Written by Tom King
Art by Mikel Janin; Joëlle Jones; Travis Moore; Hugo Petrus; June Chung; Jordie Bellaire; Guilia Brusco; & Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Joëlle Jones & Jordie Bellaire
SUMMARY:
Released by DC Comics in 2018, this 168-page collection after DC’s Rebirth imprint consists of Batman # 38-44. Now engaged to Selina “Catwoman” Kyle, it contain some of the Dark Knight’s adventures from earlier that same year.
- # 38: The Origin of Bruce Wayne. Art by Travis Moore; Giulia Brusco; with Clayton Cowles, and the cover art by Tim Sale & Dave Stewart. The grisly double-homicide of young Matthew Warner’s wealthy parents, who were linked to Bruce’s company, leads Batman to suspect an imprisoned Mr. Zsasz. Yet, as the murders continue, could a different psychotic killer be responsible?
- # 39-40: SuperFriends (Wonder Woman), Parts 1 & 2. Art by Joëlle Jones; Jordie Bellaire; & Clayton Cowles, with cover art by Mikel Janín (# 39) and Joëlle Jones & Jordie Bellaire (# 40). Fulfilling an old promise to the warrior known as “The Gentle Man” from a JLA mission years before, Batman & Wonder Woman temporarily assume his place in an extra-dimensional realm of Gehenna (where mortals don’t age). They must battle a never-ending onslaught of bloodthirsty monsters. Unless Selina can intervene, Batman & Wonder Woman might never return.
- # 41-43: Everyone Loves Ivy, Parts 1-3. Art by Mikel Janín; June Chung; Hugo Petrus; & Clayton Cowles, with cover art by Mikel Janín. In the aftermath of The War of Jokes and Riddles, Bruce & Selina awaken to find that Poison Ivy’s mind control has enslaved Earth. With Ivy in command (and Superman, Supergirl, and Alfred among her pawns), it’s up to the Bat and the Cat to save Earth. Could a mesmerized Harley Quinn prove Selina & Bruce’s last hope?
- # 44: Bride or Burglar? Art by Mikel Janín; Joëlle Jones; June Chung; Jordie Bellaire; & Clayton Cowles, with cover art by Mikel Janín. Slipping away from Wayne Manor late at night, Selina goes dress shopping, Catwoman-style, by breaking into a high-end bridal boutique. In search of the purr-fect bridal gown, Selina ruminates over her long history with Batman.
REVIEW:
Including all the cover images and their variants, this paperback’s visuals are top-caliber. In that sense, the art team’s commendable effort should make this book worth the price of admission alone. However, there are ghastly images in the first story, which absolutely merits a parental advisory (DC Comics chose not to provide one). There’s also a gratuitous and full-page close-up of Bruce’s horribly busted face amidst the Poison Ivy storyline.
Speaking of which, writer Tom King never explains how a barefoot Bruce instantly recovers from a massive head injury to leap out a hospital window four stories up, bounce off a ground-floor awning, and perfectly land on a waiting Batmobile’s roof (all with an unconscious Harley Quinn cradled in his arms). In this three-parter’s last scene, Bruce’s face is inexplicably restored, which (unless there was some off-screen magical plastic surgery from Zatanna Zatara) would be impossible.
Justifying these ludicrous twists as more or less ‘well, he’s Batman,’ is pure cop-out. The best one might surmise is that somehow, off-screen, Batman has ingeniously devised a ruse to fool Ivy into believing that Superman really messes his face up with a point-blank punch. Still, this unforced error isn’t King’s worst misjudgment re: this book.
Starting with The Origin of Bruce Wayne, King eerily lifts a similar murder-mystery writer Brian Azzarello devised for Batman back in 2003-2004’s Broken City run. Beyond mirroring Bruce Wayne’s childhood tragedy, King’s Law & Order-style series of false leads push several reprehensible plot twists past absurdity. These twists ultimately become so contrived that this book’s first tale is a vile excuse for Bat-entertainment.
An inevitable ‘will-they-or-won’t-they?’ vibe re: Bruce & Diana permeates SuperFriends, Parts 1 &2. Yet, their extra-dimensional predicament is beyond ludicrous (yes, they somehow endure 37 years of constant battle against bloodthirsty monsters). The inspired artwork for Batman & Wonder Woman at least makes this portion of the story readable. Also, some bits King devises for Bruce & Diana’s private dialogue are gems. Selina’s portion of this tale is poignant and compelling, as she demonstrates why she should be the future Mrs. Batman.
The prolonged Poison Ivy storyline has some inspired moments (particularly in its last chapter). However, the visuals are much better than King’s contrived scripting. Primarily, King overplays his hand by inserting Superman, Supergirl, and even three Flashes into the mix. This three-parter might have been remotely plausible, had Batman & Catwoman been facing their closest allies – hence, cameos from Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Batgirl would have made better sense. Curiously, with the exception of Alfred and Commissioner Gordon, none of the traditional supporting Bat-cast shows up in this entire book to interact with Selina & Bruce.
Despite its insipid title, King saves his best story for last, as only Catwoman would casually break into an upscale bridal boutique for after-hours shopping. Even if the fleeting flashback images of Batman & Catwoman’s convoluted past dating back to the Golden Age make little sense, they are gorgeously rendered. Aided by a clock noting the passing time, Selina’s low-key dress quest delivers some fine storytelling. The last page is a wonderful finale. Ironically, this wrap-up sequence only reiterates what a mixed bag Bride or Burglar? is.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
All the full-page color covers (plus black-and-white versions) are here. There is also a full-page, variant cover gallery featuring the work of Olivier Coipel & Dave Stewart (Issues # 38-43); and Joëlle Jones & Jordie Bellaire (Issue # 44), which doubles as this book’s cover.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6½ Stars
