Book Review: Catwoman Novelization

Book: Catwoman by Elizabeth Hand
Screenplay: John Rogers, Mike Ferris and Brancato

Edition: Paperback

Description:

There’s a new Catwoman in town—a feline adventuress unlike any you’ve seen before. Discover all her sizzling secrets as she cracks her whip and sinks her claws into her most petrifying, death-defying adventure yet.

Patience Philips is a shrinking violet, not exactly a career booster at competitive Hedare Beauty, the huge cosmetics corporation where she’s a graphic designer. Self-conscious and easily unnerved, she hasn’t a chance of escaping detection after she uncovers a dirty little secret in Hedare’s top-secret research laboratory. Discovery means death, but the real shocker is what happens afterward.

In the blink of a cat’s eye, the meek designer is gone, replaced—through an ancient twist of fate—by a sleek, self-assured woman with dark, dazzling powers: Catwoman. She has scores to settle, rooftops to roam, and a sinister underworld to prowl, as she stalks her destiny like a feral feline. She also has a good-looking detective on her trail, someone who has fallen for Patience, but is drawn to Catwoman.

As two mighty forces gear up for the ultimate showdown, the fur will fly. . . .

Currently Reading: Catwoman Novelization

It's so interesting what you will find searching through your book case or shelves. I was looking for something to read when I found this Catwoman novelization by Elizabeth Hand. I totally forgot I had it and I'm not sure how long it's been sitting on the shelf but it's been some time. It's also been a while since I've watched the Catwoman movie, which may have had mixed reviews but I enjoyed it for what it was. It was a movie about a woman embracing life after being treated as if she was invisible for so long. She just became a bit of a superhero in the process. I'm interested to see if there is anything new such as scenes or information added in this novelization.

Side note, I've really been trying to read through my continuously growing To Be Read list, I buy so many books that I sometimes forget what I have. Right now, I've been reading through some of my older books but I'm going to read some of my new or newly published books as well.

Book: Catwoman by Elizabeth Hand

Description:

There’s a new Catwoman in town—a feline adventuress unlike any you’ve seen before. Discover all her sizzling secrets as she cracks her whip and sinks her claws into her most petrifying, death-defying adventure yet.

Patience Philips is a shrinking violet, not exactly a career booster at competitive Hedare Beauty, the huge cosmetics corporation where she’s a graphic designer. Self-conscious and easily unnerved, she hasn’t a chance of escaping detection after she uncovers a dirty little secret in Hedare’s top-secret research laboratory. Discovery means death, but the real shocker is what happens afterward.

In the blink of a cat’s eye, the meek designer is gone, replaced—through an ancient twist of fate—by a sleek, self-assured woman with dark, dazzling powers: Catwoman. She has scores to settle, rooftops to roam, and a sinister underworld to prowl, as she stalks her destiny like a feral feline. She also has a good-looking detective on her trail, someone who has fallen for Patience, but is drawn to Catwoman.

As two mighty forces gear up for the ultimate showdown, the fur will fly. . . .

Art of the Day: Catwoman

Artwork: Catwomen by kinjamin-art

Throwback Thursday: The Catwoman Movie

Whether you Love it or Hate it, I consider Catwoman to be a ground breaking film. Even with the release of this movie back in 2004, there were (and still are) very few female lead superhero/comic book movies.

I don't understand Hollywood's reluctance to make more. I know Warner Bros. will be releasing Wonder Woman next year and Marvel is working on a Captain Marvel movie but aside from that I have not heard of any more movies in the works. There are talks of making a Black Widow movie but nothing has truly been confirmed or placed into production (i.e. no writer, director, etc.).

Catwoman may not have been perfect but at it's core the movie showed a woman who was taking control of her life. She was no longer going to sit on the sidelines observing life but live it to its fullest. Comic books are all about that transformation from when the character changes and becomes the person they always knew they were or wanted to be.

I have seen many critics cite as a negative that this wasn't connected to the Batman Universe but I think that's why I like it. Because according to the movie, there have been numerous Catwomen throughout time and Patience Phillips was simply carrying on that tradition. This movie was not about the Selina Kyle Catwoman but one of the many that have embraced their true selves and transformed into the Catwoman.

Perhaps many were looking for that Batman connection but I enjoyed it for what it was, a woman becoming her true self and stopping a few criminals along the way.

Art of the Day: Catwoman

Artwork: Catwoman by Alex Ross

What I like about Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman is she loves what she does. And in this picture by Alex Ross, it's clearly shown on her face.

I think that's one of the problems I had with the Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises movie, she didn't seem to be enjoying any of the things she was doing. She seemed as bored as I was watching the movie. There was no life in that character at least as far as I could see.

Now the Catwoman in the Batman Returns movie truly enjoyed what she was doing. Although she was a little crazy (I guess that can happen when you fall out a high rise building) she seemed to be alive and enjoyed everything she did. Even the character Patience Philips/Catwoman from the Catwoman movie also seemed to really enjoy prowling the night so to speak.

Too bad The Dark Knight Rises left out what makes Selina so much fun as a character, because that Catwoman would have been great.