Do You Take This Bat In Unlawful Matrimony?
Written By: Tom King
Art By: Mikel Janin, June Chung, Clayton Cowles, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Trish Mulvihill, Becky Cloonan, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson, Frank Miller, Alex Sinclair, Lee Bermejo, Neal Adams, Hi-Fi, Tony S. Daniel, Tomeu Morey, Amanda Conner, Paul Mounts, Rafael Albuquerque, Andy Kubert, Tim Sale, Jose Villarrubia, Paul Pope, Mitch Gerads, Clay Mann, Jordie Bellaire, Ty Templeton, Keiren Smith, Joelle Jones, David Finch, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Greg Capullo, FCO Plascncia, Lee Weeks
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: July 4, 2018
The event that a lot of Batman fans have been waiting for is finally here and.......... well, it turns out that DC already had the New York Times spoil the hell out of this book. Whether you were able to avoid the news on the internet or not, you have to admit that the Batman/Catwoman wedding is the thing that all DC fans have been talking about lately...... (mostly because there's nothing going on over there but delays) and it's finally here to excite, titillate and make most single folks wonder if life if better on the other side. Let's jump into this issue and see if Batman can put his mopey-ness behind him and get happy with Selina Kyle. Let's check it out.
So yeah, I don't really do spoilers in my reviews anymore, but the one thing that I will spoil for you here........... this is the culminations of Tom King's entire run and whether or not you've been a fan of that run will really determine whther or not you'll like this book. I haven't so I think this issue is a load of bullshit, but that's just me. The one thing that we can all agree on though is that by the last page of this snooze fest we all think that this issue is a load of crap and that Tom King just can't set up anything in his stories.......... Yeah, maybe we're not in agreement there either, but really, this issue is just a big letdown that DC's charging you an extra two dollars for and only giving you artwork that you may or may not be a fan of to pad out the issue.
All in all, the normal art by Mikel Janin is nice to look at, but like normal issues that King puts out, there just isn't a lot going on here and really, this issue just shows you how little he cared about this wedding because all the work that Tim Seeley did to setup the wedding with the "Prelude" issues are just thrown aside here and nothing feels all that planned out at all and is all around disappointing. If that wasn't enough, we only really get eighteen pages of story in this issue while the rest of this extra-sized issue is a bunch of narration that act as letters that Batman and Catwoman sent to each other, while one of the many artists on this book throws out a page of Batman and Catwoman together throughout the years, while really, all you need to read is the last page of letters to get all you need out of this story telling device. It's just padded out nonsense that just continues my belief that Tom King is unable to tell a thought out story and while he'll go out now and say that this is supposed to be a hundred issue epic............ if nothing makes sense in fifty issues, I don't think the next fifty will do us any favors.
Bits and Pieces:
This is the culmination, recap and reiteration of Tom King's Batman run so far and since I haven't been a fan of that...Well, I'm not a fan of this either. All that and the ending doesn't make any sense at all. At least at the end of the day I can say that the pictures looked pretty.
3/10
God damn I did not like this issue and this is from a fan of Tom King's run (mostly). Knowing how this ends, what exactly was the point of the last 26 issues? Make money? Because it was all set-up for BatCat and why they deserve to be together and then this happens.
ReplyDeleteI seriously don't know why DC made this choice or how other review sites are giving it such high scores of 10's, 9.5's and 8's. Though it has made a pretty funny 7.0 critic rating to a 1.1 user rating on Comic Book Roundup as of when I make this comment.
Sorry about the rant, needed to get that out of my system.
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DeleteAlso, since I forgot somehow, what is the last page? How does that justify anything that has happened or has Tom King forgotten the alignments of certain characters (Also how is one of them there?).
DeleteJust want to also point out that you accidentally typed Catwoammn instead of Catwoman in the labels.
Lol...Eric's fat fingers!!!!!
DeleteI don't get it. I know that we are looked at as nothing but haters, but maybe this shows that we were on to something earlier than some, I don't know. Some other sites and podcasts seem to think other have to like something or they want their scores to be consistent or they just like it. Again, I don't know. I just know that if Eric liked the issue he would have given it a high score no problem and if I liked it, I would have taken the review and done it. I did like it a little more than Eric as a single issue, but as a whole with everything leading up to it figured in, I think he was generous. Then Tom King has the nerve to tell people that the REAL story is in the next 50 issues!!!!!! Really??????
DeleteAs someone who tries to be positive and mainly looks at that (one of the main reasons why I like this site and podcast since it balances me out) I was on board for King's run during the "I am" trilogy, The Button and War of Jokes and Riddles. One of the main problems for me is that I am reasonably new to the DC universe, only really jumping into comics last year. I still knew some basics, mainly the ones everyone knows (Clark Kent is Superman with these powers, Bruce Wayne is Batman) and that was pretty much it.
DeleteWhat I'm trying to get at is that while I was on board for King's run, it just isn't hitting anymore especially after this issue. If King is going for a 100 issue run and this is halfway then I am not looking forward seeing that he is ignoring his own continuity and this rate.
On the topic of reviewers that seem to score high for the sake of scoring high, I'm starting to feel like The Comedian wondering what is so damn enjoyable about these books.
Side-note about King's run, as previously mentioned I'm new to comics and so I missed the DCYOU, and New 52, as well as pretty much the first year of Rebirth. I've been catching up on books from then and reading the respective reviews in which one I found quite funny looking at recent events since I listen to your podcast. It was the review from you about Grayson #16 stating "'Darn you Tom King...darn you for being so good!". Knowing your perspective on his Batman run, it just seems like a different person writing.
Again, sorry that I went overboard with this comment, but I just wanted to state my points.
I don't think anyone ever expected the wedding to happen but for this story line to end like this was expert trolling from Mr King and I doff my cap to his continued disdain to Batman readers. You get and should now expect nothing.
ReplyDeleteShame because if the did marry, they could of had a daughter who inherits the skills of both her parents and years later, after the death of her father takes up the mantle of say, a Huntress. Dammit, these things still write themselves!
well put!!! Why are those that he trolled and have disdain for still worship him?
DeleteIf you actually fold up Batman #50 a certain way it reveals the image of Tom King giving the fans the finger. Well played, Mr King, well played.
DeleteWhats up weirdsciene dudes!! Its been a while. Anyway lets get down to the review. First of, i never liked tom kings run. All of the story arcs ever since the rebirth reboot sucks. For me scott snyder is still the best especially the new 52 run. Thats just my own opinion and i hope im not offending anybody here othar than king himself. The art is amazing especially janin and finch. By the way im not just here for the batcat run. I loved batman stories ever since. However i still think that the "batcat" wordplay is just plain old stupid. Bruce and selina dont talk like retards. Also, the whole year and a half of batcat romance build up i think is just for moneygrab. Well you know, business. Then king says that its gonna be a hundred series celebrating their relationship? Hahaha, thats funny, i dont think so buddy. People arent gonna waste their money to another run that may or may not happen. Especially if its just another, "i still cant marry you because you need to be batman" line or whatever bullshit he comes up with. The ending is just plain old stupid. I mean bane is behind all this? No thats just dumb. And again with the "batman is broken" line? I think that shitty line is all used up by now. By the way.. how in the blue hell is thomas wayne the batman of flashpoint there with him? And gotham girl? I thought she was on his side? Bane being the one behind this just made me laugh. Again with the I AM, I AM, I AM. That just literally made no sense to which im sure he will try to make a stupid story about in the future. There will be fall out, especially for the fans of his run and the batman fans too. People are just pissed and who can blame them? All this hype for nothing. What a bummer. Anyway, i hope you guys get to read this and put this issue up in your separate podcast, not the patreon one so i can get to hear you guys. However its not for me to decide. Really excited about what you guys are gonna say. Rock on weirdscience dudes!!
ReplyDeleteshe leaves to make him a better batman and he better be...he has let all of his villains/allies/alt-parents gather for Banes's throne of skulls meetings below Arkham. I will be reading this for the podcast now and there will be a bit on the regular podcast
DeleteI haven't read the issue yet, but the "twist" was pretty well (and clumsily) telegraphed in the past few issues of the series itself without any outside assistance. That said. . .it is my sincere wish that the reader backlash over this whole fiasco is the straw that breaks DC's back and sends King off this title. Not since the dark days of "Morrison Madness" has a Batman writer been so much into his own head that he doesn't even realize the utter disregard he's showing to his audience. The truth is, the shitty reviews of this series are usually more entertaining than the series itself. Thanks for telling the truth, Weird Science!
ReplyDeleteThe difference is that "Morrison Madness" was extremely popular and a lot of fans would kill to have him back.
DeleteCompared to King. . .I guess any port in a storm will do. Even an insane Englishman so far up his own ass he doesn't even remember what a straightforward narrative is.
DeleteMorrison's Scottish. Don't blame his madness on us!
DeleteSorry, my bad. Learn something new every day, right? From now on I rest the blame for "Morrison Madness" directly on the shoulders of Scotland.
DeleteThose letters to each other gave me diabetes...and not the good kind either I'm talking about full blow "diabeetus"
ReplyDeleteLuckily, I have the good kind!
Deleteyeah I realized how bad that sounded...To clarify I mean that "Aw isn't that sweet" type writing that's so sappy but so good where as most of Kings is force feeding us that crap
DeleteCan we have Joelle Jones to write Batman?. Tom King should move on to Catwoman instead and write 200 issues of her if he likes. I don't want more stupid romance. I want a mystery comic centered around Batman, not a cliché love story. That's the only thing he writes!! I don't want another 50 issues of the same tumblr BS.
ReplyDeleteI like Catwoman, and so far only Jones seems to get that character right!! Not super pretentious heroine with martyr syndrome like Tom King's Selena. Why does she need to "sacrifice" to save Batman? I guess Bruce is too stupid to even think about that! So he needed Selena to take that decision for him.
The idea that Bruce feels being Batman is a punishment is so f*cking stupid. Batman is supposed to take his mission as a way to fight against the evil in the world, because he is determined and brave, not because Oh, buh , hu I have no choice! I'm so miserable!! save me Selina!! I didn't know that being Batman was a sacrifice!! bhu uh hu I'm a machine!! I don't know what do with happiness!! uh, hu hu
don't do that to us Catwoman fans out there!!!
Deletedidnt even need to read this issue at all...instead i should have read Catwoman #1 and save me twenty minutes ill never get back
ReplyDeleteThe people trying to hold on to the idea that this was a good issue are the funniest to watch right now. Thomas Wayne is apparently the Batman in Arkham, Psycho Pirate is just mind controlling Gotham Girl, Bane's entire plan is just to make Batman unhappy, while sitting on his freshly transported skull and throne room. Apparently this last page makes the most and total sense to people still loving this issue.
ReplyDeleteI was just happy we finally figured out that Holly did in fact go to jail.
I'm just glad I pulled the trigger and dropped this after 48. 18 pages of story for $4.99?
ReplyDeleteWHAT A BARGAIN! I'm hoping King's run gets cut short; but that's just wishful thinking, because all the people praising King that actually hate the non-event can't admit they hate it, because they don't want to look like they were wrong and stupid.
I freely admit that I was wrong and stupid to keep buying this series for as long as I did after that Jokes and Riddles bulls**t.
Oh. . .then you missed out on Poison Ivy taking over the world? THAT little arc makes this wedding fiasco look like Shakespeare. I share your wish for DC to decide that King needs to ruin another character besides Batman. Maybe a Blue Devil reboot?
DeleteI'm surprised it was light enough under that bridge for eric to read it.
ReplyDeleteThe quicker this "character" is replaced by Chris the better.
You know what irritates me the most? The claim that if Bruce marries, he'll be happy and that would kill batman.
ReplyDeleteIt's not as if he has a family, a best friend, and is a billionaire. He's not happy *at all* unless he has a wife. Dick? who needs him! Damian? pssssh hes a loser. His father figure, Alfred? FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK him!
Like seriously, I know he's a depressing S.O.B, but I think he's either happy or he'll never be, even if he got hitched.
I know!!!! Tell that to Manny!!!! It's an odd turn around from King's issue #20 that says that he is past all that and has grown up...show us he has grown up!!!!!
DeleteI liked Batman for the most part from #1-49. I felt there was a certain poetry to the storytelling methods of Tom King in the book, and if nothing else, the whole Bat-Cat relationship was a compelling throughline to the series. Now I see that it was all one big middle finger to the readers. I haven't read comics for decades (only 7 years now), so I don't have the same baggage of which weddings were ruined or failed. Tom King set up a very clear direction for the 2 characters, and DC was happy to market the hell out of it, and then the wedding fails to occur. Maybe it was predictable, but they have the gall (The gall, I say!) to publish $20 of prelude material and still have for pre-order a Wedding Album collecting some portion of stories that are irrelevant now! I would have preferred the contents of issue 50 to be covered 1 or 2 issues after the proposal, and then let us move on with whatever schemes Bane has. And I'm not one to rant about comic books usually, but the last page featuring all those other characters???? None of it makes sense, and instead of giving us an issue that made sense and had the villain ruin the wedding, we get hints and schemes and a ton of flowery language about eyes. One point of distinction at least, is that thankfully Batman was ready to be happy. He was fully committed to this wedding, man! He said "Let's get hitched in the morning. I'll bring the drunk judge, you bring the dress, and we'll get the wedding over!" But no, Catwoman had to get soft over Bruce's happiness. Don't you think she should have consulted him first, and let him make his own decision about whether he could be happy?!
ReplyDeleteIt could have been something different and even special to fans. Nope! I love your idea!
DeleteCatwoman just needed to talk to him.
DeleteSo I finally read the issue over the weekend and I think everything that can be said HAS been said. It's just as awful as it sounded from the (honest) reviews.
ReplyDeleteTHAT SAID. . .
Although I liked most of the pin-up filler pages (not sure if they were worth an extra 2 bucks, though), can somebody PLEASE tell Frank Miller to STOP drawing? His page had to be the WORST "professional" comic art I've seen in a long time. It was like a rotten cherry on top of the $hit sundae that was the rest of the issue. With everything else wrong to unpack on this fiasco, I don't think anybody has called Miller's insulting Bull$hit out yet. Thanks for the unexpected kick in the balls after the expected kick in the balls, DC.
Though I'm not as down on the King run as you guys (not exactly loving it either) this whole wedding ordeal is a raw-dog buttfuck to fans. You completely alienate people reading because of the wedding (though many of them may have stopped reading after this issue anyway had they married), prove that the Prelude buy-ins were even more of a money grab and utter bullshit, and most importantly, erode trust with DC even further.
ReplyDeleteThis idea was ruined by Batman #49 when Joker shoots Catwoman, but why not start the issue the night before the wedding and the bat family is fighting a fairly major battle against thugs from Bane, Riddler, Penguin, etc., and batman is nowhere to be found. The family stops the threat, but the 'Bigs' get away. The next day at the wedding, Catwoman is set up by Holly, something happens and is presumed dead. So it looks like there is no wedding, but we find out the reason batman wasn't at the fight the night before was because they married in secret. The catch kind of being that had he been there the night before to stop the bad guys from getting away, Selina wouldn't have been hurt at the wedding.
That still plays with the last page 'reveal' and ties up Bane's revenge against Catwoman from when she broke him. And they still get married, so you don't piss everyone off.
Congrats...you wrote an issue 100 times better than the guy who will be writing the book for 50 more issues.
DeleteToy organizations like Hasbro and Kenner produces many Batman toys consistently with so many variety. https://ww1.putlocker.page/
ReplyDelete