Absolute Catwoman: The Calicos and Cassandra Cain

All right, so I just finished up Absolute Catwoman and Absolute Cassandra Cain, and I’m going to talk about both of those. But first I want to start with Catwoman. I’m up to issue #4, which is the most recent one, so I got caught up. Spoiler warning for Absolute Batman #25 and Absolute Catwoman #1–4. I’m really confused because in Absolute Catwoman #1–4, something completely different is happening from Batman, where all of a sudden I find out that she’s pregnant. I don’t know where that came from in Batman #25. It came out of nowhere, and it doesn’t seem to connect with Catwoman properly, unless I’m missing something. I’m still catching up, so maybe I’ll find out when I get caught up on something else. I also think the connection she has with the Calicos is really cool. It’s a unique group. I’ve never seen her work in a group like that, so the dynamics are really interesting. Starting with Selina Kyle herself, the Calicos show a part of her history that gives this version of Catwoman a lot more to work with. She and Holly started stealing together as kids, and once Helena and Victoria joined them, everybody brought something different to the group. Selina was the sly one, the one who could get an ID badge off somebody and get them through the door. By the time we get to her solo series, she’s built a whole different life. She has money, safe houses, an AI assistant, and enough equipment to fill a Cat Cave. She’s even trying to retire. Then Holly comes back, and suddenly Selina is dealing with people who knew her before any of that existed. There’s a lot of tension in that reunion. She keeps trying to handle things herself, while Helena and Victoria refuse to let her push them away. The old job at David Cain’s apartment also hangs over everything, especially once she realizes who Cassandra is. That history gives the group something to argue about beyond how to pull off the next heist. They know each other’s habits, remember what went wrong, and still have to decide whether they can trust each other now. Holly Robinson is the heart of the Calicos, and you can see why Selina’s connection with her matters so much. Their friendship started when they were young, before Selina had built this whole life for herself. Holly was also the one who brought Helena and Victoria into their circle. One detail that helps explain Holly is what she wanted them to do with the money they stole. When they got into the accounts of Gotham’s wealthy families, she wanted that money going to charities that actually needed it. She gave the group a reason to care about people outside of themselves. But Holly also helped bring them into that last job at David Cain’s apartment. She thought it was their chance to get out and finally have the lives they wanted. We know how badly that went. Now she’s back in Selina’s life asking for help, leaving the sphere hidden in a birthday cake, and getting taken by Cassandra. Her disappearance brings the other Calicos back together. There’s a lot wrapped up in that friendship: loyalty, old mistakes, and the question of how much you still owe somebody after years apart. Helena Bertinelli is the Calico most readers will recognize as Huntress, and her background gives her a different place in this group. She comes from the wealthy Bertinelli crime family, but she’s helping the Calicos steal from the same world she grew up in, including her own family. That gives her useful information about the places they’re breaking into. She knows things the others wouldn’t necessarily know, like how the buildings operate and when people are going to be around. She also brings the muscle, and she’s a lot more outgoing and eager to get the group back together than Selina is. The flashbacks give her a life she wanted outside of stealing, too. She wanted to become a fighter pilot. Then, when the reunited crew heads out in Selina’s jet, Helena is the one flying it. Her relationship with Selina also has some unfinished business. She knows Selina took the fall after their last job, and she wants a chance to make things right for her and Holly. By issue #3, she’s suited up as this universe’s Huntress. Through issue #4, though, her connection to the other women is still a big part of why she’s there. Victoria Sage is the Calicos’ tech expert and this universe’s version of the Question. She’s the one they brought in when being good at stealing wasn’t enough to get past the security they were dealing with. That becomes really useful in the present-day story. Holly had already approached Victoria about the Yarn before disappearing, and Victoria’s search eventually brings her to the same auction as Selina. Once they’re back together, she helps explain what they’re dealing with and recovers information about the Yarn’s location from Selina’s AI, Jonesy. She also works out how the assassins’ shadow-mask technology functions. By issue #3, she’s putting that technology to use herself. Another detail from the flashbacks is that she wanted to run the Gotham Gazette. That fits the Question connection, alongside her habit of questioning what’s happening and challenging Selina when she thinks she’s wrong. Selina wants to keep saying they’re thieves and push the others away. Victoria keeps pressing her to look at what they can actually do together. Between her technical skills and her willingness to speak up, she has a very different role from Helena, Holly, or Selina. All right, so I just finished Absolute Cassandra Cain, which is a one-shot. Now I understand who Cassandra is and what role she plays. Spoilers for Absolute Catwoman and Absolute Cassandra Cain. Basically, Selina thought she had killed Cassandra when the explosion happened at the rich man’s house. She turned herself in and ended up going to jail for it. Cassandra ended up being alive. It was a long, complicated story, but now I know where we’re at. The only thing I still don’t know is why Selina was pregnant in Batman’s comic, but maybe I’ll find that out as I finish catching up on the others.