I might be mistaken, but doesn't the solicits suggest that Bruce will still be away when the City of Bane arc kicks off. Maybe after confronting his father and learning whatever he does from it, Bruce could decide to find her first before making his return. With the reasoning behind it being that Bane is clearly stuck in Bruce's head and he needs to clear it if he wants any hope of beating Bane.
Or perhaps she'll find him.
Catwoman can stay away from Bruce forever during this run as long as she doesn't go meeooow and as long as the bat/cat thing doesn't resurface. King would probably have her repeating I am going to scratch your back bane dialogue ad infinitum for no apparent reason.
I've seen some people interpret the events of the issue as Batman still hallucinating, so one or the other halves may not have actually happened, but I think that they both did actually happen, but Bane's just messing with Batman to make him not trust himself or any of his actions. It's instead everyone else he's manipulating through some means (probably Psycho Pirate in some way though I hope not completely because that could feel too cheap). Now that he's all alone, time to see how him and Thomas end up out in the desert.
I know King has mentioned that something regarding Selina occurs in 75, so she may appear but not have a big role yet. And just like Bane getting his visit by Lex, Selina's also getting one in her Catwoman issue that same month, so we'll have to see where that goes. I don't feel know if they're going to go with Selina joining up with Bane again, just because as the readers, we obviously gonna know she's faking, and it'll make this "smartest Bane ever" look so dumb to trust the woman who outsmarted him TWICE already.
Bendis' story isn't canon though. King's story, however, almost certainly is, so I think he already spoiled part of his conclusion himself.
Cover for Batman #76
Oh, and Tom King said on twitter this wasn't another Knightmares sequence. I too don't think the problem is with Batman (except for the "I punch my friends" department), but with others being manipulated
"The Batman is Gotham City. I will watch him. Study him. And when I know him and why he does not kill, I will know this city. And then Gotham will be MINE!"-BANE
"We're monsters, buddy. Plain and simple. I don't dress it up with fancy names like mutant or post-human; men were born crueler than Apes and we were born crueler than men. It's just the natural order of things"-ULTIMATE SABRETOOTH
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord
https://twitter.com/TomKingTK/status...82525248221186
King has confirmed in response to a fan question that whatever's happening in 71, it's definitely not another nightmare hallucination.
That's good to know, but it does make me feel like Bane is using some kind of reality manipulation to persuade Batman's allies to gaslight him. What has Alfred been doing for the weeks Batman has been under? Why doesn't anyone know Bane is actually up and about, sitting on thrones of skulls? Why doesn't Alfred remember saying "Your father"...?
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord
King's story from Detective Comics #1000 is Batman taking a picture with the entire Batfamily and then leaving said picture at his parents' grave. Given a lot of the themes Kings' run has been dealing with, regarding his vow to his parents and how that makes him push others away, and now with this issue itself involving half of the Batfamily assembling, I think it seems very likely this story occurs near the end of his run. Plus he's teased its canon-ness already.
Just like I thought, I do think there is an intention to make the events seem more surreal, though just to emphasize Batman's growing insanity, rather than all just being in his head.
I have a feeling the answer will end up being "Psycho Pirate", just because he showed up front and centre in the Year Of The Villain teaser, and they've mentioned him a bunch in interviews, though I do hope there is more to it than just him.
Given that Dick is not Ric and Tim is still Robin (he won't be soon,) I assume that Tec 1000 is pre-wedding.
It's the Dynamic Duo! Batman and Robin!... and Red Robin and Red Hood and Nightwing and Batwoman and Batgirl and Orphan and Spoiler and Bluebird and Lark and Gotham Girl and Talon and Batwing and Huntress and Azreal and Flamebird and Batcow?
Since when could just anybody do what we trained to do? It makes it all dumb instead of special. Like it doesn't matter anymore.
-Dick Grayson (Batman Inc.)
Catwoman and Batgirl are in their current costumes, we know Dick is gonna be back to normal eventually, same with Jason, and we don't know the extent of Tim's changes yet, so that's why it seems more likely its post rather than pre. Also considering if it was pre-wedding, why would he be coy about its place in the timeline?
If Selina comes back and if they do get them married by the end, isn't her own book going to have to address that? Can her own series go on if they're married?
Maybe I'm fooling myself thinking that's what the change is going to be. I just figure it had to be Catwoman-related, given all his hinting.
"We're the same thing, you and I. We're both lies that eventually became the truth." Lara Notsil, Star Wars: X-Wing: Solo Command, Aaron Allston
"All that is not eternal is eternally out of date." C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves
"There's room in our line of work for hope, too." Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown Wiki, My Batman Universe Reviews, Stephanie Brown Discord