Tom King writes my favorite version of Catwoman and her relationship with Batman. I'll show up any time he puts the two together and be happy as hell. The Catwoman appearances during his run on Batman were my favorite parts of that series. And now he gets to pick up the threads of that aborted storyline with a Black Label sequel that seemingly goes into Elseworlds territory, but I'm going to personally consider canon.

The story jumps between three points in time. At some point in the past, Catwoman vexes Batman by hanging with the Joker. A few years down the road, in the present, Kyle vexes Wayne by getting involved in Phantasm's revenge spree against the Joker. In the far future, Selina vexes Bruce's daughter Helena by seeking her own long-overdue revenge on the Joker.

I'm not a fan of Phantasm, not the incarnation that appeared in the Batman animated series or the character's original inspiration, the Reaper, who appeared in Batman: Year Two. But really, Phantasm's machinations are just an excuse to have the Bat and the Cat get into some conflict and don't play that big a role in the overall story. Joker's presence looms larger, but he too is just a point of tension between the title characters.

The short stories that fill out the back third of this thick book wonderfully complement the main story.

My only complaint about the collection is that I wish they had included the title cards and credits that appeared in the original comics. I like the mood those pages set between chapters.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:

Bat & Cat

• Silent Night (Batman/Catwoman #1) / Tom King, writer; Clay Mann, artist
• Up on the Housetop (Batman/Catwoman #2) / Tom King, writer; Clay Mann, artist
• God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Batman/Catwoman #3) / Tom King, writer; Clay Mann, artist
• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Batman/Catwoman #4) / Tom King, writer; Clay Mann, artist
• Jingle Bells (Batman/Catwoman #5) / Tom King, writer; Clay Mann, artist
• Joy to the World (Batman/Catwoman #6) / Tom King, writer; Clay Mann, artist
• Oh Come, All Ye Faithful (Batman/Catwoman #7) / Tom King, writer; Liam Sharp, artist
• We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Batman/Catwoman #8) / Tom King, writer; Liam Sharp, artist
• O Little Town of Bethlehem (Batman/Catwoman #9) / Tom King, writer; Liam Sharp, artist
• I Saw Three Ships (Batman/Catwoman #10) / Tom King, writer; Clay Mann, artist
• It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Batman/Catwoman #11) / Tom King, writer; Clay Mann, artist
• O Holy Night (Batman/Catwoman #12) / Tom King, writer; Clay Mann, artist

Tales from the World of Batman/Catwoman

• Some of These Days (Batman Annual #2) / Tom King, writer; Lee Weeks and Michael Lark, artists
• Legacy (Detective Comics #1027) / Tom King, writer; Walter Simonson, artist
• Helena (Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1) / Tom King, writer; Mikel Janin, artist
• Interlude (Batman/Catwoman Special) / Tom King, writer; John Paul Leon, Bernard Chang, Shawn Crystal, Mitch Gerads, artists
• Variant Cover/Design Gallery / Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Travis Charest, Bruce Timm, Jen Bartel, Gabriele Dell'Otto, Ryan M. Kincaid, John Giang, Ryan Brown, Francesco Mattina, Lucio Parrillo, Jeremy Roberts, Ejikure, Warren Louw, David Finch, Lee Weeks, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Clay Mann, artists ( )