Greg Pak and Jae Lee, along with Ben Oliver, travel back to the beginning of the New 52 to explore the first meeting between Superman and Batman. Can they bring a new twist to the New 52 and make a good series out of the concept? They can, apparently.
Written by Greg Pak
Illustrated by Jae Lee and Ben Oliver
A new epic begins with the debut of this new, ongoing series! Don’t miss the first fateful meeting of Batman and Superman in The New 52!
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.
Ten years ago (yes, it’s been that long), Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness premiered the series “Superman/Batman” which updated the idea presented in “World’s Finest Comics” of taking two of DC’s biggest icons, Batman and Superman, and having them in a team-up series. Now, Greg Pak, Jae Lee and Ben Oliver have the task of bringing that idea to the New 52 with “Batman/Superman”. Going back in time a few years, this series is meant to take a look at the earliest meeting between Batman and Superman within the New 52 and, hopefully, show a developing partnership between the two.
First off, I’ve been rather… critical about Superman as he exists in the New 52 and, while still not perfect, it must be said that Greg Pak’s take on the character is leaps and bounds ahead of where he usually is in the New 52. Superman here is still sporting the jeans-and-t-shirt look from Grant Morrison’s “Action Comics” comics run, despite appearing in his usual suit on the cover, and Pak really nails the idea of a younger, brasher Clark while still keeping the core of Superman intact. Clark rushes headlong into situations because of that brashness, but it’s always because he sees someone in danger and feels the compulsion to save them. This book lives or dies based on how well Pak understood the title characters and, despite Superman having a tough time finding footing in the New 52, Pak has really hit the nail on the head here.
The major draw of this book, beyond those following the creators’ names, is seeing two of DC’s biggest icons teaming up and this issue does not disappoint. Right off the bat, Pak brings Clark and Bruce together and he jut gets them. Every line of dialogue between them is so infused with character that it’s hard not to wonder why it’s taken so long for this to happen or why a character like Superman has struggled in the New 52 for so long. It’s simply wonderful characterisation that, played against an excellent action scene taking up the rest of the book keeps the issue engaging throughout.
While Pak has certainly made the writing worth the time for this book, the issue would still be an easy sell based on the artwork alone. Jae Lee’s pages here are, in a word, stunning. It feels like the medium has finally caught up to his talents as he shows intricate panel work that would make “Batwoman” jealous as well pencils that are smooth and confident and just dripping in atmosphere. Even from the first page reveal of Lee’s Gotham City, it’s clear that this is unlike anything seen in the New 52 before. Jae Lee’s Gotham City is spire and twisting trees and insidious fog and is the most gothic and atmospheric look at the city since Tim Burton. His depiction of Smallville, meanwhile, manages to capture the vast quiet and idyllic nature of the farm land which contrasts incredibly well to the grey hues of Gotham and Metropolis. Special mention must, of course, go to colorist June Chung, who brings out the life in Lee’s pencils and really allows the world created here to breath.
Jae Lee, however, only appears on eighteen of the twenty five story pages of the issues, with the last pages being drawn by Ben Oliver. The change over, while sudden, makes sense in context as the scene dramatically shifts is still pretty jarring, unfortunately. It doesn’t take anything from the book and Oliver’s pages still look fantastic and in keeping with the tone set up by Lee’s art, but it’s one of those moments that can take you out of the book. It’s unfortunate, but it doesn’t necessarily ruin the issue.
Continued belowA concept that was introduced back when the series was “Superman/Batman” was dueling narration by the two lead characters and that makes a grand return here. Both Clark and Bruce narrate, sometimes interchangeably, and with Greg Pak at the helm it works wonderfully. As noted above, Pak understands Clark’s voice better than almost anywhere else in the New 52 and he works the same magic with Bruce’s voice to create two distinct yet linked narrations of the issue’s events. He also manages to avoid walking the line of telling the story in the captions as opposed to allowing the art to tell the story. Instead, Pak uses the narration to flesh out how these characters work as people and allow the reader to understand the perspectives they work from as heroes while Jae Lee and Ben Oliver tell the story with their art.
While Batman has always seemed to land on pretty solid ground, it’s taken a while for Superman to find sure footing in the New 52. However, it seems like with Greg Pak, Jae Lee, Ben Oliver and “Batman/Superman” that has changed. Pak, Lee and Oliver manage to bring these characters together and ground them in the universe of the New 52 while presenting that universe in a way that’s never been seen before. This is a sucker punch of a good comic book; an issue that works so surprisingly well, it knocks you out.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Definite buy. The New 52 needs more books like this.
