Holy marriage proposal, Batman!

The Joker was missing in action on this soggy Saturday afternoon when Batman cornered Catwoman and proposed to her at a Newark comic book shop.

Where is Catwoman? the dark knight, also known as Lars Hindsley, bellowed across Captain Blue Hen Comics. "She has my jewels."

Encased in head-to-toe pleather, the feline seductress, also known as Sarah Allen, looked dazed as her boyfriend of five years bent down on one knee in front of more than a hundred comic-crazed fans there for national Free Comic Book Day.

"We've been good to each other for years," the Christiana novelist and professional paintballer whispered to his love. "I can't wait to be good to each other for the rest of our lives."

Framing his eight-pack abs was a case of sneering superheroes, including mini versions of the bat couple brandishing a whip and batarang.

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Words failed Allen, a timid freelance writer who moonlights at Anthropologie. The 29-year-old shook her cat ears yes, and the couple embraced, with Allen careful not to slash her soon-to-be-hubby with her claws.

Those metal spears also prevented Allen from wearing her rock, a modern piece with a simple black band and diamonds inlaid in a rectangle.

Despite demanding that her boyfriend not make a public spectacle, Allen said she appreciated the unconventional proposal.

"It kind of felt like time stopped," she said, adding that it's "every girl's dream to get a proposal from a prince or a superhero."

The couple met at Christiana Mall while Hindsley was managing a GameStop and Allen was sulking behind the counter of Godiva Chocolatier.

"She had a distant look on her face," remembered. Hindsley. "I just thought she was kinda cute and adorable."

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Divorced with two grown children, Hindsley wasn't looking for anything serious. His last proposal, to a woman he met on a Russian dating site, was more of a fait accompli than a grand gesture. They stayed married for seven years.

But when Allen of Middletown spoke of her painful breakup, Hindsley was determined to restore her faith in men, real and fictional.

The pair didn't match well on paper. He's a centrist; she's a liberal feminist. He devours meat; she's a pescatarian. He's "Star Wars"; she's "The Lord of the Rings."

Comic books were their glue. Both have membership boxes at Captain Blue Hen, where Hindsley reserves copies of the latest "Amazing Spider-Man" and Allen prefers Gwen Stacy, the tragic love interest of Peter Parker.

"We accept each other on our own terms," Hindsley said.

Added Allen: "He still wants to be with me even when I'm being a total brat."

The relationship hasn't always been bats and butterflies.

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Allen has nursed Hindsley through four surgeries, including one that repaired five broken foot bones from paintball. Both are writers: She fixes his clunky dialogue, and he helps build her virtual worlds. Hindsley is now at work on a book in which DangerMan drives a motorcycle powered with insect protein to a remote airplane city.

He also teaches inline skating and runs a popular YouTube channel called DangerMan XX. A regular at Captain Blue Hen, he greets staff like Norm from "Cheers." For nearly a decade, he has dressed up as Batman and Spider-Man at special store events, consoling crying babies and intimidating supervillain wannabes. Allen is also an avid cosplayer.

Hindsley is "a rock star," according to store manager Jason Colatriano. "It becomes his alter ego. He is who he wants to be when he has the mask on."

Colatriano, who proposed to his now-wife with typical candles and roses, admired Hindsley's inventiveness.

"That might be the most masculine way to propose," he said.

Blessed with rippling muscles and piercing blue eyes, Hindsley identifies with Batman's "darker side." He poured an estimated $3,000 into his leather, kevlar and carbon fiber getup.

Still, his cape is missing a secret compartment. That's why Hindsley's 14-year-old son, Dalton, was assigned to guard the ring for five hours Saturday.

"It's his life, man," the boy said, rolling his eyes. "He's a character."

Days before the proposal, Batman was a ball of nerves. He texted his friend, a professional photographer, eight times on Friday to make sure he'd show up.

Moments after Allen's head nod, Hindsley appeared relieved in his jacked-up bodysuit.

"Everything was how I envisioned it," he said. "Every now and again, life treats you fairly."

The couple planned to slither out of their costumes and gorge on Mexican food with friends later in the day. A wedding is at least a year away, said Allen, who is determined to wear a white tulle dress decorated with vibrant flowers.

Hovering nearby, another Batman, wearing a simple bat sweatshirt, eyed Hindsley and growled, "That's the imposter."

Fifteen-year-old Hunter Barton, whose voice rises two octaves when you ask him for his real name, agreed that replicating Hindsley's proposal would be "amazing."

"I'm thinking about it," he said. "I had other plans, but now I'm making more."

Contact Margie Fishman at (302) 324-2882, on Twitter @MargieTrende or mfishman@delawareonline.com.