Cover to Cover: Superman/Batman #'s 50, et al.

Welcome back to our look at the Superman/Batman series. ComiXology had a sale on the title a while ago, and I bought into many, many issues. We conclude the series with issues 50, 60-61, 63, 75 and 79-80. Here's the first part: #'s 20-25, 37-42
the second: #'s 44-49

Superman/Batman #50
"The Fathers"
By Green, Johnson et al.

The Justice League rebuilds Smallville from the ground up when Superman and Batman discover an old Kryptonian relic! The relic flashes them back to the times of Thomas Wayne and Jor-El, who meet each other due to Jor-El's probe. Jor-El asks Thomas Wayne if Earth would be a good place to send his son, and the two have a dialogue together.

It's a great sentiment to think that Thomas Wayne and Jor-El met before they died. That's what comic books are for after all, to imagine the unlikely. I'm glad I didn't pay 3.99 for this comic, but I'm glad that I did pay .99 cents for it.



Superman/Batman # 60-61
"Mash-Up"
by Green, Johnson and Manapul

This one is just wacky you guys. Superman and Batman wake up in a world where everything's mashed up -- the JUSTICE TITANS consists of Aquaborg, Night Lantern, Star Canary and Donna Wonder, among others.

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They figure out that it's Doctor Destiny attempting to place everyone in a dream state and controlling that dream world. With the help of the dream versions of Zatanna and Raven, they emerge from it free.

Obligatory shirtless Bruce Wayne:

It's a wholly standard comic book, but I got a lot of jollies from seeing all the mash-ups.

Superman/Batman #63
"Night and Day"
by Green, Johnson and Albuquerque

Oh man you guys. I should've gotten this issue when it came out. Every time Albuquerque gets on this title it's a hit. In #62 he pencilled Supergirl and Robin taking on Arkham Asylum, and in this issue he imagines a dystopia in which Gorilla Grodd controls the world! After murdering all the other heroes and creating an atmosphere of synthetic Kryptonite on Earth, Batman is the only remaining super hero.

The emotions are so intense, Batman has never been grimmer! By the end, Grodd is about to have a public execution for Batman -- but at the very last moment, Superman returns, because Batman found the antidote for the synthetic Krypton! Together, the two subdue Grodd and re-inspire the people to think freely. It's an amazing one-shot and an amazing comic book.

On the last page we find out that this is just one of many simulations that Batman performs, preparing for every possibility and eventuality. This is what Batman does in his spare time.

Superman/Batman #75
by lots and lots of people

This one's an anthology book! The main story features the Legion of superheroes, which has its moments, but doesn't really appeal to me. The rest of the comic is two-page stories from a slew of creators!

Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo take on Lex and Joker with a Calvin & Hobbes jive!

Duncan Rouleau sizes up Krypto the Superdog against Ace the Bathound!

This one made me really happy to see. Green and Johnson, with Albuquerque, follow up on their story from issues #51 and 52. It turns out lil' Superman didn't die! He's only sleeping!

What a delightful comic book.


Superman/Batman #79-80
"World's Finest"
by Chris Roberson and Jesus Merino

So Epoch, this time-travel-dude goes back to the 1970s in order to conquer Earth and whatnot. He encases Superman and Batman in an "omega barrier," which is like a black hole in a cube, and so the two must stop him! It's a great comic book that really plays up the pseudo-science of the silver age and mixes it up with actual science. I love how Batman matter-of-factly assumes that Robin would know about Hawking Radiation.

Chris Sims has a wonderful write-up on the metafictional aspects of this story. In his attempts to control the world, Epoch always returns to a past era of the comic books -- for a man with so much knowledge and technology, he could go anywhere he wanted, but he stays stuck in this one mindset and refuses to accept other possibilities.

It's a comic that glorifies the stories of the past, but, at the same time, hopes for the stories of the future.