I'm way out of touch with what's going on in the comics, so it was rather surprising to see the cover of issue #37 of the current
Batman run featuring the eponymous grump, Catwoman, Superman and Lois with the screamer "Double Date". I had to look at it after that! I mean, I knew Bruce had proposed to Selina, but last I heard, Lois had been retconned into insignificance in favour of Wonder Woman. Now, apparently, sense has prevailed and L&C are back together and married again, as they should be.
The story itself is entertaining, involving L&C&S&B (hey, that's almost the title of one of my fics!
) on a double date to an amusement park, which initially won't let them in because it's a special superhero fancy dress evening, and they're not properly attired. They get round this, after forceful persuasion by the ladies -- Bruce, as I said earlier, is a real grump all through the story -- by switching identities: Clark and Bruce exchenge costumes, Selina gives Lois hers and wears Lois' outfit instead, getting past the nerdish guy on the gate by sheer Cat-presence (I think she should have brandished a notepad and/or portable tape recorder and gone as Lois Lane :D).
Inevitably, "wacky hijinks"(TM) ensue, allowing Bruce and Clark to do their hero thing -- Bruce more than Clark, but this is a Batman comic, I guess. Actually, that's my main gripe about the story: it is so obviously a showcase for Bruce to demonstrate how he's so much better than everyone else (with the possible exception of Selina), and especially Clark the boy scout/hayseed. It's a Bat-fan's rant about how Batman can beat Superman blah-blah-blah, and it spoils the story IMO. Someone who, like me, read Superman-Batman tema ups right from the early days, will never agree with the modern dismissal of the Man of Steel as a naive fool, but that's another discussion.
Having said that, it did rather remind me of Chris Dee's
Cat-Tales (except that Bruse is far too grumpy the whole time) and that could be taken as a compliment because Chris' stuff is very, very good -- one of the best fan portrayals of the Bat-characters out there, though she, too, goes in for the ineffectual Superman characterisation by contrast to UberBruce. It's one of the few flaws her work has, again IMO.
Anyway, FoLCs could well enjoy an amusing story, and one which has our favourite couple
as a couple, so if you're that way inclined, pick up a copy.
