I'm a sucker for a good Superman & Batman team up, which this is. Waid writes a great story with a full cast of characters (The Doom Patrol, Superman,I'm a sucker for a good Superman & Batman team up, which this is. Waid writes a great story with a full cast of characters (The Doom Patrol, Superman, Supergirl, Batman, Robin, + many more!). What I found to be exceptional about this story is a wounded/ill Superman and an explicitly emotional Batman. <3 Waid aces all the character writing here & I can't wait for more! (Special shout-out to the hell scene in issue #3.)...more
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is an overly long-winded quest with lots of action and pretty art.
What made this book only so-so reading for me: -I likeSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is an overly long-winded quest with lots of action and pretty art.
What made this book only so-so reading for me: -I liked Ruthye Marye Knoll's voice, but her overly verbose narration (and dialogue) dragged this story down (and on). This book reads long and slow. -I never understood Krem of the Yellow Hills as a bad guy. Was he a kingsagent who also committed genocide on the side? Or was he a murdering scumbag first and then a hired kingsagent? ...I didn't get it. He read a little 2D because of that. -I also didn't understand Supergirl's admission at the end (view spoiler)[that she pretended Krypto was poisoned to keep Ruthye with her on their "quest." Supergirl says she could have gotten and ended Krem in a second without the whole journey, but she didn't... why? (hide spoiler)]. -And speaking of the end... (view spoiler)[did Ruthye fucking kill Krem after all that time? I don't "care" for Krem's sake, but what the hell is the point of trapping him in the Phantom Zone, making him "repent" for three hundred years, just to knock him over the head so he can't get back up again?? What a confusing and lackluster ending. No one wants to see an old man be punished, even if he deserves it. (hide spoiler)]. -And lastly, for a book that had paragraphs of words per page.. why couldn't we get an explanation of who Comet (the horse) was?
Though I do have to say, the issue, Chapter Six: "Home, Family, and Refuge," on the destruction of Krypton and what Supergirl lived through and witnessed was very powerful and compelling reading...
Omg, I'm done with this run! Finally! I slogged my way through, and sadly was not rewarded at the end with a great parting volume. This book was a borOmg, I'm done with this run! Finally! I slogged my way through, and sadly was not rewarded at the end with a great parting volume. This book was a bore.
Plot: Mongul starts a war with the United Planets (just to F with Superman) & Superman is in some hot water back home for declaring himself the representative of Earth with the United Planets. But Lois takes care of it (?). There was a fine team-up between Superman and Doctor Fate against this ancient god thing called Xanadoth. And then an alien storyline about a planet called Synmar where they made their own Superman, and all the action between the alien and Superman have the "voiceover" text boxes from Lois's new book about Superman (shared with Lana Lang). And while I liked the Lois book bits, I didn't particularly like the storylines here with Mongul, Xanadoth, and Synmar. And that was the book.
So... That's the end of that. The end. (Finally.)...more
I still hate the Superman/Lois dialogue, sadly. Red Cloud is here, and *yawn* oh sorry, where was I? Right. Bad guys that I have no stake in. Naomi geI still hate the Superman/Lois dialogue, sadly. Red Cloud is here, and *yawn* oh sorry, where was I? Right. Bad guys that I have no stake in. Naomi gets introduced here, and she's cute. I'll try to check out her title next. LOL that Superman called in Batman though because "He's very good at getting to the heart of these things. Also he has the most experience with people your age." LOL
The "best" (which was only just OK) part of the volume was the interviews with the people on the street in #1016 who saw Superman fighting. That was well done in a worrying voyeuristic way (they all just watched and judged him for failing with the Red Cloud.... How is she still a thing? She's so lame! Anyway...). But back to the less than good parts of this volume: The character writing. Naomi disobeys Batman's orders not to leave and help Superman, and Batman smiles?? Who is this Batman? Smiling at disobeyed orders. I don't like him. But then again, this was funny: Naomi: "Oh, here's Batman. This is my Mom." Batman: "I'm Batman." Naomi's Mom: "Damn right you are." LOL
All in all, weak volume. Batman made me laugh twice, but also made me scowl....more
This managed to be both boring and annoying at the same time. I begrudgingly forced my way through, confused as to why this was just so damn hard to rThis managed to be both boring and annoying at the same time. I begrudgingly forced my way through, confused as to why this was just so damn hard to read.
This is what I've come up with: -It's choppy as hell. -The characterizations are all off. -I hated all the dialogue. -I hate Lois (she talks like if Lorelai Gilmore was a detective & I hate it). -Superman is barely the main character here. -Batman is barely a "leader" here. -Jimmy's "cartoon" issue was weird. -Steve Trevor shooting Lois as he claims his innocence was no good... I hate Lois, but I don't think Steve's character deserved that. Shooting an unarmed civilian is pretty low. -Batman etc. going after Red Hood & Jason running. Literally why?? To get everyone to fight and chase each other for a few pages? Ug! So annoying and weak storytelling. -All the detectives running around not making a single smart deduction or choice the entire book. -The Leviathan reveal. Didn't interest me.
What I did like: -The "other" detectives (Zatana & Harvey Bullock). -The art, most of the time. Sometimes the pages were too dark by half, but on the whole, I think Alex Meleev did pretty things with the colors.
You'd think the destruction of all the world's spy organizations would be...a bit more interesting. :-/ The only parts that were slightly intriguing weYou'd think the destruction of all the world's spy organizations would be...a bit more interesting. :-/ The only parts that were slightly intriguing were Jimmy's flashy experience at a Kobra rally and any time Amanda Waller was on the page. She's shifty, and I like it. Other than that, not much gets answered here (we just hear about a lot of destruction -some we see on-page, but most is off page) cueing a wild goose chase to find whoever Leviathan is. Also, Superman has a weird alter ego (via a Kryptonian amulet?!) named Chaz Donen, Agent 4565 of Spyral; a British dude with curly hair & a beard, because, why not?
This volume has few new/old characters, worthy of mentioning: Kate Spencer (Manhunter) gets introduced, and we get to see Tiger for a few pages... Hi Tiger, bye Tiger! :( Talia al Ghul, who was apparently Leviathan before this mess. *shrug*. Loved her, "if you kill me my son will..." LOL <3 And...Alfred. I am CONFUSED AS HELL how Alfred is in this. Where on the timeline does this take place?! I'm confused and heartbroken, and oh so hopeful! :(
Sadly, didn't love this volume. It felt a little long(?) in some places. I usually like long arcs, but I felt like in House of El I never got a clear Sadly, didn't love this volume. It felt a little long(?) in some places. I usually like long arcs, but I felt like in House of El I never got a clear & straightforward answer on the destruction of Krypton, so the whole arc felt draggy. You know what I mean?
Superman, Volume 1: The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth ends with Jon Kent returning from his summer trip across the galaxy with Grandpa Jor-El...aged up about 6-7 years. Apparently, Lois had returned at some point in Superman, Volume 1: The Unity Saga: Phantom Earth, we just didn't know it. Jon's reunion with his parents was kinda bittersweet. They are so sad to have missed out of 6 years of his life (having last seen him as an 11-year-old), and then I was sad, because Superman's relationship with Jon has been the best thing about the Superman comics I read over the last few years. And now we've missed out on years of Clark's good parenting & bonding with his child. :( (The reunion with Lois was funny though with Superman covering Jon's eyes lol.)
I continued to feel like the dialogue is choppy here (like it was in Vol. 1). It's all very quick and "smart", like the characters know exactly what the other is thinking and they speak to what the other is about to say next and not what they just said (I call this "Gilmore Girls writing".). Clark and Lois do it a lot in this book, and maybe that's to show how in synch they are, but I didn't love it.
Jor-El is supposed to be a real piece of garbage, but if you were just reading from Vol. 1, you would have no idea why, which I hate. Anything explanatory about Jor-El (and Rogol Zaar) was from The Man of Steel. But even when I read that I didn't understand why Jor-El was supposed to be bad. Did it happen off-page? In a series prior? Anyway, Jor-El was part of a secret galactic elite, and they kept information of Krypton's impending doom from the people. Because of that Superman thinks Jor-El is to blame for the destruction of their race... But I didn't get that from the book. Jor-El says the people of Krypton would have called him a heretic if he didn't get the Kryptonian Council's blessing/go-ahead about his findings, so he begs the secret shady cabal to push his information through, and they dismiss him. He tried! He really did. And, then it was too late.
Anyway, the leaders of the cabal go after Jor-El to shush him up and they are about to start an all-out intergalactic war when Jon suggests they create a space UN. A united body representing all planets and people equally to solve issues going forward. I agree with Adam Strange; I'm surprised it hadn't been suggested before. Well, anyway. Jon successfully creates the United Planets on what is then called Unity Day. The Legion of Super-Heros show up to party & Bendis takes the opportunity to recast Superboy in Superman's place in the LSH (the LSH want Jon to join them in the 31st Century & offer him a place in the LSH). It feels weird, but OK. (I personally don't like the LSH. Too many members...)
Superman ends up "speaking for Earth" at the United Planets creation, and we get the throwback to Martian Manhunter in Vol. 1 saying Earth will need Superman to step up for them as a leader. Pretty prophetic. I also liked how both Superman and Zor-El were having dreams & daydreams of a united galaxy. Cute. (Especially looking at how the batfamily was drawn in Superman's daydream of the future. Very cute!)
The end: Jor-El gets arrested and convicted (I still don't get why). (view spoiler)[And get's sent back to Krypton at the moment of destruction as punishment...to the point where he had escaped from... So, I guess I won't get more answers from him, since he's now dead. Great. (hide spoiler)]
3 stars.
One extra thing I did not love. I know it was supposed to be a cute throw-away line, but in the first secret cabal meeting we see of Jor-El trying to get help for Krypton, one of the shadow figures (I think it is Myand'r, the king of Tamaran) says he had his chief science officer leave his cousin's Bar Mitzvah to check Krypton's radiation readings for him & while it’s potentially cute to see alien Jews (though theologically that doesn’t make so much sense), I would just really rather no one mention Jews at a secret cabal meeting... Not when there's a very real global conspiracy theory alive and well in 2022 that Jews control the world. K? Thanx....more
I'm going to echo other reviewers here and say Superman, Volume 7: Bizarroverse was a hard read, but oh so creative & enjoyable for all the work!
The I'm going to echo other reviewers here and say Superman, Volume 7: Bizarroverse was a hard read, but oh so creative & enjoyable for all the work!
The volume opens with Action Comics #1,000 Never Ending Battle a celebratory Superman Birthday issue where every page represents a moment throughout the years in Superman history. (Vandal Savage tried to lose Superman through time...) I'm not a huge Superman reader, so I didn't recognize all the pages, but it was still a sweet & nostalgic read. Very cute!
Superman #42-44 is the Boyzarrow storyline and the meat of this volume.
Things I loved: *Lois and Clark are such cute parents & I've really enjoyed reading their relationship with Jon this whole run. I'm going to miss their family written by Tomasi. <3 [image]
*Boyzarro wanting to be good. <3 *Robzarro. The actual storyline of Bizarro World wasn't what held my attention here. It was the characters: Jon, Superman, and Boyzarro.
The move from Hamilton in issue #45 was a great way to end the series. <3 Tomasi did a great job getting us in the nostalgia feels this volume.
Also, this was LOL. Clark: "Son, you're getting big enough to learn that sometimes life isn't fair. Things change. We always hope for the best, but never forget --the world doesn't owe you a thing." Jon: "Wow, that's...brutally honest, even for Damian's dad." (≧▽≦)
And, it was really cute that Robzarro & Boyzarro were working the fair in Hamilton too. -That they found their place after Bizarro World.
I especially loved Superman Special #1, Jon & Superman go back to Dinosaur Island to honor their promise & bring back Captain Storm. <3 It was the perfect way to tie up "lose ends".
[image] Lois: "You forgot to shut the door, Smallville." Clark: "Consider it shut, Ms. Lane." *Never the End* <3...more
Public Enemies is such a strong volume/team-up! I loved the side by side Superman and Batman OG stories, intRead as Absolute Superman/Batman, Vol. 1.
Public Enemies is such a strong volume/team-up! I loved the side by side Superman and Batman OG stories, introductions, and action. Their caption boxes were hilarious and really well written. I really liked the writing by Jeph Loeb and art by Ed McGuinness. [image]
The action starts with Metallo & just accelerates in an extreme and really fun comic book way (non stop action and plot twist and turns!). Luther is one of my favorite villains and I loved the future Superman plot-line; when all the baddies show up as bounty hunters and Batman and Superman fight back to back; the Power Girl and Katana support; and the Batkids & Superkids coming in for the "rescue".
Absolute Power by Jeph Loeb was a little Injustice: Gods Among Us... Superman and Batman are pulled from theiRead as Absolute Superman/Batman, Vol. 2.
Absolute Power by Jeph Loeb was a little Injustice: Gods Among Us... Superman and Batman are pulled from their points of origin by these time-traveling future Metas, who raise them to rule the world (as a dictatorship team). There's a bit of a resistance that tries to go up against them (lead by Diana), and of course, during the last battle, they rip open time and space, which sends Superman and Batman along a wild ride of dimension-hopping where they keep getting killed and then sent on to another world. They (Supes & Bats) finally end up on a future Earth where Darkseid rules, and he and Metron help Batman and Superman get back to normal after more time jumping and alternate dimensions, etc. The time/world jumping should have been a lot of fun, but this story read like a weak Elseworld's book, with not enough of a world-building or solution (Darkseid somehow knows the world is messed up and gives Superman & Batman Boom Tube access to time-jump and fix it multiple times...) that really makes sense.
Oh man, With A Vengeance! by Jeph Loeb was such a bust. Six confusing issues that all tie up into a neat littRead as Absolute Superman/Batman, Vol. 2.
Oh man, With A Vengeance! by Jeph Loeb was such a bust. Six confusing issues that all tie up into a neat little "The Joker & Mister Mxyzptlk were playing a Fifth Dimension game of DC chess and messed with everyone. Don't worry, it wasn't real!". I hate those types of stories!! The only thing/s I liked about With A Vengeance!, was Bizzaro & Batzarro (The World's Worst Detective). I loved how Batzarro's speech bubbles and text boxes of inner dialogue were exactly the same, lol. And I really like the art by Ed McGuinness But that was it. ...more
The first story is a really doofy one where Clark, Lois, & Bruce are all on the same cruse together through the BermRead as Superman/Batman, Volume 3.
The first story is a really doofy one where Clark, Lois, & Bruce are all on the same cruse together through the Bermuda Triangle & somehow Bruce and Clark get stuck sharing the same cabin with only one bed available & I swear I've read Romance novels that use the same plot device. It might actually be the stupidest way I've ever seen Clark learn Batman's identity and Bruce learn Superman's identity... Because they have to suit-up onboard because the Triangle opens some kind of temporal hole and out comes the Crime Syndicate (evil versions of "Batman", "Superman" & "Wonder Woman")... And Deathstroke is also on the cruse (of course, cuz why not) with Bruce Wayne as his target. (And then the good version of Deathstroke pops out of the temporal hole & he's literally just Deadpool, wise cracking and ripping off his own arm to beat the Crime Syndicate over the head with it...). And then the issue ends with a billion text boxes on how the action is too epic and too crazy to show us & everything works out. The end. I think the story is supposed to be funny, but it's just cringe and eyerolls.
The next issue Nevermind, is a one off written by Mark Verheiden: an older Batman and Superman have their minds transported to Power Girl & Huntress and they need to get back to their bodies before their consciousnesses are erased forever. I found the art by Kevin Maguire to be fugly and booby & the story kinda skippable.
The Enemies Among Us by Mark Verheiden was a more interesting story-line, but written kinda stiffly. I liked the take-away at the end (of human and alien cooperation, of Batman and Superman being the model bffs to save the world), but it took a bit of time to get there and I was a little bored.
Altogether this volume gets a 2/2.5 from me :-/...more
I loveA Time Beyond Hope by Paul Levitz. I grew up on Batman Beyond (I <3 Terry McGinnis) so this was a well-wRead this as Superman/Batman, Volume 6.
I loveA Time Beyond Hope by Paul Levitz. I grew up on Batman Beyond (I <3 Terry McGinnis) so this was a well-written throwback for me. Of course, there's the sad inclusion of old, alone, and depressed Superman. :( I did like that old Luthor was the villain here & the K-drugs was a cool story! (Really interesting sub-plot about Superman being the Ghost & sending criminals off into the Phantom Zone. So cray that Mon-El is in there. I know him from the Supergirl TV show on CW! What's he doing in the Phantom Zone?!) Also, sweet (view spoiler)[to discover that Bruce is the one paying for Lois's flowers (hide spoiler)]. 4 stars.
Worship, Sacrifice, Assention, and Ressurection by Paul Levits were the weakest links in this book. It starts off in Worship with Superman destroying a hurtling asteroid in space. One rock that he tries to smash up surprisingly has kryptonite in it and knocks Superman out and he and the rock crash onto this planet, destroying a building or two. Superman gets up and tries to put things "back together", sorta, and then without a word of hello or goodbye (or miming an explanation), he's off. I dunno what Superman usually does in these scenarios, but not saying anything and flying off, feels...well, off. The people of this planet with the two destroyed buildings look pissed. Lex is, of course, spying on Superman with a super satellite in space, and wants to use this planet of angry people to turn them against Superman (for what purpose, I'm not sure). He invests Trillions of dollars in sending this planet goods and technology along with some "prophesy" that one day Superman will return (and he's evil and destructive, so prepare etc. & that they should harvest the kryptonite from the asteroid that fell so one day in the future they will get their chance to destroy Superman... *eyeroll* and that's it).
Anyway, while this is happening, Lois gets kidnapped by a Superman worshiping cult (also secretly controlled by Lex. Why? I dunno.) They want to burn Lois alive because she rebuffed Superman's romantic attentions and married Clark Kent instead. The Incel logic is hilariously ironic. Luckily, Batman heard Lois's signal while Superman was off-world & goes to save her from the fire. What I liked about this plotline: Luthor has a protocol called "Code Black" to enact whenever Batman is in Metropolis. Lex/Lexcorp cancels all criminal activities for 24 hours so Batman doesn't take an interest in him. <3 Also, he apparently trained Lois in martial arts?! <3 <3
What I hated about this plotline: Besides for the Incel sacrifice of Lois? -She's topless for the whole thing. When Lois was kidnapped she was wearing a white blouse and a suit (skirt and matching jacket). When she's tied up at the stake, her shirt is missing but she is still wearing her suit jacket (now over a bra). Who takes off a woman's jacket, removes her blouse, and then puts the jacket back on to burn someone alive??! ...Someone who wanted to draw Lois tied up at the stake in her bra, is who.
Anyway, Batman is looking for the cult and where they meet. He drops by an old synagogue first and I recognize the building from a tour I did of NYC's Lower East Side. The building is the former Adath Jeshurun of Jassy Synagogue on Rivington Street near Eldridge in Manhattan. The building is now apartments or lofts or whatever, and it's a little weird Levits (or Ordway?) includes this building in his story about a weird murderous crazy religious cult. Anyway.
Lex's whole thing is that he wants to be a god, where Superman is a false god. He goes through a lot of trouble prepping this world (with the two destroyed buildings) to hate Superman for what ends up being a two-second follow-up interaction where Superman goes back to the planet to check on the people he saved and they want him gone quick (armed with kryptonite spears etc.). That's it. That's all that happens. They drive him off, and that's when he discovers one of Lex's rockets in space delivering this word technological advancements beyond their time. Superman threatens Lex. Lex threatens Superman (that one day he'll get him, even if it takes a thousand years!), and in Ressurection we have a time-traveling kryptonite Lex clone from the future that goes back in time to kill Superman. The Legion of Super-Heroes time jump back and they fight the Lex/kryptonite monster and save an even younger Clark (Superboy) and Smallville from destruction. The end.
Eh. Two stars for the whole Worship, Sacrifice, Assention, and Ressurection thing. ...more
Big Noise was OK as a Superman/Batman team-up but felt it read more like an action story than a detective stRead as part of Superman/Batman, Volume 6.
Big Noise was OK as a Superman/Batman team-up but felt it read more like an action story than a detective story. (Though there was a little detecting on Bruce's part -his hunch that Anderson was out of character at the gala so he took a DNA sample. (ᗒ ᗨᗕ) Oh, Bats. You're so cray-cray, but also so right.). Which is totally fine. An action story is always fun, but I just thought the way the writing was set up here that Casey was trying to make it a blended Superman/Batman story. And while Superman and Batman were both in this, it was just an OK team-up. Does that make sense?
Anyway, the story was good, like a solid 3. Enjoyable, but nothing more or less....more
Issue #65 Sweet Dreams by Peter Johnson and Matt Cherniss was also super upsetting (in a powerful way), but I found the art to be incredibly distracting. It was FUGLY and inconsistent (there were a listed 5 artists who worked on it...), but I liked the idea of the story and the fears.
Issues #66 & #67 Night of the Cure was another good one, this time by Scott Kolins. I really like both Bizarro and Solomon Grundy as characters so it was a good story for me (even though I have to think really hard to read "in opposites").
Big Noise by Joe Casey was OK as a Superman/Batman team-up but felt it read more like an action story than a detective story. (Though there was a little detecting on Bruce's part -his hunch that Anderson was out of character at the gala so he took a DNA sample. (ᗒ ᗨᗕ) Oh, Bats. You're so cray-cray, but also so right.). Which is totally fine. An action story is always fun, but I just thought the way the writing was set up here that Casey was trying to make it a blended Superman/Batman story. And while Superman and Batman were both in this, it was just an OK team-up.
The story was good, like a solid 3. Enjoyable, but nothing more or less.
My favorite story of the volume (besides for the first two) was A Time Beyond Hope by Paul Levitz. I grew up on Batman Beyond (I <3 Terry McGinnis) so this was a well-written throwback for me. Of course, there's the sad inclusion of old, alone, and depressed Superman. :( I did like that old Luthor was the villain here & the K-drugs was a cool story! (Really interesting sub-plot about Superman being the Ghost & sending criminals off into the Phantom Zone. So cray that Mon-El is in there. I know him from the Supergirl TV show on CW! What's he doing in the Phantom Zone?!) Also, sweet (view spoiler)[to discover that Bruce is the one paying for Lois's flowers (hide spoiler)].
Worship, Sacrifice, Assention, and Ressurection by Paul Levits were the weakest links in this book. It starts off in Worship with Superman destroying a hurtling asteroid in space. One rock that he tries to smash up surprisingly has kryptonite in it and knocks Superman out and he and the rock crash onto this planet, destroying a building or two. Superman gets up and tries to put things "back together", sorta, and then without a word of hello or goodbye (or miming an explanation), he's off. I dunno what Superman usually does in these scenarios, but not saying anything and flying off, feels...well, off. The people of this planet with the two destroyed buildings look pissed. Lex is, of course, spying on Superman with a super satellite in space, and wants to use this planet of angry people to turn them against Superman (for what purpose, I'm not sure). He invests Trillions of dollars in sending this planet goods and technology along with some "prophesy" that one day Superman will return (and he's evil and destructive, so prepare etc. & that they should harvest the kryptonite from the asteroid that fell so one day in the future they will get their chance to destroy Superman... *eyeroll* and that's it).
Anyway, while this is happening, Lois gets kidnapped by a Superman worshiping cult (also secretly controlled by Lex. Why? I dunno.) They want to burn Lois alive because she rebuffed Superman's romantic attentions and married Clark Kent instead. The Incel logic is hilariously ironic. Luckily, Batman heard Lois's signal while Superman was off-world & goes to save her from the fire. What I liked about this plotline: Luthor has a protocol called "Code Black" to enact whenever Batman is in Metropolis. Lex/Lexcorp cancels all criminal activities for 24 hours so Batman doesn't take an interest in him. <3 Also, he apparently trained Lois in martial arts?! <3 <3
What I hated about this plotline: Besides for the Incel sacrifice of Lois? -She's topless for the whole thing. When Lois was kidnapped she was wearing a white blouse and a suit (skirt and matching jacket). When she's tied up at the stake, her shirt is missing but she is still wearing her suit jacket (now over a bra). Who takes off a woman's jacket, removes her blouse, and then puts the jacket back on to burn someone alive??! ...Someone who wanted to draw Lois tied up at the stake in her bra, is who.
Anyway, Batman is looking for the cult and where they meet. He drops by an old synagogue first and I recognize the building from a tour I did of NYC's Lower East Side. The building is the former Adath Jeshurun of Jassy Synagogue on Rivington Street near Eldridge in Manhattan. The building is now apartments or lofts or whatever, and it's a little weird Levits (or Ordway?) includes this building in his story about a weird murderous crazy religious cult. Anyway.
Lex's whole thing is that he wants to be a god, where Superman is a false god. He goes through a lot of trouble prepping this world (with the two destroyed buildings) to hate Superman for what ends up being a two-second follow-up interaction where Superman goes back to the planet to check on the people he saved and they want him gone quick (armed with kryptonite spears etc.). That's it. That's all that happens. They drive him off, and that's when he discovers one of Lex's rockets in space delivering this word technological advancements beyond their time. Superman threatens Lex. Lex threatens Superman (that one day he'll get him, even if it takes a thousand years!), and in Ressurection we have a time-traveling kryptonite Lex clone from the future that goes back in time to kill Superman. The Legion of Super-Heroes time jump back and they fight the Lex/kryptonite monster and save an even younger Clark (Superboy) and Smallville from destruction. The end.
Eh. Two stars for the whole Worship, Sacrifice, Assention, and Ressurection thing.
After Ressurection, the volume ends with a bunch of two-page one-offs to celebrate the 75th issue of Superman/Batman.
I loved the art and colors by Francis Manapul in Friendly Advice (It's the story of an awkward drama between Tim and Conner after Tim kissed Cassie when Conner was apparently dead?)
I surprisingly liked Night and Day by Michael Green & Mike Johnson. We get a one page follow up on our Li'l Leagures after their sad ending in Superman/Batman, Volume 5, which is now a HEA! (view spoiler)[Batman brought lil Superman home after he died in "the real word", but he was just sleeping! He didn't die! Yay! (hide spoiler)]
I also liked Eternal by David Finch. We see Conner (now Superman) and Damian (now, Batman) meet at a Superman & Batman memorial in the future as old men. There's strife there, but they put a pause on it to pay their respects.
But my favorite one was Joker and Lex by Azzarello and Bermejo, drawn like a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon. Joker is perfectly crazy and it's perfect.
Overall a much stronger volume than the previous ones. There are a lot of stories in this one, but I did pretty much enjoy them all.
The Fathers by MiOverall a much stronger volume than the previous ones. There are a lot of stories in this one, but I did pretty much enjoy them all.
The Fathers by Michael Green & Mike Johnson was fun. A little "wow, that's too coincidental, even for fiction", but still fun. (It was a little special in that this story Jor-El got to choose a new home for Kal & chose Earth after speaking with Thomas Wayne.)
Li'l Leagures by Michael Green & Mike Johnson was fun, but a little busy. Instead of focusing on the relationships between the full-sized "regular" heroes and the Li'l Leaguers (who were very cute), the story added too much by introducing the Li'l villains too. It then became a group story, and while it was fun/fine, it wasn't the best. The ending was pretty sad for a bunch of Li'l heroes whose tragic origin stories included Thomas & Martha Wayne *being pushed to the ground*, and Jor-El & Lana sending their baby away from *the great rains & getting wet*, this was pretty intense. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite are, as always, the worst.
Super/Bat also by Michael Green & Mike Johnson was enjoyable on the whole. It started off with Superman & Batman being BFFs, and Superman covering Gotham while Bruce Wayne is away in Metropolis, as BFFs do. ;) There's a two-page side by side of them in each other's respective cities, and I love those fun Superman/Batman juxtapositions. Honestly, that's why I love these stories. Anyway, there's a whole thing with a magic amulet and Silver Banchee (and of course Batman knows Gaelic!), and just like that Batman now has Superman's powers, leaving Superman powerless! The story was a cool "what if Batman had Superman's powers" Elseword's type story for a minute until we discover there are downsides to the amulet's magic & Batman is now a little cray-cray/out of control. He can't stop/won't stop. Not to eat or sleep, and he ends up fighting the whole JL because he's so driven/scary in the pursuit of stopping ALL crime and saving EVERYONE all the time everywhere. A manic Bat with superpowers is a scary thing. While it was a cool story, I would have liked to read the "what if" without the magical instability/mania & just seen Batman at work trying to control (and maybe hate) his newfound strength, instead of punching a hole through Bane & hurting Dick and Selina because he lost his mind. (Though, I kinda do love a Nightwing vs. Batman fight no matter how upsetting or hurtful. (● ´□` )♡)
Compound Fractures by Len Wein was kinda freaky/interesting. The origin of the Superman/Batman bastard monster was a little lame & the dialogue was kinda stilted throughout, but the idea that the weight of responsibility on Superman's and Batman's shoulders is so heavy -so painful -that it would drive someone crazy, makes an interesting story. (The split personality and the kidnappings of Lois and Robin were a bit unnecessary though.)
Nanopolis by Dan Abnett, andy Lanning, and Mike Johnson was fine/good. A little "saving an alien civilization", a little "Superman is in danger, Batman needs to save him". Pretty basic storyline, even though the premise (of being subatomic) was novel.
The art in Mash-Up by Francis Manapul is visually stunning & the story is one of my favorites of the volume: an action-y Batman & Superman trip to an "alternate dimension" where a mishmash of their heroes and villains exist. Sidekicked is a gory, creepy, and upsetting Arkham story with a Robin & Supergirl team-up. And Night & Day may be my favorite of them all: a Batman vs. Grodd story that's really 10x smarter than we all are.
Mix of authors and artists, but an overall 4.5-star rating. I really enjoyed this volume! First story Mash-Up by Michael Green and Mike Johnson is a fMix of authors and artists, but an overall 4.5-star rating. I really enjoyed this volume! First story Mash-Up by Michael Green and Mike Johnson is a fun Batman/Superman team-up in an "alternate dimension" (view spoiler)[really a dream by Dr. Destiny (hide spoiler)] where a mishmash of their heroes and villains exist. Visually, it's absolutely beautiful. 5 stars for Francis Manapul!
There was a lot of emotion in this volume! Michael Green and Mike Johnson did a fantastic job writing issues #60-#63: From Zatana's dream in Mash-Up, to the horrific murder-house that was Arkham Asylum in Sidekicked (so creepy & upsetting!), to the resistance Batman led against Grodd in Night & Day(view spoiler)[: The fact that it was Alfred dying that gets Batman kidnapped because his emotions are suddenly open to Grodd's psychic attack! :'(To Batman finally figuring out a Kryptonite antidote for Superman to return into Earth's atmosphere after YEARS of Grodd's control over all of Earth... BUT then it ALL being a Batcomputer SIMULATION! AHHH!! Too much! (hide spoiler)]. I thought the writing was really well done!
Issue #65 Sweet Dreams by Peter Johnson and Matt Cherniss was also super upsetting (in a powerful way), but I found the art to be incredibly distracting. It was FUGLY and inconsistent (there were a listed 5 artists who worked on it...), but I liked the idea of the story and the fears.
Issues #66 & #67 Night of the Cure was another good one, this time by Scott Kolins. I really like both Bizarro and Solomon Grundy as characters so it was a good story for me (even though I have to think really hard to read "in opposites").
Overall, 4.5 stars for this volume of short independent/self-standing Batman/Superman stories. ...more
The Fathers by Michael Green & Mike Johnson was fun. A little "wow, that's too coincidental, even for fiction", but Read as Superman/Batman, Volume 5.
The Fathers by Michael Green & Mike Johnson was fun. A little "wow, that's too coincidental, even for fiction", but still fun. (It was a little special in that this story Jor-El got to choose a new home for Kal & chose Earth after speaking with Thomas Wayne.)
Li'l Leagures by Michael Green & Mike Johnson was fun, but a little busy. Instead of focusing on the relationships between the full-sized "regular" heroes and the Li'l Leaguers (who were very cute), the story added too much by introducing the Li'l villains too. It then became a group story, and while it was fun/fine, it wasn't the best. The ending was pretty sad for a bunch of Li'l heroes whose tragic origin stories included Thomas & Martha Wayne *being pushed to the ground*, and Jor-El & Lana sending their baby away from *the great rains & getting wet*, this was pretty intense. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite are, as always, the worst.
Super/Bat also by Michael Green & Mike Johnson was enjoyable on the whole. It started off with Superman & Batman being BFFs, and Superman covering Gotham while Bruce Wayne is away in Metropolis, as BFFs do. ;) There's a two-page side by side of them in each other's respective cities, and I love those fun Superman/Batman juxtapositions. Honestly, that's why I love these stories. Anyway, there's a whole thing with a magic amulet and Silver Banchee (and of course Batman knows Gaelic!), and just like that Batman now has Superman's powers, leaving Superman powerless! The story was a cool "what if Batman had Superman's powers" Elseword's type story for a minute until we discover there are downsides to the amulet's magic & Batman is now a little cray-cray/out of control. He can't stop/won't stop. Not to eat or sleep, and he ends up fighting the whole JL because he's so driven/scary in the pursuit of stopping ALL crime and saving EVERYONE all the time everywhere. A manic Bat with superpowers is a scary thing. While it was a cool story, I would have liked to read the "what if" without the magical instability/mania & just seen Batman at work trying to control (and maybe hate) his newfound strength, instead of punching a hole through Bane & hurting Dick and Selina because he lost his mind. (Though, I kinda do love a Nightwing vs. Batman fight no matter how upsetting or hurtful. (● ´□` )♡)
Eh. 10/10 idea, but the execution read like a stilted 4/10. I'm actually surprised to see such high ratings here, as I thought the dialogue was super sEh. 10/10 idea, but the execution read like a stilted 4/10. I'm actually surprised to see such high ratings here, as I thought the dialogue was super stiff and 2D. Character-wise, Superman is singularly focused, Batman is silent and stalwart, and Lana Lang is an unsympathetic CEO who is presented as a weak character who can't think outside the box or make concessions for the sake of an old and good friend who happens to be the world's most important superhero (*eye roll*). She keeps a picture of her and Clark from their prom on her desk for crying out loud! But apparently LexCorp is more important to her than her relationships & morals. (view spoiler)[I can't believe she shot Kryptonite into the atmosphere! (hide spoiler)] Lame. Waller is her usual nasty self, but maybe a little weaker than usual if I'm going to pick apart every character in this volume. She was a bit too much of a caricature of evil, all, "We can watch Superman die," (pg. 101) mwah ha ha, and a lot less cunning than I usually like. Plus she did give in to Batman's demands pretty quickly at the end...
And I have to say, Batman and Superman "whoring out" of Power Girl to Hiro (aka: Toyman) in exchange for him to clean up the earth's atmosphere (view spoiler)[of K (hide spoiler)] with his robot spiders... ZERO STARS. Gross gross gross. (Even the offer from Batman of a "Power Girl" robot is obscene.) Negative stars.
Seriously, it's disgusting.
Plot-wise, I do like the adventure of Superman and Batman going around the world to gather all the Kryptonite, but I didn't love the side plot of the cursed K in issue #46 that turned everyone into cartoon characters (as seen by Clark), though the side-quest of Zatanna and Batman going to Dinosaur Island to get the cure was OK. And I thought the whole ending with the team of American super-soldiers protecting the government's stash of K (issues #47 & 48), with one of them holding on to a personal vendetta against Superman, and the other a sad Captain America turned Doomsday experiment, was eh. Again, I liked the idea more than the execution.
The only good parts of the volume are the opening with the Superman-Batman movie and the very last page with Batman (view spoiler)[and the Kryptonite (hide spoiler)]. Truly, the movie and Superman's teasing made the volume for me. I also liked Livewire's attack and Flash's (Wally) aid. I also loved the Alfred cameo (though he was kinda grumpy). (All from issue #44.) I would say this issue was the strongest of the volume, but even so, the characterization of Batman and Superman still read off. Like, Batman referring to catching a criminal and pinning him to a wall with baterangs as "fun" (pg. 24), and Superman referring to Kryptonite's existence/his weakness to Kryptonite as "embarrassing" (pg. 26).
Re, the very last page: SPOILERS BELOW. The very last page of the volume shows Batman with a collection of every color Kryptonite, just "in case." Which is super in-character, and the distress on his face is well drawn. (view spoiler)[
[image]
(hide spoiler)]
My favorite part of this volume was four pages in very beginning of Stop Me If You've Heard This One..." written by Joe Kelly. There's a fantastic sidMy favorite part of this volume was four pages in very beginning of Stop Me If You've Heard This One..." written by Joe Kelly. There's a fantastic side by side (from before Batman & Superman knew each other's identities) of Batman's case file and a news article/report written by Clark Kent on the same fight they were both there for & they are hilariously different an self-congratulatory. And then the art changes & there's this really doofy story where Clark, Lois, & Bruce are all on the same cruse together through the Bermuda Triangle & somehow Bruce and Clark get stuck sharing the same cabin with only one bed available & I swear I've read Romance novels that use the same plot device. It might actually be the stupidest way I've ever seen Clark learn Batman's identity and Bruce learn Superman's identity... Because they have to suit-up onboard because the Triangle opens some kind of temporal hole and out comes the Crime Syndicate (evil versions of "Batman", "Superman" & "Wonder Woman")... And Deathstroke is also on the cruse (of course, cuz why not) with Bruce Wayne as his target. (And then the good version of Deathstroke pops out of the temporal hole & he's literally just Deadpool, wise cracking and ripping off his own arm to beat the Crime Syndicate over the head with it...). And then the issue ends with a billion text boxes on how the action is too epic and too crazy to show us & everything works out. The end. I think the story is supposed to be funny, but it's just cringe and eyerolls.
The next issue Nevermind, is a one off written by Mark Verheiden: an older Batman and Superman have their minds transported to Power Girl & Huntress and they need to get back to their bodies before their consciousnesses are erased forever. I found the art by Kevin Maguire to be fugly and booby & the story kinda skippable.
The Enemies Among Us by Mark Verheiden was a more interesting story-line, but written kinda stiffly. I liked the take-away at the end (of human and alien cooperation, of Batman and Superman being the model bffs to save the world), but it took a bit of time to get there and I was a little bored.
I liked the last story Metal Men (written by Mark Verheiden & Marc Guggenheim and art by Pat Lee) the most out of this volume. The art was eh at parts (kinda sharp and ugly shadowing on some faces), but I liked the plot-line of Batman/Bruce Wayne having dangerous prototypes of weapons and machinery at Wayne Tech, and I liked the misguided (and kinda innocent) Metal Men. This last story seemed the most in-character & well done of this Superman/Batman volume.
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