Short Booknote on Graphic Novels 9

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Catwoman: When in Rome. New York: DC Comics, 2005. ISBN: 1401204325.

Another collaboration from the Loeb and Sale team, this chronicles Catwoman's trip to Rome. The trip is referenced in Batman: Dark Victory and takes place between the events of Batman: The Long Halloween and Dark Victory. Travelling with Edward Nigma, aka the Riddler, Catwoman decides to take a vacation to Italy, but she is also in search of some information about her past. She brings Nigma along to help in that information gathering. However, it seems she can't quite leave Gotham City behind. She finds an ally in a Sicilian hitman. Readers of the Batman volumes I mentioned will appreciate this story, but it does stand alone on its own.


Geoff Johns. Teen Titans: Beast Boys and Girls. New York: DC Comics, 2005. ISBN: 1401204597.

This volume collects two stories focusing on Garfield Logan, aka Beast Boy. In the first story, he goes back to Hollywood to attempt a comeback as an actor. He gets framed for a murder when another shapeshifter impersonates him. However, it is not just an impostor. Someone from his past is out for revenge. In the second story, Beast Boy is suddenly "cured" and loses his powers. However, other children for some mysterious reason gain the power of shifting into animals. This story moves at a pretty quick pace, and it provides some insight into Beast Boy's past. Overall, a nice set of stories.


Geoff Johns and James Robinson. Hawkman: Endless Flight. DC Comics, 2003. ISBN: 1563899523.

As a kid, I always liked Hawkman. After all, he was an archeologist, and those were the folks who dug up tombs in Egypt and other cool stuff. Heck, I wanted to be an archeologist when I grew up, and though that did not happen, I still love history. He was one of my favorites, and I read very few comics back then. Anyhow, Hawkman is back in the DC Universe, and this time, he is helping Hawgirl find information about the murder of her parents as well as helping another archeologist trying to find a very valuable artifact that could help save a museum from closing. Hawkman's series also feature a lot of little historical references, so I always find that fascinating today. Then there is the romance where his lover and him reincarnate, destined to love each other over time. The tragedy now is that the current reincarnation of Hawgirl has no memory of her past lives, and so she wants nothing to do with him. So, she reluctantly accepts his help in the adventure. However, it is part of being a superhero to deal with the hand you are dealt, and maybe, just maybe, true love will triumph after all. OK, so the cynic in me has a romantic moment or two. The story also features an appearance by Green Arrow. Overall, Endless Flight has a good element of adventure story that many readers will enjoy.