Writer Tom King and artist Clay Mann continue their idea of a Batman and Catwoman couple that dissolved at the end of their run but is now back in force in the first issue of this twelve-issue maxi-series as part of the Black Label imprint. Told across three timelines, we see Batman and Selina working together, an earlier timeline with Catwoman still working as a thief but having begun a romantic tryst with the Dark Knight Detective, and a later timeline with Selina as Bruce Wayne’s widow.
The person apparently tying all three stories together is Andrea Beaumont who returns to Gotham in search of her missing teenage son in the present timeline. The Joker, who makes an appearance in two of the three stories, will also play a prominent role. While I’m curious to see how King wanted to end his Batman run, I’m not sure that I’m prepared to stick around for a dozen issues to find out (especially with a large chunk of the story set in a future that, so far, is of no real interest).
Mostly set-up, the first issue jumps from story to story (at times more effectively than others). Although teased, we don’t get the Phantasm here, although there is plenty of foreboding about how tragically events will unfold.
[DC, $4.99]