Nothing says quality father and son bonding time quite like beating up a bunch of Assassins.
What's with these Batmen using horses in the desert? Everyone knows you use camels. (Dick used camels) They're gonna end up killing them again. This time with swords.
Mega fan of: Helena Bertinelli (pre-52), Batwoman, Birds of Prey, Guardians of the Galaxy, Secret Six
Fan of: Batman, Cassandra Cain, Wonder Woman, Silk, Stephanie Brown, Captain America, Hellcat, Renee Montoya, Gotham Central, King Shark
Quasi-Fan of: Aquaman, Midnighter, Superman, Catwoman, Nightwing, Green Arrow, Squadron Supreme, Red Hood
Other likes: Low, Hush, Arkham Asylum: ASHoSE, Watchmen, A-Force, Bombshells, Grayson, Unfollow
Team Cap (both Rogers and Danvers)
If you aren't familiar with camels, more importantly if they don't like you, camels won't work. They're a much more obstinate animal than horses and far harder to read. It's difficult for a novice to tell when a camel has been pushed too hard or far. A horse is easy. Only an insensitive idiot overworks a horse. There are also dessert breeds like the Beber, Arab, and Turk which can and do cross deserts like the Sahara and Gobi with ease.
Dick and Damian used horses to go pick Bruce and Selina with no problems. It was a fifteen hour ride if you payed attention to the dialogue, which makes Selina killing a horse even worse because any endurance bred animal can do that and get up the next day ready to go again.
Of course, if you've read Batman 256, which keeps being referenced, then you know that the horse died because Selina was riding it. It also explains why Batcow has never appeared, and Duke didn't even realize a cow lived there as one of Selina's well established but obscure canon traits is she sends prey animals like horses and cattle into a panic. Cats like her. Horses want to get away from her, hence a moderate ride killing a good animal. If you look at the artwork, the horses in rules of engagement were depicted as being stressed and terrified as opposed to these two who are relaxed, calm, and appear to be enjoying themselves even with all the fighting and blood. There's the difference.
Plus camels aren't romantic. They're judgmental.
Selina does. It's something that was downplayed over the years, but her golden, silver, bronze, and some of the modern age writers regularly dropped in that it's just cats that like her and the occasional dog. Bats and birds (obviously) vacate the area when she's around, and horses go into panic fits. It's a strong contrast with Bruce's other major love interests and allies who are all much loved by all animals, including cats. But Krypto in one story likes her, and Ace does, so there's that.
Batcow does what Batcow is going to do. She goes where she wants, when she wants. No fence can hold her, no barn contain her, no chain restrain her. She's a force of nature. The greatest of legends. Even Dan Didio thinks so, and given that he doesn't let anyone else write her because he wants her, it must be so.
We do know Batcow has recently been spotted in Texas. She could be anywhere.
She could be....Leviathan.
Which honestly, I think would be fantastic. The mask comes off. We realize that it was all an illusion. There was no man behind the mask. It was a cow. A cow tired of seeing her people enslaved, of a world destroyed by humans so that nothing can survive in it. She still loves humans, many of her best friends are human. Yet she knows that without intervention and love, they will keep making the same mistakes. So she goes to the mother of her boy and creates an alliance with her. Establishes rules for her herd. And begins to make the world a better place by dismantling the patriarchy and all of its tenants. Cows have no crimes, cows are not bothered by good and evil. She will show humans the way. The cow way. Leviathan's way.
Anyhow. Look at the horses. These two are much happier than the ones Bruce and Selina were riding. I think it's because Thomas has been singing to them. Horses like it when humans are enjoying themselves as Thomas clearly is.
Wait, what? That horse was dying because of Selina? I had no idea that was the reason.
Batman 256 has been directly referenced several times. It should have been one of your clues that the wedding wasn't going to happen, Bane was manipulating the relationship, and bad things would happen to Dick. It's not the only time Batman tracks Catwoman based on horses spooking around her, but it's one of the most prominent as it has her riding a white tiger while Batman chases her on horseback.
Unless it's spooked and panicking there's no reason for a horse of that breed and health condition to die from a ride like that. Arabs, Berbers, or any other breed descended from the Turkomen horse aside from Thoroughbreds should be just fine with a fifteen hour ride through the desert. Even the non working ones still excel at hundred plus mile rides over a short period of time in extreme conditions. Ones like Bruce and Selina rode, just like the ones Dick and Damian showed up on, would have come from a stable that specializes in endurance bred racers.
On the plus side the horses on the ride back wouldn't have been constantly freaked out and allowed to panic as both Dick and Damian were raised to put animals first and manage their stress. Both of them are firmly established as being friends to all animals, not just one family of animals.
I'm sorry, I really didn't care that much about all that, I just wanna make a funny.
That last paragraph about Selina and the horse, I honestly don't know if you're serious or not. That sounds overly detailed for a callback. The artwork about the horse, I mean, most people won't catch that.
I reserve my judgment for when I'll have actually read the issue, especially because the reviewers whom already gave their pieces about this one aren't often on the same vibe as I am.
But so far, it seems to be more of King's irritating habit to hint at something big to only reveal that it amounted to nothing.