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Selina Kyle may have left Bruce Wayne at the altar and the pair may be on a romantic break (Ross and Rachel style, for fans of a certain age), but Catwoman and Batman still have several ties – and for them, work absolutely has to come before anything else.
Unfortunately, some characters are determined to talk about their feelings, even in a work setting.
Spoilers ahead for Catwoman #45
Written by Tini Howard, penciled by Sami Basri, inked by Vicente Cifuentes, colored by Jordie Bellaire, lettered by Tom Napolitano, and with guest art by Robbi Rodriguez, Catwoman #45 follows Selina as she attempts to regain control over a human trafficking ring operating out of the Gotham City docks. Prior to her road trip with Harley Quinn – where she met Batman: The Animated Series villain the Red Claw – Selina had a deal with the Yakuza to patrol the docks for her.
In her absence, the Bat-family cleared out the Yakuza, creating an even bigger problem for her to deal with.
And now, Bruce and even Dick Grayson, AKA Nightwing, seem determined to get some closure with Selina. Catwoman #45 shows her side of a brief phone call with her ex, which was also featured in Batman #125, and reveals that she recently worked with the Batgirls. She and Bruce may be on a break, but Selina still seems relatively amicable with his family and allies.
However, when Dick approaches her while she's undercover at a high-end gentleman's club, Selina is less than thrilled. Not to be deterred, Nightwing sends her a message after they part ways, and it's super thoughtful.
"You know… I shouldn't say this, but after… things changed between you and Bruce, he told me you said you were worried love would solve him somehow. Like he wouldn't be able to be the Bat if he had you," he says, after telling Catwoman he sent her some coordinates to check out.
"But you know how he is. Nothing's ever really gonna solve that in him. Not the love of a woman. And the love of a man wouldn't solve it for you, either. So… I don't know why you ran away like that… from someone who wants to be your family. I'm sorry if that makes me sound like a jerk. I wish things had worked out, but there are no hard feelings on my end."
The rest of the message is concerned with Selina's mission to end the trafficking ring, but Dick's words clearly affect her.
In current continuity, she and Bruce haven't officially broken up for good, but they also don't seem on a path to reconciliation. If Nightwing is treating their relationship as a thing of the past, perhaps others think of it the same way. And if that's the case, does that mean there won't be a reconciliation?
Realistically, there's no time to wonder. Batman was just framed for murder by his longtime enemy, the Penguin, and one of his past inventions – Failsafe – has just gone online. Before he can even begin to think about Selina beyond checking in during a call, Bruce is going to have to get his affairs sorted… and that includes making sure Tim Drake, AKA Robin, survives his near-fatal gunshot wound.
To see what's coming for Batman and Catwoman, check out all the new Batman comics planned for release in 2022 and beyond.
