Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper

Catwoman: Her sister's Keeper is a trade paperback collection that reprints all four issues of the Catwoman comic book limited series published by DC Comics. The story was written by Mindy Newell and penciled by J.J. Birch. Inks were provided by Michael Bair. Birch and Bair also provided the cover art illustrations for the series. Coloring was done by Adrienne Roy with lettering by Agustin Mas. The series was edited by Dan Raspler and Denny O'Neil. The collection features an original cover graphic by artist Jim Balent and shipped in 1991. It carries a $9.95 cover date.

"Metamorphosis"
In an alley behind a church, Sister Elizabeth discovers the crumpled and beaten body of Selina Kyle, a prostitute. While the police rush Selina to the hospital, Sister Elizabeth complains to Sister Magdalene of the girl's endless compassion for stray cats. Magdalene comments that someone special to her always had cats around, and Sister Elizabeth softens, explaining that six months is not so long to go without hearing from someone.

In the hospital, Selina is visited by a man named Flannery, claiming to be from Gotham Vice. He demands to know who beat her up, but she is evasive. In fact, she won't answer any of his questions. They are interrupted by a priest offering communion. Perhaps too vehemently, Selina refuses, and the priest shuffles off. Flannery tells her to call him if she does decide to press charges against the man who beat and raped her. He offers her a card, but it's not his card. He explains that she should use the number on the card to talk to a man who can help her take care of herself - it may save her life one day.

At the church, Sister Elizabeth tries to dissuade Sister Magdalene from continually praying for her sister. She comments that there are other runaways in the city who need help. Magdalene responds that Elizabeth is a cold, cruel woman. The elder sister simply states that she is a realist, shooing another of Magdalene's strays away.

After being discharged from the hospital, Selina returns to her apartment, asking her friend Holly whether Stan - her pimp - is around. It was Stan who beat her, and Holly warns that if she goes back to her room, he will be waiting for her and could easily hurt her again. Even so, Selina goes up anyway. Stan is complaisant, apologizing for mistreating her. Selina ignores him and asks where her cats are. He moved them to an empty apartment, because they make him uncomfortable. Despite that discomfort, he presents Selina with a cat-themed dominatrix bodysuit. She is disgusted by it, but eventually Stan talks her into doing one last job for him in the catsuit, promising it will be the last time.

Later, Selina calls the number on the card and winds up doing self-defence training with former boxing champ Ted Grant. Selina asks how many other girls Flannery has sent Ted, and he responds that he doesn't know any cops named Flannery. He says that for $100/hour, he'll teach her everything he knows. Naturally, she can't afford it, and he suggests that she may qualify for a discount, if she's serious.

After cutting her long hair, Selina happens to notice some commotion outside her apartment while her submissive clients whine to be punished further. Ignoring them, she watches as Holly propositions a strange man who seems to be stirring up trouble. Stan gets involved, and he and the man fight until eventually Holly stabs the man in the leg. Instinctively, the man breaks Holly's wrist, and Selina springs into action in order to avenge her friend. Though she puts up a fight, the man lands a heavy punch and knocks her to the ground. When the cops arrive, the man dashes off.

As a result, Selina is late for her appointment with Ted, and she asks him to teach her how to use a bullwhip in a fight. Ted wonders who it is that Selina is really lashing out at, because he doesn't think it's her pimp. Even so, he trains her in the use of the whip.

One night, Selina is wakened by her cats to find Holly at her window looking out over Robinson Park, where there seems to be a lot of commotion and explosions. Turning on the TV, they see a news report indicating that the Batman has been surrounded by the Gotham City Police Department there. Holly is filled with excitement at the thought of glimpsing the Batman, and Selina agrees to accompany her friend to the police line, to see events unfold.

At the scene, things look grim for the Batman, and Selina pessimistically believes that if they see him at all, it will be as a corpse. Suddenly, a massive swarm of bats fills the skies over the park, and in the confusion, Batman escapes. Selina realizes that he is a formidable man, and that he has used the bats and his costume to great advantage.

In training with Ted, Selina begins to break down and give up. Ted keeps pushing her and pushing her, making her angry until she lashes out and really hurts him. This is what he wanted; to get Selina to put her emotion into her fighting. She is progressing.

Selina decides to make her move. She puts on the catsuit that Stan got her and hits the streets. Placing a call to him, she lies that one of her clients became violent and ended up being stabbed on his own knife. Stan tells her to stay calm and meet him at a certain location. As he waits for her, Selina creeps over the rooftops in her new costume, preparing to pounce.

"Downtown Babylon"
In the alleyway behind the Immaculate Virgin Mission, Selina Kyle confronts Stan, her pimp, wearing the catsuit that he gave her. When he realizes what her intentions are, he tries to be threatening, but she scratches his face and throws him to the ground using the training that she gained from Ted Grant. She removes her mask, pressing her stiletto heel against Stan's throat and warns him not to kick the cat. At that moment, Sister Magdalene steps into the alley to feed her stray cats, and sees Selina's face.

Sister Magdalene and Sister Mary Elizabeth go to Detective George Flannery of the Gotham City Police Department and explain that Magdalene believes that the woman she saw is her sister, who ran away from home years ago. Flannery writes the cat-woman off as a female version of the Batman - only on the East End. He does not believe that she is Magdalene's sister, though. When he does not offer her any assistance in finding her sister, Magdalene decides to take to the streets and find out for herself. Flannery warns that she would be safer to simply pray. Tending to his wounds, Stan decides the time has come to put a bullet in Selina Kyle's head. Meanwhile, Sister Magdalene does indeed walk the streets, showing an old photo of her sister to the local east end prostitutes. She happens upon Holly Robinson who feigns ignorance. Later, though, Holly informs Selina that the nun was looking for her. Having spent all of their money on a specialized catsuit, Selina ignores Holly's concerns and goes out for her first attempt at cat-burglary.

On the street, Stan happens to overhear Sister Magdalene get accosted by Detective Flannery. She rebuffs his attempts to get her to stay off the streets, for her own safety. Resigned, he returns to his car where he and his partner worry about the PR nightmare that would haunt them if anything happens to her. Still, Flannery can't shake the thought that there's something familiar about the nun. His partner jokes that maybe he busted her sister, but something about the comment rings true.

That night, when Magdalene goes out to feed her cats, Selina drops down out of the shadows and frightens her. Magdalene recognizes her as her sister, but Selina warns her not to keep looking for her. Now that she has appeared, Magdalene will not have to keep looking for her. Maggie informs her sister that their father died two months ago. Selina is taken aback, but she composes herself and climbs up a fire escape warning Maggie to stay off the streets. Neither woman realizes that Stan has been listening from deeper within the alley. After Selina has gone, he sneaks up behind Magdalene menacingly.

Elsewhere, Ted Grant explains that he doesn't talk openly about his trainees. Even so, Flannery convinces him that he needs to know where Selina Kyle is, and Ted gives in.

Meanwhile, Selina has just returned from thieving some jewellery, commenting that she could make more money this way than she ever could from selling herself for Stan. When a knock comes at the door, she and Holly hurriedly hide the loot under the bed before answering. She finds Detective Flannery and Sister Mary Elizabeth at the door, explaining that they are looking for Magdalene. Selina professes to no knowledge of the nun, and the detective is forced to leave. Sister Mary Elizabeth notes that the detective recognized Selina. He blames himself for getting Selina and Magdalene into trouble by getting involved and helping Selina learn to take care of herself.

Selina understands that she is responsible. Putting on a wig, she hits the streets as a prostitute once more, looking for a particular client. When she catches the eye of Jefferson Skeevers, she knows she's struck gold. Getting into his car, she manipulates him into telling her where Stan might be hiding, seeing as they are good friends. That night, as she prepares to go out, the phone rings, and Stan's voice tells her not to screw around with his friends, because they will stab her in the back.

Somewhere, Stan has Magdalene tied to a chair, and he mocks her as she prays for her life.

"Gothic Baptism"
Stan returns to his hideout with food, jokingly complaining that his captive, Sister Magdalene doesn't welcome him home, though she is gagged.

Elsewhere, Catwoman breaks into a fancy apartment and finds a former prostitute bathing in a large tub. Selina turns out the lights and then appears in the dark brandishing her sharpened claws. The girl quickly breaks, and Selina demands to know where Stan is. The girl fearfully responds that Stan may be in a supply depot for the F-Train, or he may be at Bruzinsky's Theatre, an old strip joint. Stealing the girl's jewels, Catwoman warns the girl to tell no one she was there, and then blows out the candle, leaving the girl in total darkness. At Stan's apartment, Batman investigates, knowing that Stan took Magdalene there. He finds little there to help him, but he does notice a cuff link on the floor. Thinking back, he recognizes it as belonging to Stan, the pimp with whom he had an altercation not long ago. This is the clue that can bring the case together. Someone may have seen Stan around. He deduces that someone or something pushed him into abducting a nun.

Elsewhere, Detective George Flannery and his partner have a tap on Selina's phone, and they overhear Holly Robinson receiving a call from Stan. He asks to speak to Selina, and Flannery hopes that he'll stay on the line long enough for them to get a trace. Fortunately, Selina comes home in time to take the call. At first it seems as though Stan is going to dare Selina to come for him, but then he changes his mind and hangs up. Fortunately, they manage to get a trace on Stan, but he is nowhere to be found at the payphone he used. Selina prepares to go after Stan, having deduced that he is in the theatre by the fact that she heard no trains over the phone. Holly warns that if Selina goes in the catsuit, she may be caught in a set up. Her actions have not gone unnoticed and word of a cat-woman on the streets has been spreading.

When Selina goes outside in plain clothes, Flannery and his partner detain her, and take her in to the station for questioning. At the station, Flannery warns that he doesn't care if Selina and Magdalene are sisters, but he does care when civilians get caught in the middle of personal vendettas like the one between Selina and Stan. He wants the issue dealt with, and if she won't help him, she will go down with Stan. He reminds her that she owes him for pointing her in the direction of Ted Grant.

Afterwards, Flannery has Selina followed, only to discover that she knew she was being tailed, and led them on a wild goose chase. When the police break their cover and chase her down, she disappears, having snuck into her catsuit and escaped onto the rooftops.

Meanwhile, Stan grows agitated with Sister Magdalene and drags her out into the rafters and scaffolding above the stage at the theatre. He is surprised to find Catwoman waiting above him, promising to kill him. Stan throws Magdalene to the ground as Catwoman drops on him. Selina is so consumed by her desire to destroy Stan that she fails to notice Magdalene holding on to the edge of the walkway for dear life.

Stan pulls a knife, but Selina manages to yank it from his grip with her whip and scratch his face. While he falls to the ground in pain, Selina reaches for Maggie's hand, but Stan gets up and pushes her aside, stepping on Magdalene's fingers and causing her to let go. Selina desperately tries to catch her sister, and in her hurry she knocks Stan over the side as well, and both Stan and Magdalene exceed her grasp.

Selina looks down to see Stan below, and from behind her, she hears Batman tell her that he's dead. She assumes that Maggie is also dead, but fortunately, Batman had caught her. Selina readily admits that she let Stan fall to his death, despite Maggie's horror, and she leaves in disgust at the thought that her sister would have saved scum like Stan, even after what he did. Batman wonders whose side Selina is on. Magdalene responds that like him, Selina is on her own side.

"Consecration"
At Bruzinsky's Theatre, the Gotham City Police Department investigates the scene where Stan the pimp fell to his death from the scaffolding above the stage. Det. George Flannery of Gotham Vice is certain that Stan had the nun Sister Magdalene with him, though she seems to be missing now. While trying to convince Captain Ethan Strunk of this, he is interrupted by young Holly Robinson, who gets too close to the captain's car for his liking. The captain forcefully yanks her away from the vehicle. Flannery and his partner recognize Holly as a friend of Selina Kyle, who is somehow mixed up in all of this. Still without evidence, Flannery tries to convince Strunk that Selina and the nun are sisters.

High above the crime scene, Batman and Sister Magdalene watch from the rooftops. Magdalene isn't forthcoming with answers about the mysterious Catwoman who was at the scene. It worries Batman that Catwoman seems to have no care for the vulnerability that comes from playing so close to the edge. Magdalene coyly suggests that the reason he isn't simply going after her is that he is afraid of something. Batman responds that he is merely compiling facts. He takes her down to the police, while Catwoman watches from afar.

Later, Selina visits the Immaculate Virgin Mission, and meets with her sister. She is surprised by Maggie's lack of outrage. The nun explains that while she was recovering, she had plenty of time to scream and curse, but now she has simply moved on. Selina believes that her sister's pain is the responsibility of Catwoman; of herself. She feels that the suit makes her stop caring about consequences; like Selina Kyle is dead.

The women are interrupted by the voice of Holly. From the shadows, she begs Selina to promise to restrain herself. This makes Selina suspicious, but Maggie warns her not to let the cat out - to feel her real feelings. Holly steps out of the shadows to reveal that she has been badly beaten. Trying to remain calm, Selina embraces her friend, and asks who did it. Holly replies that it was Captain Strunk.

Selina goes to Det. Flannery with her accusations against Captain Strunk. Flannery finds it hard to believe, but Selina challenges him to prove that even whores have rights, as he once told her. In response, Flannery explains that Captain Strunk is a man of such a good reputation that the idea that he might beat up a prostitute is beyond imagining. He admits that when Holly was climbing all over Strunk's car he may have got too rough with her.

That night, Selina sneaks into Holly's room at the mission and steals back her catsuit, putting it on. Sister Magdalene catches her and assumes that Selina has chosen the cat over the woman. As Selina makes for the window, Magdalene demands to know what will become of Holly. Selina doesn't seem to care. Magdalene responds that her sister is a coward, and threatens to tell Flannery everything. Angrily, Selina hisses at Magdalene, and the nun is silenced. Looking her sister in the eyes, Magdalene asks whether she really feels safer in the costume. Slyly, Selina responds with her own question: does Maggie really feel safer in her nun costume?

After Catwoman has gone, Batman appears behind Sister Magdalene and asks after Holly. At first, Magdalene is wary, but when she realizes that Batman is on the side of good, she explains that the girl is simply sleeping. At the mention of Strunk, Batman infers that the captain is supposedly responsible for the girl's injuries. He promises that he will bring Strunk to justice if he is responsible. Magdalene warns that Catwoman is already on her way to getting vengeance. At Captain Strunk's home, he takes out the garbage only to be surprised by Catwoman. She attacks him, but Batman appears, and knocks her whip from her hand with a Batarang that ricochets and knocks the captain unconscious. Batman warns that while Captain Strunk may be guilty of abusing Holly, nobody will defend a cop-killer. He deserves a jury of his peers. Catwoman doubts this, but Batman offers that Sister Magdalene will help, and Lt. Gordon will listen with an unbiased ear.

Batman attempts to convince Catwoman to give up her costumed thievery, but the thrill is too great for her to give it up, and she feels a strong attraction for him. Batman responds that they will be at odds, because they are on opposite sides of the law. Frustratingly, she steals a kiss from him, and then claws his face. She claims the first round for herself, and then runs off.

Back at the mission, Holly looks out over the city from her window, hoping to see Selina. Sister Magdalene calls to her to go to bed, because she will have to be going to school for the first time. Magdalene states that she misses her sister too, but that she will never come back. From a nearby rooftop, Catwoman listens and watches over her family.

Issues

 * Catwoman, Volume 1 #1
 * Catwoman, Volume 1 #2
 * Catwoman, Volume 1 #3
 * Catwoman, Volume 1 #4

Appearances




















Notes & Trivia

 * Catwoman was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane.


 * Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper (TPB) redirects to this page.