Most couples have a brief honeymoon phase, where they feel the bond with the other is an idyllic marriage. Batman and Catwoman are not like other couples, for many reasons. Their longstanding relationship as foes is far from typical foundations most marriages are built on.
Maybe because of this once-antagonistic relationship, Bruce and Selina’s honeymoon was over before it even began. In Tom King and Joëlle Jones’ Batman #34, they bicker and squabble as though they have been together for years:
Familiarity Breeds Contempt
If 2 high school sweethearts tying the knot in matrimony is a perfect love story, then this couple’s is more akin to 2 teenagers not asking each other to prom. As Batman and Catwoman battle a squadron of Talia al Ghul’s soldiers, their banter is not of a couple in a new relationship or that of crimefighting allies. The two do not sound different from a long-married. Batman has an easier time taking down Talia’s swordsmen than trying to find words to say to Selina.
Batman learns two informations during his and Selina’s encounter with Talia’s minions. The combatants are not assassins but merely foot soldiers running interference for Talia. Talia dispatches Batman and the story wraps up with a cliffhanger: Catwoman vs. Talia – The New Fiancée vs. The Ex-Girlfriend.
The other information is that an old relationship adage applies as well to a legendary Batman- his beloved gets the last word in any argument.
Do You Think She’s Pretty?
Anyone who is in a new relationship understands the awkwardness of discussing the old one. Batman tries to minimize the past fling with Talia with the “she meant nothing to me” defense and it does not wash. Nor does the fact that Bruce thinks Talia is the “deadliest woman alive” – he may tell Selina that Talia is prettier than her too.
Talia finds herself in a conflicted position when he learns that Bruce and Selina are an item, her reaction to it is “You poor thing”. Talia may still have feelings for Bruce, and the hatred for Selina drives her to feel a bit semblance of sympathy for her successor.
The Real Reason Bruce & Selina Pay Talia A Visit
All the above makes it seem like Bruce’s history with Talia is the reason for his and Selina’s trek to Khadym – but as it turns out, the reasons are work-related. Readers will recall the 2-part “Rooftops” interlude in Batman #14-#15, and this is where they had a steamy tête-à-tête that played no small part in his marriage proposal. Bruce deduced that Selina was taking a fall for hundreds of murders committed by her friend, Holly Robinson. After Batman confronted Holly, she had fled the country where Bruce revealed to Talia that he and Selina has tracked her to Khadym and to Talia.
Batman and Selina’s visit to Talia is not a social call which is a good thing as comics may ask for a willing suspension of disbelief, but an engaged couple visiting the ex to announce the marriage does not sound right.
Part two of “Rules of Engagement” changes the rules, but they are rules that are lessons for anyone in a relationship, not just Bruce and Selina. The drama continues in Batman #35, on sale November 15.
