Catwoman has a trip down memory lane as she tries to find the purrrrfect wedding dress for her upcoming nuptials in the latest issue of Batman.
Batman 44
Written by Tom King
Art by Mikel Janin and Joelle Jones
Is Tom King foreshadowing the end of Batman and Catwoman’s relationship with this issue? I think he may be. The issue opens with Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle in bed in the middle of the night. That, in and of itself is odd, considering 2 to 4 a.m. would seem to be prime Batman time of putting fear in the hearts of criminals. Not surprisingly, Selina can’t sleep, so she slips out of bed, throws on the Catwoman outfit and heads out.
We see her in the sewers, setting a controlled explosive to break into a wedding dress store. She spends hours in the store, trying on dresses, sipping champagne and generally enjoying being alone in the shop. She finally finds what she’s looking for – an expensive slinky black designer number – and heads back to Wayne Manor and into Bruce’s arms in bed. Yeah, she’s marrying one of the richest guys in the world, who could have paid for the $29,000 dress with half a day’s earnings, and she steals the wedding dress.
Selina’s time in the dress shop is interspersed with scenes from Batman and Catwoman’s past, as we see the couple in a variety of outfits getting closer and learning to appreciate each other.
In one scene, Selina tells Bruce that a leopard never changes his spots, and Bruce responds that he hopes it’s not true because it means their’s “no future for,” and he pauses before he says “you,” but he was clearly going to say “us.” As the present day parts of this issue show, even though she’s set to marry Bruce and gain access to A LOT of money, Selina is still the same as she ever was.
Does this mean there’s no real future for Bruce and Selina? I’m guessing only the creative team on BATMAN knows the answer to that question.
I’ve been taking a break from this title since the end of THE WAR OF JOKES AND RIDDLES because of how disappointed I was in the story, but with the wedding supposedly approaching rapidly, I wanted to get back in. Plus, the next issue features Booster Gold, and I wouldn’t miss that for the world. This issue, though, was a lot of fun for what was essentially a narrative break in the action. King does a great job expressing the growing feelings between the two costumed characters, and the art continues to be amazing.
I’m back on board, and I’m looking forward to see what King does next on the book.