes to a typical heist story. Catwoman (Selina Kyle) wants to steal a Carnot Brooch from a jewelry auction. Why specifically this one? It’s because it used to belong to her mother and she had to sell it to a pawn shop to provide her for kids. The Brooch is said to be real but the Pawn shop owner tells her that it’s fake and only sells it for $200. Desperate to provide for her family, she takes the money anyway. Now it’s being sold in this auction because it was the real thing the whole time, which is why Catwoman is trying to steal it back. While scoping out the auction, she meets this older woman who tells her the history of the Brooch. It’s said to be a symbol of French Resistance during WWII. The Nazis controlled art and Jewelers had to find other ways to rebel which is represented by the Brooch taking the appearance of a bird in a cage. But when the French were liberated, the Jewelers placed the bird outside of the cage which symbolized freedom. The older woman also exposits how they got the artifact and it’s the story of Selina’s mother which makes her cry. The older woman apologizes for making her cry and reveals that her name is Vivian Page, one of the curators at the auction house. Selina tells her that it’s fine and leaves as Vivian says that it was nice to meet her and they’ll meet again sometime. Selina is shocked that someone made her emotional on the job but then she locks eyes with Bruce Wayne (Batman). Selina decides to execute the heist before he tries to stop her.

Selina successfully steals the Brooch and tells her sister that she got back a piece of their mother but Maggie doesn’t really care about it. Maggie still thinks that it’s fake and brushes Selina off but Selina tells her that it was real and either the pawnbroker was stupid or lying about its worth. Maggie once again brushes Selina off because the brooch was worthless when they needed it so why would she care now when it can’t help their mother anymore? Before Selina can argue back Maggie cuts her off and tells her that she has to get back to work. Selina is bothered but not surprised because when you’re poor you look so hard for better fortune but when you get it, it’s hard to believe it.

Selina then decides to get it appraised so she can sell the brooch, just because it can’t help their mother anymore doesn’t mean that the money can’t help her sister. But in a plot twist, the brooch is indeed a fake, not a genuine article. Selina leaves frustrated. She tells the appraiser that it’s old because her mom inherited it from her mother which makes the period of the brooch’s existence accurate. But the appraiser said that lies often become Family History and family history becomes mythology. Selina remarks that he should’ve been a therapist and storms out.

Selian is deflated after everything but realizes that she was duped by Vivian because she mentions how weird it was to see a Carnot Brooch in this time period. Selina decides to track her down but she doesn’t exist. It’s an alias. So Selina goes back to the scene of the crime to catch “Viviain” because all criminals go back to the crime scene. Sure enough “Vivian” leaves the auction house and Selina tails her. “Vivian” goes inside a bodega and is addressed as “Mrs. Hughes”. Selina is impressed that she can make people speak to her as if they know her well when in reality she could be anyone. Selina is about to jump down and confront “Vivian” at the bodega but she’s stopped by Batman.

Batman warns her that “Vivian” is someone he’s been tracking for a while and she’s more dangerous than she lets on. Catwoman isn’t surprised by Batman but she asks him if he was following her and what’s “Vivian” to him. Batman so happened to be tracking “Vivian” for months so it was more that he was following her and not Catwoman. Batman wants Catwoman to refrain from confronting “Vivian” now because, in the long run, they can send “Vivian” to jail with all the evidence he found. Catwoman is shocked but Batman tells her that these things take time and he didn’t he know about Selina’s history with the brooch. Selina asked Batman “And if you had known?” and he responds that he would have helped her and that she knows that. He offers her help if she wants it but he corrects himself by saying “I mean. I know you don’t NEED my help. But if you WANT me. IT. My HELP. That’s–I can” and Selina shushes him before kissing him. I love Selina and Bruce’s relationship, they’re equals and they see each as equals but they’re always there for each other. It brought a huge smile to my face is what I’m saying.

Selina and Bruce make out on the rooftops and she mentions that when they’re together they can’t stop, it’s more than love and it’s as unstoppable as the planets orbiting the sun. They stop kissing and she tells him that they could be like this all night if they don’t stop and Bruce’s okay with that. But Selina tells Bruce that she has to stop her tonight because this could be her only chance, Bruce tells her that she shouldn’t because if they get a whole bunch of evidence they can put her away for what she did to everyone, not just Selina. Selina teases Bruce for having too much faith in the justice system but Bruce rebuts her by smiling at her. He states that he doesn’t trust the system but that it’s all they got. Bruce pleads with her to wait a few more days but Selina asks if he’s going to stop her if she goes now. But Bruce says that he won’t stop her but he asking her too. Because “Vivian” is dangerous and who knows what she’s going to do next (he’s not wrong). Selina teases Bruce with “Aww, you worried about my SAFETY?” and he responds with “I AM”.

Selina departs the rooftop but she praises their relationship because Batman and Catwoman do things their own way and give each other room to breathe because everyone solves their problems differently. Catwoman waits on the stairs for “Vivian” to come back and greets her upon entering. “Vivian” is impressed that Catwoman found her and when Catwoman confronts her about the brooch, “Vivian” reveals that she created the Brooch and sold it to Catwoman’s mother 30 years ago. “Vivian” pours salt on this verbal wound by claiming her mother was a greedy desperate woman who wanted fortune from a deal that looked good on paper. That sets Catwoman off and they begin their fight. But “Vivian” holds her own which shocks Catwoman and she silently curses to herself that “Batman was right” and she hates it when he’s right. “Vivian” and Catwoman brawl until Catwoman asks “Vivian” to chill so that they can talk, she then asks why did “Vivian” convince the auction house that it was real? The money was not going to her once the auction ended, so why did she do it?

“Vivian” responds with a cryptic series of remarks that throw Catwoman off. Essentially the lesson is that items only hold value to where we are at the current moment. A toy could be a sense of comfort one year and useless plastic the next. “Vivian” slams her head on Catwoman’s nose and she flies, slamming her head on a door. Her vision gets woozy and her mind wanders on the fact that on bad days, there’s usually a bright side, but on this day, it’s just One Bad Day. “Vivian” tells Catwoman that they’re not enemies here and that if anything they’re competitors in a strange world with people that wear masks. “Vivian” goes home leaving Selenia to lick her wounds. As she sniffs up the blood coming down, Batman appears from out of nowhere. Batman teases her playfully and tells her that he won’t say “I told you so” but that he’s thinking it. Catwoman claims that he was definitely following her this time and Batman agrees and apologies in the same breath. As Batman helps her up, she asks him why didn’t he help her when she was getting her ass kicked. But Batman replies with “You looked like you were holding your own…mostly”. Bruce and Selena have a moment, he offers her a steak for her black eye and they exchange “I miss you”. Batman offers to take her home with him for a date but Selenia says that she needs to see her sister first. So they agree to have a date later that night. She leaves the building and the day is starting for most people while she had the longest night of her life. She pulls off her hood and walks down the street and calls her sister so they can meet up for a cup of coffee and talk about the brooch.
Catwoman’s costume is pretty cool, there’s a latex armor aesthetic that makes it look like her costume from Batman Returns but there’s an opening for her underarms and side chest. It looks weird at first because it's a break in the suit that you don’t expect. But it’s probably done to prevent chafing, especially since she’s flexible. But in the end, you see her take off her gloves, put the mask down (like a hood) and she can walk in public. So the suit works also as a one-piece outfit which was a cool detail I didn’t notice until the end. The art by Jamie McKelvie is really cool, it goes for cartoon realism and it reminds me of Mikel Janin and Tony Daniel’s art.

Since this is a trade paperback version of the One-shot I was surprised that there was no concept art or the variant covers at the end. It would have been cool to see sketches, designs, and/or alternative covers.

Overall I really loved this book. Like I said earlier it gave that JLU/YJ vibe and it was a comfortable read. The chemistry between Bruce and Selina was infectious and it didn’t make it a Batman and Catwoman story, it made it her story. I would love to see G.Willow Wilson on a Catwoman book or a Batman/Catwoman book. She understands the character and plays to their strengths as heroes. It also does well to juxtapose Catwoman and the other villains. While Riddler and Mr.Freeze are tragic and bastards in their own right. Selina has her sister, Bruce, and the Bat family to keep her from turning that One Bad Day into a lifetime of descent.


Batman: One Bad Day: Catwoman by G.Willow Wilson (the creator of Kamala Khan Ms.Marvel) and drawn by Jamie McKelvie a 4/5.

Thank you for Netgalley giving me this comic in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw this story and that a woman author was behind it, I was so excited as for the type of DC comics I read, women authors are still far and few between. And it's still quite uncommon to find Batman themed stories with a writer who keeps in line with both the dark and softer sides of Batman characters and not over or underutilize them. I first thought this story was going to follow the vein of the Joker's origin story, the Killing Joke, where he had that catchphrase 'all it takes is one bad day.' I was expecting to see a day where Catwoman went insane or something along those lines. This Catwoman story, however, did not follow the darker, gritty aspects Killing Joke, but instead focuses more on Selina Kyle's past, with feelings of regret, loss, vengeance, and family. The start of the story gives the reader a good understanding of how this Catwoman views the world around her and snippets of her childhood, which was anything but good. The resilience to survive and be ahead of the game put her on par with Batman, who in this storyline seems to still be a love interest to her but is secondary to her goals in life. The criminal mastermind was also a nice intro to a whole new underworld of thieves and con artists as well. I won't say too much more about them, but being a master of disguise has always been one of the things I love when villains in the Batman universe are involved. They all have different takes as to what motivates them to turn to their criminal professions and seeing the journey as to what led them to it is one of the reasons why I definitely hope they do some more stories with the criminal in this story and perhaps show more about Selina Kyle's past as well. I definitely would recommend this comic!

I was so freakin excited to get to read this!!
The plot was pretty cool, I didn't really expect it.

Even though it was only for a few pages, I LOVED Batman and Catwoman's banter.

I thought some of the panels were too similar to the panel before on certain pages, so it felt a little bland to me a couple of times, but it didn't dull the story. But besides that, the art is beautiful, everyone looks so good.
And Selina is buff? Hell yes

Definitely want to read the rest of this series, and I would love more of this Catwoman.


I got this arc through Netgalley and DC.

First off, amazing art. To be expected but honestly stunning. I kept having to stop to just admire the art. Especially with Selina and the subtle ways her outfits show off her lean muscle!

The interactions between Batman and Catwoman were also so cute and I really liked how they wrote batman when it is just them together. You can really feel the history behind them.

I also liked Selina's background with her sister and mom and how complicated it is.

It's not a super memorable story but it is a good comic to pick up and read through when you have time!

I really want Wilson to write more BatCat because that was the true highlight for me while reading this!

Batman & Catwoman? Count me in.

I can’t help it. I’m a sucker for romance.

G. Willow Wilson's Catwoman is a great and fresher take on Selina Kyle that doesn't abandon what makes her fun and interesting at her core. Wilson seamlessly weaves romantic scenes yet strikes a balance with the notes we have come to love from Catwoman. Namely, Catwoman's relentless sense of agency and unbound female energy that resists patriarchal impulses of control and subservience. Catwoman always walks to the beat of her own drum even in her romantic entanglements.

The art rendered by Jamie McKelvie underscores all of this by presenting a classic depiction of Catwoman that catapults off the comic page and gives us a strong sense of her ability as a thief and superhero, but also her commitment to family dynamics. These contrasting characteristics of Catwoman provides readers with a Catwoman who is both woman and fully fleshed out as a character deserving careful storytelling and attention.

Thank you to NetGalley and DC comics for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I loved it!

4.5/5

Thanks to netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had such a blast with this oneshot! I went into it a bit wary since I’ve heard some mixed things on the One Bad Day series, but I loved this one. The art for Catwoman was lovely (I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Batman art specifically, tbh, but Selina is the main focus of this and in that the art shined for me), I loved seeing Selina’s inner monologue, and I’m really interested in this new character! And the Batcat was lovely; I’m such a sucker for these two and this was really no exception.

This was a fun and quick read that left me satisfied but also wanting more. I enjoyed seeing a different side to Selina Kyle as details are given about her childhood and how her family struggled due to poverty. It was truly emotional and explains why she’s always been drawn to shiny things!
The artwork is major eye-candy galore and I kept taking my time to take in all the spectacular details. The anatomy was spot-on, line work and use of textures were nothing short of amazing. Jamie McKelvie is a very talented artist.

I’ll definitely be picking up the follow-up to this issue once it’s out! If you’re a fan of Catwoman and especially the Batman/Catwoman relationship - I highly suggest keeping this on your radar.

A nice Catwoman tale. Batman shows up, but doesn't take over the story as he often does. I enjoy DC/Gotham titles when they're small like this one (and perhaps a bit more grounded in "reality.")

Story ends on a bit of a mysterious note, but that's ok. I appreciated the art and the action sequences.

A very fun introspection to the mind of Catwoman, we follow her as she finds out a family heirloom her mom pawned off is estimated to be worth $20,000 and decides to steal it back. I really enjoyed the commentary she has on the rich and capitalism. The antagonist has a really interesting motive about high society art and art hunters i’d love to see more of!

It could partly be that I love the Batman/Catwoman relationship, but this is one of the best One Bad Day issues. Not only is the story original and interesting, but it's also full of great moments of character development that give Catwoman and Selina Kyle great depth. It has moments that made me laugh and think and some super fun Batman banter. It really is a great little issue.
The art is good, nothing spectacular or really eye-catching but solid and a good fit to the story.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and DC Comics for the great read!

If you love comics and Catwoman this will be a quick read that leaves you wanting more! I’ve always been a Batman fan and this spinoff was no different, it left me wanting more!

Selina Kyle, the infamous Catwoman, is the greatest thief Gotham has ever seen. When she finds out a treasure from her past is being sold for a fortune, she is determined to do anything in her power to steal it back. However, it looks like things won't be that easy when another master thief enters the scene.

Gorgeous artwork, flowing plot. I found myself rooting for Selina and really connecting with her emotional backstory.

Loved how they added the relationship between Catwoman ave Batman in it. Was a quick read that really show cased why she does what she does.

Many thanks to NetGalley, G. Willow Wilson, and DC Comics for a chance to review this book. I was given this book in exchange for my fair and honest review. I have not felt compelled, in any way, by the author, the publisher, or NetGalley to alter my sincerest thoughts on this book. Every word is solely and completely mine.

The One Bad Day concept is a profoundly resonant idea that postulates that villains are just one bad day away from going insane. The story-beat originated with The Killing Joke, the Joker going whole hog nuts. Here, the story involves Catwoman in a tale that involves a backstory where Selina Kyle and her Mom as an impoverished, nearly indigent family, one step away from homelessness, and a family heirloom. If Catwoman survived the backstory, there's nothing that's going to drive her to the brink of madness, in her current milieu. It therefore strikes me that the comic never reaches that breaking point necessary to be "the straw that breaks the camel's back.

IMHO, One Bad Day: Catwoman is a good story; a well-told Catwoman story, but Selina jokes with Batman, seems to be well-adjusted. There's definitely no point where Catwoman seems on the precipice of acting out of character. The artwork is spectacular and Jamie McKelvie's linework is something to be celebrated.

A fantastic but quick story that lets the reader see how Catwoman approaches issues of "unfair" - and does it with style.

Note: I received access to read this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Promising, but too short. It's hard to get an idea of what this version of Catwoman is like from what I read. The character art is very good and has detailed facial expressions. The story is simple but effective. Still, it feels like it is missing larger motivations among all of its characters; hopefully something that will be corrected in the next TP if there is one.

Catwoman gets more than she bargained for when she attempts to steal back a family heirloom that was sold by her mother years earlier. The ending left a lot of open questions, which could be explored in future installments, and did not make for a satisfying ending. Nothing was truly tied up, which can happen in comic series. But if this is a one-shot that was supposed to start and end a single story, I feel that it missed the mark.

I absolutely loved this small but mighty addition to DC's Batman Universe. G. Willow Wilson perfectly encapsulated Catwoman's personality and essence. My favorite type of comics are those that make you WANT to learn more about the characters, and this title teased just enough that I'm absolutely hoping for more. Not to mention, the art was absolutely gorgeous. I was a big fan of the different textures that were used. This title is definitely one that I would like to add to my shelves upon release. Absolutely recommended.

Y’all the way I squealed when I got approved for this!!

Like I’ve said previously, I love DC comics, I love Batman and I’ve heard such good things about the One Bad Day series. A limited run with 8 issues. Inspired by the line “All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That’s how far the world is from where I am. Just one bad day.” from The Killing Joke.

Now I love Catwoman and the story here was great. The art? Stunning. Catwoman was incredibly sexy throughout the entire comic. Even when she’s just walking, the anatomy is beautiful.

The story was interesting and we got to see a side of Catwoman, Selina, that I’ve at least not seen. Seeing her with her sister, seeing how much she wanted to get something back that should have been in her family anyway. The way she struggled as a child due to poverty which sort of explains her want of shiny things.

I don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll keep this short. The relationship between Catwoman and Batman was phenomenal, I loved the way they were drawn together and how he still tried to be Batman while being in love with her and her being a villain.

It was a fun read and I loved how it ended. I absolute recommend this. It’s a fun, easy read that I think does the character justice. She does indeed seem like she is having one hell of a bad day.

5 stars.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A short but affecting story of a woman trying to bring her family back together despite lies and desperate actions from all sides.