It’s mayoral election time in Gotham City, and while the city is up in arms, Catwoman couldn’t care less! But when the candidates get personal, the Feline Fatale decides to get involved—much to the detriment of…well, everyone! This issue contains a special bonus story featuring the return of President Beth Ross from the critically acclaimed PREZ miniseries.

Catwoman: Election Night #1 is a one-shot special timed for the Presidential election and is a comic that lends itself to a lot of debate about the fine details within.

With a main story written by Meredith Finch and art by Shane Davis, Catwoman is thrown into the Gotham Mayoral election that pits Penguin against another candidate with a past and forces us to ask the question of who’s worse?

Finch has no problem taking a jab at the current state of American politics and she has Penguin channeling Trump with his over the top proclamations and focus on building a wall. But beyond that pretty clear riff, what Finch does is much subtler than that.

Without giving the full story away, the people of Gotham are asked to choose the lesser of two evils a situation many find themselves in this election. The fact the candidates are a businessman with questionable dealings turn politician vs. a female politician it makes it pretty clear that this is analogous to the current Presidential campaign. There’s a lot you could debate about when the story wraps up and what Finch is saying, but the fact you can actually debate the story is impressive.

Davis’ art is really good and reminds me of some past Catwoman art I’ve seen. There’s some really great panels that stand out from the art and the story has a horror tinge that Davis nails really well when the time is right.

Joining Catwoman’s tale is writer Mark Russell and artist Ben Caldwell with a swan-song for President Beth Ross and the absolutely amazing Prez. The story doesn’t address the current election directly, instead giving us one more legislative battle for Ross. This time the issue is birth control and the right to bear arms.

As usual Russell gives us humorous jabs at the politics of it all and resolves the issue with a creative solution that pokes even more fun of our political priorities. The jokes fly quickly in the story and much of that lies with Caldwell as Russell’s humor is more than what’s spoken, but also what is visually there too. The details are key as jokes and statements are made with every small item on the page. Each says as much about Caldwell’s artistic talent as it does Russell’s storytelling abilities. The combo of the two is an amazing one and I wish we could get more of President Ross. The short story is a reminder that Prez was a comic that was too smart for its audience and too ahead of its time.

One-shots like this I usually roll my eyes about, but Catwoman: Election Night is an entertaining comic that actually has a lot to say about the current state of politics and the Presidential election. But, what it also does is provide an escape from it all as Finch and Russell put story before politics. Whether you’re a politico who wants a little politics in your comics or a comic fan looking for an entertaining story, Catwoman: Election Night is worth checking out.

Story: Mark Russell, Meredith Finch Art: Ben Caldwell, Shane Davis
Story: 7.7 Art: 7.7 Overall: 7.7 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review