Joker isn't the only classic Bat-rogue celebrating an eightieth anniversary this year. Having been introduced in Batman #1 alongside Joker in 1940, the feline fatale Catwoman has been a crucial staple of the Batman mythos for years, evolving from a full fledged supervillain to an anti-hero with kleptomania to the love of Bruce Wayne's life. To commemorate this milestone, DC Comics will release a special one-shot in April titled the Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1, which will feature stories from a variety of top writers and artists associated with the character. Perhaps most notably, the comic will feature the return of Ed Brubaker, who pinned one of the most iconic Catwoman runs in the 2000s, which also redefined characters like Black Mask and Catwoman's sister Maggie Kyle in the modern era. The full roster of writers and artists includes Joëlle Jones, Ed Brubaker, Cameron Stewart, Paul Dini, Ann Nocenti, Adam Hughes, Tom King, Mikel Janín, Mindy Newell, Will Pfeifer, and Emanuela Lupacchino, as well as pinups by Steve Rude, Tula Lotay, Jim Balent, and others that have yet to be announced.
In a story that expands their monumental run, writer Ed Brubaker and artist Cameron Stewart will reprise their Catwoman collaboration with a new 12-page story, “The Art of Picking a Lock,” that takes place near end of their original dynamic story line that started with iconic storyteller Darwyn Cooke. And no stranger himself to writing dangerous antiheroes, Harley Quinn co-creator Paul Dini debuts a new character for Selina Kyle’s anniversary in a story about an exotic cat taxidermist who intends to add Catwoman to their collection!
With additional stories by Mindy Newell (Catwoman, Wonder Woman, Lois Lane); the bestselling Batman team of writer Tom King and artist Mikel Janín; Ann Nocenti (Catwoman, Katana); and many more, Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 is sure to delight fans of DC’s notorious jewel thief.
Readers can also expect an array of variant covers, continuing the tradition of Detective Comics #1000, including a 1940s variant by Adam Hughes, a 1950s variant by Travis Charest, a 1960s variant by J. Scott Campbell, a 1970s variant by Frank Cho, a 1980s variant by Stanley "Artgerm" Lau, a 1990s variant by Gabrielle Dell'Otto, a 2000s variant by Jim Lee and Scott Williams, and a 2010s variant by Jeehyung Lee. The one-shot will be released on April 15, 2020.
In the meantime, you will soon be able to play as Catwoman in Mortal Kombat 11 as a character skin for Kitana.
The Catwoman skin, alongside character skins for The Batman Who Laughs, Killer Croc, and Darkseid, is expected to release next week coinciding with the debut of The Joker.