ALA Booklist (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

Catwoman is more than just an acrobatic, thieving antihero, and Myracle's take on her backstory does an intriguing job of complicating the iconic character. Selina Kyle's home life is terrible. Her mother's boyfriends terrorize her, and her mother does nothing to stop it. A few friends and a stony attitude make high school bearable, but an atrocious cruelty involving her stepdad and a kitten is the final straw, and soon she runs away, finding solace among a small group of burglars and perfecting her parkour skills. Myracle skillfully traces the origins of Selina's aloof distrust of attachment as well as her obvious longing for family. Goodhart's slick, stylish artwork, black-and-white with washes of dusky indigo, does an unusually good job of depicting action, and his realistic facial expressions beautifully telegraph emotion. This inaugural title in DC's YA imprint combines the deep character exploration typical of YA novels with the carefully unspooled and deliberately unresolved plot threads that fuel serial comics, and the compelling results should have ample appeal for fans of both.

Kirkus Reviews

Catwoman's mythos is given a fresh graphic reinvention.Fourteen-year-old Selina Kyle's life is wretched. After a string of despicable boyfriends, her mother finally settles on Dernell, a vile and toxic man who is abusive to both Selina and her mother. Reaching her breaking point, Selina runs away, dropping out of school. Now homeless, she joins a group of tech-savvy young thieves: rambunctious parkour-master Ojo, brainiac mastermind Yang, and Rosie, a nonverbal child. Like Selina, Rosie has suffered an appalling trauma, and the girls quickly bond. Despite rumors of a homicidal man-eating dog plaguing Gotham City, the gang decides to attempt a daring heist. When the plan goes disastrously awry, Selina must not only save Rosie, but confront her own demons. Catwoman has had many different iterations, but Myracle's (The Backward Season, 2018, etc.) interpretation is well-wrought, adding a new depth and a contemporary spin on an already complex, iconic character, transcending tired superhero tropes. Goodhart's cinematically styled, action-packed, blue-hued art holds back nothing from the reader, tackling difficult scenes of child abuse, violence against animals, and self-harm. Those who enjoyed Sarah J. Maas' prose in Catwoman: Soulstealer (2018) will certainly appreciate Myracle's interpretation. Selina, her mother, and Dernell present as white, Yang as Asian, and Ojo presumably as Latinx, while Rosie and her family appear African-American; the one nonslender female character is presented in an unfortunately negative light.A high-octane, emotionally-charged reimagining that is definitely the cat's meow. (Graphic fiction. 12-adult)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Ditching what few friends she has and leaving high school, Selina takes to life on the streets after her mother-s abusive boyfriend causes her kitten-s death, and she hones the skills she needs while forging her new identity as Catgirl. Soon, she befriends other skilled youths who are planning a heist-a parkour whiz, a stylish hacker, and a nonverbal younger girl. Initially game, Selina regrets her involvement when she realizes her team has raided the home of her childhood friend, Bruce Wayne, and things become further complicated when a deranged murderer shows up during the heist. Myracle delivers a Catwoman origin story update that captures the inner challenges of adolescence and trauma. Myracle and Goodhart depict physical abuse and self-harm in all their lingering ugliness. Goodhart-s art depicts action scenes and traditionally normalized bodies in shades of blue and black that remind readers that regardless of time of day, Catgirl is a creature of the night. Ages 13-17. (May)