Catwoman #40

Apr 2022 · DC · 3.99 USD

📊 ~26,534 copies sold its debut month

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“Dangerous Liaisons Part 2 of 4”

★ 1st appearance — Dario Tomasso

About this Issue

Catwoman (Vol. 5) #40 is the second chapter of Tini Howard's debut arc on the title — her first ongoing assignment at DC Comics after years as a Marvel exclusive — and it crystallizes the creative direction that would define her multi-year run: Selina Kyle operating as a ruthless solo agent against Gotham's organized crime elite, wholly untethered from Batman. The issue marks a deliberate tonal reset, drawing critical comparisons to the Genevieve Valentine era and signaling that Howard intended to foreground Selina's moral independence rather than her relationship with Bruce Wayne. It also introduces Dario Tomasso and Noah Godard, two supporting characters who seed the political complexity of the Tomasso crime family storyline that anchors the arc. Colorist Jordie Bellaire's neo-noir palette — praised across multiple reviews as some of her finest work on the series — became a defining visual signature of the entire Howard–Leon run.

In "Dangerous Liaisons Part 2 of 4," Catwoman finds herself caught in a web of betrayal as one of her allies is murdered by a rival crime boss. With Seina on the trail, she uncovers a chilling conspiracy orchestrated by Federico Tomasso, who plans to eliminate his own son and pass power to the boy’s close friend. Written by Tini Howard and illustrated by Nico Leon, with colors by Jordie Bellaire and letters by Tom Napolitano, this issue deepens the stakes with a tense, morally complex thriller. The cover by Jeff Dekal captures the series' sharp edge and noir flair.

writer Tini Howard · artist, inker Nico Leon · colorist Jordie Bellaire · letterer Tom Napolitano · cover Jeff Dekal

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History

Following Ram V's departure at the conclusion of the Fear State crossover event in late 2021, DC handed the Catwoman ongoing to Tini Howard, marking her DC Universe ongoing series debut after a previous exclusive tenure at Marvel where she had written Excalibur and other X-Men titles. Howard launched her run with issue #39 alongside artist Nico Leon — himself taking on his first DC solo ongoing — and colorist Jordie Bellaire, with cover art by Jeff Dékal. Howard has stated publicly that she pitched her opening arc concept largely around the scene that opened issue #39, and the 'Dangerous Liaisons' arc was structured as a four-part story running through issues #39–42, later collected in the trade paperback Catwoman Vol. 1: Dangerous Liaisons (issues #39–44, November 2022). Howard's run also introduced a redesigned series logo, retiring the New 52-era wordmark that had carried over through Joëlle Jones's 2018 relaunch.

Trivia · 8 facts

Published February 22, 2022; cover-dated April 2022 (DC Vol. 5, issue #40).
Story title: 'Dangerous Liaisons, Part 2 of 4' — the second chapter of Tini Howard's opening arc on the title.
Writer: Tini Howard (her DC Universe ongoing debut); Pencils/Art: Nico Leon; Colors: Jordie Bellaire; Cover: Jeff Dékal.
First appearance of Dario Tomasso (son of crime boss Federico Tomasso) and Noah Godard (Dario's best friend and the Tomasso family's consigliere), both of whom play key roles in the arc's mob-politics storyline.
Valmont — a League of Assassins-trained gentleman thief who becomes a significant recurring character throughout Howard's run — appears prominently; his first appearance is in the preceding issue #39.
Howard's run retired the Catwoman logo introduced during the New 52 era (2011) and carried through Joëlle Jones's 2018 relaunch, replacing it with a new design starting with issue #39.
The 'Dangerous Liaisons' arc runs narratively parallel to Joshua Williamson's concurrent Batman run, with Batman's absence from Gotham used as an explicit story device by the villain Black Mask.
Collected in Catwoman Vol. 1: Dangerous Liaisons (collecting issues #39–44, with art also by Bengal on later issues), published as a trade paperback in November 2022.