The one person who could be a better thief than Catwoman Is Batman. Catwoman is notorious for being the biggest criminal in Gotham City – and maybe even the world – to the point that even the Joker has to give her props. Even though she’s on her way to becoming more of a hero, being a thief has always been what Catwoman does best.
Yet between the two of them, Batman seems to be the better criminal, judging by the events of The penguin #11 by Tom King and Rafael De Latorre. Oswald Cobblepot has secured some gold for himself, but when his helping hand, the Helper, goes to Check that the gold is still safe, all he finds in its place is a batarang. In fact, there is a running theme in the comics that suggests that Batman is so good at catching criminals because he is better at being a criminal than they are – and this may be the best example yet.
Batman steals gold from the Penguin’s own vault
Criminality is Batman’s most underrated skill
There is an old saying that goes something like this: If you want to catch a thief, you must think like a thief. Batman has been capturing criminals since his tragic youth; It should come as no surprise that he has studied the art of criminality as extensively as the rest of his training. It has been a consistent, recurring theme in the comics for Batman to study criminals and the means by which they commit crimes to the point of obsession, all in the name of better understanding how to beat them.
Take, for example, Batman’s stance on guns. Batman is notoriously anti-guns, but he still has his own gun collection in the Batcave and not only studies firearms, but his wards study firearms just the same. Knowing how to use guns does not make Batman a target: it means that he is adding to his wealth of knowledge without having to bring a gun onto the battlefield. Learning guns allows him to understand how to combat guns if ever confronted by one. So, in theory, If Batman is confronted by thieves on a daily basis, he has probably learned the best way to steal..
Is Batman really a better thief than Catwoman?
It’s a close call, based on DC history
The big question is who is the better criminal – and specifically the better thief – of the two: Batman or Catwoman? The truth is that it’s a close call. What Batman pulls off in this issue is extremely impressive. He stole Penguin’s gold without being seen, and he was able to do it while escaping Gotham’s most skilled assassin. Meanwhile, Catwoman has stolen everything from jewels, artifacts, and even life, but as a criminal, she has more examples of major criminality than her longtime lover. If Batman Every time a new page is turned over, one has to wonder if he will learn Catwoman like a thief
The penguin #11 is available now from DC Comics.