[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers!]
Writer: Tom King
Pencils: Clay Mann
Summary
It’s a double date with Bruce and Selina, along with Lois and Clark for a night out at the carnival! While Bruce and Clark engage in some friendly competition, Lois and Selina have some fun of their own!
Positives
A night out at the carnival seems to be just what these two couples need as Bruce and Clark take Selina and Lois for a night on the town. Immediately, comedy is made as when they reach the carnival they realize it’s “superhero night” and that they need a costume to enter! Bruce and Clark actually switch costumes, with Clark even wearing his glasses with the Batman suit! Lois and Selina change clothes as well with Lois being dressed as Catwoman and Selina wearing Lois’ dress. While the couple are out, the boys engage in friendly competition at the batting cages while Selina and Lois get completely drunk with the flask that Lois has!
I honestly found the dialogue between Lois and Selina better than Clark and Bruce. With Bruce and Clark you already know what to expect, to a degree, in terms of conversation and how they respect and treat each other, but with Lois and Selina it’s not so simple. The two women even talk about how different they are from each other and how complicated their lives are with the men they love. King does a great job showing that the love that Selina and Lois have for their men is genuine and real–Selina has no intention of abandoning Bruce, and it shows perfectly in this issue.
Negatives
Now, if you’re looking for some insane storyline, or some villain big bad, you won’t find it here. This is nothing more than a nice night out with two friends and their dates–very simple. However it’s so simple that King does a great job of showing the contrasts between the two couples while also highlighting exactly why we all root for them so much. In all of the DC Universe I don’t think their is a more interesting love story than these two couples, and this issue does good work with blending them.
Verdict
Batman #37 is a good read and nice change of pace from the hectic last few issues we’ve had. King gives Bruce Wayne some normalcy in this issue and it’s good to finally see Bruce enjoying life for once instead of always preparing for the worst. Even Clark notices that Bruce is happier to a degree and in the end of the issue Clark even admits that Selina is the perfect fit for him. This book was full of comedy and made me laugh from the beginning to the end of the page– I love it when Bruce Wayne is taken out of his brooding mode and thrown into a social element–it’s always hilarious.
