If you’re invested in Batman’s romantic life, you might want to steer clear of the paper of record today.
Today, the New York Times ran a story called “It Just Wasn’t Meant to Be, Batman” which is about the upcoming Batman #50, due out Wednesday with writing by Tom King and art by Mikel Janin, with colors by June Chung and lettering by Clayton Cowles, along with a bevy of guest artists.
In it, the article reveals what the headline makes pretty clear: Batman isn’t getting married this Wednesday. Batman and Catwoman, the legendary hero/anti-villain pairing, is not meant to be. At least not in the canon DC Universe, that is.
This stings. It’s normal for Marvel and DC to occasionally spoil big events beforehand, publicizing matters like Peter Parker’s death in the Marvel Ultimate universe way back in the day, in the hopes of driving up sales to events based on the dramatic power of their conclusions. But this still feels like a bit of a gut punch, not only because it’s a pretty downer ending, but because it undercuts fifty issues of buildup and narrative tension. And for the most disappointing, uneventful ending possible. The status quo is maintained. Nothing changes, no one grows. Comics, everybody!
Batman #50 might be a good comic. It might be a great comic. But I suddenly am much less interested in reading it. Rough.