Batman and Catwoman’s wedding day has arrived in this week’s Batman #50, and as I sat down to write this review, I couldn’t help but think back to my own wedding day five years ago. I began to reminisce about how perfect my day was, how I had the one sunny Saturday in a month full of rain, and how amazing my beautiful bride looked.

Tom King and a hall of fame list of artists lead us through Bruce and Celina’s big day as well as their past, as King spins twin narratives throughout the issue, one from each of our hero’s perspective. Plans A judge is found, witnesses are chosen and arranged and a venue was selected. All we needed was the bride- and groom-to-be to arrive and say “I do.”

Series artist Mikel Janin handled the art during the main story, while superstars like Mitch Gerads, Becky Cloonan, Jason Fabok, Lee Weeks and Joelle Jones and icons like Frank Miller and Neal Adams contributed their talents to the narrative parts of the tale. The artwork alone makes this issue a must-have.

My favourite part of the issue came during an interaction with Bruce and Alfred, one that made me gasp out loud and brought me to the verge of tears. It was absolutely perfect, one of many such moments in the book.

Things happen that will be a lot more internet-breaking than the return of Hawkeye in House of M years ago. The last page alone was brilliantly handled and perfectly sets up future issues. I had no issue with what happened, because I trust that King knows what he’s doing. He’s shown us that for 50 issues and he’s already said this is a 100-issue story. I know I’m in for the long haul.

Batman #50 is an artistic tour-de-force, with powerful, emotionally-driven narratives that will define the book going forward. Simply put, it’s a masterclass of storytelling….and from King and company, I wouldn’t expect anything less.