Catwoman: When in Rome
Encyclopedia
Catwoman: When in Rome is a DC Comics
six-issue miniseries written by Jeph Loeb
and drawn by Tim Sale
. Sale took inspiration for his art from Rene Gruau
, French/Italian fashion illustrator.
The story features DC Comics
character Catwoman, on a trip to Rome
to discover the identity of her father, whom she believes to be crime lord Carmine Falcone
. The story takes place in parallel to the later issues of Batman: Dark Victory
.
and the Riddler
(as Edward Nygma) take a trip to Rome. There Catwoman meets The Blonde, a hitman, who sets up a meeting between Selina and the capo of the Italian mob. Don Verinni, the person Catwoman was due to meet, is murdered using the Joker
's venom. Catwoman is blamed, and soon all three 'heroes' are beset by Verinni's assassins. Meanwhile, Selina suffers nightmares featuring Batman.
After Catwoman's hotel room burns down, forcing her to jump into a pool completely naked in order to escape death, Catwoman, Eddie (as Selina refers to him) and the Blonde escape to his yacht. In a pitched fight with the Don's son Guillermo, Catwoman is put "on ice" using Mr. Freeze
's ice gun, but escapes and barters a deal with Guillermo. The Riddler then retreats back to Gotham City for a short time (in which he attends the Hangman Trial conducted by Two-Face
during the parallel events of Batman: Dark Victory
). After stealing a valuable ring from the Vatican, Catwoman is attacked by the Cheetah. After Catwoman defeats the villain (with the assistance of The Blonde), she visits Louisa, Carmine's widow. Louisa denies that Catwoman is her daughter, and then orders the Blonde to kill Catwoman.
Eventually, Catwoman figures out the truth: the Riddler has betrayed her, using the trademarks of the Joker, Mr. Freeze, and also the Scarecrow
's fear gas (which was the cause of Catwoman's Bat-related dreams). The Riddler believed that Catwoman knew the answer to what he considered the greatest riddle: "Who is Batman under the mask?" Catwoman defeats the Riddler and his henchmen. The Riddler later captures the ring, but it turns out to be a fake and infects himself on his plane with Scarecrow's fear gas. A booby trap set by Catwoman.
The Blonde reveals that as a child he was witness to his father's attempted infanticide on the Roman's second daughter (in an effort to curry favor with his Don, who respected masculine children) and that he believes that daughter was Catwoman, though he has no proof. Louisa later kills the Blonde for failing to murder Catwoman and bring her the Capo ring. Catwoman waits for the Blonde at the airport but when he does not show, she returns to Gotham, with no hard evidence to prove the identity of her parents. The story ends with a two-page epilogue that is an identical scene from Batman: Dark Victory
, in which Catwoman bids farewell to Carmine Falcone at his grave.
, Catwoman returns to Gotham and informs Batman that Sofia Falcone traveled to Palermo after the events of Batman: The Long Halloween
, to surgically repair the scars on her face that Catwoman had inflicted upon her. This revealed to Batman that Sofia was possibly the Hangman killer. In a later story by Jeph Loeb, Batman: Hush
, the Riddler's obsession to uncover Batman's identity finally proves successful.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
six-issue miniseries written by Jeph Loeb
Jeph Loeb
Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost, writer for the films Commando and Teen Wolf and was a writer and Co-Executive Producer on the NBC TV show Heroes from its...
and drawn by Tim Sale
Tim Sale (artist)
Tim Sale is an American Eisner Award-winning comic book artist. He is primarily known for his collaborations with writer Jeph Loeb.-Early life:...
. Sale took inspiration for his art from Rene Gruau
Rene Gruau
René Gruau was a renowned fashion illustrator whose exaggerated portrayal of fashion design through painting has had a lasting effect on the fashion industry...
, French/Italian fashion illustrator.
The story features DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
character Catwoman, on a trip to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to discover the identity of her father, whom she believes to be crime lord Carmine Falcone
Carmine Falcone
Carmine "The Roman" Falcone is a fictional character in DC Comics' shared universe, the DC Universe, who made his debut in the four part story Batman: Year One written by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli in 1987.- Publication history :...
. The story takes place in parallel to the later issues of Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Dark Victory is a 14-part comic book limited series written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale. The series is a sequel to Batman: The Long Halloween and was originally published from 1999 to 2000 by DC Comics. The series takes place primarily during the third/fourth year of Batman's career...
.
Story
CatwomanCatwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
and the Riddler
Riddler
The Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 ....
(as Edward Nygma) take a trip to Rome. There Catwoman meets The Blonde, a hitman, who sets up a meeting between Selina and the capo of the Italian mob. Don Verinni, the person Catwoman was due to meet, is murdered using the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
's venom. Catwoman is blamed, and soon all three 'heroes' are beset by Verinni's assassins. Meanwhile, Selina suffers nightmares featuring Batman.
After Catwoman's hotel room burns down, forcing her to jump into a pool completely naked in order to escape death, Catwoman, Eddie (as Selina refers to him) and the Blonde escape to his yacht. In a pitched fight with the Don's son Guillermo, Catwoman is put "on ice" using Mr. Freeze
Mr. Freeze
Mr. Freeze, real name Dr. Victor Fries , is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman. Created by Bob Kane, he first appeared in Batman #121 ....
's ice gun, but escapes and barters a deal with Guillermo. The Riddler then retreats back to Gotham City for a short time (in which he attends the Hangman Trial conducted by Two-Face
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
during the parallel events of Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Dark Victory is a 14-part comic book limited series written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale. The series is a sequel to Batman: The Long Halloween and was originally published from 1999 to 2000 by DC Comics. The series takes place primarily during the third/fourth year of Batman's career...
). After stealing a valuable ring from the Vatican, Catwoman is attacked by the Cheetah. After Catwoman defeats the villain (with the assistance of The Blonde), she visits Louisa, Carmine's widow. Louisa denies that Catwoman is her daughter, and then orders the Blonde to kill Catwoman.
Eventually, Catwoman figures out the truth: the Riddler has betrayed her, using the trademarks of the Joker, Mr. Freeze, and also the Scarecrow
Scarecrow (comics)
The Scarecrow is a fictional character, a supervillain, that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
's fear gas (which was the cause of Catwoman's Bat-related dreams). The Riddler believed that Catwoman knew the answer to what he considered the greatest riddle: "Who is Batman under the mask?" Catwoman defeats the Riddler and his henchmen. The Riddler later captures the ring, but it turns out to be a fake and infects himself on his plane with Scarecrow's fear gas. A booby trap set by Catwoman.
The Blonde reveals that as a child he was witness to his father's attempted infanticide on the Roman's second daughter (in an effort to curry favor with his Don, who respected masculine children) and that he believes that daughter was Catwoman, though he has no proof. Louisa later kills the Blonde for failing to murder Catwoman and bring her the Capo ring. Catwoman waits for the Blonde at the airport but when he does not show, she returns to Gotham, with no hard evidence to prove the identity of her parents. The story ends with a two-page epilogue that is an identical scene from Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Dark Victory is a 14-part comic book limited series written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale. The series is a sequel to Batman: The Long Halloween and was originally published from 1999 to 2000 by DC Comics. The series takes place primarily during the third/fourth year of Batman's career...
, in which Catwoman bids farewell to Carmine Falcone at his grave.
Aftermath
As seen in Batman: Dark VictoryBatman: Dark Victory
Batman: Dark Victory is a 14-part comic book limited series written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale. The series is a sequel to Batman: The Long Halloween and was originally published from 1999 to 2000 by DC Comics. The series takes place primarily during the third/fourth year of Batman's career...
, Catwoman returns to Gotham and informs Batman that Sofia Falcone traveled to Palermo after the events of Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: The Long Halloween is a 13-issue comic book limited series written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale. It was originally published by DC Comics in 1996 and 1997. It was inspired by the three Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Specials by the same creative team...
, to surgically repair the scars on her face that Catwoman had inflicted upon her. This revealed to Batman that Sofia was possibly the Hangman killer. In a later story by Jeph Loeb, Batman: Hush
Batman: Hush
Hush is a 2002-2003 comic book story arc that ran through the Batman monthly series. It was written by Jeph Loeb, penciled by Jim Lee, inked by Scott Williams and colored by Alex Sinclair. The story depicts a mysterious stalker called Hush, who seems intent on sabotaging Batman from afar, and it...
, the Riddler's obsession to uncover Batman's identity finally proves successful.