Batrimony: A Buyer's Guide to the Variant Covers
The original Buyer's Guide to Batman 50 Variant Covers remains below, but if you are among those disappointed that the so-called "wedding issue" was no such thing, we direct your attention to Cat-Tales, the original Batman-Catwoman series where the wedding is still on in the next story #75.
That's the wedding of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, openly and publicly, not some ludicrous Batman and Catwoman but not their actual legal names with witnesses who can't sign anything or be legally recognized. This is a legit wedding from the series that #CoughDidItFirst on just about every Batcat landmark.
A special website has been created for newcomers approaching the series just for this event. Join us at BatmanAndCatwoman.com, where you are still invited to the wedding of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle.
And now... the original Buyer's Guide
June 4, 2018 Last updated June 30, 2018 5:00 PM EDT
One of the joys of this extraordinary moment in Bat/Cat is
Bruce and Selina finally tying the knot in the flagship Batman comic is an event
the company wants to mark with the best talent they have, and certainly the
talent want in on the most important union in DC Continuity since Lois and
Clark. A number of variant covers have already been revealed for Batman
50, the wedding issue, along with peeks of sketches that may be
additional covers or they could be pin-ups or other internal art within the
issue.
I’m going to do my best to maintain a list of what’s
available and where to get them, but first – before you panic about the sticker
shock – relax. Batman and Catwoman are an iconic power couple on par
with Superman and Lois Lane and DC knows that. They’re doing exactly what
they did for Clark and Lois’s nuptials: releasing a wedding album. Quietly
announced a few months ago on the Penguin Publishing site, it will undoubtedly
reproduce all the variants, along with important issues like the proposal in
Batman 24 and the retrospective of Batman and Catwoman’s 80 year pairing from
Batman 44. It is now available for pre-order
through Amazon, (although I
personally give my local comic shop first dibs at my money whenever possible.)
Now then, here’s what we know…
THE main, official, A cover is this instantly iconic image by
Mikel Janin that lit up Twitter on April 4. It should be available in
abundance – but still let your comic shop know now if you’re planning to scoop
up ten.
The B and C variants should, I believe, be available
through any local comic shop as long as you subscribe for variants or get on the
list now. Talk to your friendly LCS people and find out…
B is by Arthur Adams. One very dramatic Batman, check. Very
dramatic Bat Cape, check. And an awful lot of bats. Me-ow.
If you're not sure about your LCS's policies, or don't have one, you can always
preorder from
Forbidden Planet,
Unknown Comics,
Midtown Comics, etc.
C will be Jim Lee & Scott Williams The pencil sketch seems
out of its time tonally. It is so evocative of Hush, an affair doomed by
the limitations of that era's Bruce compared to King's brilliantly fleshed out
protagonists.
Joe Jusko shared his early sketch of this gem on Instagram
and let us see it develop in stages. He gets my personal award for
capturing the joi de vivre that defines Selina as I know her and eludes everyone
DC Comics has allowed to write her. THIS is the Selina Kyle who “draws
something rich and joyful from the act of living.” The cover is an
exclusive to Midtown Comics and is available
through their website.
Midtown is also accepting orders for a Jae Lee "Exclusive" for Dynamic Forces* that is available in multiple forms, black and white, gold foil, with signatures, etc.
DF: Exclusive Cover by Jae Lee
DF: Virgin Variant Cover by Jae Lee
DF: Virgin Dual Pack by Jae Lee
Midtown Comics B&W Jae Lee variant, and you can see their other options: signed copies, foil etc. from the list on that page.
*Somebody doesn't know what exclusive means. Granted, it might be me.
This beautiful Selina and Bruce is by Dawn McTeigue.
It is exclusive to Yancy Street Comics and available
through their ebay store.
And this fierce Jorge Jimenez is exclusive to ZMX Comics, also available for pre-order on ebay. There is a B&W version also.
This version by Eric Basaldua adds some purple to Selina’s dress, a Legacy Comics Exclusive. Black & White, and virgin also available.
A wonderful suite of variants by Tyler Kirkham Bruce and Selina in
wedding clothes, Bat and Cat in costume, and two with a blank white center -
destined, let's face it, for Tom King doodles. One with a scroll, one with
the Batman logo, these boarded blank will actually be on blank cover sketch
paper stock. They are literally made for convention sketches. Whewee,
this is going to be fun!
Signed copies available now through pre-order from the
artist's website:
tylerkirkhamart.com and
Unknown Comic Books' Tyler Kirkham Exclusives page.
Jason Fabok has created this magnificent image exclusive to Yesteryear Comics, it will be available through their ebay store.
Is Cape-ripper a word? It is now. Neal Adams has
arrived on the list with this MUST HAVE for those of us with a certain, um,
appetite for the Bat half of the Bat/cat thing. Colors--those
delirious vibrant colors--by Tim Shinn. This striking piece is
available now on the Official Neal
Adams Website: the colored version shown here, black and white signed,
and the virgin pencil signed.
Just added: Hologram versions of the above - color, b&w, virgin pencil.
"This is it" read the tweet where I first saw this glorious woman, and he was right. This is the variant all lovers of Selina Kyle will have to own. By Warren Louw, it is available exclusively at KRS Comics and San Diego Comic Con.
A few eagle-eye fans noted her eyes are blue and not green, but for me personally, given the plethora of proper Catwoman images behind her--the 90s costume, the skirted costume, as well as an unmasked Selina with flowing long hair that defines the real Selina we know and love, the eyes aren't a dealbreaker.
Cover A is a 3000 print edition.
SOLD OUT
Cover B, B&W with trade dress, is 1000 print.
SOLD OUT
SDCC Convention sets
SOLD OUT
(excluding those he will have on offer at SDCC.
Good luck.)
And then there is this glorious piece, in a similar
style but Selina's features a little more mature and sophisticated.
This gem by Natali Sanders for
Comic Market Street may not
have the assortment of classic Catwoman costumes in the back, but this
beauty leads my personal must-have list.
Late addition: the framed version with the rings added "by popular demand"
June 8.
Cover A, the Trade Dress is a 2800 print edition.
Cover B, the framed portrait with the rings, is a 1300 print edition.
Cover C, virgin, is an extremely limited 900 print edition.
Covers A, B and C are all available signed and unsigned.
There is now a fourth covers, ultra limited
"Customer Appreciation" edition of 750, given away free (not a typo)
with the first purchases of full sets. Details on the Customer
Appreciation Cover and pre-sale from CMS
here.
Remember how long they were behind masks for each other, and then look at those eyes. And then imagine what it's going to be like for him, standing there in his morning coat, seeing those eyes of the woman in the mask. This unbelievable beauty is by Joshua Middleton, exclusive to Ssalefish Comics. And I ordered mine before I gave y'all the link.
Color is a 3000 print edition, the black & white is 1500.
That wonderfully sensual piece we'd seen from Clay Mann at an early stage was a Batman 50 variant after all, and it's even hotter in color. It's also one of four. Yes, Clay Mann has joined Thomas Keller of French Laundry fame as the kind of insane genius who would create four separate tasting menus for four individual diners. All for Comic Sketch Art. There is some confusing terminology between the websites offering, so we'll go slowly. If it's very important to you, call the store and talk to a human to confirm:
The basic Clay Manm, Cover A trade dress variant appears to be the last one released, with Selina in the wedding dress, not the first one released where she's in the Catwoman costume.
The costume version appears to be called "True Romance"
Thes both appear to be 3000 print runs with a virgin variant of 1250.
The second Clay Mann "Joker Variation" replaces those
gargoyles with a wedding cake and reimaging Bat and Cat as the toppers with
a knife-wielding Joker bearing down to make the cut. As for "The
Bloody Bat"... um, how to put this... Clay, su-btle-ty. I know, I
know, subtlety isn't really something you see a lot of where Joker is
concerned, but sometimes, maybe...
The Joker Variant is a 1250 print run and the Bloody Bat a convention run with only 250 sold online.
Available at Comic Sketch Art and Legacy Comics.
These exquisite sets by Alex Ross are primarily going to be sold at San Diego Comic Con, but an extremely limited number are available for pre-order through the artist's website beginning June 22. While it's delightful to see a long-haired Selina in her iconic skirted costume, it sure would have been nice to see Batman and Catwoman TOGETHER on THEIR WEDDING COVER. These all appear to be recycled images, the Catwoman is from a charity fundraiser.
Cover A: Batman Family (limited to 3000 copies)
Cover B: Catwoman (limited to 1500 copies)
Cover C: Batman Black and White (limited to 1000 copies)
Preorders are A, AB and ABC, signed and unsigned.
These three jaw-dropping covers by Frank Cho join together to make a
complete image. Exclusive to
4 Color Beast, you can click through and get on the waiting list now.
Cover A, Batman is a limited edition of 2800;
Cover B, Catwoman and Nightwing a limited edition of 1200
Cover C, Batgirl and Robin, a limited edition of 1200.
Cover A or the Set of all 3 are offered signed and unsigned.
Now we're talking. J Scott Campbell has produced an interlocking set of 5-colors, colors by Peter Steigerwald, exclusive to the artist's website. You can get on the waiting list now.
Cover A: Batman and Catwoman (central cover), a 2,800 print edition
SOLD OUT
Cover B: Black Canary, Huntress, and Batwoman, a 2,200 print edition
SOLD OUT
Cover C: Batgirl on a motorcycle, a 2,200 print edition
SOLD OUT
Cover D: Poison Ivy and Penguin, a 2,200 print edition
SOLD OUT
Cover E: Harley Quinn and Joker, a 2,200 print edition
SOLD OUT
Cover A alone, Bride's side, Groom's side and full set available signed and unsigned.
And now, on June 28 Cover F was revealed, a very welcome substitute for Cover A, Bat/Cat with the Batmobile but this time with Selina in the wedding dress. A SDCC exclusive.
Enough with the girly frills, let's remember it's a Batman comic and Batman 50 to boot! If you want a cover that is all Batman yet alludes to the wedding content, the dramatic Jock variants for Forbidden Planet do not disappoint.
There's what I'll call the Straight Jock Variant, with the entirely black
background;
the Monochrome Variant with the half-white background,
and a Set of Three: the straight, monochrome and what we'll call Confetti.
Signed and unsigned options on each at Forbidden Planet.
These covers are also available for preorder at Big Bang comics June 8.
Sparklies. How amazing is it that Mike Mayhew is the first of all these wedding covers to prominently feature that most iconic element: the ring. This beautiful pair of variants for Comicpop Collectibles will be appearing on their ebay store... well, soon, we hope.
This angular lady in the Erte pose looks a little like Tim Sale's Selina from The Long Halloween (and maybe a little more like Sale's Sophia Falcone from Dark Victory, but anyway) by Dave Johnson for Comic Sketch Art and also available at Legacy Comics.
This is a 3000 print run.
This heart-stopping jewel by Mark Brooks reminds me of an old Norm Breyfogle commission with Selina in the classic skirted costume, lounging in the cat lair, Batman behind. It's perfect.
Available now at
Legacy Comics and
Comic Sketch
Art
Also Limited Edition Comix
should have it on their
ebay store at
some point.
Veiled Selina is a 3000 print run. The cowl variant 1250
I'm not sure what the point is of "a Jim Balent variant" that doesn't give us the Jim Balent Selina. The bod might be familiar, but the short hair and goggles are the antithesis of his iconic 90s Catwoman. An artist's name is a brand (in the best sense). Let him be what he is.
The pencil version that at least downplays the goggles and let the Balent
Selina's eyes show was revealed July 4.
In any case, Jim Balent, the man who created the Catwoman that launched her
first solo comic,
has produced a charming set of variants and hidden a cat in there, which he
invited his twitter followers to find. Now available
for preorder on the
Jetpack website
and
ebay store. Unmasked, masked and black and white options abound,
plus a yet to be revealed "Midnight Release Variant."
Another beautiful connecting triptych, this time by Joe Madureira and, like the Frank Cho, exclusive to 4 Color Beast. You can join the waiting list right now.
A superior Cover A for the wedding, Batman and Catwoman rather than separating them. An edition of 2800 copies, available signed and unsigned.
Cover B, the heroes Superman, Batgirl, Wonder Woman and
Cover C, the villains Joker, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn
are both 2100 copy editions, available only in sets.
The complete 3 cover sets are available signed and unsigned.
Check out this amazingly clever Bat/Cat/Joker visuals from David Mack, Exclusive to Surprise Comics. Again, please note final image will vary.
Cover A: 3000 print edition, ships July 5
Cover B: 1500 print edition, ships July 5
Cover C is a convention cover for San Diego Comic Con, only 200 will be sold
online and they will not begin shipping until July 23. For that
reason, full A-B-C sets will not ship until 7/23.
It's an odd looking Selina, but it took a long time to notice with that incredible Joker window behind them. Nick Derington variant exclusive to Ultimate Comics.
This dramatic tango dip by Joseph Michael Linsner is exclusive to Galaxy Comics. (Also, that cat in front is quite reminiscent of Tim Sale's Long Halloween #1 kitty.) Trade Dress, Black and White and Virgin.
Cover A, the trade dress, is the usual 3000 print edition.
Cover B, the black and white, is 1500.
Cover C, virgin is 1000.
Somebody has to say it: a lot of people loathe the goggled Catwoman costume which dominates most of these covers. Philip McNulty has a few alternatives that bring back a proper Cat-mask, from the Batman 89/Batman Returns look that seems to be a Tom King favorite to the enormously popular look from the original Batman, The Animated Series. For Heroes Comics and Sports
Been waiting for this since Guillem March teased a few weeks back. We saw a proper Catwoman mask, a very hot kiss, and no context. The finished piece does not disappoint. Me-ow. Exclusive to King's Comics, AU.
I don't know for sure that Ant Lucia had Selina's name in mind when he created that gorgeous moon, but I like to think so. This beautiful variant cover is for BuyMeToys.com. Color, Black and White, and Virgin cover available only through the 3-cover set limited to 1,000.
Not everyone likes their weddings dripping with romance. Some prefer a gruesomely realistic Joker hovering over the scene. This bone-chiller is by Lucio Parrillo for Scorpion Comics and Clan McDonald Comics. Scorpion says it will go on sale in their online store this Friday at 6pm EST. No ETA from Clan McDonald.
Some go even further and want them dripping with blood. This Joker wielding a bloody knife with no bride or groom in sight is the work of Francesco Mattina for 7 ate 9 Comics.
The trade dress is a 3000 print edition
Virgin is a 1000 print edition
Black and White also a 1000 print edition.
This pair by Greg Horn is available on the artist's website. Cover A, in wedding clothes, is an edition of 3,000. Cover B, the costume variant, is 1500. Cover C, virgin costume is 1000. Signed and unsigned available.
Perhaps not technically a variant, this is Giovanni Timpano's cover with colors by Flavio Dispenza for Italy's Batman/Catwoman wedding issue, which is numbered Batman 150 there.
Michael Turner and Peter Steigerwald for Aspen Comics, available for pre-order June 23rd.
The Bridesmaids Variant is by Alé Garza for Colosseum of Comics.
And this amazing print is by the legendary Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. I was told it will be a pin-up in 50. The print is only available if you're lucky enough to catch him at a con before it sells out.
An internal page, Batman and Catwoman by Greg Capullo.
And another internal page, tagged "Roman Holiday" by Tony Daniels.