Review: Batman Volume 6: Bride or Burglar

A weekend comic book review, because sometimes even Pastors need a break from heavy theological reading.

Tom King.  Batman Volume 6: Bride or Burglar. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, December 19th 2017. 168 pp.

3 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

This is the sixth trade paperback volume in the DC Comics’ Rebirth reboot series on Batman.  The book collects issues #38-43.  This particular volume gives us three stories that feature Batman but also Catwoman by his side, whether in a small role or a larger role.

The first story is titled “The Origin of Bruce Wayne” that parallel a kid with Bruce own story of loss of parents and injustice.  Since the writer wanted the child to parallel Bruce’s own life at first it was kind of confusing where one wonder if it was Bruce or someone else.  It didn’t help that the title of the story was “The Origin of Bruce Wayne.”  I get there’s a parallel going on here but I think it didn’t help to throw the readers off.  Still though it is an interesting story.  Catwoman plays a rather minor role in this tale.

The second story is titled “Superfriends” which is told over two issues.  It feature Wonderwoman and Batman taking the place of a superhero name “the Gentleman” who fight the never ending hordes of Ghenna.  Long ago Batman and Wonderwoman promised the Gentleman if he ever need a break they were willing to take his place temporarily.  Time is different in that dimension but the Gentleman doesn’t tell them that.  You see the Gentleman enter our world and dimension.  I like the angle to the story about a hero in a never ending fight.  In some sense that made me think about Batman’s continuous war against crime.  Yet what’s different with the Gentleman and Batman is that Gentleman fights all alone without recognition while Batman now has Catwoman by his side and Wonderwoman as an ally.

The third story is “Every One Loves Ivy.”  It is in a three part story.  One has to know a little bit of the background of what happen in BatmanVolume 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles specifically Poison Ivy under the Riddler.  This isn’t the normal “punch-a-villain” kind of story but more of Catwoman and Batman using “soft power” to convince Ivy to give up her hold on everyone.

Overall the stories wasn’t as even.  Really this is a collection of short stories that are not connected with one another.  Also there isn’t a focus on Catwoman being a future bride of Batman in the volume and I felt the title was somewhat misleading.