Anyway, here’s some thoughts on issue 44:
This is an interesting issue, because it’s less of a story and more of a…mood, or theme. Basically, Catwoman steals her awesome wedding dress, and that’s it, but it’s interesting seeing it contrast with all the ups and downs of Batman and Catwoman’s relationship over the nearly 80 years at that point.
If anyone’s curious, here are the issues that are referenced in the, erm, issue that are here on DCUI:
Batman #1:
Batman #197:
Batman #355
Surprisingly Batman #62 (the bit where Catwoman saves Batman from a falling building), and Detective Comics #203 (with Selina talking to Batman while holding a cat) aren’t on the service.
There’s also the last flashback sequence that technically isn’t on here, but that’s because it was actually published in Wizard magazine (man, that takes me back…). That sequence does show up in most print/digital collections of the Hush storyline.
But I think there’s more to this than just King flexing his Batman history knowledge. This point is solidified in the end when Bruce and Selina are running around the rooftops and Bruce asks what I think we all were asking around this time: “What if this doesn’t work?” Even if the marriage was to happen – we’ll get to that soon – what’s to stop it from falling apart again? I think the point this issue makes is that the characters have always felt something for each other from the start, and while story/editorial/corporate mandates have split them apart, they always seem to find each other again. I think it’s a good note to put on things, not just for what’s to come from this issue, but with what we’re currently seeing in the comics now.
Here’s a fun fact – Joelle Jones was asked to draw issues of Batman leading up to the wedding and she agreed with one condition: she would get to design the dress. In an interview with I believe Word Balloon, she said that she was tired of seeing plain white dresses during superhero weddings. Needless to say, I think she definitely pulled it off, as that wedding dress might become as iconic as some of Selina’s classic costumes:
An aside – I’ve recently been reading more into the manga side of comics, and because of it, this certain panel stood out to me way more than before:
For those who don’t know, in shojo manga – as in manga for young girls – a lot of series would use flowers surrounding the characters to signify different ideas and emotions, using the “language of flowers” as a guide. I don’t know if Jones was into those kind of comics and was purposefully invoking that, but it’s interesting seeing those tricks and moves from other venue of comics to express things differently, if that makes sense.
Anyway, a question!
- Are there any stories/moments that you would want to see adapted with modern art? And if so, who would you want to see draw it?
