Batman #44
DC Comics

Written by: Tom King
Art by: Mikel Janin, Joëlle Jones
“SOMETHING BLUE”! Follow Batman and Catwoman on two separate but parallel paths as their wedding planning kicks into high gear. Selina picks out her dress, and Bruce starts to make arrangements for their new life together—but this being Gotham City, and they being Batman and Catwoman, you can bet that nothing will go as expected!

(SPOILERS)

After the last couple of issues were seemingly filler for the main event, this week it’s also more setup Batman and Catwoman prepare for the wedding. In a very Catwoman focused issue, we get to see Selina trying on various dresses and some flashbacks to go with it. It’s a nice look at how Catwoman has interacted with Batman over the years, but it feels way too short and not enough happens to warrant an entire issue. I’m sure Tom King is simply setting up the following installments and this will work in the story as a whole, but I think there’s a way to incorporate the ideas here with another issue.

With all of the being said, there’s still some enjoyment to be had reading this, especially if you’re a big Catwoman fan. Her choosing the dress during the present time parts isn’t the most entertaining thing, but the art is quite fantastic in this portion of the issue. The more interesting elements come from the flashbacks where we see Selina and Batman interact throughout the years. You can see the ups and downs their relationship has had, from adversaries to lovers to adversaries again. Now they seem to be determined to be together for life, every shipper out there will be happy.

I particularly enjoyed when the two are shown discussing back and forth about their relationship. The dialogue is on point and the characters are extremely well realized. It’s not as exciting it should be, but I found some enlightenment in their history nonetheless. It was also nice to see the different costumes they’ve had for years, there are some nice nods to older versions of the characters.

 

In conclusion:

At the end of the day, it’s a fine issue that doesn’t necessarily get you over-the-moon for the wedding. The art by Joëlle Jones shines here like crazy and she once again proves that she needs to take over a comic series asap. Mikel Janin does some good stuff here too, but I feel like his work is overshadowed by Jones’. I’m still excited about the upcoming installments leading up to the marriage, I just wish this wasn’t so stretched out.

Rating: 6/10

– Marcos Melendez