You will have noticed that the subtitle of this book is not exactly Batman, but actually, in reducing the man's presence and importance on these pages, the result is perhaps better than it might have been. We start with a one-shot that doesn't do what it promises, for one, before a two-issue piece where Selina learns some lessons before the will-they-won't-they wedding that was supposed to be such a showcase for DC in 2018. Yes, Selina is the subject, Batman the distant warrior, and an eternal battle to right wrongs is the provider of the moral for our Cat. Someone else then takes their turn to be a baddie, and we get the disconcerting view of Bruce waking up with Selina (more than once) on his way to try and solve things. You'll notice the villain has lost all sex appeal she once had, for this is the book that is supposed to warm us up for the marriage, and the last one-shot goes through iterations of the Cat from the past, while everyone – including Selina – gets ready.

Now one-shots and compilations of them in trades are never really the best comic titles, but here we get a pretty good book. You can fault the ending of the three-parter, the slightly incoherent emotional lead-in to the wedding, and more, but actually these shorts aren't too bad. And compared to the recent DC output, they're actually pretty bloody good. Flaws exist, sure, but I liked this book – it took a different approach to the whole build-up than I expected, and was actually worth the read, even while it bore an initial sheen of the disposable. Don't come here for the usual Batman action, but come for something that downplays certain aspects of the character without making us fear for the change the wedding might instil. Any changes on these pages are worth embracing – although why Bruce is suddenly left-handed I'll never know.

I was initially hesitant to pursue this narrative yet eager to form my own opinion, as it has received quite a bit of social backlog. There’s too much a sense of nostalgia, not enough plausible “action” apparently, too many references to DC’s Silver Age.

But even if the feeling tone may not necessarily coincide with collectively adored depictions of Batman, a series which is constantly fluctuating in terms of presentation and mood, what I think Tom King has mastered directly is the sense of true calm that comes over Bruce when he has a trusted significant other. That’s the most striking element of reading this entire volume — the usual grim frustration and dogged futility that fuels Batman’s journey is curiously absent. For King, it’s because Bruce has Selina. Batman has Catwoman. Batman has solid love in his life that he can trust. King’s narrative emphasizes how truly interpersonal and sensitive the Dark Knight actually is as a character, and how everything else for him falls into place when he has a passionate connection to someone else.

Love is everywhere in this story. It’s what maintains Bruce’s integrity when he’s trapped in another dimension with the mythically attractive Diana of Themyscira; knowledge of love helps Batman stop Poison Ivy from holding the world her psychic hostage.

As a Catwoman fan, I was deeply pleased with all the flashbacks of Selina and Bruce over the years. And I was smitten with seeing Selina sneaking out at night to find her wedding dress.

While I am not the biggest fan to all of Mikel Janin’s character designs, I appreciate their aesthetic cleanliness, the brightness of the colors.

And because this is Batman, I would be remiss to not mention the obvious — hopefully all hell doesn’t break lose and Bruce ends up losing everything. Bruce’s life has a nasty habit of being tragic.

But maybe all those fanboys out there who dislike this King run just aren’t romantic.

The big ceremony is just around the corner and the issues are still great. In this volume you get a bestie adventure between Batman and Wonder Woman, a great Poison Ivy arch, and grieving kid that worships Bruce Wayne. Each story brings something new to the table. Each one has its own vibe while all clearly belonging together in the world of Gotham. Plus they are all told with art work that is sleek and beautiful.

A great leadup and exploration of Bruce Wayne's relationship with Selina Kyle. Each issue illustrates how he struggles with his suspicions and anxiety about his feelings.

These stories were even better than the ones in the previous volume. It starts out with a quite disturbing kiddo story with some parallels to a character we most definitely know (hint, it's Batman).

Then a weird story with Batman and Wonder Woman in another dimension taking The Gentle Man's place. And Selina and The Gentle Man in our world.

The Poison Ivy story had her controlling almost everyone in the world (and in this one, Batman was totally a Harley/Ivy shipper, go Bats!!)

And then there was a really cool shortish story with a restless Selina going through her different costumes, uh, I mean, her and Batman's previous interactions.

I'm still eagerly awaiting the actual wedding in TPB format, but, this was an awesome TPB to wait with for sure!!

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of DC Entertainment.

I'm still a sucker for the whole Batman-Catwoman wedding thing, which takes up part of this volume. Other elements are quite as strong, particularly a rather rushed story about Poison Ivy taking over the world, except for Bruce and Selina, who are immune to whatever plant-based trickery she's come up with (Ivy controls the entire Justice League, including Superman). Much better is the two-issue story about Batman and Wonder Woman giving the Gentle Man a respite from his never-ending battle against demon hordes. I also like the story about Selina Kyle breaking into a wedding gown store to try on gowns in the middle of the night, interspersed with vignettes from the Batman-Catwoman relationship through the years. Some great artwork throughout this volume as well--I'm not sure who I like better, Mikel Janin or Joelle Jones. Another winner, though the wheels do seem to be spinning a bit here in regard to the impending nuptials.

Will Batman marry and continue his new life with Catwoman? I love these two together and I love Tom King’s Batman . The art work is beautiful . Their volume has 3 great unputdownable stories that will leave you wanting more Tom King Batman

This was okay. It was definitely more of a collection of side stories than anything really significant for Batman/Catwoman's arc in the comics right now. There were some fun bits, but ultimately I felt like this was more teasing the next volume-- the wedding-- more than anything else.

It's been a while since I caught up with ol' Bats, so I was excited to see this title appear on NetGalley.

The very beginning of this volume is a nice reminder of Batman's detective skills, focusing on his ability to break codes and solve mysteries rather than on his gadgetry - and then focuses primarily on the developing relationship of Batman and Catwoman.

Something's clearly up with Selina Kyle, we discover throughout this volume, but it's not quite clear what that something is . . . and how (or whether) it is going to affect their upcoming nuptials.

I was a little lost in some parts of this, having taken a long break from Batman stories, but I managed to pick out most of the salient details and am curious to see where the story goes.

I received access to this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My young(er) friend with a toe still in the "mainstream" comics world kept after me about Tom King's Batman run until I succumbed and started picking up the collections--which of course I'm now hooked on. Tip of the cowl for taking a character / universe that was played out eons ago and making it all seem like a modern creation. Why the DC Comics Universe movie powers-that-be don't pay King allllll the money to put "his" Bat-vision on screen is beyond me. Is the next TPB ready yet? (Yes, I could go to a comics store and scoop up the individual issues, too, to save the hurrying up to wait.)

Confession: I am not a Batman fan. Generally, I rather dislike him. Did this trade change my mind?
Librarian: I'll probably buy it. We already have a bunch of the Batman trades, and this seems to be a worthy addition to the collection. The boys will like it because its Batman. The girl's will want to see Catwoman's dress. The librarians and teachers like the LGBT aspects built into the mini- Poison Ivy centered arc.
Reader: As I said I'm not a Batman fan. I am a HUGE comics geek, but the Bat is not my hero. In fact I had the panel from Green Lantern Rebirth where Hal knocks out Batman as my background for a while when I was in college. So yeah. I'm not normally a fan. But I like this trade. I liked it a lot actually. For one thing Bruce has seriously mellowed from the last time that I read him. Him actually getting together with Selena is good for the character. Plus the Poison Ivy arc was actually cute. And I loved the issue where Selena went to get a dress. That was perfect. It was so her. So, while I'm not a fan of the Bat, this book makes me think that maybe I'll give him another chance.

The road to the altar is turning out to be very difficult for Batman and Catwoman. In this collection of comics, Batman #38-44, Batman and Catwoman must team up with friends and even enemies to defeat old and new villains. From hordes of sin created monsters to Poison Ivy. Bat and Cat also struggle to define their relationship and what it will mean for both of them when they say "I do". It's an enjoyable lead up to the wedding. The creators are looking into the psyche of both Batman and Catwoman to show what a marriage between these characters will look like and what it will mean for the future of the comic. The collection wraps with a entertaining issue where we see Selina Kyle reminiscing on her past with Bruce Wayne, while she reverts back to her burglar ways to obtain one last thing for the wedding.

I am a huge batman fan and try to read any story line of his that I can. So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed this Batman series, especially I Am Bane and The War of Jokes and Riddles. That being said, I could not wait to get my hands on the sixth volume in the series, Bride or Burglar. However, I found myself not as satisfied as I was with other volumes in the collection.

I will say that I found the story line between Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Gentle Man to be intriguing as they battled the hordes of Gehenna. I enjoyed getting a glimpse of who the The Gentle Man was before his battles. It humanized him and made his sacrifice mean that much more.

What I also enjoyed about this story was that it was nice to see Batman and Catwoman’s love challenged not by a villain, but by time itself. To me it showed that what Bruce feels for Selina is real and that he is trying to be the best man that he can for her, as we have previously seen in Rules of Engagement.

As for the Ivy story line, I enjoyed seeing Batman and Catwoman against the world; together. It seems that as we venture further into this graphic novel series, they are learning to work with one another more easily. While they still have their differences, as Selina will always be a cat burglar at heart, it works.

I was also excited to see Ivy in the aftermath of The War of Jokes and Riddles. In Volume 4, all the villains had to choose sides in the war, and Ivy chose to side with the Riddler. This story line lets us glimpse how she handled her choice, or rather, is still handling her choice. We see her slightly broken from what she believes she has done and she is trying to make up for her mistakes, albeit incorrectly. By bringing Ivy into this story, we see how even villains can be hurt and humanized, much as we have seen with Selina Kyle in this series.

As stated before, I did not like this volume as much as its predecessors, but it was still a good addition to the story line, allowing readers to test Batman and Catwoman’s relationship as well as view some of the aftermath from The War of Jokes and Riddles. I highly recommend this series to any Batman fan. I cannot wait to see what Tom King has in store for fans next!

I thoroughly enjoyed the stories in this volume of Batman by Tom King. The artistry in certain of the pages was breathtaking. And the stories told were interesting and thoughtfully done. The author clearly enjoys these characters and cares enough to spend time on the details. I especially enjoyed the series on the Catwoman’s various costumes through time.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, DC Comics, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is a great volume, especially the last section. We see all of the former iterations of Catwoman's costumes and short, but recognizable, interactions between The Bat and The Cat from previous lives. It's so good!

Tom King's love and care for the Dark Knight shines through in this wonderful story arc. Of special note is the amazing Batman Annual #2 that is included in this collection, which is beautiful, moving, and an incredible homage to the near 80 years of Batman history. Each issue is thematically different, well-written, and interestingly cohesive. A great lead-in for the upcoming nuptials of the Bat and Cat.