Catwoman (Volume 3) with a cover date of February, 2006. It was published on December 28, 2005.
Synopsis for "Backward Masking, Part 1"
Jim Lenahan and Carl Worth are interrogating Angle Man about his attempted murder of Catwoman. They can't believe he used a simple sharpened triangle when he used to have triangles that bent time and control gravity. Angle Man says they were stolen, and that's why he teamed up with Hugo Strange and his group--for backup.
Commissioner Akins has it out for supervillains. He wants to get into their heads anyway he can, and that includes Angle Man's. The Gotham City Police Department had one of his old triangles in lockup, and if he tells them how it works, they can offer him a reduced sentence. Angle Man takes the triangle and tells them it will be no problem to teach them how it works... then he disappears in a burst of electricity.
Lenahan curses the bomb squad. They told him they'd deactivated that thing. Their only hope is that they weren't kidding when they said the triangle had a hundred yard range. Sam Bradley is using the Smart Bomb armor, and he might be able to pick Angle Man up before he can get too far.
Zatanna has found Catwoman on a roof. She says Catwoman isn't the person she thinks she is. Catwoman tries to change the subject by asking about Zatanna's name and whether she can get them out of the rain, so Zatanna teleports them to Selina Kyle's apartment to resume the conversation.
Smart Bomb is threatening two teenage vandals when Lenahan and Worth contact him, telling him Angle Man escaped. They think that Angle Man is going to meet Black Mask, and they want him to bring his ally Smart Bomb along with him. Commissioner Akins has given the order himself. Smart Bomb agrees. He flies off warning the kids to behave.
Catwoman and Zatanna reappear in Selina's apartment. Selina is shocked and angered by this invasion of her privacy. She calls out the Justice League, saying that just because they're up there watching over them doesn't mean they know people, but Zatanna says she does know Selina, much better than she would like. Then she asks, "Do you ever wonder why you're not a criminal anymore?"
Holly and Karon are buying CDs when Karon asks Holly if everything is back to normal with Selina. Holly says so. She adds that she isn't freaked out about Catwoman's supposed death because Selina isn't freaked out. Selina is in control of things. Karon wonders if that means they're just a couple of ordinary girls at the mercy of the big, bad world.
Angle Man is hiding in an alleyway, cursing his luck. His triangle only had one charge left in it, and now it's only good for drawing a right angle. Smart Bomb finds him and remembers what it looked like when Angle Man apparently killed Catwoman. He fires at Angle Man. Angle Man survives, however, and he tells Smart Bomb that Catwoman is alive. Anyway, Smart Bomb needs connections he can't get for having a crush on Catwoman, and Angle Man offers to introduce Smart Bomb to Black Mask.
Selina disagrees with Zatanna that she's not a criminal anymore, but Zatanna contrasts Selina's current vigilantism with how she used to be more concerned with money and thrills than anything else. Selina can't remember why she made the change, however, so Zatanna casts a spell: "Rebmemer."
Years ago, Selina woke up on the Justice League Satellite surrounded by Zatanna, Black Canary, the Flash, Green Arrow and Hawkman. Zatanna reassured Selina that they were her friends and they'd help her get on the right path, and the Flash hurried her along, saying they needed to get her back before he noticed she was gone. Zatanna stalled because Selina was still woozy from the teleporter, and Hawkman called her out for not wanting to do this in the first place. Hawkman restrained Selina while Zatanna cast a spell: "Nrut, anileS... Nrut morf nialliv ot oreh..."
In the present, Zatanna says, "And then I made you forget the whole matter, and we sent you back to Gotham. It was that simple." She reaches out a hand for Selina, who slaps it away. Selina heads to a kitchen drawer and pulls out a roll of duct tape, which she uses to gag Zatanna. She knows exactly what she's going to do. She knows what a villain would do.
Catwoman pushes Zatanna out the window with her mouth covered so she can't cast anymore spells, and when Zatanna lands on a dumpster and tries to take off the duct tape, Catwoman pulls her hand away with her whip. She demands to know if Zatanna had any idea what she's done.
They fight briefly until Zatanna gets her mouth uncovered and says, "Selina... pots." Catwoman stands frozen in the alleyway. Zatanna apologizes. She knows that she had no right to do that, but Catwoman had the right to know. She teleports herself away.
Angle Man introduces Smart Bomb to Black Mask. He thinks that Smart Bomb's firepower could help them take out Catwoman once and for all, but Black Mask doesn't want to take out Catwoman. He wants to hurt her for the way she's embarrassed him. First, he's going to kill someone close to her.
Selina is in her apartment, rifling through her closet. She is furious that all of her choices these last few years haven't mattered because they weren't her choices, Zatanna was inside her head, changing her. She throws all of her old Catwoman costumes onto her bed and stares at them before putting her head in her hands. She doesn't know who the hell she is.
Appearing in "Backward Masking, Part 1"
Featured Characters:
- Catwoman (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Gotham City Police Department
- Holly Robinson
- Karon
- Smart Bomb
- Zatanna (Flashback and main story)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- JLA (Flashback only)
- Black Canary (Flashback only)
- The Flash (Flashback only)
- Green Arrow (Flashback only)
- Hawkman (Flashback only)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Justice League Satellite (Flashback only)
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
Identity Crisis Crossover
Crossovers
Adventures of Superman #636 • Adventures of Superman #644 • Firestorm #6 • Flash #214 • Flash #215 • Flash #216 • Flash #217 • Green Arrow #52 • Green Arrow #54 • Green Arrow #55 • Green Arrow #56 • Green Arrow #57 • JLA #115 • JLA #116 • JLA #117 • JLA #118 • JLA #119 • JSA #67 • Teen Titans #20 • Teen Titans #21 • Teen Titans #22 • Teen Titans #23 |