Polite Dissent

Catwoman #37 is the last issue written by Ed Brubaker. Ostensibly about a birthday party for Selina Kyle, the story is really a send off for Brubaker. He has done some stalwart work on the comic and turned a previous two-dimensional character into one of the most interesting characters in Gotham City.

Still, this issue didn’t sit right for me. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a medical concern this time, but more of a legal issue. I liked the party scenes; they were appropriate both for the characters and Brubaker. Gulacy’s art was acceptable (although I didn’t realize that Wildcat was at the party until someone referred to “Ted”). All of my concerns come down to one scene: when Catwoman intervenes between a rich braggart and his trophy girlfriend. After trading quips, Catwoman quickly KOs the guy and his bodyguards. She then steals his Rolex watch, money clip, and other accessories and gives them to the girlfriend for her to pawn and keep the money.

This is where I have a problem. It’s supposed to be “rob from the rich and give to the poor,” not “rob from the rich and turn to poor into Accessories after the Fact.” Giving money obtained illegally to someone needy is one thing; involving that person in the crime is something else entirely. Catwoman has made the conscious decision to act as a vigilante and accept whatever risks for criminal charges that may bring. For her to involve a bystander who has not made that choice is the wrong thing for her to do.

(It also makes me wonder about the criminals who are caught by super-heroes. For instance, let’s say that Spider-Man interrupts two thieves breaking into a warehouse. He webs them up and leaves them for the police, even including a little note for the men in blue. What can the police charge them with? If there were no victims or witnesses, it is the word of the criminals against a more or less anonymous masked man. Is Spider-Man going to show up to testify in court or give grand jury testimony? And could he, as a masked vigilante? I bet the D.A. is letting a lot of these people go.)