Review: Batman Vol. 6- Bride or Burglar

Quick Summary

Pros: All of the stories collected here are enjoyable. Many of the stories contain tense twists and many of them contain meaningful emotions. The continued focus on Batman and Catwoman is rewarding. The visuals, throughout the collection, are stunning and significantly enhance the reading experience.

Cons: Some of the stories are pretty outlandish.

Overall: This volume continues the Batman series’ current penchant for enjoyable and deeply personal stories. This collection has Batman and Catwoman taking on high-stakes and dangerous situations, dealing with disturbing villains, and constantly evaluating their own mentalities and relationship. The individual encounters are all fun but also build on the larger narrative stretching through this series. Anyone who enjoyed the previous collection will find a lot more to like in this one.

Story

Batman Vol. 6: Bride or Burglar, by Tom King, continues with many of the same positives that were present in the previous volume of this series. It tells entertaining stories that often center around situations evolving in unique or unexpected ways. Many of the stories are then given further meaning and depth through the way in which they offer a more complete picture of Batman and Catwoman, specifically through the lens of their engagement. In this way, the volume is great on its own but also works as a perfect progression for this comic’s larger narrative. The volume’s only major negative is that a few of the stories are so outlandish that they come across as unbelievable. Overall though, the stories here are enjoyable and make for a positive reading experience.

(spoilers start here)

Bride or Burglar starts with a decent short story about a severely disturbed child who tried to pattern his life after Bruce Wayne’s, specifically by having his parents murdered. The story is emotional and hits on interesting pieces of Batman’s mentality. The downside is that the concept is very similar to concepts surrounding Hush and Owlman and, thus, feels a little stale.

The next two chapters continue the “Superfriends” arc by bringing in Wonder Woman to spark some commentary on Batman and Catwoman’s upcoming nuptials. The arc specifically highlights the beauty of love and shows how it can keep hope alive even in apocalyptically dark situations. It is a sweet message that works well with this comic’s current narrative.

The next few chapters position Catwoman and Batman as the only people still capable of independent thought in a world where Poison Ivy controls everyone’s mind. The arc highlights how a benevolent journey toward redemption can be twisted into something evil and suggests that it is ok to make mistakes every now and then. I also particularly enjoyed the banter between Batman and Catwoman during this arc.

Finally, Bride or Burglar closes with a chapter that is half flashbacks to Batman and Catwoman’s past and half Catwoman’s quest to steal her wedding dress. As a fan of this relationship, I thought that this story was beautifully told and works in a way that shows off many of the most charming features this couple has to offer. It was simple and didn’t offer much when it came to excitement but this ended up being unnecessary, as the comic’s wholesome progression and optimistic conclusion made it worthwhile.

The downside in Bride or Burglar is that many of the stories require pretty outlandish premises in order to make sense. The “Superfriends” arc has Batman spend 37 years in another dimension and then almost immediately shrug off that time and have his life go back to the way it was before. Then, the “Everybody Loves Ivy” story arc puts Poison Ivy in an unprecedented position of power, one so radical that it feels like it needs more than three chapters to justify. These are not major problems, especially since the story arcs are good otherwise, but they make it a little harder to get on board with what is going on in the comic. 

(spoilers end here)

Art

Bride or Burglar opens with a chapter from Travis Moore. This chapter is realistic in its approach and is moody in its aesthetic. This matches the dark content of the storytelling and, when paired with some excellent page structures, adds to the reading experience.

From here, Joëlle Jones takes over for two gorgeous chapters depicting Batman, Catwoman, and Wonder Woman. All of the characters shine on every page of these chapters, with impressive takes on Wonder Woman specifically standing out. In addition, the design of their costumes and everyday clothing suits the tone of the story in a subtle way. It also helps that the action

Then, Mikel Janín takes over for the “Everybody Loves Ivy” story arc. This arc is another artistic triumph for the volume. The story flows well, the pages are laid out nicely, and all of the characters, particularly Poison Ivy, look great. The entire arc also contains a great level of detail and realism that adds to the drama. However, I will admit that there are a few places where the colors did not seem to pair well with the visual style and lead to an uncanny valley effect.

Bride or Burglar closes with one of its most artistically impressive chapters. For this chapter, Mikel Janín provides a few flashback pages, providing simple and straightforward glimpses into Batman and Catwoman’s shared past. Meanwhile, Joëlle Jones handles the present-day narrative, taking on Catwoman’s adventure in a way that captures a ton of emotion and thought with almost no narration or dialogue. Jones also designs the perfect wedding dress for Catwoman, the reveal of which fits perfectly into this collection’s narrative.

Continuity

Batman Vol. 6: Bride or Burglar continues the story from Batman Vol. 5: The Rules of Engagement (Review).

The story here continues in Batman Vol. 7: The Wedding.

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Batman #41 mentions a battle between Superman and the Joker. This took place in Superman Vol. 2 #9, collected in Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 5.
• Batman #44 shows flashbacks to a number of events from Batman/Catwoman’s past.
  • The two met and Batman undid a bandage on Catwoman’s leg, revealing her latest crime, in Batman #1, collected in Batman: The Golden Age Vol. 1.
  • Catwoman saved Batman from a falling brick and began a temporary departure from crime in Batman Vol. 1 #62.
  • A news article angered Catwoman and triggered a return to crime in Detective Comics Vol. 1 #203.
  • Catwoman nearly defeated Batman in Batman Vol. 1 #197.
  • Batman stopped Catwoman in a case involving white tigers in Batman Vol. 1 #256.
  • The two had a vicious fight, resulting in a major breakdown of their relationship, in Batman Vol. 1 #355.
  • The two continued to drift apart and began acknowledging this fact in Detective Comics Vol. 1 #565.
  • The final flashback from this issue seems to allude to the advances in their relationship made over the Batman: Hush story arc.