Birds of Prey: Catwoman/Oracle is a one-shot with a cover date of May, 2003. It was published on March 5, 2003.
Synopsis for the 1st Story
Carnivora foils the hand-off of stolen technology, killing several of the men, and tells one of them to let Christian Sparks know this is only the beginning.
Oracle wakes up from a nightmare and heads to her computer. Last night, Catwoman was identified as the assailant in four separate incidents, but Barbara thinks these incidents are uncharacteristically violent.
Black Canary agrees, but thinks Barbara should leave Catwoman to handle the situation on her own. Barbara, however, wants to recover the collection of looted artwork Catwoman made away with during their previous adventure.
Catwoman brings one of those looted paintings (a Degas) to her fence Leland. They are discussing payment when Leland is knifed by Jonny Blaque, who was hired by Christian Sparks to take out Catwoman. Leland manages to set off the alarm, and Blaque leaves. Leland reveals Sparks paid him to ensure Catwoman was inside his gallery at a specific time for Blaque to kill her.
Carnivora breaks into prison to kill Ryder Burnham. Catwoman goes to confront Christian Sparks, but she arrives after Carnivora has killed him too. Blaque arrives and believes Catwoman killed him, and they fight. Oracle sees Catwoman leave the building and Carniovra follow her, and she realizes Catwoman's doppelganger is behind everything. She sends Catwoman an offer of help and a pair of cat-shaped earrings hooked up to a communications system.
Barbara is at a basketball game with her father Jim Gordon when Catwoman contacts her. She returns to the Gotham Clock Tower. Oracle promises to help Catwoman in exchange for the paintings from the Burnham Mansion, and she tells her where to find Jonny Blaque.
In Club Caligari, Catwoman threatens to leak proof that Blaque was an informant against his boss in Chicago unless he tells her who's paying him now that Sparks is dead. She drops the earrings into her drink so that Oracle can't hear their conversation.
Oracle is furious, and Nightwing wonders why she expected otherwise; however, Oracle knows something Catwoman doesn't--Sparks's lover and vice president is Deana Lyons, aka Valerie Lewton, and she paid for the same company that augmented Ryder Burnham to augment her.
Catwoman tracks down Lewton at her apartment, but she doesn't remember her. Carnivora attacks her, and they go falling out of Lewton's building as Oracle watches from nearby. She fires a crossbow bolt carrying another communicator for Catwoman.
She directs Catwoman to jump onto a moving train, but Carnivora jumps on too. The two women fight, and at Belmont Station, Catwoman jumps off while Oracle remotely stops the train, sending Carnivora flying. Carnivora follows Catwoman through the service tunnels to the power station where the magnetic field disrupts Carnivora's artificial nervous system. She stands frozen, and Catwoman knocks her to the ground.
Carnivora is arrested. Oracle arranges for Catwoman to send her the looted artwork, but when it arrives, it is only Catwoman's own drawing of a cat. Oracle freezes her accounts in the Cayman Islands until Catwoman sends her the real artwork, which she does.
In the Gotham Museum of Art, Selina takes in the recovered art. Barbara praises the selflessness of the person who anonymously donated it to the museum, and Selina wonders if she knows her.
Appearing in the 1st Story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Carnivora (Flashback and main story)
- Christian Sparks (Dies)
- "Jonny Blaque" (born Stuart Sachs)
- Travis
- Regan
- Sprague
- Barclay "Diamond Dog" Crenshaw
Other Characters:
- Joker (Flashback only)
- Leland (Dies)
- Ryder Burnham (Dies)
- Huntress (Mentioned only)
- Superman (Mentioned only)
- Boy Wonder Number Two (Mentioned only)
- Hiram Kowalski (Mentioned only)
- Elliot Lewton (Mentioned only)
- Martina (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Gotham Clock Tower
- Gotham Museum of Art
- Bridge District
- Club Caligari
- Thailand (Mentioned only)
- Midnight Temple School (Mentioned only)
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This oneshot is the continuation of Birds of Prey: Batgirl/Catwoman.
Trivia
- Various characters reference the events of Batman: No Man's Land, Catwoman #79-84, and Batman: Officer Down.
- Birds of Prey: Batgirl/Catwoman took place five years prior to this story.
See Also