Tom King’s two-part Rooftops story concludes in Batman #15.
Batman and Catwoman have had a roller coaster romance for many years. After everything that Batman and Catwoman have been through after taking down Bane in Santa Prisca, Batman confronted Catwoman about her future. Knowing of her impending death sentence in which she supposedly killed more than 200 people, Batman tries to find a way to clear her name, and spending what may be the last time he may see Selina Kyle, Catwoman for good…. Or is it really for good? Did Catwoman really kill all of those people? Will Batman bring her to justice? Or will he manage to clear her name? And will there ever be any salvageable future between Bruce (Batman) and Selina (Catwoman)?
Although Tom King has found some stride in his prior arc in his I Am Suicide. But with this small tale, I feel that King is trying to switch gears by telling a short tale before he goes into a big, possibly crazy arc. I feel that from issue 14 to the current conclusion, this was a enjoyable little tale between Bruce and Selina, and may probably be the most personal and maybe the most intimate story between Batman and Catwoman. Has this been done before? Yes. Does this little story break new ground? No. Does it tell a nice intimate story that grounds these two individuals in a more believable manner than anything prior? Quite possibly. Despite the whole sexual intimacy between Batman and Catwoman, I feel that Tom King writes Batman and Catwoman’s romantic chemistry well. The dialogue is nothing great , but it’s not bad. Despite the dialogue, it’s still passable and enjoyable to read , to see Bruce actually trying to really attempt something with Selina this time around , that feels more human than what has been done prior by other writers is very enjoyable. Seeing how Selina goes about her business despite what may be the end of her, and still finding a way to take care of Bruce regardless of the results, is what makes this issue likable. It’s obviously a romance story, but it’s heartfelt. It may not be what most people are looking for in a Batman story, it’s still worth a shot to read, and you may like it. It all depends on where you are, or your mood. Although Tom King’s handle on Holly is questionable since there hasn’t been any use of Holly in the current DCU, not since The pre-Flashpoint /pre-New 52 where during the 52 mini-series where she was Catwoman’s successor. But that’s not the case for the current state of affairs of those series and current universe. Regardless, it’s cool that there are some callbacks to Batman lore tying it back to old tales loosely.
Mitch Gerads pencils, inks and colors mesh well together, and are very fitting to the story that King has written. Gerads does a good job at keeping the narrative flow of the comic, and his paneling is great. There is a cool panel sequence where Bruce and Selina recount their first encounters with each other. Gerads actually displays Bruce and Selina’s own perspectives of their first encounters by showing Selina’s memories through the lens of Bill Finger stylized panels. Bruce’s memories are portrayed in a Frank Miller /David Mazzucchelli Batman Year One imagery. Which are cool callbacks to the 1940’s golden age, and the Iconic 1980s post-crisis interpretations that generations of Batman fans can familiarize, or recall with a smile and nostalgia, which Gerads executes greatly. His grid pages are well rendered, especially when Batman walks in on Jim Gordon unknowingly as Gordon goes about his morning routine is funny and well handled. Personally, my fave pages are from page 5-8 where Gerads portrays a beautiful cityscape with nice colors that could make for a great printmaking image. This was an enjoyable, touching, bittersweet read. Although this was just a two part story, it was a nice break from the overall main story. Definitely pick this issue up, and keep an eye out for the upcoming arc where a certain venom pumped for makes his return for some payback toward our beloved Dark Knight.
Newsdesk