Batman #49 Preview / Discussion (Spoilers)

[Samson3191]

I love King’s ability to zoom in on a moment and flesh it out in such a surreal, almost prose-y or poetic way. Last issue was basically a long Joker monologue and this is a long conversation between two people who love Batman in their own ways. I was a big fan of this one. Joker really challenging the theme that King has been exploring of “what would it look like if Batman was happy?” and Joker saying it’s essentially impossible. In a way he’s almost a voice of the audience—“we need him on the rooftops and in the alleyways. And we have to keep his journey going. If he finds fulfillment, he’ll stop. And we can’t have that, can we?”

At least, that’s where my mind went with it. Really loved this one!

[Ten_to_Three]

With the Joker alluding to Two-Face's bisexuality and Catwoman stating "he was the dark horse to get Batman," I can't help but imagine maybe Harvey would show up at the wedding and declare his love for Batman/Bruce or something like that.

[K. Jones]

I'm super curious about this. For starters, King has been priming us with "FAKE" solicitation copy for a while now in this run. There's also the points within the run where Batman and Catwoman build toward being able to get married ... but also points swirling in the midst that give us reasons kind of like the Joker said for why they can't. But I'm not sure what the actual twist will be. It's possible they just do it anyway, as two stubborn lovers might. Screw everyone else's opinions, man, it's about the two of them and 75 years of how they feel. And they'll honeymoon and Dick will pinch-hit as Batman and Bruce will get jury duty in the Mister Freeze Trial and there we go.

But it's also possible all those solicitations are fake as hell "fun ideas" for what Bruce's honeymoon phase would be like, and that it's not going through at all, Tom King just wrote clever fake solicits of stories that we totally want to read, and Issue # 50 is 100% twisty turny never see it coming.

Or the twist could be one of semantics. Batman can't marry Catwoman and still be Batman. But Selina actually knows the real Bruce. So you know, Batman and Catwoman don't get married. But Bruce elopes and secret marries Selina because they love secret sneaky fun stuff. I can't say, but we don't have to wait long to find out.

This issue kind of redeemed the last one for me. I get that it's a 44 page thesis statement, half Bat/Joker, half Cat/Joker, with TKJ references and referendums. It plays very nice with the stuff running in Seeley's preludes - sometimes those one-shot tie-in special runs don't quite sync up with the story happening in the main book (See: Bruce Wayne - The Road Home with Morrison's ongoing, yadda yadda) but these ones seem like they lead into this Joker story pretty perfectly.

Now redeeming the last one for me a bit and making the format and structure click doesn't necessarily mean I think it was the greatest story ever. It's full of structural King-isms. His characters and motivations are typically on-point but you know, existing in kind of unnatural framing devices doesn't make them always read as having the most natural dialogue. Janin's art kind of sold some of the King-isms here though. Joker's gun had too many bullets, and King being a military/CIA dude probably oughtta keep a tight lock on that sort of thing, film/comic cliche or not. (Or the letterist - maybe just a matter of "too many BANGS").

Anyway, # 50 should be interesting. And part of me just wishes the Joker is dead. I mean of course he's not. He's in Justice League this week, picking up where he left off in Snyder's run from Endgame to Superheavy to Metal. And the Geoff Johns Three Joker mystery is ... uh ... er ... uh ...

[Chubistian]

Wasn’t Catwoman pressing Joker’s head downward to avoid him more blood loss? I don’t think she cares much if Joker dies, she wouldn’t kill him cold blooded, but if it’s the result of their fight, so be it. But Batman wouldn’t be happy if she, having the chance of saving him, left Joker to die bleeding out. Nor that she would do it if she wasn’t with Batman, but Selina is more unpredictable than Batman, so who knows how she would have acted in a different scenario

[gregpersons]

Great issue.

It was very reminiscent of The Killing Joke, but with the philosophical battle between Catwoman v Joker this time.

King's literary approach is intoxicating, and best read in trade, but it's a shame how many online readers seem to be missing the forest for the trees on this issue.

Excited to see what happens in 50. We still don't have a clear sense of Selina's inner-life or her thoughts, and I think her laughing at the end is realizing that Joker won, on some level. He cast doubt on whether Batman can be happy and Batman at the same time.

My prediction is that the wedding happens. Batman and Catwoman exchange vows in a non-traditional way. Batman has taken vows for avenging the dead before, notably his parents, but he has never taken a vow for the living -- for the people in front of him. I think he will do that.

But I think they will immediately 'separate' and return to a status quo of working separately. They will not be a traditional marriage. Bat/Cat will still maintain their independence. But their vow to each other will still be there.

[Jman27]

I enjoyed this issue Joker conversation with Catwoman was insightful. Joker as always show he cares for Batman in his own twisted way wondering what going to happen next issue though hopefully, the marriage does go through unlike what happen today in xmen

[Miles To Go]

I enjoyed this issue Joker conversation with Catwoman was insightful. Joker as always show he cares for Batman in his own twisted way wondering what going to happen next issue though hopefully, the marriage does go through unlike what happen today in xmen

A marriage still happened in X-Men, just not the one advertised.

[gregpersons]

I love King’s ability to zoom in on a moment and flesh it out in such a surreal, almost prose-y or poetic way. Last issue was basically a long Joker monologue and this is a long conversation between two people who love Batman in their own ways. I was a big fan of this one. Joker really challenging the theme that King has been exploring of “what would it look like if Batman was happy?” and Joker saying it’s essentially impossible. In a way he’s almost a voice of the audience—“we need him on the rooftops and in the alleyways. And we have to keep his journey going. If he finds fulfillment, he’ll stop. And we can’t have that, can we?”

At least, that’s where my mind went with it. Really loved this one!

Having that come from the Joker, that he's speaking for the audience or part of it, is so perfect. The Joker often has a way of sounding convincingly right while still being fundamentally wrong.

King's literary style throughout, as you pointed out, has very subtly but distinctly returned Batman to something of an unreliable narrator. This generally wasn't the case under Snyder, for example, or most writers who also go heavy with narration boxes. By only viewing the characters by their actions, behaviors, and words, we end up getting a far clearer and more relatable portrait of these characters.

Re-reading both issues together, Selina's laugh coming after Bruce's misinterpretation of the events (he did get shot in the head & blown up) highlighting this. Batman thinks Joker "didn't get what he wanted" — he got EXACTLY what he wanted. In Joker's own way, with his own logic, by 'dying' before shooting Selina, he essentially just married Batman & Catwoman right there, in that church, with all of the dead at their feet.

[DIVINITY]

I can’t even front, I enjoyed this issue more than I thought I would...

[bob.schoonover]

A marriage still happened in X-Men, just not the one advertised.

Are you suggesting Batman 50 ends with Dick and Babs getting married?

[Nick Miller]

I hated this issue..... and then by the end I kinda liked it?

Art was amazing.

[Miles To Go]

Are you suggesting Batman 50 ends with Dick and Babs getting married?

Dick and Kori if Heroes In Crisis cover is an indication

[millernumber1]

I hated this issue..... and then by the end I kinda liked it?

Art was amazing.

Very interesting! What caused the change for you?

Dick and Kori if Heroes In Crisis cover is an indication

Haha. It's an X-Men Gold #30 twist!

[Scott Taylor]

My prediction is that the wedding happens. Batman and Catwoman exchange vows in a non-traditional way. Batman has taken vows for avenging the dead before, notably his parents, but he has never taken a vow for the living -- for the people in front of him. I think he will do that.

But I think they will immediately 'separate' and return to a status quo of working separately. They will not be a traditional marriage. Bat/Cat will still maintain their independence. But their vow to each other will still be there.

Batman's Facebook relationship status before the wedding: "I am a solitary creature of the night!"

Batman's Facebook relationship status after the wedding: its complicated

[gregpersons]

Reading "The Best Man" issues back-to-back, the parallels to The Killing Joke stick out even "moore."

Batman's Facebook relationship status before the wedding: "I am a solitary creature of the night!"

Batman's Facebook relationship status after the wedding: its complicated

Every relationship is always complicated with Batman!