Written By Geoff Johns
Illustrated By Jim LeeWhat happens when the World’s Greatest Detective takes on the world’s most powerful alien? You’ll find out when Batman and Superman throw down. Batman will need all his intellect, cunning and physical prowess to take on The Man of Steel!
7 weeks later and here we are! The launch title and lynchpin to the DC Universe is finally continuing the origin of said universe! Man, thatt feels like forever when this book that “introduces” the characters to everyone for the first time!
Check the cut to see if this book belongs with the immortals or chillin’ in oblivion with Snapper Carr.
When the book first came out, it was met with a lukewarm response. It was neither good nor bad, it just rather was. Jim Lee was on point, but Geoff Johns’ portion was far from his best. It read less like a Justice League launch and more like a standard Brave and the Bold issue. Thankfully, this book was a marked improvement on the writing front, as it felt like the team was coming together.
Johns has a talent for team dynamics. He’s like Joss Whedon in that respect, as Whedon can also handle large casts of characters and develop them all in unexpected and organic ways. While he has experience with every single one of these characters in other books, he’s essentially developing new characters with the same names as the previous characters in the DC Canon. This is Batman and Superman’s first meeting EVER as well as Batman and Flash’s and Superman and Green Lantern’s, etc., etc. (except Barry and Hal for some reason). It’s even a little funny watching Hal make snarky comments about Batman while he’s in earshot and then whisper to him a few moments later; those two are the kings of macho posturing. Johns juggles this dynamic very well, and probably the best he’s done since Blackest Night.
Even his dynamic for Victor Stone works very well. The future Cyborg’s dynamic with his scientist father feels as if it echoes many kids who want to impress their parents to no avail. The most interesting thing about the book, however, is Victor’s father. There are two characters that are considered the biggest jerks in the DCU: Bruce Wayne and Hal Jordan. The former beats up junkies and tells his own son that he has to “earn” trust, while the latter referred to himself as an “asshole” at least a half dozen times in the recent Ryan Reynolds film. However, Dr. Stone takes the cake. Victor just wants his father to be proud of him, but the man flat out tells him that his passion is pointless and he’ll never go to one of his football games. What kind of father says that to his son?
One of Johns’ strengths in the book is the back matter. Back matter rarely ever ties directly into the story in a meaningful way, and while this interview between Steve Trevor and Amanda Waller feels more like a teaser for issue three as opposed to an addendum to issue two, it works for the issue and made for an engaging read. I almost skipped over it but am glad I didn’t, and I can only hope Steve Trevor shows up in the book along with Diana. After that, there’s a bit about Batman, Superman and their new character designs, as well as a short bit about them — but more about that later.
Then you have the other half of the book, the unrivaled master of macho pencils: Jim Lee. His art looked absolutely phenomenal throughout most of this book, but there are a few noticeable hiccups along the way. First, there’s the cover. While it was never assumed to be an amazing cover, the fact Superman has a blank expression on his face when he’s supposed to be beside himself with anger over this Batman character is something that must be pointed out. It hurts an otherwise enjoyable and colorful cover. How did this get past the editorial? Is it because he’s co-publisher? Then you open the cover. Right there on page one, Barry sits in his lab, brooding over the fact the Central City Crime Lab has a “Flash Task Force.” While he broods in the shadows, he’s missing AN EYE. One might suppose this eye is supposed to be hiding in the shadows, but the “shadows” are flesh colored similarly to the rest of his face. Finally, and this one is more a nitpick than an actual problem, Batman’s belt lacks any sort of consistency from the design to the finished product, especially since the difference in question is explicitly pointed out in the design specs of Batman’s new look. If there’s a special part of Batman’s belt that hide behind his cap, it should be there in the book!
Continued belowThat’s not to say that the entire book looks awful, though. Every single one of those hiccups happen within the first five pages, and after that it’s as gorgeous as it’s ever been. In particular, a splash page where Superman bursts free from chains is among my favorite pages of comics in recent history. Everything about it was perfect. From the surprise on Green Lantern’s face to the display of absolute power on Superman’s part, there was nothing about these two pages that didn’t impress. In fact, I came back and looked at it as a standalone pinup for a good 5 minutes, just pouring over the mastery that was Lee’s pencils. One can never say that Lee has no ability to tell a comedic story, as Flash’s first encounter with Kal-El was as hilarious as it was gorgeous. Barry is a cocky jerk who revels in the fact he’s so fast no one has ever touched him; then Superman puts him in his place, respectfully. It almost felt like a sparring match from the Justice League cartoon and cartoon Wally West forgot he was going to have to put his money where his mouth is, so to speak. Brilliant work.
When it’s all said and done, the book is extremely fun and action packed. One final nitpick is the distinct lack of female characters in the book. Unless our favorite hooded woman Carol is hiding somewhere, I count zero female characters whom actually show up this issue. At least Wonder Woman is showing up next issue to bring SOME balance in that respect. Pick it up!
Final Verdict: 8.0 — Buy!
