Batman vol. 5: The Rules of Engagement

When two super-characters decide to tie the knot, the one thing you can expect to come from that decision is drama.  Even if the two characters involved have no superpowers to speak of. So with Batman and Catwoman set to get married in two volumes’ time they’ve got to get their houses in order.  Actually, it’s really just Batman who has to do that. He is the one whose ex is the master of the League of Assassins after all.

So the title story in this volume has the Bat and the Cat heading to Khadym to settle things with Talia Al Ghul.  It’s going to be no good getting married if one’s ex who happens to be the master of the most notorious guild of murderers decides she doesn’t want that to happen.  At least, that’s what writer Tom King wants us to think as the actual reason for their trip is a little more complicated than that. The other problem is that, as usual, Batman has taken off on this trip without bothering to inform some of his closest allies — Dick, Jason, Duke, and Damien — about what he’s doing.  So Alfred decides to do it anyway, leading two of the aforementioned to follow in his footsteps to Khadym.

While Batman has had many notable romances over the decades, doing a short arc about Talia and his upcoming wedding is a smart observation of continuity if nothing else.  Assuming you’ve read through Grant Morrison’s “Batman” run, and you’ve all done that because it was pretty great. Right? If you didn’t, then you should know that the main reason Talia was out to destroy the Detective was because he wouldn’t grow up, stop being Batman, and take his place beside her in ruling the world from the shadows.  King could’ve ignored all that in his run-up to the wedding, but I’m glad to see that he didn’t.

I do wish that he would’ve had Batman and Talia hash things out more directly.  Letting Catwoman and Talia do it by swordfight still works pretty well as the writer fleshes out their mindsets as they cross blades.  The fight, and the rest of the arc, looks fantastic courtesy of Joelle Jones who lavishes on the detail for every panel. There’s also some fun bits with Alfred, Duke, Dick, Jason, and Damien back home as they react to the news in amusingly self-aware and believable ways.

“The Rules of Engagement,” however, is let down a bit by its ending.  I mentioned that the reason for Batman and Catwoman’s trip was a little more complicated than hashing things out with Talia?  When the (arguable) real reason for their trip is revealed it makes a lot of sense, but also deflates the drama of the encounter with Talia a bit.  The reason for this trip also comes back to a plot point King set up for Catwoman earlier in his run and the complications of addressing it here aren’t dealt with in a satisfying fashion as they’re mainly glossed over and left unresolved by the end.

What follows is “Superfriends,” a more satisfying two-parter that looks at Superman and Lois Lane’s response to the upcoming wedding.  The first half is kind of cute in a way that makes me roll my eyes a little. It’s basically King laying out his take on how Batman and Superman see each other as their better halves nag them for not calling the other to ask/inform them about the wedding.  Would it really surprise anyone to learn that, at this point in their history together, that these two heroes secretly look up to each other yet still put up a front about it to maintain appearances? I doubt it and the only thing keeping this first half from being completely eye-rolling is in its execution.  Not only is there a certain charm in seeing how the Superman/Lois and Batman/Catwoman discussions happen over routine superhero action, but the way King and artist Clay Mann lay out how the two heroes’ thoughts on each other makes for a visually interesting back-and-forth on the page.

The second half is cute without any eye-rolling.  It has the two couples heading out for a night at the Gotham County Fair only to find out that it’s Superhero Night and costumes are required.  Since going as “themselves” would be a bit too obvious, the couples decide to swap instead. We get some good banter as Lois and Catwoman bond, see Batman and Superman’s competitive spirits thrive, and even witness Bruce try to enjoy himself on a roller coaster.  It’s all good fun, to the point where I wouldn’t mind seeing more stories involving these couples teaming up for some crime-fighting action or just another night on the town.

Things close out with “Some of These Days,” a story that looks back at the earliest days of the Batman/Catwoman relationship before going straight to the end.  Their early days consisted of a playfully antagonistic relationship as Catwoman would routinely break into the Batcave or Wayne Manor to get Batman’s attention.  He’s presented as being helpless to stop her, at first, and at a complete loss as to why she’s doing this in the first place, almost to the end. It’s an enjoyable little tale, showing these two characters bouncing off of each other and the beginnings of their romance.  The story also has some dynamic and wonderfully textured art from Lee Weeks to hold your interest as well.

Though the main story may be a little slight in that it lacks real dramatic stakes, its Michael Lark-illustrated epilogue really goes for the gut.  Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that it shows you how King thinks Batman and Catwoman’s time together is going to end. It mostly eschews superhero action and conventions and, in this case, is all the better for it.  What’s left is a painfully human story about two people confronting the inevitable and how tragedy doesn’t mean the end of happiness.

It’s clear from this volume that “Batman” is going to be focused on buildup towards the wedding above all else.  “The Rules of Engagement” shows, imperfectly, that’s not going to be a bad thing. King has hit upon something that’s going to set his run apart from other modern “Batman” runs and it’s good to see him following through on that here.  As has been the case with all the previous volumes in his run so far, there’s still room for improvement.