A major part of Tom King's Batman run has centered on the romance between Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. The love affair blossomed to a proposal and wedding that was supposed to happen in Batman #50, but the issue ended with a twist that saw Catwoman leave Batman waiting at the altar. Since then, things have gone downhill for Batman, with Bane revealed as the puppetmaster pulling strings to break the Bat for a second time.
However, with Batman at his lowest point and exiled from Gotham by Bane, the Dark Knight will search out and reunite with Catwoman for the first time since issue #50 in Part 1 of "City of Bane."
“What you’ll see in issue #75 is that Batman went everywhere looking for strength, and couldn’t find it. Instead he finds her,” King told Entertainment Weekly. “So together they have to see if they can rebuild what they were in order to fight Bane. That’s the ultimate journey, with the question that everyone wants to know: Can Batman be happy? And is Batman’s happiness a source of strength or weakness?”
“Batman’s gone through something since [#50],” King added. “Why ‘Knightmares’ was such an important arc to me is it was all about him getting to that point where he realizes the reason she left was not because of what Joker whispered to her [in #49] but she was seeing a weakness in him. She was seeing his fear that he doesn’t love her. So it’s them meeting with him sort of knowing this and him being like, ‘Can I love you?’ It sounds like corny romance comics, but I don’t mind corny romance comics every once in a while.”
Since leaving Batman's life, Selina Kyle has moved on to a new city in a solo Catwoman comic, with Batman dealing with attacks from Bane and his legion of supporters, including his alternate reality father from the Flashpoint universe. With nowhere else to turn, the reunion fans have been waiting for will finally take place in issue #75.
“When he turns to Catwoman, will that be a moment of strength or weakness? Will that be a moment of triumph or conflict?” he said.
"City of Bane" begins in Batman #75 by Tom King and Tony S. Daniel, on sale July 17.