Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Superman/Batman

^By the way, the Annual is getting a 2nd printing this Wednesday, giving those of you who missed it another shot! Highly recommended!

I'm actually gonna try out the Halloween issue.

It’s a shock to my system to find myself reading Superman / Batman so early in my stack of comics again, which says a lot at how much I’m enjoying Levitz’s storyline with Ordway. I found #73 so enjoyable that I decided to post about it first before reading #74. A few things really stuck out in my mind:

First, the narrative use of Superman, Batman and Lois Lane all splitting up and doing their own investigating was really cool IMO. Having Lois so essential to the storyline and an equal partner was very welcome. In fact, Batman’s early description of Lois was awesome: “She was the fastest learner I’d ever had for a non-combatant, and Clark insisted she was the brains of the couple…but a magnet for trouble”. Love it. Again, this storyline is by far Paul’s best work thus far in his return to writing fulltime.

I’ll mention again I’m enjoying Jerry Ordway’s artwork quite a bit here and so much of that is the cool/unique coloring job being done by Pete Pontazis It’s creating a really weird effect on the inks that is appealing.

I like that #73 stands completely on its own even though it’s part of a larger story. Someone could pick it up off the stands and read it & enjoy it on its own without buying other comics. Of course, they’d want to buy more because it’s intriguing enough to want to learn what happens next. But you don’t need. An old school approach that other writers and editors should take notes from.

In finding this thread, I see there were no comments regarding Paul's last issue of his mini-run on Supes/Bats (unless they were in the Legion forum?)/ Ultimately, I thought it was pretty awesome and I really enjoyed it--so much that it got me excited about Superman / Batman the series for the first time since it debuted and made me want to read the non-Paul next issue after years of floundering at the bottom of my pile.

I was dismayed when I learned Judd Winnick was coming on for an issue however (or just an arc?) since Winnick has burnt me so many times over the years--so much so that his name is usually a deal-breaker for me before I even view any of the finished work. However, I collect Supes/Bats anyway and I'm still enthusiastic for the title so I jumped in anyway with no preconceptions.

I'm glad I did! This was actually a terrific story and I'm impressed with Winnick here and glad to see him prove me wrong. This was an excellent emotional insight into Superman in the days immediately following Batman's death in Final Crisis that was powerful and poignant but didn't make Superman into a big cry-baby or even be a little heavy-handed. I thought it was just the right glimpse into a man very much grieving.

The issue then focuses on Superman's reaction to Dick becoming the new Batman, which was also well done. Winnick takes this to a logical conclusion but also adds the surprising (but fitting layer) of Superman recently losing his father (Jonathan Kent) and Dick feeling the same exact thing, so they could really relate to one another.

This is probably the best Winnick issue I've read in years since early Green Arrow when I was still liking what he was doing.

And I'm thrilled Superman/Batman is still kicking ass.

Really liked the Damien/Supergirl team-up. It was a lot of fun and they really got some good lines in for Robin. I like the idea that Scarecrow will be gunning for Luthor, I just wish it was the competent, scary version of Crane. I can picture a great issue of action where Crane gets in Lex's head to see what he's afraid of.

In agreement on all accounts! I really liked this issue but agree on the Scarecrow should have been better portrayed.

I generally find Damien annoying as hell (worse even than Jason Todd), but this was one of the best appearances of the character thus far, IMO. I really liked the interaction with Supergirl.

Superman / Batman continues it’s surprisingly sudden influx of really good stories with issues #78 (one-off) and #79 (first part of what I think is a 2-parter). Not only has the title had some great Superman / Batman team-ups, it also has been rotating in a lot of other characters in a similar way.

#78 provides a really cool one-off story by Joe Kelly about two kids arguing about who would win in a fight between Supes and Bats. Panel by panel they show the two getting out of each other’s grips and then gaining the upper-hand, and it has a charming quality, since it’s something just about every kid has argued at one time or another. Naturally, Superman and Batman are listening in, making for some quick, funny scenes in the end, only adding to the charm. I’d give this an A+.

This issue also has a back-up featuring Power Girl teaming with the Huntress, something Earth-2 fans should enjoy, even though it’s Helena Bertillini. What is nice is the writers make no bones about it being the modern Huntress & Power Girl, though they are referring to the classic P-Girl / Huntress friendship pre-Crisis, particularly now that Karen remembers that friendship so well (and Huntress is aware of that). Power Girl has to deal with the fact that this is a different Huntress and it’s clearly a metaphor for the fans having to do so as well. I respect the writers being so up-front about it. The artwork, however, is pretty tough on the eyes though, with a very Mike Turner-esque quality that isn’t my favorite and feels like it’s right out of 1993. The story itself, other than the character interaction, is a bit ‘blah’, with a non-ending that likely will never have a follow-up.

#79 then kicks off a groovy story about the Lord of Time battling Superman and Batman of the 853rd Century (the DC One Million Era) which did a great job at making these characters a pleasure to see. This is another example of this title’s recent foray into other Supes/Bats types stories. The Lord of Time makes for a great villain here, being more like the DC’s Kang (which he could use) and the subsequent follow-up, now that he’s time-traveled to battle our Superman and Batman & Robin (with a young Dick Grayson so at the beginning of their careers) is neat way to tie it into the main characters of the title. Writer Chris Roberson (I, Zombie, other stuff) and artist Jesus Merino do a great job making this story fun & exciting. Colorist “Blond” makes the art really pop.

Also Legion AR peeps—this story has a cameo by Phantom Girl and Mon-El.

^loved the second part of the story which was equally fantastic.

Love, love, love Kent Shakespeare showing up for a panel as the Superman of the 31st Century (we talked about it a bit in the Legion forum but I suspect many missed it). Roberson made the complicated Supes & Bats in every century notion work not only with Kent but also some of Morrisons Supermen from All-Star Superman.

Really solid story!