Batman/Catwoman #5

[TheKryptonMan]

Bat/Cat was without a doubt the book I was most hyped about this year. I loved the relationship in Kings run, I hated the bait and switch and then cop out when it came to having Batman and Catwoman get hitched
My hopes were that this mini would rectify that and give me what I believed King had planned, his opus on these two. Maybe it was just the reality of what this book is not lining up with what I expected in my head but I’m just not getting this series. It’s supposed to be Bat Cat but Batman’s barely in it. I don’t get Selina, I don’t understand why we needed more Joker, I don’t get why Harleys there. I don’t care about the future bits at all, I thought the current setting of an Alfred less Bruce trying to make things work with Selina was a great premise but instead King is going another direction. I don’t think it’s necessarily the writings fault per say as I admit my expectations were so high but as it is I don’t know what this story is supposed to be. And I want to love, it’s
Fantastic to look at but it’s not even as poetic as I usually find Kings books which is weird.

Hi , I have to agree with you about this book. I too was excited about the book, I thought that it would have been a continuation type of book, from when King was writing Batman. But really Batman is hardly in it, and I don't understand Selina & Joker . Helena has a chance of being a really good character but she's not really in the book that much either.
After picking up 5 issues , I think that I might cut my losses, and wait to read the whole thing as a Trade. DC is also not helping the book by having such an erratic schedule. I would have thought that at this point in June , we would be much further ahead.
It is a really nice looking book with Clay Mann doing the art !

[lilyrose]

I was hoping it would be a more romantic Batman/Catwoman book, but it's hard to do that when Bruce is barely in this.

[HsssH]

I think his Batman run made everyone aware of how dependent King’ storytelling is on a trade read, whether they like his writing choices or not. That’s going to negatively impact the week-to-week discussion. Add in King’s more controversial characterization choices, and you’ve turned people off as well.

I think it’s comparable to how little buzz the Batman Earth One books get.

I don't know about that, I loved singles issues of Mister Miracle, Vision, Omega Men and Sheriff of Babylon. I also remember some of his Batman short stories (1 or 2 issues) being really solid.

[godisawesome]

I don't know about that, I loved singles issues of Mister Miracle, Vision, Omega Men and Sheriff of Babylon. I also remember some of his Batman short stories (1 or 2 issues) being really solid.

Then I’d amend it to “King when he does long-form storytelling with Batman” then. I too enjoyed a handful of his Batman issues that were more stand-alone. But I also found waiting for War Of Jokes And Riddles to be painfully, ludicrously slow and unexciting, and I’ve observed that the more he tried t9 make it work like a serialized TV show, the more pacing suffered - with Batman, at least.

[HsssH]

I agree on Jokes and Riddles 100%. Sometimes I think there just isn't enough meat for long story and yet he still drags it out. With Strange Adventures I could see editors pushing for 12 issues format since it worked well for him in the past, but I don't get why some of the stuff in his Batman was so slow and long.