Review: BATMAN #50

After a year of build-up, we finally made it! Batman #50 asks the question, can Bruce Wayne truly be happy? It’s a question that’s been asked hundreds of times, but this time it’s different. Does it live up to the hype? Well… Let’s talk about. it Heads up, this review is going to be full of spoilers, but it’s not like DC didn’t ruin it before release aways. Still, if you don’t want to know what happens, bookmark this page and come back after you’ve read it.

We pick up on a normal Gotham evening. Bruce and Selina are out kicking butt and taking names. They on the spur of the moment decide they wanted to get married tonight! No guests, no church, just a random Gotham rooftop, with a drunk judge who won’t remember the thing. This is definitely not what one would expect from billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne’s nuptials, but it’s the most Batman thing that you could imagine. The book splices scenes of them getting ready for the wedding to a narration of letters they wrote for one another. We see splash pages in various iconic Batman art styles giving us a true sense of where they came from. It works very well. The downside is that this is the entire 45-page book. We go back and forth the entire time, and it gets stale really quick.

We have Selina and Holly (Robinson) and then Bruce and Alfred. These two are separated for the majority of the story. We have these two amazing characters and it all feels wasted. Then we have the twist. I don’t even know what to say. The ending left us with questions. I’m all for it giving us questions but none of it felt satisfying. I have zero interest in seeing what happens next. I personally feel like it would’ve been for the best if they followed through with it. Superman has a wife and child, Batman can too. After 80 years, you have to change the status quo, even if it’s only a year. This entire thing feels like it was just a huge publicity stunt. Nothing feels earned. Selina comes to the conclusion that the world needs Batman, and Bruce can’t be Batman when he’s “happy”. She never shows up to the rooftop. Leaving Bruce waiting there.

Batman #50 is the prime example of a publisher taking advantage of its audience. They took something fans have wanted for years and teased it without following through. They would’ve been better off not pursuing this storyline in the first place. Maybe the next 50 issues will redeem it, but as of right now, this issue is a slap in the face.