Batman 50 - Non Spoiler Thoughts...

[kilderkin]

I agree it's his story, like I said, this is where he was going with it...but...if DC hadn't thrown the hype machine on full throttle, would you still be so pissed about the outcome? Likely most people would not...it's all the variants, one shots, and so on that spun it into something larger than life...if they had just done the normal variants, scrapped the one shots, and so on...it would have been just another issue where all the readers would have been like "Oh...of course they won't get married. You got us, King" but with all the hype and assurances from DC that "we are doing this" it turned into "What the hell is this nonsense?"

Yeah I can admit it to myself now I've cooled off a bit

I would still be very dissapointed

but it's DC's marketing that left me angry, not so much the turn of events, that's more a sense of an opportunity missed imo

I do feel it's a missed opportunity as next it comes around I don't think it will have anything like the fanfare it did this time

at least I won't care less personally

[Fergus]

I agree it's his story, like I said, this is where he was going with it...but...if DC hadn't thrown the hype machine on full throttle, would you still be so pissed about the outcome? Likely most people would not...it's all the variants, one shots, and so on that spun it into something larger than life...if they had just done the normal variants, scrapped the one shots, and so on...it would have been just another issue where all the readers would have been like "Oh...of course they won't get married. You got us, King" but with all the hype and assurances from DC that "we are doing this" it turned into "What the hell is this nonsense?"

There was never any assurances from DC that they were positively going to be married never any "we are doing this".

[Scott Taylor]

what's it got to do with any form of empowerment ?

Well (as a male) I think its empowering for a female supporting character to be the one who turns down the male hero. That she was manipulated complicates things, but its the image that counts here.

[kilderkin]

Well (as a male) I think its empowering for a female supporting character to be the one who turns down the male hero. That she was manipulated complicates things, but its the image that counts here.

Whilst I absolutely agree that anyone should feel strong enough to not be compelled into any situation they don't want to be in, in this case, she appears to have been compelled or conned into not marrying someone she appears to be in love with

I don't think that image is in any way empowering, just the opposite really, which I found most annoying in the story

If she had chosen this all of her own, whilst I would certainly agree she and anyone else should be able to do that, doing it just prior to your actual marriage, by note, I don't see that as empowering rather as an act of fear, or regret

Certainly better than going through with it if you don't want to, but imo not an empowerment moment

But of course that's just my perspective

[kilderkin]

There was never any assurances from DC that they were positively going to be married never any "we are doing this".

Maybe not, but they certainly played on it, and by calling it the wedding issue, that in itself says it was happening

now of course that's all marketing hyperbole, but it was their tactics that played on the emotional investment of the fans

A risky strategy when you then spin it the opposite way

Whilst they have a huge reader base here with batman books, and they might not notice any losses, in the end the deliberate strategy won't bring any good will, and that always costs money long term, and that, no matter how small, is always noticed

[themasething]

From what I've been reading in many threads all over the place, there is very little anger at King directly, but DC's handling of the promotion. But given that King pitched the idea in the first place, including the ending, he does hold some blame for the backlash. Though 99% of the anger should be directed at DC themselves before using the remaining 1% on King.

[Scott Taylor]

Whilst I absolutely agree that anyone should feel strong enough to not be compelled into any situation they don't want to be in, in this case, she appears to have been compelled or conned into not marrying someone she appears to be in love with

I don't think that image is in any way empowering, just the opposite really, which I found most annoying in the story

If she had chosen this all of her own, whilst I would certainly agree she and anyone else should be able to do that, doing it just prior to your actual marriage, by note, I don't see that as empowering rather as an act of fear, or regret

Certainly better than going through with it if you don't want to, but imo not an empowerment moment

But of course that's just my perspective

Yah I can see your point. Even though I still think it is a good character moment for Catwoman, it is weak in terms of the empowerment factor.