Review: Tom King’s Batman #50 sets the stage for the future

Batman #50 marks a major turning point for the Batman story we have been following, and there is so much more yet to come.

The New York Times did a great disservice to Tom King and his work on Batman because there is so much more happening in Batman #50 than just the wedding. Sure, the wedding is a big element in this milestone issue, but fans who read through to the last page will discover a bigger twist that no one sees coming.

MILD SPOILERS FOR BATMAN #50, BUT NOT THE FINAL PAGE

(I’m not spoiling the final page. I won’t. Fans need to read it themselves)

Batman 50 cover. Photo: DC Comics

Batman #50 is a beautiful book. This supersized issue needs to be celebrated first and foremost for the incredible guest list of artists who contributed a page in the story. The art in this book is being overlooked by that NYT article and the fan response, and that’s a real travesty because this is one gorgeous book that should be purchased for no other reason than it is a thing of beauty.

When it comes to the wedding of the year…yeah. Things changed, mainly because Selina Kyle asked herself if Batman can exist if they marry. It’s not an easy question to answer, but it’s not an unprecedented conundrum. Remember the bathtub scene in Batman v Superman? Lois Lane tries to tell Clark Kent that there are consequences for his actions, but he doesn’t care. “I just don’t know if it’s possible,” she says, “for you to love me and be you.”

Can heroes like Batman and Superman marry and have families while still maintaining their secret identities? It’s hard to tell. The comic book versions of Lois and Clark seem to be making it work, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t risks, as we see in Brian Michael Bendis’ Man of Steel six-issue miniseries.

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The seeds of doubt have been sown in Selina’s mind. She knows that the work Batman does, and what he has already done over the past several years, is greater than anything else in their lives. Without him, people would have died and people will die because he’s not there to protect them. Selina doesn’t want to admit it, but the world needs Batman more than she needs to marry him, and that’s why she makes the greatest sacrifice of her life. She sacrifices her love to allow Batman a continued existence.

So the wedding doesn’t happen in Batman #50.

There’s no wedding in the wedding issue.

Not yet, anyway.

Anyone who thinks the wedding is off needs to remember that Tom King has 100 issues to play with and we’re at the halfway point. Slow and steady win the race. The Bat and Cat are not done yet, but they have some things to work out before they come together again. Bruce Wayne will continue his journey in Batman while Selina Kyle’s story continues in Joelle Jones’ Catwoman #1, also out July 4.

With that in mind, the final page of the supersized book gives us a few clues about what happened to the Batrimony and where things are heading in the near future. A mystery is afoot, dear readers, and now we have to follow the clues to figure out where they lead. It’s going to be a painful process for Bruce as he recovers, but knowing him he will see that something bigger is happening. That’s where Tom King is going to take us.

Next: New Comic Book Day: DC Comics pull list July 4

Batman #50 is available in comic book shops now.