Thank you to by Tom King, DC Entertainment, DC Comics, and NetGalley for allowing me the extreme pleasure of access to an advanced reader copy of “Batman Vol. 6: Bride or Burglar” for an honest review.

I found this book to be a little unbalanced. I neither found my expected amount of brooding, and bloody, Batman, nor as much focus on the impending nuptials as I expected. There were more pieces that were entirely off subject than I thought should be in the book at all, given the title and the time period. ( )

I willingly confess that it has been years since I have seen a Batman movie, and decades since the television show, and I've never fully read a graphic novel, but when the opportunity to review this title came up, I gladly jumped at it. How exciting to read about Batman and Catwoman, whose altar ego is Selina Kyle, being engaged! The two were archenemies in years gone past, but now they are about to become a married couple. While the nuptials are approaching, chaos continues to abound, bringing both Batman and Catwoman to the brink of danger.

The story begins with a young idol of Batman's and of the terrible tragedy he has just experienced, that of the murder of his parents. This hits just a little too close to home to Bruce Wayne's own younger life. As Batman hunt's for the killer, there are things about his very life that he is brought face-to-face with, a past that he would've preferred to remain there, in the past. The drama continues to unfold as Batman and Wonder Woman are forced together during some strenuous situations, making their very futures look rather bleak. The villains abound, with a perfect level of action and continuity. One night, in the midst of all of the chaos, Catwoman sneaks off to try and find the perfect wedding dress. I just had to smile, because I almost cannot imagine Catwoman picking out her dress for the impending nuptials.

I am very glad that I picked up this graphic novel, and for several reasons. The art itself is outstanding, as is the storyline itself. The fact that there were shorter stories within made this an engaging read as well. As briefly mentioned, I loved the continuity of friends and foes. So much so that I immediately went over to NetGalley to request more titles. Also, I will be seeking out the advice of my future son-in-law, because he is a true aficionado if these types of novels.

I confess to being a newbie so I do hope that I did this review justice. Should I get to read another book of this nature, I now know more of what to expect, like the connected stories, flashbacks, and to expect a very quick read. By the way, now I see why people spend so much money on these novels, because they are enticing and people do want a lot of substance and the thinner ones end almost all too quickly. What is good about that, however, is that the reader is definitely left wanting more.

Many thanks to DC Entertainment and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

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Batman Vol. 6: Bride or Burglar by Tom King (illustrated by Mikel Janin, Joëlle Jones, and Travis Moore) is a graphic novel which follows the complex path that Batman and Catwoman lead to their wedding. This graphic novel includes Batman #38-44.

Batman and Wonder Woman are called to honor an old commitment to fight for Earth in a magical realm where time moves slowly so that an Earth hour could be years there. After returning Batman and Catwoman find themselves isolated because Poison Ivy has took over the rest of the world (Justice League and all).

The book ends with a really charming story about Catwoman looking for a wedding dress – a story which I never thought I would enjoy.

Again I find myself enjoying the heck out of Tom King’s run of the Dark Knight from Gotham. Batman Vol. 6: Bride or Burglar by Tom King (illustrated by Mikel Janin, Joëlle Jones, and Travis Moore) is another enjoyable gem in the series which I’m enjoying a lot more than I should.

Again, the writing is top notch and the stories are solid and surprising. An entire issue teasing a relationship between Batman ( Bruce Wayne) and Wonder Woman (Diana Prince), but done in a creative way. The one shot of Catwoman (Selina Kyle) looking for a wedding dress was surprisingly charming, even to this old man.

A whole issue dedicated to Poison Ivy taking over the world begs the question whether she’s a true villain or an anti-hero, something which we seem to see a lot in Batman’s major villains (sans the Joker). This issue also cements the fact that Ivy is a powerful meta-human capable of ruling the world if she chooses.

This issue dealt with character growth and depth, allowing vehicles for the reader to better understand our heroes and villains. While sometimes missing, I appreciate the effort and thought it spot on more often than not. ( )

These stories were even better than the ones in the previous volume. It starts out with a quite disturbing kiddo story with some parallels to a character we most definitely know (hint, it's Batman).

Then a weird story with Batman and Wonder Woman in another dimension taking The Gentle Man's place. And Selina and The Gentle Man in our world.

The Poison Ivy story had her controlling almost everyone in the world (and in this one, Batman was totally a Harley/Ivy shipper, go Bats!!)

And then there was a really cool shortish story with a restless Selina going through her different costumes, uh, I mean, her and Batman's previous interactions.

I'm still eagerly awaiting the actual wedding in TPB format, but, this was an awesome TPB to wait with for sure!!

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of DC Entertainment. ( )

Having won me over last volume, I am now committed to reading Batman for as long as Tom King will write it. Sure, sometimes his stories can be a little awkward, but he swings big and when he connects he really knocks 'em out of the park. ( )