Warning! Contains Spoilers For Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Battle Lines #1!
The DC Universe has some of the most brilliant criminal minds in all comic books, including actual geniuses like Lex Luthor and the Riddler. But none of DC’s biggest criminals have actually been named the “greatest” criminal — until now. DC has recently revealed that the honor of that title goes to none other than Catwoman, even above the likes of the Joker.
DC made Catwoman’s “world’s greatst criminal” title official in Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Battle Lines #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Tini Howard, Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto, and Romulo Fajardo Jr. The Gotham War event features Catwoman training Gotham’s thugs and henchmen to become better thieves. She hopes that, by doing this, they would no longer have to work for the bigger names like Penguin and Joker — which would then put these supervillains out of business without appropriate muscle. This brings Catwoman and Batman into conflict, despite their past romance.
Unfortunately, Batman absolutely hates crime and will not tolerate it under any circumstances. But Catwoman is reminded by one of her allies that, as scary as Batman is, Selina is “the world’s greatest criminal.“
Catwoman Is Officially DC’s Greatest Criminal
The Joker is one of Gotham’s most dangerous villains: he’s caused untold damage to the city, and he’s committed more crimes than one could count. On the other hand, Selina Kyle is Catwoman, the greatest cat burglar to ever live. Selina has likely stolen far more in jewelry than the Joker has caused in damages over the years. Bruce Wayne is a multi-billionaire, and Catwoman once tried to steal Batman’s fortune. Catwoman’s thievery skills are so good, that when it came time to break into Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, it was Catwoman that Batman turned to. When testing the Justice League’s Watchtower security, Catwoman was the one brought in to try and bypass them.
While both Catwoman and Joker are technically criminals, they are very different kinds of criminals. The Joker may be a criminal, but not in the classical sense. He is much more about destruction and personally torturing Batman than providing for himself through criminal means. The Joker, therefore, is more akin to a serial killer than a thief or even a “boss.” Though killing of all kinds, of course, is a crime, the Joker is still a lot different from what most people consider an actual criminal. Catwoman’s all about stealing, mostly for the sport of it and always from worthy targets. This brings her much closer in line with the classic definition of a criminal, especially a thief.
Catwoman Is Training Better Criminals
Most characters in the DC Universe don’t really think of Joker as a criminal; they think of him as a monster. He is a being who lives for chaos and destruction with no real sense of gain. Selina Kyle, on the other hand, is an actual thief, and now she’s considered “the world’s greatest criminal.” Selina picks targets who have far more than they need and steals from them. She then either keeps the items for herself or redistributes the wealth to help those in need. This is why Catwoman is DC’s greatest criminal — not the Joker.
Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Battle Lines #1 is on sale now from DC Comics!
