Top Cat Backup Review: The Sleazy Feline Meets The Dark Knight

The Top Cat backup story appeared in the Adam Strange/Future Quest Annual #1 issue. Written by Dan Didio himself, it features a slightly altered backstory for the felonious feline. No, not Catwoman, but she does make a brief appearance. Back in Top Cat's dimension, every resident was a cat, and he ended up selling out his gang and escaping to the main DC universe through a portal.

One of the best Batman reactions in DC history.

The story is told from Top Cat's perspective, showing him to be an unreliable narrator. In this case, it's because he doesn't want to deal with Batman (no, really), but he hasn't been the most honest back home, either. It's actually a surprisingly fascinating story about a con-man cat looking to find his missing friend and get home, preferably while living the high life. The end of the story teases an upcoming comic and I think it actually sounds like a great idea.

Seeing a wannabe crime boss contend with the likes of the Penguin and the Great White Shark sounds fun. I hope that if this does happen, then future issues will take Top Cat out of Gotham and into the expanded DC universe. After all, if you're going to write a story like this, why not play with every character in the toybox? Who wouldn't want to see Lex Luthor get confounded by a talking cat or have the Rogues gain a temporary new member?

"Back In The Alley" is written by Dan DiDio, drawn by Phil Winslade, colored by Chris Chuckry, and lettered by Nick J. Nap. You can find it in Adam Strange/Future Quest Annual #1 at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.