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Batman (2016)
Batman, Vol. 7: The Wedding
The day has finally arrived: the nuptials of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. But their road to wedded bliss won't be easy. With visitors from this time and beyond, the Bat and the Cat will have to undergo even more trials and tribulations before they walk down the aisle.
Written by generational talent Tom King and featuring art by Mikel Janín, BATMAN VOL. 7 features one of the biggest milestones in DC history! Collects BATMAN #45-50.
Written by generational talent Tom King and featuring art by Mikel Janín, BATMAN VOL. 7 features one of the biggest milestones in DC history! Collects BATMAN #45-50.
172 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2018
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February 1, 2023
Awww.
Well, I'm disappointed. I mean, I was really hoping that that ending wouldn't happen, but it went down the way that I think everyone expected it to go down.
Which...yeah.
But. Other than the obnoxious turd of a letdown ending, it was a really enjoyable volume.
I love Booster Gold, so seeing him in this - even with the odd plot holes - was awesome!
And I loved the stuff with Joker. It was fun and well-written with a great mix between the action, drama, and humor of the whole thing.
I probably would have given it 5 stars for everything right up to the end, but the last few pages went off the rails too badly for me to be anything other than a butthurt comic fan.
Well, I'm disappointed. I mean, I was really hoping that that ending wouldn't happen, but it went down the way that I think everyone expected it to go down.
Which...yeah.
But. Other than the obnoxious turd of a letdown ending, it was a really enjoyable volume.
I love Booster Gold, so seeing him in this - even with the odd plot holes - was awesome!
And I loved the stuff with Joker. It was fun and well-written with a great mix between the action, drama, and humor of the whole thing.
I probably would have given it 5 stars for everything right up to the end, but the last few pages went off the rails too badly for me to be anything other than a butthurt comic fan.
July 5, 2018
On page two of this book Green Lantern commits suicide by power ring and blows his own head off. Wow - top that for a wedding toast! I knew a Batman wedding was never going to be normal but I don’t think anybody expected that!
As good as the lead-in books to Batman and Catwoman’s wedding have been, the actual event itself is… underwhelming. Like The War of Jokes and Riddles, this is unfortunately one of my least favourite books in Tom King’s Batman run. And I’m not saying that because one of the worst superheroes of all time, Booster fucking Gold, takes up half the book - King’s such a good writer, he manages to make even that braindead moron tolerable!
Yup, Batman and Catwoman are getting married so of course let’s have a three issue Booster Gold storyline!? Dumbass wants to get Bruce a wedding present - but what do you give the man who has everything? A vision of what the world would be like if he hadn’t lost his parents and become Batman; proof that his life was - is - worthwhile. Except Booster fucks it up because he’s a fuckup and shit gets kerazy.
I actually liked this unexpected story. Alternative future storylines can be fun as we see familiar characters in unfamiliar roles - Jason Todd as a car-security salesman who kills Jokers (wink wink) - both Batman and Catwoman behave unexpectedly, and like I said King writes Booster Gold so that he’s not completely off-putting.
Tony S. Daniel’s artwork is slick as always though I do wonder if he shares my low opinion of Booster as the close-ups of the character, with those dead eyes and blank expression, make him look like an imbecile. And it was cool to see Catwoman don the Michelle Pfeiffer Catwoman outfit from Batman Returns.
Then we’re into a two-part Joker storyline, The Best Man. After this story and The War of Jokes and Riddles I’ve come to realise that I don’t like Tom King’s Joker very much. He doesn’t write him terribly - he gives him some great lines, Joker’s menacing enough, he sounds like the Joker - but he’s one of the few major characters King’s failed to make his own. He’s a little too predictably unpredictable, a bit derivative and indistinct, a bit too chatty - the first part, he antagonises Batman as you’d expect; the second, he and Catwoman powwow about the bad old days. I thought this was going to be the best part of the book but it turned out to be really boring.
But it’s not the worst part of the book which is, surprisingly, the main event: the wedding itself. I won’t go into spoilers but expect the unexpected - for the final couple pages at least. Because the dozens of pages leading up to it is a whole load of nothing with Bruce and Selina waffling on about their relationship while one big name guest artist after another contributes pin-up art. It’s a great looking issue but overly drawn-out and totally lacking a story as King instead stuffs the background with Easter Eggs - references from his Batman run as well as Batman and Catwoman’s history.
Batman, Volume 7: The Wedding has its moments here and there and the art on the whole is superb but it’s disappointingly boring for the most part and fails to live up to the months of build-up. I have to say though that the absurdly fast pace that Tom King is knocking out these books - and have the quality of those books remain consistently high for the most part - is pretty fucking amazing, so hats off to him for that. I mean, we’re seven books deep and there have been a couple mediocre entries but no truly bad ones - that’s astonishing.
Further to that, it doesn’t seem like King’s running out of ideas at this point in the game - if anything, the ending of this book indicates that, far from slowing down, he’s only gotten started! There’s a clear direction and strong purpose for at least the next story arc which I can’t wait to read. And this is the halfway point of King’s ambitious 100 issue storyline so who knows what’ll happen?
Meow…
As good as the lead-in books to Batman and Catwoman’s wedding have been, the actual event itself is… underwhelming. Like The War of Jokes and Riddles, this is unfortunately one of my least favourite books in Tom King’s Batman run. And I’m not saying that because one of the worst superheroes of all time, Booster fucking Gold, takes up half the book - King’s such a good writer, he manages to make even that braindead moron tolerable!
Yup, Batman and Catwoman are getting married so of course let’s have a three issue Booster Gold storyline!? Dumbass wants to get Bruce a wedding present - but what do you give the man who has everything? A vision of what the world would be like if he hadn’t lost his parents and become Batman; proof that his life was - is - worthwhile. Except Booster fucks it up because he’s a fuckup and shit gets kerazy.
I actually liked this unexpected story. Alternative future storylines can be fun as we see familiar characters in unfamiliar roles - Jason Todd as a car-security salesman who kills Jokers (wink wink) - both Batman and Catwoman behave unexpectedly, and like I said King writes Booster Gold so that he’s not completely off-putting.
Tony S. Daniel’s artwork is slick as always though I do wonder if he shares my low opinion of Booster as the close-ups of the character, with those dead eyes and blank expression, make him look like an imbecile. And it was cool to see Catwoman don the Michelle Pfeiffer Catwoman outfit from Batman Returns.
Then we’re into a two-part Joker storyline, The Best Man. After this story and The War of Jokes and Riddles I’ve come to realise that I don’t like Tom King’s Joker very much. He doesn’t write him terribly - he gives him some great lines, Joker’s menacing enough, he sounds like the Joker - but he’s one of the few major characters King’s failed to make his own. He’s a little too predictably unpredictable, a bit derivative and indistinct, a bit too chatty - the first part, he antagonises Batman as you’d expect; the second, he and Catwoman powwow about the bad old days. I thought this was going to be the best part of the book but it turned out to be really boring.
But it’s not the worst part of the book which is, surprisingly, the main event: the wedding itself. I won’t go into spoilers but expect the unexpected - for the final couple pages at least. Because the dozens of pages leading up to it is a whole load of nothing with Bruce and Selina waffling on about their relationship while one big name guest artist after another contributes pin-up art. It’s a great looking issue but overly drawn-out and totally lacking a story as King instead stuffs the background with Easter Eggs - references from his Batman run as well as Batman and Catwoman’s history.
Batman, Volume 7: The Wedding has its moments here and there and the art on the whole is superb but it’s disappointingly boring for the most part and fails to live up to the months of build-up. I have to say though that the absurdly fast pace that Tom King is knocking out these books - and have the quality of those books remain consistently high for the most part - is pretty fucking amazing, so hats off to him for that. I mean, we’re seven books deep and there have been a couple mediocre entries but no truly bad ones - that’s astonishing.
Further to that, it doesn’t seem like King’s running out of ideas at this point in the game - if anything, the ending of this book indicates that, far from slowing down, he’s only gotten started! There’s a clear direction and strong purpose for at least the next story arc which I can’t wait to read. And this is the halfway point of King’s ambitious 100 issue storyline so who knows what’ll happen?
Meow…
November 7, 2018
A totally out of character Booster Gold gives Batman a wedding present by saving his parents setting up a Bat version of Flashpoint where everything is WAY worse. I had a hard time getting past the fact that Booster would never muck with time that way. Maybe Booster and Beetle would back in their wacky JLI days, but the Geoff Johns and Dan Jurgens penned versions of Booster over the last 15 years? No way. He secretly corrects time. Hell, at the same time these issues were coming out Booster was over in Action Comics stopping Superman from going back to the past and saving Jor-El. Tony Daniel does make the book sing though.
Then the Joker shows up to be Batman's Best man whether he likes it or not. King has a fantastic, menacing, off-kilter take on the Joker I really liked. The second half of this with Catwoman and the Joker may be the best issue King's ever written.
Last up is the 50th issue where the Bat and the Cat are finally going to tie the knot. It's one of those anniversary issues with guest artists contributing splash pages throughout the story. I always find those distracting and it makes the issue feel like a clip episode of a sitcom to me. Ultimately, this ended exactly the way I expected it to when I heard the two were getting married. That last page though was killer and shows King may just have this whole thing planned out for another 50 issues like he says.
Received an advance copy from DC and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Then the Joker shows up to be Batman's Best man whether he likes it or not. King has a fantastic, menacing, off-kilter take on the Joker I really liked. The second half of this with Catwoman and the Joker may be the best issue King's ever written.
Last up is the 50th issue where the Bat and the Cat are finally going to tie the knot. It's one of those anniversary issues with guest artists contributing splash pages throughout the story. I always find those distracting and it makes the issue feel like a clip episode of a sitcom to me. Ultimately, this ended exactly the way I expected it to when I heard the two were getting married. That last page though was killer and shows King may just have this whole thing planned out for another 50 issues like he says.
Received an advance copy from DC and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
December 7, 2018
Things I learned from reading this volume of Batman:
-If Booster Gold wants to give you a wedding present, don’t make eye contact, run away as fast as you can, and notify your local authorities (you might also consider notifying DC Comics editors, reminding them that Booster Gold is just a complete and total douche in tights, and suggesting they ban writers from using him in anything other than a Lobo team-up book henceforth)
-Tom King prizes characterization over storytelling logic; he writes a fun Joker, but he does so at the expense of story credibility, as the Joker/Catwoman throw-down/heart-to-heart devolved into parodic absurdity
-The idea of Bats and Cat getting married is a lot more interesting than them actually getting married, because them getting married involves a lot of pin-ups by a smorgasbord of guest artists overlaid with deep-sounding (but repetitive and largely trite) schmaltz
This has been a strong series on balance, but this volume fell a little flat; still, the concluding twist suggests that King has a lot of things up his sleeve yet, and damned if Tony Daniel doesn’t draw some slick pics (even when he’s drawing the Massengill of superheroes). Onto Vol. 8…
-If Booster Gold wants to give you a wedding present, don’t make eye contact, run away as fast as you can, and notify your local authorities (you might also consider notifying DC Comics editors, reminding them that Booster Gold is just a complete and total douche in tights, and suggesting they ban writers from using him in anything other than a Lobo team-up book henceforth)
-Tom King prizes characterization over storytelling logic; he writes a fun Joker, but he does so at the expense of story credibility, as the Joker/Catwoman throw-down/heart-to-heart devolved into parodic absurdity
-The idea of Bats and Cat getting married is a lot more interesting than them actually getting married, because them getting married involves a lot of pin-ups by a smorgasbord of guest artists overlaid with deep-sounding (but repetitive and largely trite) schmaltz
This has been a strong series on balance, but this volume fell a little flat; still, the concluding twist suggests that King has a lot of things up his sleeve yet, and damned if Tony Daniel doesn’t draw some slick pics (even when he’s drawing the Massengill of superheroes). Onto Vol. 8…
July 5, 2018
Oh man. This is impossible to talk about without spoiling everything, so I won’t. But this was phenomenal and beautiful and so emotional and gut-wrenching, and I love these characters, I love Tom King and this was just... ahhh. So good.
March 27, 2019
Mostly very underwhelming -- about half of this volume consisted of stories or segments that were already featured in other books (either in the middling Batman: Preludes to the Wedding or in the good-but-not-great Batman / Catwoman: The Wedding Album - The Deluxe Edition) that I happened to read first. How many times will DC repackage this material? Anything to make a quick buck, I guess.
As for the other 'new' multi-chapter stories in The Wedding, they consisted of both a 'hit' ('The Best Man,' featuring Batman, Catwoman, and Joker in a deadly, dialogue-heavy confrontation in a church) and most definitely a 'miss' (the opener 'The Gift,' some alternate reality / time travel shenanigans with guest star Booster Gold that just annoyed me, and almost made me not continue reading).
As for the other 'new' multi-chapter stories in The Wedding, they consisted of both a 'hit' ('The Best Man,' featuring Batman, Catwoman, and Joker in a deadly, dialogue-heavy confrontation in a church) and most definitely a 'miss' (the opener 'The Gift,' some alternate reality / time travel shenanigans with guest star Booster Gold that just annoyed me, and almost made me not continue reading).
February 26, 2019
Can Batman really ever be truly happy?
Before I answer that question, a joke for you, all tired from reading all these Goodreads reviews:
Catwoman, pressing her artery so she won’t bleed out, talking to The Joker, who is pressing his artery so he won’t bleed out:
C: So you want to hear the joke?
J: I do.
C: This older brother. . .
J: What’s his name?
C: Chuck.
J: I like it.
C: Chuck tells his younger brother. . . Chris. . .
J: How old is Chris?
C: Two.
J: Chuck tells his two-year old brother. . .
C: Chris. If you name two letters of the alphabet, I’ll give you 20 bucks, okay?
J: And Chris says. . .
C: And Chris says. . .
J: Okay.
C: O.K.
J: Hahahahaha.
It’s a comic book, what do you want? But Tom King likes it when he brings The Joker into his Batman run, so he can make jokes. Especially in the middle of a (potential) killing scene such as a fight to the (possible) death between Cat and Joker. I just thought I’d lead with a small piece of one of the best written and most memorable scenes King has yet done.
In Volume 7: The Wedding, what we have been waiting for, building up to, there are three parts: first, three issues with Booster Gold wanting to get Batman a wedding present. I was not into it, there; the second section features a great battle between Catwoman and The Joker, who first lives down to his reputation by killing a lot of people in a church. He wants an invitation to the wedding, he wants to be Bat’s Best Man, and when he does not get what he wants, he goes Ballistic; Cat steps in to Battle him and Best him and the scene is Beautifully done.
The third part focuses on the wedding itself. I can’t say much about that, but the wedding section itself is really an undying love section, which is ultimately appropriate, but it features several guest artists doing romantic pages, it involves pages of Holly and Selina ruminations, it involves hard to read text reflections where you have to turn the pages around and squint to actually read them about the process of their love-which-never-did-run-smooth. The effect is kind of diffuse and scattered, overall. But overall there’s a lot to be happy about, Bat fans, there really is, King is a good writer, and the art is overall great, it’s still memorable, but I can’t really talk about it, sorry. Too many spoilers.
Can Batman ever really truly be happy? The answer is yes, but it’s complicated.
I rate this 3.5 overall, but I round up because I know that in spite of the emotional complications, this is a good volume, a moment in the history of Batman-Catwoman comics.
Before I answer that question, a joke for you, all tired from reading all these Goodreads reviews:
Catwoman, pressing her artery so she won’t bleed out, talking to The Joker, who is pressing his artery so he won’t bleed out:
C: So you want to hear the joke?
J: I do.
C: This older brother. . .
J: What’s his name?
C: Chuck.
J: I like it.
C: Chuck tells his younger brother. . . Chris. . .
J: How old is Chris?
C: Two.
J: Chuck tells his two-year old brother. . .
C: Chris. If you name two letters of the alphabet, I’ll give you 20 bucks, okay?
J: And Chris says. . .
C: And Chris says. . .
J: Okay.
C: O.K.
J: Hahahahaha.
It’s a comic book, what do you want? But Tom King likes it when he brings The Joker into his Batman run, so he can make jokes. Especially in the middle of a (potential) killing scene such as a fight to the (possible) death between Cat and Joker. I just thought I’d lead with a small piece of one of the best written and most memorable scenes King has yet done.
In Volume 7: The Wedding, what we have been waiting for, building up to, there are three parts: first, three issues with Booster Gold wanting to get Batman a wedding present. I was not into it, there; the second section features a great battle between Catwoman and The Joker, who first lives down to his reputation by killing a lot of people in a church. He wants an invitation to the wedding, he wants to be Bat’s Best Man, and when he does not get what he wants, he goes Ballistic; Cat steps in to Battle him and Best him and the scene is Beautifully done.
The third part focuses on the wedding itself. I can’t say much about that, but the wedding section itself is really an undying love section, which is ultimately appropriate, but it features several guest artists doing romantic pages, it involves pages of Holly and Selina ruminations, it involves hard to read text reflections where you have to turn the pages around and squint to actually read them about the process of their love-which-never-did-run-smooth. The effect is kind of diffuse and scattered, overall. But overall there’s a lot to be happy about, Bat fans, there really is, King is a good writer, and the art is overall great, it’s still memorable, but I can’t really talk about it, sorry. Too many spoilers.
Can Batman ever really truly be happy? The answer is yes, but it’s complicated.
I rate this 3.5 overall, but I round up because I know that in spite of the emotional complications, this is a good volume, a moment in the history of Batman-Catwoman comics.
July 4, 2018
--You can't really talk about this book without SPOILERS, so I am going to be better than DC and actually warn you of the SPOILERS that are incoming.--
Wow, what a clustertruck, DC. You write one of the biggest events (or non-events, as it turned out to be) of the year, and then you purposefully spoil it for everyone before it is released because of sales figures or some such nonsense.
This volume is really hard to review. It had some fun moments but, in the end, it all turned out to be pointless nonsense and it made the last few Batman volumes also a bunch of pointless nonsense.
So, first we get a Booster Gold story. It is an "alternate timeline" story so it is kind of pointless. It does, however, have some batshit (no pun intended) insane moments that you can only do with "alternate dimension/timeline stories", and so it was kind of fun.
Next, we get a Joker arc. This one also started really crazy, but it ended with an entire issue of Catwoman and Joker having a conversation together. I kind of liked this, but YMMV.
Finally, we get the wedding issue. My favorite part of this was a VERY touching Alfred/Bruce moment that literally made me say "awwww" out loud. We also get a bunch of art from different artists of Batman and Catwoman together. Honestly, though, some of this art was really bad. Did they have fans submit art for this? I am seriously asking, because some of it looks like it was drawn by children.
So, anyway, Catwoman comes to the realization that if she marries Batman and makes him happy, then he won't be Batman anymore. So, basically, she realizes that Batman NEEDS to suffer and be miserable so that he can spend the rest of his life fighting crazy people. So, of course, she abandons him at the altar. Alrighty then.
What a terrible ending to what has been a really neat arc for Bats and Cats.
Wow, what a clustertruck, DC. You write one of the biggest events (or non-events, as it turned out to be) of the year, and then you purposefully spoil it for everyone before it is released because of sales figures or some such nonsense.
This volume is really hard to review. It had some fun moments but, in the end, it all turned out to be pointless nonsense and it made the last few Batman volumes also a bunch of pointless nonsense.
So, first we get a Booster Gold story. It is an "alternate timeline" story so it is kind of pointless. It does, however, have some batshit (no pun intended) insane moments that you can only do with "alternate dimension/timeline stories", and so it was kind of fun.
Next, we get a Joker arc. This one also started really crazy, but it ended with an entire issue of Catwoman and Joker having a conversation together. I kind of liked this, but YMMV.
Finally, we get the wedding issue. My favorite part of this was a VERY touching Alfred/Bruce moment that literally made me say "awwww" out loud. We also get a bunch of art from different artists of Batman and Catwoman together. Honestly, though, some of this art was really bad. Did they have fans submit art for this? I am seriously asking, because some of it looks like it was drawn by children.
So, anyway, Catwoman comes to the realization that if she marries Batman and makes him happy, then he won't be Batman anymore. So, basically, she realizes that Batman NEEDS to suffer and be miserable so that he can spend the rest of his life fighting crazy people. So, of course, she abandons him at the altar. Alrighty then.
What a terrible ending to what has been a really neat arc for Bats and Cats.
August 5, 2019
I don't read a lot of Batman comics because I find him generally boring as a superhero. But then, I've always preferred the bad guys... But after reading the first volume of Joelle Jones' Catwoman series (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), I wanted to understand the circumstances leading Selina to Villa Hermosa and to her new life.
This is a tricky book to review because it is fun, cheesy, clever, frustrating, touching, predictable, with mostly beautiful art. So its fair to say I enjoyed it as much as I am likely to enjoy any Batman comic.
The Booster Gold story line, where the dumb-ass tries to find Batman a wedding gift and fucks it up rather spectacularly, is very silly and like all time-traveling stories, it has a bittersweet twist about our inability to escape our fate.
The second part is a great little Joker story, where he has a heart-to-heart with Catwoman as they both try to not bleed to death. And in a way, the Joker wins this one by planting a seed of doubt in Catwoman's head.
The third part, the actual wedding, intersected with a collection of various artists' gorgeous portraits of the two Gotham lovebirds, is sweet, sad - and while it couldn't have ended any other way, I was a bit disappointed that it did...
So 3 and a half stars, rounded up because it was enough fun to justify flipping through it again later.
This is a tricky book to review because it is fun, cheesy, clever, frustrating, touching, predictable, with mostly beautiful art. So its fair to say I enjoyed it as much as I am likely to enjoy any Batman comic.
The Booster Gold story line, where the dumb-ass tries to find Batman a wedding gift and fucks it up rather spectacularly, is very silly and like all time-traveling stories, it has a bittersweet twist about our inability to escape our fate.
The second part is a great little Joker story, where he has a heart-to-heart with Catwoman as they both try to not bleed to death. And in a way, the Joker wins this one by planting a seed of doubt in Catwoman's head.
The third part, the actual wedding, intersected with a collection of various artists' gorgeous portraits of the two Gotham lovebirds, is sweet, sad - and while it couldn't have ended any other way, I was a bit disappointed that it did...
So 3 and a half stars, rounded up because it was enough fun to justify flipping through it again later.
August 11, 2018
Well we're at the half way mark. I have to finally say it after 7 full volumes...King has probably done my favorite Batman run of all time so far.
This is basically all leading up to Batman's big wedding day. We start with Booster Gold trying to give Batman a gift. As his usual self, he fucks up big time as always. Then we have Joker being very upset someone is getting married so he starts murdering people to get the Bat's attention. In comes Batman and then Catwoman. Then last arc is, well, the actual marriage!
Good: I really dug the whole arc with Booster Gold. I mean, if ever read about the dude, you know he'll correct the time. But this was a interesting look into Bruce's mind, a evil Catwoman, and more. This was easily my favorite part of the volume. I also enjoyed Joker and Cat's talk. Last but not least I dug the hell out of the wedding issue for most part. The letters were great but it was the touching moments with Alfred and such that made this better. Also, that ending....oh fuck.
Bad: The joker first part is a little...odd? It seems weird how Batman is acting. Also, to just do what he does is silly IMO. I also thought the images of all the different artist for Catwoman and Batman in issue 50 was odd choice at times.
Overall, King has made some remarkable arcs for Batman. I really love a lot of it. It started off Rocky but got better and better. I really hope his second half is as strong as his first. Another 4 out of 5.
This is basically all leading up to Batman's big wedding day. We start with Booster Gold trying to give Batman a gift. As his usual self, he fucks up big time as always. Then we have Joker being very upset someone is getting married so he starts murdering people to get the Bat's attention. In comes Batman and then Catwoman. Then last arc is, well, the actual marriage!
Good: I really dug the whole arc with Booster Gold. I mean, if ever read about the dude, you know he'll correct the time. But this was a interesting look into Bruce's mind, a evil Catwoman, and more. This was easily my favorite part of the volume. I also enjoyed Joker and Cat's talk. Last but not least I dug the hell out of the wedding issue for most part. The letters were great but it was the touching moments with Alfred and such that made this better. Also, that ending....oh fuck.
Bad: The joker first part is a little...odd? It seems weird how Batman is acting. Also, to just do what he does is silly IMO. I also thought the images of all the different artist for Catwoman and Batman in issue 50 was odd choice at times.
Overall, King has made some remarkable arcs for Batman. I really love a lot of it. It started off Rocky but got better and better. I really hope his second half is as strong as his first. Another 4 out of 5.
December 17, 2018
Well they did it, they pulled it off
With all the classic elements that make heroes so appealing in the first place; with great power comes great responsibility, self sacrifice for the greater good, and even a scuffle for old times sake from the clown prince of crime to bring some perspective to our love struck hero... heroes?
For those more romantic I’m sure the resolution was a bit heartbreaking, but I myself felt like I was finally being heard after so much yelling at the pages of my books.
With all the classic elements that make heroes so appealing in the first place; with great power comes great responsibility, self sacrifice for the greater good, and even a scuffle for old times sake from the clown prince of crime to bring some perspective to our love struck hero... heroes?
For those more romantic I’m sure the resolution was a bit heartbreaking, but I myself felt like I was finally being heard after so much yelling at the pages of my books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2019
The Gift storyline= 3.5 stars
The Best Man storyline= 4 stars
And the “Wedding”…
Made my heart hurt.
I feel like the parent who tells their kids “I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed.” And it’s true, I’m not so much angry at the turnout for issue 50 (it was spoiled for me ahead of time) as I am wondering what the point of it all was. They had several guests artists, and all this promotional stuff, and like 2 years of build up to this (longer if you’ve been with BatCat since the beginning), and for it to turn out how it did, and just fall so flat, I just don’t really… get it. I don’t get why.
Maybe it will be more clear why King did what he did as the series continues, but for the sake of this volume: the Wedding= 3.5 stars
Average= 3.67 stars (rounding up because I’m nice)
***
reread amendment:
The things above didn't bother me as much this time around. I still enjoy the volume though, and firmly believe that King understands the BatCat relationship better than any other bat writer I've read.
The Best Man storyline= 4 stars
And the “Wedding”…
Made my heart hurt.
I feel like the parent who tells their kids “I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed.” And it’s true, I’m not so much angry at the turnout for issue 50 (it was spoiled for me ahead of time) as I am wondering what the point of it all was. They had several guests artists, and all this promotional stuff, and like 2 years of build up to this (longer if you’ve been with BatCat since the beginning), and for it to turn out how it did, and just fall so flat, I just don’t really… get it. I don’t get why.
Maybe it will be more clear why King did what he did as the series continues, but for the sake of this volume: the Wedding= 3.5 stars
Average= 3.67 stars (rounding up because I’m nice)
***
reread amendment:
The things above didn't bother me as much this time around. I still enjoy the volume though, and firmly believe that King understands the BatCat relationship better than any other bat writer I've read.
July 4, 2018
A most beautiful and interesting end to comics longest courtship.
World: The art for this series been fantastic, it sets the tone so well and the panels speak so much more than the dialog that accompany it, this creative team just knows how to compliment each other (like Capullo and Snyder). The characters are beautiful, full of character and personality and as I said, the silences speak louder than words because the art is so good. Then there is the huge list of different artists that came and contributed to the ‘Wedding’, you see the names you see the art, it brings all the feels, it brings everything and it’s perfect (much like Action Comics 1000). The world building is amazing, it’s a combination of what King has created since he came on board and also a call back to the long history of these two characters and their respective history and little slice of Gotham. I don’t want to ruin it for readers but the world draws up all the feels.
Story: There are three stories here, and all are amazing and not to be spoilt by my rambling and gushing. The Booster Gold story is amazing, a lot of people have done Booster and his stories fall into a very specific framing: Booster goes back and does something stupid, tries to fix it, hijinx, last minute save and rinse and repeat. What we have here falls into that framework but with King’s steady hand and his ties to the Bat/Cat marriage this story becomes something more, it hits hard and makes you cry. Then there’s the wonderful ‘Best Man’ story, this is King’s second Joker story after ‘War of Jokes and Riddles’ and I think this one is way better than that one (which was also pretty fantastic). This is the Joker we grew up with, the Animated Series style of Joker that’s jokey but the layer of menace underneath is very real and very frightening (I loved Snyder’s version and I love how different this one is). This ‘Best Man’ tale is frightening and the dialog is so insanely good, the 2 issues with the two mains is so well done and so well sums up the the relationship that each character has with the Joker, so insanely good. Then there’s the ‘Wedding’ I am not going to say anything at all, this is a culmination of a love story that has been going on for years and many generations of comic book readers have been hoping for and this is it, that’s all I’ll say, this is indeed the long game. Well played King, we'll played.
Characters: Bat and Cat are so well done, ever since King pick up this book and started telling the tale of their relationship and tied in all the past and dreamed of a future that comic readers have been hoping we’ve been spoilt. King’s dialog, his control and work with the art and how he tells character moments is amazing. Selina and Bruce are so good and King tells how well they fit together and how they don’t fit together, just like any real relationship. That’s what King has done, created a sense of realness to the characters. Even the Joker with is over the top nature is real, he plays by a set of rules and he acts and responds in a certain way which I love. King can do characters. Enjoy them.
Enjoy this culmination, what ever you think of the end, think of the future and the past and how it ended up here and how we will move forward, this will go down as one of the best runs of Batman in it’s publication history, we will remember Moore, Miller, Dixon, Kane, Snyder, and now King is up there in this pantheon of writers who have made and defined aspects of Batman that future generations of writers will call back on and treasure.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
World: The art for this series been fantastic, it sets the tone so well and the panels speak so much more than the dialog that accompany it, this creative team just knows how to compliment each other (like Capullo and Snyder). The characters are beautiful, full of character and personality and as I said, the silences speak louder than words because the art is so good. Then there is the huge list of different artists that came and contributed to the ‘Wedding’, you see the names you see the art, it brings all the feels, it brings everything and it’s perfect (much like Action Comics 1000). The world building is amazing, it’s a combination of what King has created since he came on board and also a call back to the long history of these two characters and their respective history and little slice of Gotham. I don’t want to ruin it for readers but the world draws up all the feels.
Story: There are three stories here, and all are amazing and not to be spoilt by my rambling and gushing. The Booster Gold story is amazing, a lot of people have done Booster and his stories fall into a very specific framing: Booster goes back and does something stupid, tries to fix it, hijinx, last minute save and rinse and repeat. What we have here falls into that framework but with King’s steady hand and his ties to the Bat/Cat marriage this story becomes something more, it hits hard and makes you cry. Then there’s the wonderful ‘Best Man’ story, this is King’s second Joker story after ‘War of Jokes and Riddles’ and I think this one is way better than that one (which was also pretty fantastic). This is the Joker we grew up with, the Animated Series style of Joker that’s jokey but the layer of menace underneath is very real and very frightening (I loved Snyder’s version and I love how different this one is). This ‘Best Man’ tale is frightening and the dialog is so insanely good, the 2 issues with the two mains is so well done and so well sums up the the relationship that each character has with the Joker, so insanely good. Then there’s the ‘Wedding’ I am not going to say anything at all, this is a culmination of a love story that has been going on for years and many generations of comic book readers have been hoping for and this is it, that’s all I’ll say, this is indeed the long game. Well played King, we'll played.
Characters: Bat and Cat are so well done, ever since King pick up this book and started telling the tale of their relationship and tied in all the past and dreamed of a future that comic readers have been hoping we’ve been spoilt. King’s dialog, his control and work with the art and how he tells character moments is amazing. Selina and Bruce are so good and King tells how well they fit together and how they don’t fit together, just like any real relationship. That’s what King has done, created a sense of realness to the characters. Even the Joker with is over the top nature is real, he plays by a set of rules and he acts and responds in a certain way which I love. King can do characters. Enjoy them.
Enjoy this culmination, what ever you think of the end, think of the future and the past and how it ended up here and how we will move forward, this will go down as one of the best runs of Batman in it’s publication history, we will remember Moore, Miller, Dixon, Kane, Snyder, and now King is up there in this pantheon of writers who have made and defined aspects of Batman that future generations of writers will call back on and treasure.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
March 7, 2019
I'm beginning to appreciate Tom King's work in this Batman run so much more as I'm starting to realize that it might be better to look at this as being more of a series of interconnected short stories that deeply explore Bruce Wayne's psyche and relationships more so than a completely flowing serial narrative. My main issue is that sometimes it really throws me off that there's not more of a lasting impact on the overall narrative.
For example, Catwoman gets shot in the gut in one issue, and if you think that's a spoiler, it's really not. Because it ain't that important. That's the problem. Because in the next issue, everything is all good, with barely a mention of what happened. Ok, so next time someone gets gut shot I won't be so worried, and that's a real issue to me story-wise. BUT I'm starting to just appreciate the separate stories for what they are.
This volume is the lead-up directly to the anticipated Bat and Cat wedding and begins with Booster Gold trying to give Batman the ultimate wedding gift and, of course, screwing with the time-stream in the process, and forces Bruce to once again confront the death of his parents in a really original way. It's followed by a story of the Joker being kinda miffed that he's not invited to the wedding, with him being such a big part of Batman's life and all. It turns out to be a pretty iconic Joker story if you can believe it. All of these stories on their own are some of the most interesting Batman stories ever put to paper and they're all extremely creative. Taken on their own, they are pretty awesome. I just wish they were handled better as a flowing whole and had more of a lasting impact.
The wedding went as I expected, which was disappointing, but the volume's final reveal made things a bit more interesting for the future!
For example, Catwoman gets shot in the gut in one issue, and if you think that's a spoiler, it's really not. Because it ain't that important. That's the problem. Because in the next issue, everything is all good, with barely a mention of what happened. Ok, so next time someone gets gut shot I won't be so worried, and that's a real issue to me story-wise. BUT I'm starting to just appreciate the separate stories for what they are.
This volume is the lead-up directly to the anticipated Bat and Cat wedding and begins with Booster Gold trying to give Batman the ultimate wedding gift and, of course, screwing with the time-stream in the process, and forces Bruce to once again confront the death of his parents in a really original way. It's followed by a story of the Joker being kinda miffed that he's not invited to the wedding, with him being such a big part of Batman's life and all. It turns out to be a pretty iconic Joker story if you can believe it. All of these stories on their own are some of the most interesting Batman stories ever put to paper and they're all extremely creative. Taken on their own, they are pretty awesome. I just wish they were handled better as a flowing whole and had more of a lasting impact.
The wedding went as I expected, which was disappointing, but the volume's final reveal made things a bit more interesting for the future!
April 11, 2025
O tão esperado casamento finalmente chegou nessa edição, e junto a ele, diversas homenagens de desenhistas e roteiristas que já traballharam com o Morcego prestam suas homenagens de maneiras incríveis.
Porém, antes do Casamento, há um arco inicial em que o Gladiador Dourado tenta presentar o Bruce com uma ideia maluca, que envolve voltar no tempo e salvar os pais de Bruce. No entanto, o que o Gladiador não esperava, era a bagunça toda que isso acarretaria.
Sinceramente, eu não gostei dessa história e achei desnecessária, serviu apenas para reforçar o passado do Bruce e como ele é importante para a criação do Batman, bem como ridicularizar o Gladiador Dourado chamando-o de Homem Pipa dos heróis.
Em sequência, temos um arco breve, envolvendo o Coringa, sendo possível já ver a mão do editorial da DC atrapalhando o Tom King no que ele pretendia fazer com o Batman. Na história temos o Coringa explicando a famosa relação de “sem Batman não tem Coringa”, e vice-versa, servindo de base para justificar o que o editorial da DC não queria na época: que o Batman não casasse e não fosse feliz.
Já no fim, chegamos ao referido casamento, que foi o momento das homenagens dos roteiristas e desenhistas que trabalharam o Batman, mas também foi o momento definitivo em que a DC influenciou nos roteiros do Tom King. Desde o começo, nota-se que houve uma articulação por trás dos panos, pois a Gata começa a se questionar se ela é uma heroína e se o Bruce ser feliz irá impedir o Batman de agir, deixando Gotham sem vigilante.
A conclusão que pode ser tirada desse encadernado, é que a DC tem medo que o Batman evolua e possa ser feliz, fazendo com que o status quo do personagem não seja alterado, indo contra o caminho de uma inovação do personagem. Eu acho que foi uma atitude medrosa da DC.
Porém, antes do Casamento, há um arco inicial em que o Gladiador Dourado tenta presentar o Bruce com uma ideia maluca, que envolve voltar no tempo e salvar os pais de Bruce. No entanto, o que o Gladiador não esperava, era a bagunça toda que isso acarretaria.
Sinceramente, eu não gostei dessa história e achei desnecessária, serviu apenas para reforçar o passado do Bruce e como ele é importante para a criação do Batman, bem como ridicularizar o Gladiador Dourado chamando-o de Homem Pipa dos heróis.
Em sequência, temos um arco breve, envolvendo o Coringa, sendo possível já ver a mão do editorial da DC atrapalhando o Tom King no que ele pretendia fazer com o Batman. Na história temos o Coringa explicando a famosa relação de “sem Batman não tem Coringa”, e vice-versa, servindo de base para justificar o que o editorial da DC não queria na época: que o Batman não casasse e não fosse feliz.
Já no fim, chegamos ao referido casamento, que foi o momento das homenagens dos roteiristas e desenhistas que trabalharam o Batman, mas também foi o momento definitivo em que a DC influenciou nos roteiros do Tom King. Desde o começo, nota-se que houve uma articulação por trás dos panos, pois a Gata começa a se questionar se ela é uma heroína e se o Bruce ser feliz irá impedir o Batman de agir, deixando Gotham sem vigilante.
A conclusão que pode ser tirada desse encadernado, é que a DC tem medo que o Batman evolua e possa ser feliz, fazendo com que o status quo do personagem não seja alterado, indo contra o caminho de uma inovação do personagem. Eu acho que foi uma atitude medrosa da DC.
January 5, 2022
This was actually a pretty weird read.
Booster gold tries to gift Batman by saving him but well he creates an alternate timeline and things only go wrong as we find the nature of Batman and Catwoman here and also Bruce and the nightmare that it becomes and its draining and sometimes confusing but just shows the dystopia over here and well its fun take and nothing serious.
The other thing is Joker being the best man and the drama surrounding it and it was a weird issue not gonna lie and idk they just lied there on the floor talking, him and Selina and it was weird. It could have used a lot more action and not gonna lie, one of the weakest chs in Kings run but regardless the art was great and finally the wedding which was pretty much just a bunch of posters and while not bad its not the most exciting conclusion but predictable and might leave a lot of people flustered with this run. The art was great though I guess.
Booster gold tries to gift Batman by saving him but well he creates an alternate timeline and things only go wrong as we find the nature of Batman and Catwoman here and also Bruce and the nightmare that it becomes and its draining and sometimes confusing but just shows the dystopia over here and well its fun take and nothing serious.
The other thing is Joker being the best man and the drama surrounding it and it was a weird issue not gonna lie and idk they just lied there on the floor talking, him and Selina and it was weird. It could have used a lot more action and not gonna lie, one of the weakest chs in Kings run but regardless the art was great and finally the wedding which was pretty much just a bunch of posters and while not bad its not the most exciting conclusion but predictable and might leave a lot of people flustered with this run. The art was great though I guess.
September 11, 2018
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
The moment has come. Marking the halfway mark in Tom King’s legacy as a Batman writer, he brings on some of the most riskiest moves ever pulled by a writer, but also reveals the big (or maybe not so big) wedding between Batman and Catwoman. While this run has been bumpy, it has always been a progressive improvement with which volume. His style is easy to identify, especially with his way of approaching character development, but also his needs in terms of artwork. In fact, it’s a bit hard to mention Tom King without thinking of his iconic 9 panel grids. But his writing style is also heavy on repetition, but it’s how he plays with this method that makes it stand out the most. Although it might not work all the time, his now better grasp of the DC universe and its characters has made the style far more powerful over time.
Batman: The Wedding is the 7th volume in this canon Batman series and collects issues #45-50. The wedding in itself is the last oversized issue in the volume and is particular in its structure, but also in the number of artists involved in that special project. Before the grand event, there are two story arcs featured within this volume, and they are both innovative in their own way, but also extremely risky by the nature of the ideas themselves. The first story is a three-part arc called “The Gift” and brings into play a rarely seen hero known as Booster Gold. The second story is a two-part arc called “The Best Man” and follows right where DC Nation #0’s Joker one-short story “Your Big Day” left off and puts Joker first up against Batman and then against Catwoman. And of course, the volume ends with a cliffhanger presented in the special #50 issue called “The Wedding”.
This volume is definitely not one that will garner the praise of every reader and fan. The ideas explored by Tom King have always been unconventional, and often breaks away from everything that is easy to absorb and appreciate. “The Gift”, for example, is one of those ideas, and at first, I was completely void of words to explain what I had just read. The story is essentially an alternative reality in which Booster Gold is featured as the main character. The world in which we are dropped in is almost impossible to believe in as chaos and lunacy reigns in it. If you thought Gotham was already bad, you haven’t seen this world. But once you reach the ending of this arc, the very last panel, you’ll understand how insanely powerful Tom King’s idea was. It might be extravagant, but this gift by Booster Gold for Bruce Wayne was still very introspective of Batman’s character.
And then we find ourselves in front of “The Best Man”. With the excellent arc that Tom King gave us in volume 5, “The War of Jokes and Riddles”, and the original take on Joker, it was no surprise that the villain shines again right before the big event. There are some very awkward moments that were almost impossible to comprehend as a fan of Batman, especially in regards to Batman’s behaviour, but the more you think about, the more you find yourself convinced that the rational behind it all lies in Batman’s perspective of Joker. Batman doesn’t treat the Joker like any normal human being. He acknowledges his insanity and tackles (literally) the target with peculiar strategies, like playing along with Joker’s vision of the world. However, the highlight of this arc is in the second part of the arc where Catwoman confronts the Joker. This is where Tom King brings into play the baggage that both these characters have accumulated over the years, but have rarely ever been explored by any writer. The dialogue between the two is amazing, and at times, difficult to accept, but still very plausible.
The last oversized issue is the dreaded “The Wedding”. The accumulation of almost 50 issues that has led to this big moment between the two iconic characters. The story is interspersed with full page portraits of Catwoman, Batman or the both of them with a powerful and simple monologue on the depth of each others eyes and how they are mirrors to the soul of each of these characters. If anything, this is the closest I’ve ever been to reading romance, and it was wonderfully written and conveyed. Each page is however done by different artists, some incredibly more impressive than others, but each with their own style. The last pages however end on a cliffhanger that notably highlights an epiphany-like moment for Selena Kyle and Bruce Wayne, and reminds us that fans can look forward to great things in the series.
Batman: The Wedding is definitely the best volume so far in the series, passing The War of Jokes and Riddles by an inch. The risks taken by Tom King in this story arc were a lot more impressive in my books, and actually felt logical and original to me. There are however things that didn’t work as well, even in the artwork department (I’m thinking about some of the symmetry moves pulled off in the final issue), but everything else makes this volume very special, it simply makes this a wedding to remember.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
The moment has come. Marking the halfway mark in Tom King’s legacy as a Batman writer, he brings on some of the most riskiest moves ever pulled by a writer, but also reveals the big (or maybe not so big) wedding between Batman and Catwoman. While this run has been bumpy, it has always been a progressive improvement with which volume. His style is easy to identify, especially with his way of approaching character development, but also his needs in terms of artwork. In fact, it’s a bit hard to mention Tom King without thinking of his iconic 9 panel grids. But his writing style is also heavy on repetition, but it’s how he plays with this method that makes it stand out the most. Although it might not work all the time, his now better grasp of the DC universe and its characters has made the style far more powerful over time.
Batman: The Wedding is the 7th volume in this canon Batman series and collects issues #45-50. The wedding in itself is the last oversized issue in the volume and is particular in its structure, but also in the number of artists involved in that special project. Before the grand event, there are two story arcs featured within this volume, and they are both innovative in their own way, but also extremely risky by the nature of the ideas themselves. The first story is a three-part arc called “The Gift” and brings into play a rarely seen hero known as Booster Gold. The second story is a two-part arc called “The Best Man” and follows right where DC Nation #0’s Joker one-short story “Your Big Day” left off and puts Joker first up against Batman and then against Catwoman. And of course, the volume ends with a cliffhanger presented in the special #50 issue called “The Wedding”.
This volume is definitely not one that will garner the praise of every reader and fan. The ideas explored by Tom King have always been unconventional, and often breaks away from everything that is easy to absorb and appreciate. “The Gift”, for example, is one of those ideas, and at first, I was completely void of words to explain what I had just read. The story is essentially an alternative reality in which Booster Gold is featured as the main character. The world in which we are dropped in is almost impossible to believe in as chaos and lunacy reigns in it. If you thought Gotham was already bad, you haven’t seen this world. But once you reach the ending of this arc, the very last panel, you’ll understand how insanely powerful Tom King’s idea was. It might be extravagant, but this gift by Booster Gold for Bruce Wayne was still very introspective of Batman’s character.
And then we find ourselves in front of “The Best Man”. With the excellent arc that Tom King gave us in volume 5, “The War of Jokes and Riddles”, and the original take on Joker, it was no surprise that the villain shines again right before the big event. There are some very awkward moments that were almost impossible to comprehend as a fan of Batman, especially in regards to Batman’s behaviour, but the more you think about, the more you find yourself convinced that the rational behind it all lies in Batman’s perspective of Joker. Batman doesn’t treat the Joker like any normal human being. He acknowledges his insanity and tackles (literally) the target with peculiar strategies, like playing along with Joker’s vision of the world. However, the highlight of this arc is in the second part of the arc where Catwoman confronts the Joker. This is where Tom King brings into play the baggage that both these characters have accumulated over the years, but have rarely ever been explored by any writer. The dialogue between the two is amazing, and at times, difficult to accept, but still very plausible.
The last oversized issue is the dreaded “The Wedding”. The accumulation of almost 50 issues that has led to this big moment between the two iconic characters. The story is interspersed with full page portraits of Catwoman, Batman or the both of them with a powerful and simple monologue on the depth of each others eyes and how they are mirrors to the soul of each of these characters. If anything, this is the closest I’ve ever been to reading romance, and it was wonderfully written and conveyed. Each page is however done by different artists, some incredibly more impressive than others, but each with their own style. The last pages however end on a cliffhanger that notably highlights an epiphany-like moment for Selena Kyle and Bruce Wayne, and reminds us that fans can look forward to great things in the series.
Batman: The Wedding is definitely the best volume so far in the series, passing The War of Jokes and Riddles by an inch. The risks taken by Tom King in this story arc were a lot more impressive in my books, and actually felt logical and original to me. There are however things that didn’t work as well, even in the artwork department (I’m thinking about some of the symmetry moves pulled off in the final issue), but everything else makes this volume very special, it simply makes this a wedding to remember.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
January 28, 2022
45% | C- | Good
"Oh, Brucie, you were never the world's greatest detective"
Talk about batshit crazy...From the bottom of my heart, what the fuck did I just read? The Booster Gold story is absolutely wild. It's a reality altering storyline which is just one big shock value stunt that doesn't actually affect anything. Booster Gold likes to ramble a lot to the point where it can come off rather annoying as opposed to quirky. Thankfully, the next story section is handled far better with King once again showing that he can write when he wants to. The Joker and Selina dialogue is pretty damn good and is the highlight of this whole volume. From the good all the way to the bad in the blink of an eye. The actual wedding is extremely underwhelming. Even though this volume is titled 'The Wedding', there's so little about the actual wedding that the title feels very misleading. A complete mixed bag with this one, but worth reading for the Catwoman and Joker banter alone.
"Oh, Brucie, you were never the world's greatest detective"
The much anticipated night is here, but as per usual, things don't go to plan. With Booster Gold giving them possibly the worst gift ever and the Joker unable to let Batman go, the couple must face their last few challenges
Talk about batshit crazy...From the bottom of my heart, what the fuck did I just read? The Booster Gold story is absolutely wild. It's a reality altering storyline which is just one big shock value stunt that doesn't actually affect anything. Booster Gold likes to ramble a lot to the point where it can come off rather annoying as opposed to quirky. Thankfully, the next story section is handled far better with King once again showing that he can write when he wants to. The Joker and Selina dialogue is pretty damn good and is the highlight of this whole volume. From the good all the way to the bad in the blink of an eye. The actual wedding is extremely underwhelming. Even though this volume is titled 'The Wedding', there's so little about the actual wedding that the title feels very misleading. A complete mixed bag with this one, but worth reading for the Catwoman and Joker banter alone.
November 15, 2018
My new favorite Batman writer does not one but two Alan Moore homage stories leading up to the big wedding and knocks them out of the park. The wedding issue itself with its telegraphed ending and numerous pin-ups shoehorned into the narrative was a disappointment, though the twist in the kicker was good and left me eager for the next volume.
I must admit to being disturbed by the sequence of Joker shooting black people in a church with his Dylan Roof haircut. I don't know if it was intentional, but I don't think I've ever hated the character more.
I must admit to being disturbed by the sequence of Joker shooting black people in a church with his Dylan Roof haircut. I don't know if it was intentional, but I don't think I've ever hated the character more.
August 27, 2019
Tom King gonna Tom King.
I enjoyed the Booster Gold Elseworlds stuff, then the rest just felt like marketing material, albeit with some amazing one-off art. I mean, Jim Lee, people!
I enjoyed the Booster Gold Elseworlds stuff, then the rest just felt like marketing material, albeit with some amazing one-off art. I mean, Jim Lee, people!
September 18, 2018
[Read as single issues]
At last - Batman and Catwoman are going to tie the knot. Or, so they think. Before they can finally walk down the aisle, they have one final set of hurdles to overcome, including an ill-fated wedding present from Booster Gold, and the Joker, who has a proposal of his own. But even if they can survive all of this, when the fated hour arrives, will Bruce and Selina go through with it? Can Batman find love and happiness, or was the Bat/Cat romance doomed to fail from the start?
Organizing a wedding is meant to be hell, but I’m not sure if Batman and Catwoman were meant to take it literally. The stories contained in this volume are the final lead-up to the big issue 50, which contains the wedding, and they’re some of the more harrowing adventures that these two characters have been on together.
The Booster Gold story, The Gift, is an unfortunate Elseworlds story that shows what would happen if Batman wasn’t traumatized by his parents’ death. Our main character is a twisted Booster Gold, who feels like almost a different character to his usual self here – but then he’s also meddling with the timeline, which he knows not to do, so I believe this is a younger, more reckless Booster than we know and love. The story itself is pretty depressing, but it does shed some light on certain possibilities that start to sow the seeds of doubt in both the reader and Batman’s mind about whether this marriage is such a good idea after all. The art is by Tony Daniel – he’s probably one of the best of DC’s big-set-piece artists – I’d call him the Ed McGuinness of DC, for comparison.
Then there’s the two part Best Man story, which follows right on from the wedding preludes (although you don’t need to have read them, as evidenced by the fact that this story was actually released before the preludes ended). This story plays into one of King’s greatest storytelling strengths – he takes one moment, one interaction between characters, and makes it such a examination of their relationship that it’s impossible to look away. With Joker, Batman, and Catwoman firmly in the spotlight, this is some of King’s best Batman work yet, and the gorgeous art by Mikel Janin doesn’t hurt it either.
The wedding itself is a bit of a jam issue, with the fateful day interspersed with splash pages by iconic Batman artists revisiting different eras of the Batman/Catwoman relationship. The reasoning behind what happens here is surprisingly solid, especially given the rest of the stories in this volume, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed with the ultimate conclusion. The revelation on the final page shows that this isn’t just a publicity stunt for Tom King either – this is just another stop on his long Batman journey, and everything that’s come before is just as important as what’s coming after.
The Wedding may be the title of this volume, but it’s only really a small part of what’s going on. While it can be a bit depressing, the stories collected here are right in line with the tone that King has set up for these characters, and the denouement of this section of his story resonates with everything he’s done so far.
At last - Batman and Catwoman are going to tie the knot. Or, so they think. Before they can finally walk down the aisle, they have one final set of hurdles to overcome, including an ill-fated wedding present from Booster Gold, and the Joker, who has a proposal of his own. But even if they can survive all of this, when the fated hour arrives, will Bruce and Selina go through with it? Can Batman find love and happiness, or was the Bat/Cat romance doomed to fail from the start?
Organizing a wedding is meant to be hell, but I’m not sure if Batman and Catwoman were meant to take it literally. The stories contained in this volume are the final lead-up to the big issue 50, which contains the wedding, and they’re some of the more harrowing adventures that these two characters have been on together.
The Booster Gold story, The Gift, is an unfortunate Elseworlds story that shows what would happen if Batman wasn’t traumatized by his parents’ death. Our main character is a twisted Booster Gold, who feels like almost a different character to his usual self here – but then he’s also meddling with the timeline, which he knows not to do, so I believe this is a younger, more reckless Booster than we know and love. The story itself is pretty depressing, but it does shed some light on certain possibilities that start to sow the seeds of doubt in both the reader and Batman’s mind about whether this marriage is such a good idea after all. The art is by Tony Daniel – he’s probably one of the best of DC’s big-set-piece artists – I’d call him the Ed McGuinness of DC, for comparison.
Then there’s the two part Best Man story, which follows right on from the wedding preludes (although you don’t need to have read them, as evidenced by the fact that this story was actually released before the preludes ended). This story plays into one of King’s greatest storytelling strengths – he takes one moment, one interaction between characters, and makes it such a examination of their relationship that it’s impossible to look away. With Joker, Batman, and Catwoman firmly in the spotlight, this is some of King’s best Batman work yet, and the gorgeous art by Mikel Janin doesn’t hurt it either.
The wedding itself is a bit of a jam issue, with the fateful day interspersed with splash pages by iconic Batman artists revisiting different eras of the Batman/Catwoman relationship. The reasoning behind what happens here is surprisingly solid, especially given the rest of the stories in this volume, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed with the ultimate conclusion. The revelation on the final page shows that this isn’t just a publicity stunt for Tom King either – this is just another stop on his long Batman journey, and everything that’s come before is just as important as what’s coming after.
The Wedding may be the title of this volume, but it’s only really a small part of what’s going on. While it can be a bit depressing, the stories collected here are right in line with the tone that King has set up for these characters, and the denouement of this section of his story resonates with everything he’s done so far.
November 7, 2018
There's no doubt Tom King is a talented writer, and this volume is full of interesting ideas. The short scene with the Joker waiting for the arrival of his wedding invitation is excellent and I think perfectly nails what makes the Joker so terrifying. Also loved the conversation between Bruce and Alfred. It's great. And the issue with all the guest artists is captivating, and I even dug the gooey "your eyes" stuff.
But perhaps my biggest gripe about this run (which I'm very lukewarm on overall) is that King's characters don't act like real people, and this volume is the biggest offender yet. They make decisions that progress the story, not decisions they would actually make. The tiny push that leads Selina to standup Bruce--after more than a YEAR of building this deep relationship--is super weak and I don't believe for a second that a real person wouldn't just approach their significant other to talk it out. Especially when the point is brought up by a total nut job. Also Booster Gold... what the hell?
A lot of the hate lobbed at this arc is not King's fault, it lies at the feet of the decision makers at DC. King had a plan, DC pushed a false angle to sell books... and it backfired pretty spectacularly. That said, King's long payoff better be pretty special or this could define his run on Batman... which would be unfortunate for a writer of his caliber.
But perhaps my biggest gripe about this run (which I'm very lukewarm on overall) is that King's characters don't act like real people, and this volume is the biggest offender yet. They make decisions that progress the story, not decisions they would actually make. The tiny push that leads Selina to standup Bruce--after more than a YEAR of building this deep relationship--is super weak and I don't believe for a second that a real person wouldn't just approach their significant other to talk it out. Especially when the point is brought up by a total nut job. Also Booster Gold... what the hell?
A lot of the hate lobbed at this arc is not King's fault, it lies at the feet of the decision makers at DC. King had a plan, DC pushed a false angle to sell books... and it backfired pretty spectacularly. That said, King's long payoff better be pretty special or this could define his run on Batman... which would be unfortunate for a writer of his caliber.
February 21, 2019
Tom King drops the ball in this volume. We've had so much build-up to the Batman/Catwoman wedding, but what eventually happens is disappointing. There are three stories in this volume. The first features Booster Gold in a time travel story that features a dark alternate DC universe. I'm not a big fan of dark DC, so I didn't enjoy this one very much.
The second story is about the Joker, who is not happy that he wasn't invited to Batman's wedding. This is the best story of the three. It has an interesting conversation between the Joker and Catwoman. They talk about the bad old days, and several of the observations that they make about other villains are quite interesting and funny.
The third story is the wedding story. This was handled in a weird way. It's filled with pin-up pages filled with narration boxes in which Batman and Catwoman talk about their impressions of each other. They're written in cursive script on colored backgrounds, so the text is a pain to read. After a few of these pages, I really wanted to skip over them, but I ended up reading them anyway. After all of this prose, the wedding story ends with a whimper.
So basically, the three stars I gave for this volume are for the Joker story. I could do without the other two stories.
The second story is about the Joker, who is not happy that he wasn't invited to Batman's wedding. This is the best story of the three. It has an interesting conversation between the Joker and Catwoman. They talk about the bad old days, and several of the observations that they make about other villains are quite interesting and funny.
The third story is the wedding story. This was handled in a weird way. It's filled with pin-up pages filled with narration boxes in which Batman and Catwoman talk about their impressions of each other. They're written in cursive script on colored backgrounds, so the text is a pain to read. After a few of these pages, I really wanted to skip over them, but I ended up reading them anyway. After all of this prose, the wedding story ends with a whimper.
So basically, the three stars I gave for this volume are for the Joker story. I could do without the other two stories.
September 1, 2018
I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Multiple ratings would be appropriate for this one.
The first part with a suicidal Green Lantern and Booster Gold was just weird and I really had no idea what was going on. Two stars.
The second part was better, and starred Catwoman and the Joker. During a fight they mortally wound each other and simply talk to each other while bleeding out. The dialogue was very good. Five stars.
The third part was Batman and Catwoman getting set for their wedding: gathering a judge to officiate and a couple of friends to witness. This part was already published in the Deluxe Wedding album, so it was a rehash. Four stars, simply for the re-do.
I am really curious where Tom King is going to take this. I anticipate that Batman is going to be facing some extremely difficult times ahead.
Multiple ratings would be appropriate for this one.
The first part with a suicidal Green Lantern and Booster Gold was just weird and I really had no idea what was going on. Two stars.
The second part was better, and starred Catwoman and the Joker. During a fight they mortally wound each other and simply talk to each other while bleeding out. The dialogue was very good. Five stars.
The third part was Batman and Catwoman getting set for their wedding: gathering a judge to officiate and a couple of friends to witness. This part was already published in the Deluxe Wedding album, so it was a rehash. Four stars, simply for the re-do.
I am really curious where Tom King is going to take this. I anticipate that Batman is going to be facing some extremely difficult times ahead.
March 3, 2019
"You are an engine that turns pain into hope."
Ultimately, the payoff subverts the year-long build-up, which is going to (and already has) piss some people off, but for me the new developments are welcome, needed and exciting.
Three different but equally enticing stories in this volume.
The first, "The Gift," is a three-issue vignette of an alternate future in which, thanks to some meddling in the timestream by Booster Gold, Bruce Wayne's parents never died, therefore he never found a reason to become Batman. Like literally everything that's ever happened in any comic book ever, things go pear-shaped, though not before King demonstrates some genuine skill with the deadpan style of comedy needed to meld the drastically different worlds of Booster Gold and Batman.
The second, "The Best Man," lasts just two issues, but leaves a considerable impression as Joker succeeds at incapacitating Batman, causing his bride-to-be to come to his rescue. Oddly enough, the resulting interaction between the cat and the clown serves as a twisted companion piece to the fan-favorite "Double Date" story between Superman, Lois Lane, Catwoman and Batman a few issues back -- bleeding out together after a mutually destructive gun v. claw fight, the Seinfeldian, fourth-wall-leaning conversations between the two is one of the absolute highlights of King's already excellent run.
The final story, "The Wedding" is a beautiful and ultimately tragic tribute to Batman, Catwoman and the many artists that have brought them to life for the past 80 years. And even if it doesn't go as some had hoped, the emotional state it leaves Batman in could very well be setting up one of the most memorable periods in the legendary character's long history, and one that plays perfectly to King's strengths as a writer.
Whereas Grant Morrison explored the outermost limits of Batman's potential as a work of fiction, and Scott Snyder paid tribute to Batman's status as a symbol of hope both inside the comic book world and out, Tom King is interested in digging in deep to examine the emotional depths of Bruce Wayne, laying bare the vulnerabilities that make him weak, and the vulnerabilities that make him strong.
The one thing that has set King's run on Batman above just about every run before it and every other book on your LCS' shelves is the writer's dedication to weaving his stories into one big tapestry. More so than an other comic run that I can think of, every story, every plot point and every theme explored by King's Batman meshes with what comes before and after.
The "I Am _____" trilogy that made up his first three arcs exposed the raw nerves underneath Batman's cowl unlike anything that had come before it, whereas the storylines that followed took a deep look (25 issues deep) at a question previous writers have posed without really offering a definitive conclusion: "Can Batman be happy?"
King finally gives the answer: "Yes, he can. But he shouldn't be."
The possibilities opened up by the new status quo are as endless as the very last panel is ominous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2018
“Can Batman ever be truly happy?”
This is a question that has long been asked throughout the various media of the character’s history. Given how tragedy has been a defining element of Bruce Wayne, going back to the death of his parents, throwing a bit of happiness into his life might mark the end of his vigilante alter-ego, which is what exactly happened at the end of The Dark Knight Rises. When it comes to comics, especially superhero titles, these characters will forever have adventures and Batman is no exception as he’s turning 80 next year. With Tom King’s ongoing Bat-run, which delves into the Bat-Cat romance, can an upcoming wedding change everything?
Please click here for my full review.
This is a question that has long been asked throughout the various media of the character’s history. Given how tragedy has been a defining element of Bruce Wayne, going back to the death of his parents, throwing a bit of happiness into his life might mark the end of his vigilante alter-ego, which is what exactly happened at the end of The Dark Knight Rises. When it comes to comics, especially superhero titles, these characters will forever have adventures and Batman is no exception as he’s turning 80 next year. With Tom King’s ongoing Bat-run, which delves into the Bat-Cat romance, can an upcoming wedding change everything?
Please click here for my full review.
July 15, 2020
یه جایی تو قلبم این کتاب ۵ و همزمان ۱ ستارست
بی نظیر و ناامید کننده همزمان
غیرقابل توضیح...
بی نظیر و ناامید کننده همزمان
غیرقابل توضیح...
July 5, 2018
And with the wedding issue, my opinion that Tom King is an overhyped pretentious average creator is solidified.
I wish him no ill. Every now and then he has a story that’s pretty solid.
A lot of this wedding has been boring, chopped up, or long meaningless monologues to fill up the pages. The tie ins were boring too.
The final wedding issue itself pretends to be a celebration of all of Batman and catwomans past complete with meaningless symmetry scenes going through the mechanics of a wedding intermixed with random splash pages from several artists with a shitty poem about catwomans eyes.
The art work is great don’t get me wrong. But no real rhyme or reason for anything. There’s no story in the wedding issue either. Much like the issues leading up to it we’re apparently supposed to just be impressed that the joker is talking and that there’s a history. And in the wedding issue we’re just supposed to be impressed because lots of artists contributed. The “story” for five issues now is near absent. Sadly this all seems to be enough for many, as I’m in the minority. Apparently King is a comic god of some kind.
I’m rambling now. But in summary, Tom Kings Batman: boring and pretentious.
I wish him no ill. Every now and then he has a story that’s pretty solid.
A lot of this wedding has been boring, chopped up, or long meaningless monologues to fill up the pages. The tie ins were boring too.
The final wedding issue itself pretends to be a celebration of all of Batman and catwomans past complete with meaningless symmetry scenes going through the mechanics of a wedding intermixed with random splash pages from several artists with a shitty poem about catwomans eyes.
The art work is great don’t get me wrong. But no real rhyme or reason for anything. There’s no story in the wedding issue either. Much like the issues leading up to it we’re apparently supposed to just be impressed that the joker is talking and that there’s a history. And in the wedding issue we’re just supposed to be impressed because lots of artists contributed. The “story” for five issues now is near absent. Sadly this all seems to be enough for many, as I’m in the minority. Apparently King is a comic god of some kind.
I’m rambling now. But in summary, Tom Kings Batman: boring and pretentious.
November 3, 2018
4.5*
Love this!! The booster gold arc was awesome, the joker arc was initially solid but then finished with a bang. I did find the #50 a little distracting with the different artists but overall really enjoy Kings run.
Love this!! The booster gold arc was awesome, the joker arc was initially solid but then finished with a bang. I did find the #50 a little distracting with the different artists but overall really enjoy Kings run.
April 14, 2019
An interesting tale but then it goes off in too many directions with sub stories.
MY GRADE: B minus.
MY GRADE: B minus.
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