Lately, it seemed like Ann Nocenti’s troubled run on Catwoman – an already beleaguered series – was on the upswing. There was a promising plot involving a turf war between the Penguin (the epitome of capitalist excess) and Catwoman (the embodiment of subverting the system). New allies were introduced as Catwoman solidified her base ahead of the Penguin’s attack. A menacing ice cream truck selling poisonous popsicles was stalking the streets of Gotham. So far, so good. Sadly, Nocenti screws the pooch on the stellar foundation she built by overburdening this issue with irrelevant dialogue, action scenes hyperbolic enough to become meaningless, and a cast of characters so disposable, it’s hard to care if they live or die.

As the Penguin escalates the conflict tearing apart the Bad Lands, Nocenti seems to get lost in her own character soup. There are so many people juggled between the pages of Catwoman #21 that they all sort of blur into a teeming mass of cannon fodder. Nocenti’s pained dialogue doesn’t do much to help matters. Aside from Selina, whose voice Nocenti has thankfully found, and a few standouts like Bullock, few characters read as authentic in their own right.It’s a shame that the story is falling apart under the pressure of its many dangling plot threads, as the book’s visuals provide some pretty exciting action sequences. Rafael Sandoval’s art has been improving steadily, and this issue is no exception. Sandoval excels at explosive, energetic scenes, but the story simply can’t keep up.I'm holding out hope that Nocenti finds her footing once more, since the blueprints for a solid story are there, but so far, things are looking pretty tough for Selina and her motley crew of misfit soldiers.

Melissa Grey is a lover of all things cats, comics, and outer space. She can be found on MyIGN at MelissaGrey or lurking on Twitter @meligrey