That was cool. It was, as implied in the title, a bunch of one offs that could be considered as preludes to the Catwoman/Batman wedding (it is not a Bruce/Selina wedding though I guess - which was a little confusing).

They were all interesting, mostly because of the through line of the Joker looking for his invite to the wedding and therefore telling a good number of bad guys about the wedding, and they then go after those in the Bat Family because of it.

My favorite story was, surprisingly, the one with Damian/Selina near the beginning of the TPB. Especially the very end of the story, just touching enough, but not too touching. Made me almost like Damian.

The Harley/Joker confrontation as usual was both good at times and depressing at others.

But, overall I liked the stories a lot. Onto the wedding.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to DC Entertainment. ( )

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Batman: Preludes to the Wedding by Tim Seeley is a collection of stories where side characters in the Batman universe react to his upcoming wedding to Catwoman. This graphic novel collects Robin vs. Ra’s Al Ghul #1, Nightwing vs. Hush #1,Batgirl vs. The Riddler #1, Red Hood vs. Anarky #1 and Harley Quinn vs. The Joker #1.

This graphic novel tells separate stories, all connected to the upcoming wedding of Batman (Bruce Wayne) and Catwoman (Selina Kyle). The Joker desperately wants an invitation to Batman’s wedding, but his partner in a very one-sided and dysfunctional relationship, Harley Quinn, will have none of that.

Nightwing (Dick Grayson), the best man, is picking up the engagement ring when Hush shows up. Ra’s Al Ghul is trying to get Damian Wayne (Robin) back, since he’s now worried about his new step-mother, while Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) and the Riddler play a game of wits. On top of all that Anarky (Lonnie Machin_ makes fun of Red Hood (Jason Todd) because he is a “failed” Robin.

The lead up to the Batman/Catwoman wedding is fantastic, one of the best graphic novel reads in the past several years. I was looking forward to read Batman: Preludes to the Wedding by Tim Seeley since I really enjoyed Tom King’s story-line.

I knew this would be a pointless wedding cash grab before I even got this graphic novel, I have been reading comics for decades and know how this works. But you know, sometimes these cash grabs are very enjoyable, silly, and just pure fun.

This collection, five issues which differ in quality, is a mixed bag. I didn’t think any story was absolutely stunning and certainly this isn’t a “must” to read to stay in the comic-loop. That being said, I enjoyed the book and didn’t feel as if is completely useless like many other tie-ins.

The art differs in every issue since they are drawn by different artists, still it’s solid and I enjoyed the panels very much. Even though these are separate runs, I did feel the art was cohesive, I have no idea how that work out, but it did.

Even though this is a marketing ploy, I still enjoyed this book – I credit Tim Seeley for raising this collection up a notch above a mere money grab. A mixed bag, but a fun graphic novel leading up to the wedding. ( )