Exposing Strengths and Weaknesses: Batman/Superman Annual #2

The following is my review of Batman/Superman Annual #2, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

There aren't a whole lot of things from the 1930s that are still around in their original form. Phones have gotten more advanced, cars have gotten more efficient, and polio is not nearly the concern it once was. But of the few things that have endured from that time of jazz, vaudeville, and economic stagnation, the most memorable constant that doesn't involve an FDR speech is still Superman.

Across generations and multiple wars, both hot and cold, we all know what Superman stands for. He is the embodiment of an ideal. He stands for truth, justice, and the American way before the American way became associated with drone strikes and bank bailouts. He might be the most powerful being in the world, capable of moving planets and winning a fight with Lex Luthor by sneezing. But he still always does the right thing, using his power to help people. It's the way we wish presidents, dictators, and prime minsters would behave. Most of them fail, but Superman still embodies the idea that power doesn't shouldn't keep people from doing the right thing.

So what if he didn't have that power? Could he still help people? Could he do so without being outwitted and overpowered in a way that most would experience if they challenged Chuck Norris to a cage fight? Those are all questions that Batman/Superman #2 Annual attempts to answer and it certainly is a question that's worth answering. Because if Superman can only do what he needs to do because of his powers, then that undermines his credibility in the same way Bruce Wayne being a lousy tipper would undermine his.

And that answer ends up making for an entertaining, action-packed struggle that once again shows that Superman's greatest strengths don't lie with his powers. He doesn't just prove it to those he's trying to help either. He also proves it to Batman. And when Batman is convinced of something, the argument is over. Even a creationist wouldn't deny it at that point.

What makes this struggle so entertaining is that it doesn't just put Superman in a position where he has to save the day without using his powers. It doesn't involve him stopping an armed robber, getting a cat down from a tree, or helping an old lady across the street. He has to battle the likes of Bane, Killer Corc, Cheshire, and an army of Man-Bats. These are the sorts of battles that Batman might be used to fighting during his summer vacation, but it's new to Superman. Even so, he finds a way to rise to the challenge.

The setup is pretty straight-forward. The Phantom King forces Superman to use his newly discovered solar flare power to save a city that had been devastated by Doomsday. This makes him vulnerable and since the Phantom King is still stuck in the Phantom Zone, he enlists some of Batman's cast-offs to finish Superman off while he's vulnerable. From a purely strategic point of view, it's actually pretty brilliant. De-power Superman and then have him face the kind of thugs that give Batman trouble. Because if they can annoy Batman, they're perfectly capable of maiming 99 percent of non-powered individuals.

But Superman proves he's part of that tiny one percent that can handle himself without powers. And he does this while Batman keeps trying to take care of the situation himself. Whereas most are content to let Batman do what he does bast, Superman still seeks to help and he seeks to do it as Clark Kent and not Superman. It's one of those rare instances where the strength of Clark Kent and the strength of Superman are really one in the same. It is possible for him to save the day without having to move planets or bend the laws of physics. And unlike Batman, he does it in a way non-brooding, non-Christopher Nolan manner.

At no point in the struggle does Clark Kent show any fear or hesitation to participate in this battle. Even though he's as vulnerable as any unlucky tourist that ended up on the wrong side of downtown Detroit, he still carries himself with the strength of Superman. He does this even when Batman attempts to restrain him for his own safety. It's a very unfamiliar and pretty humorous take on Superman. It would be like Adam Sandler attending the Oscars.

Moments like this help highlight the unique dynamic between Batman and Superman. Usually it's Superman who has to do the heavy hitting in a struggle. This time Batman has to play that role and he plays it in a way that would make Christian Bale proud. But in the end, he still needs Superman's help to finish the job. And this is what leads to the most defining moment of this story.

It's not enough for Batman/Superman Annual #2 to explore Superman's strengths, even in the absence of his powers. There have been stories about that since the Great Depression. The main strength of this story comes from revealing Superman's greatest weakness and this time it doesn't involve a glowing green rock. Even though Batman and Superman win the main battle, the Phantom King still wins the war. He does this in a way that plays to one of Superman's most admirable traits. He trusts people.

It's not a weakness in and of itself. We all need to trust others to some degree. Even Ayan Rand had to trust that her books wouldn't become fodder for political attack ads, as misplaced as it may have been. But it's a weakness that's exposed in the worst possible way for Superman. It's a weakness that the Phantom King exploits at the perfect moment when it seems as though Superman once again proved that he can be Superman without his powers. It provides an ending that has just the right impact after a battle that struck just the right balance.

Like the final play of this year's Superbowl, Batman/Superman Annual #2 gave a thrilling ending that will thrill some and horrify others. And this time, it isn't just the city of Seattle that's horrified. The questions surrounding whether Superman can be who he is without his powers are all neatly answered. But the answer isn't as comfortable as some probably wish it were. At the end of the day, doing the right thing for the right reasons is a great power to have. But not being bulletproof means it's a lot easier for the wrong people to ruin your day.

Final Score: 10 out of 10

The Final Boss: Batman/Superman #7

The following is my review of Batman/Superman #7, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Generations of blood sports and media violence has petrified the overly conservative crowd about the effects it has had on youth. Every now and then, one of these overly conservative cronies will whine loud enough to get the attention of politicians and pundits. They’ll try to argue that violence in the media serves no purpose. They’ll come off as doomsayers that claim everyone who partakes will become overgrown crack babies who regard human life with the same disdain as they regard pixilated images of Nazis. It’s like they don’t even consider that this brand of media can actually have a positive effect.

In Batman/Superman #7, the whining and complaining of the talking heads has taken form and substance. Mongul has created a massive network of professional gamers to wage war on the scale he desires. That network has forced Batman and Superman to fight each other in a unique and sometimes off-beat way. There’s no heated rivalry or intense philosophical disagreements. They’re just at the mercy of Mongul’s gaming hive-mind and with help from Toymaster, they might as well have joysticks wired into their spines.

This battle between Superman and Batman has been novel and laced with a special brand of satire, portraying the professional gamers that unknowingly have control of the two most powerful heroes in the DC Universe as disconnected and cynical. But as the battle plays out, it takes on a very different tone. Like playing a game of poker with a known cheater, Superman and Batman understand that they can’t win if they play by the rules. But this is where one of the unstated positives of media violence and gaming can have.

Experienced gamers are a lot like movie buffs who have seen one too many horror movies use the same formula. They pick up on the subtle signs and patters that let them know when something isn’t what it seems. In a horror movie, it may be that cute, innocent-looking girl that the masked killer is chasing and can’t seem to kill. That girl usually turns out to be the sister, girlfriend, or relative of the killer. Or it could be more elaborate than that. She could be a wizard, a psychic, or half-vampire. But experienced horror movie fans will know that something is different about her. And Mongul doesn’t seem to think that the professional gamers he’s exploiting will notice that something is very wrong with this game.

Jimmy Olsen, Superman’s pal, is the first to notice. Then Superman himself picks up on it. While he may not be much of a gamer, he understands them enough to know they don’t appreciate being exploited. So in the same way child stars don’t appreciate being exploited by their parents, they get upset and lash out against the one that’s pulling the strings. And unlike the parents of child stars, the secret villains in a video game don’t have lawyers and contracts to hide behind. Superman needs only to reveal the hidden boss to the gamers and they can take it from there.

He does this by exploiting the rules of gaming itself, allowing himself to be defeated so that he can become a player himself. This allows him to become part of the hive that Mongul is trying to exploit. But exploiting Superman is like trying to scam the Mafia. It doesn’t turn out well. By turning the game against Mongul, he strips away the more satirical tone of the story and exposes some traits about gaming that will probably never be discussed on a segment on Fox News. Gamers may become desensitized by the destruction and bloodshed of certain kinds of imagery, but they’ll never be desensitized to the satisfaction of beating up on the final boss. From Mario to Mortal Kombat, it’s what many gamers live for. And Superman makes it even more of an experience in the final battle.

In the same way the story is told through the point of view of the gamers, the gamers also get to experience the battle through Superman. It’s an experience that can never be conveyed with words or pictures. By actually playing through Superman, the gamers get to be the embodiment of good that he idealizes. It’s turns the game from a spectacle to an opportunity. In any other circumstance, it would be overwhelming to be Superman. But in the context of a game, it’s not just possible. It conveys a special kind of thrill. It shows that as much as games can allow people to exercise their worst traits, it can also help them exercise their best traits. It’s a two-way street that for which only one direction gets most of the traffic. And in this case, it helps save the day almost as much as Superman and Batman.

The overarching theme of this arc has been pretty erratic. At times, it’s too erratic and difficult to follow. But taken as a whole, it is a theme that resonates in a unique way. The only thing that keeps it from resonating more is the lack of a personal touch. There is an effort to take Toymaster’s female associate and give her more of a personal role in the outcome of the story. But it seems out-of-place and underdeveloped.

Batman/Superman #7 never came off as a story where the outcome was in doubt. Like so many other stories about DC’s mightiest heroes, they find a way to defeat the powerful villains that plot against them. But it’s the unique manner in which Superman and Batman defeated Mongul that makes it satisfying. It did not follow a traditional path. It took the concept of gaming and made what could have been just another battle against an unruly space tyrant into a spectacle. It won’t overwhelm anybody with melodrama or suspense, but it is still entertaining and insightful. It reminds everybody that video games are as close to being Superman and Batman as they’re ever going to get.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

Satirical Muscle: Batman/Superman #6

The following is my review of Batman/Superman #6, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

It’s a story that has played out many times and in many different forms. A powerful alien tyrant less regard for human life than a hungry grizzly bear arrives on Earth and picks a fight with its mightiest heroes. Those heroes fight back, punches are thrown, buildings are destroyed, human life is threatened, and eventually the hero triumphs. It is a theme so common that modern audiences have become desensitized to it. In the same way news of Lindsey Lohan’s latest arrest fails to raise an eyebrow, a battle between Superman and the alien overlord, Mongul, is hardly a novel concept. However, that’s exactly the point that is conveyed in Batman/Superman #6.

Batman and Superman are two of the most powerful forces in DC Comics. They’ve been the subject of numerous epic battles and multiple blockbuster movies. The residents of the DC Universe have seen these two triumph so many times that it has become expected. So when Mongul arrives on Earth, some don’t even treat it as a threat. They treat it as a game. And that’s exactly the genius of Mongul’s plan. He wants it to be thought of as a game because to him, it is a game. He’s just the only one playing for real stakes.

The battle between Mongul, Batman, and Superman is almost secondary. Much of the story is told from the point of view of a team of virtual gamers, including Superman’s friend, Jimmy Olsen. They have been led to believe by Toymaster that they are test driving an advanced game that just happens to involve Superman and Batman fighting Mongul. But neither they, nor Toymaster for that matter, know that one of Mongul’s alien associates helped create the game using alien nanotechnology. This allows the gamers to influence Superman and Batman, something that Lex Luthor and the Joker have failed to do on more than one occasion. It creates a very difficult situation for two of the Earth’s mightiest heroes, but it also creates an interesting narrative that’s downright coy at times.

There’s a sort of superimposed satire surrounding the story. As Batman and Superman are fighting to defeat Mongul and protect innocent people, the gamers treat it as trivial. The finer details of the struggle are greeted with a yawn. They’re like those annoying commercials in a recorded TV show that everyone loves to skip. It undermines the actual struggle, taking away from the seriousness of the situation. It would be like mixing coverage of a terrorist attack with a game show and therein lies strength of the story.

Even after Jimmy Olson realizes that the game he thinks he’s playing is actually happening, Mongul and Toymaster still treat it as such. Like a showman at a demolition derby preying on peoples’ appetite for destruction, drawing in other gamers from all over the world and using their collective skills to manipulate Batman and Superman into playing his game. It’s one thing to overcome the mind control of Lex Luthor and the Joker when they’re attempting to twist their enemies into submission. At least the strings that connect to the puppet-master are still visible. In this instance, those strings extend to computer networks all over the world where gamers treat the virtual world as their own personal shooting range.

Without this perspective, it’s just another battle between Superman, Batman, and an ugly alien overlord. It would have a much different impact. Moments like Batman apparently dying might actually be shocking on some levels. But in the context of this story, it’s no different than watching Mario fall of a cliff in a level of Super Mario Brothers. That satirical trivialization of the struggle and the lives involved are what gives this story a different kind of depth. It’s not meant to be overly serious. At the same time, it has some distressing connotations.

At times, however, it’s too trivial. Putting Batman and Superman in a video game where they have to fight Mongul undermines the struggle or any personal story that the characters have. There’s plenty of insight into how Batman and Superman feel about their situation. But it basically amounts to them acting like narrators of their own story. They can’t control themselves because of the influence of Mongul’s game. There’s not much to be gained from that from a characterization standpoint. It’s almost a given that whatever happens to Batman and Superman will have as much lasting impact as a reset button on a real game console.

That doesn’t make the story any less enjoyable. Batman/Superman #6 doesn’t pretend to have a lot of drama or character growth. It’s a story built on a foundation of satire and irony. These gamers who are the source of the conflict are so desensitized to violence and danger that they don’t know that they’re putting the whole planet in danger. There’s something to be said about the attitudes of gamers when they can’t tell the difference between real violence and actual violence, but to be fair they are dealing with alien technology and they don’t know that they’re being deceived. However, that only makes them as innocent as the same people who fall for get rich quick schemes. It’s a game that really is too good to be true in the same way most money-making schemes are too good to be true.

In the end the story in Batman/Superman #6 won’t have much impact outside its entertainment value. Fans won’t be any more shocked, outraged, or disappointed than they were before this comic came out. And the breadth of this story is limited, as is the case with all satire. But it does make for a novel plot from a novel perspective. In an era where everything is a reboot, remake, or sequel, that goes a long ways towards making this story uniquely enjoyable.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

Batman/Superman #74 - Barely Awesome and Excessively Anti-Climactic

For the past few months, it seems like I've been giving DC a free pass. While I'm quick to point out the mistakes Marvel makes in their books, whenever I review a DC comic I sound like a cheerleader on a perfect balance of crystal meth and ecstasy. Between Brightest Day, Blackest Night, Superman, and Batman Beyond I've sung all sorts of praises. They've been pretty extreme depending on how much tequila is in my system at the time. But just because DC is clawing it's way back into my heart, that doesn't mean they're incapable of throwing a few shit bombs my way.

A month ago I reviewed the previous issue aptly titled of all things, Batman/Superman #73, and I really enjoyed it. There was plenty of awesome to celebrate between the action, the drama, and the blasphemous undertones of religious cults. In the middle of it all there was still Lex Luthor being his usual egotistical self. His plot to become a real god in the eyes of an alien race just has so much room for awesome. It's hard to imagine a bigger dick-measuring douche-bag in the annuls of comics, but that's why we love Lex. Between him and the way Batman and Superman take him on, it had everything a fan could want in a comic. Now enter Batman/Superman #74. Does it follow up? Well I would say that's a tricky question, but after reading the comic it's about as complicated as a Michael Bay film minus hot women, giant robots, and explosions.

It starts off with plenty of promise. It picks right up with Lex, who has been shuttling technology and civilization to an alien planet he intents to call Lexor (yet another giant stroking of his ego), is looking over his latest launch. The project for him is almost over. He's almost ready to take his rightful place on the planet as their god. There he won't have to play second largest dick to anyone. Nobody will question him or his ego. He'll get all the adoration he wants. It's essentially what every politician/tyrant has wet dreams about.

Of course, there is a potential hiccup in this otherwise flawless plan of his. Luthor's ego may be perfectly excessive, but his shit still stinks like everybody else's and that means he's prone to leave loose ends. In the previous issue he had been secretly running a cult of demented Superman worshipers. Like all cults it had some serious fucked up elements like this little tidbit about human sacrifice and getting messages from this pretty orange globe. It makes about as much sense as any cult, but the fact that Luthor was behind it sets it apart from any would be Scientology knock-off. As such, Superman took down the cult and that glowing ball called Visionary and now he's onto him. Knowing his giant ego isn't as strong as a tiny rock of kryptonite, Lex knows he's treading shit in his ship of monomaniacal madness.

His solution is to keep Batman and Superman busy until he finishes his plan. It's not a terribly elaborate plan worthy of his genius, but it's perfectly reasonable. If they're too busy they can't stop him. And he's smart enough to know that the best way in his mind to stop Batman is to piss in his own pool in Gotham, setting up a few miniature crime waves in the areas that most concern him. Granted this is like pointing at the devil's dick and laughing, but Lex doesn't care. He has the stones to risk something like this and in hindsight it does sound pretty stupid.

Batman does not take the crime wave lying down. While Lex is masterbating his ego, he's taking down the thugs that have suddenly swarmed over the infamous Crime Alley in Gotham. Yeah, it's the same Crime Alley where Bruce's parents were killed. If you thought Lex's scrotum couldn't swell any further, prepare to stand corrected. It may be a dick move, but on the surface it still works.

But this is fucking Batman we're talking about. He's the world's greatest freakin' detective. Even a half-brained retard could figure out something is seriously wrong for all this random crime to pop up out of nowhere. For a guy who routinely exposes the madness of the Joker and Ras Al-Goul, it's the equivalent to seeing a giant purple elephant walk in front of him and take a gigantic shit. It doesn't take long before Batman starts interrogating these punks and anyone who knows anything about Batman's interrogation tactics understands that if the Dark Knight has you by the balls, you're fucking talking. There's no way around it.

While Batman is doing the detective work, Superman is doing the heavy traveling. After his encounter with the Visionary in the last issue, he learns about the planet from which this fucked up cult is coming from and investigates. To his surprise he isn't greeted with the usual praise and flashing boobs that he's used to. The second he sets foot on this planet, they fucking hate him as if he's Scott Norwood walking through the city of Buffalo. They don't just throw shit at him. They throw fucking kryptonite at him. As strong as Superman is, he gets the message. These people hate his guts and like all religious wackos, there's no reasoning with them.

While Superman is getting taken down a peg by an insane cult, Batman is working his way up the food chain as he looks for answers. He soon finds his way to a stereotypical thug in a suit because if there's one ultimate truth in this world, it's that the masterminds behind the crime always dress nicely. They essentially look the same as the executives for BP. It's not very elaborate or very exciting. It becomes painfully predictable in the sense you know this guy is going to tell Batman what he knows and when he does he'll be able to connect the dots to Lex. In that sense it's not much of a mystery. A grade level word search is more complicated than this shit.

Batman isn't the only one getting answers either. Remember that space probe Lex launched on the very first page? Well it made it to the planet, but waiting for it was Superman. He was off the planet just investigating it from afar with his super vision, picking up on all the blatant clues that someone like Lex was behind this. Then out of the infinite extent of the cosmos that probe just happens to pass right by him and with the same effort he would give to opening a sardine can, he pries open the probe. And wouldn't you know it? There's a big old Lexcorp logo on it. So Lex is genius enough to put together this Andromeda project and advance a civilization centuries in such a brief period of time, but he's not smart enough to take his fucking name off the equipment? If your bullshit sense doesn't go into overdrive and you need to dunk your head in hot water to calm it down, then get an MRI because your bullshit sense must have a malignant tumor to miss the problems with that.

So Batman now knows the truth and so does Superman. Lex's piss poor plan to keep them occupied fell apart like a house made out of peanut butter. And this guy's supposed to be a genius? Right, and I invented spray cheese in a can. The first thing that happens is Batman breaks into his office and tells him to lay off Gotham. He doesn't interrogate him or fuck him up as he would any other criminal. He just tells him to stay out of Gotham. I don't get it either. Maybe he's afraid that giant ego of Luthor's will crush him, but he flat out leaves before probing any deeper. Since when does Batman only go halfway? Has he suddenly become the Bush Administration? It's fucked up in a way that shouldn't be fucked up.

Then it's Superman's turn. He shows up outside the window that Batman just broke and reveals to Lex that he knows what he's been up to. He even shows him the Lexcorp chip that he found. It's the kind of evidence that may finally dent that massive ego of his. But Lex always has a failsafe it seems. He pushes a little button on his coat and boom, the chip explodes. The evidence is gone and Superman is back at square one. This should set the stage for a much bigger confrontation, right? You know, the kind of Superman/Lex battle that has made these comics awesome for nearly a century?

Actually, that doesn't happen. In fact, it isn't even set up to happen. As soon as the chip explodes, Superman just tells Lex he set up a camera to watch over the world he's trying to corrupt and if he sends any more rockets to it he'll just direct them right back towards his ass. That's it. That's all he does to end this conflict. He just threatens Lex, tells him his plan is over, and that's it. If the words "What the fuck?" didn't cross your mind, get yourself another MRI. This is supposed to be a Batman/Superman comic! It became successful with shit like that! And now it's ending with Lex pitching a hissy fit and Superman just brushing it off? Compared to how good the last issue was, it's like having a one-night-stand with the hottest chick on the planet and waking up to find that she stole all your shit and lit your house on fire. It's a piss poor way to end a story and it ruins what could have been a great battle.

To say this issue disappointed me would be an understatement. I was so intrigued by the story about a madman trying to make himself a god in the eyes of an ignorant alien world and a cult that worshiped Superman. Now the story ends and it's like getting explosive diarrhea after eating what you thought was a great meal. The lack of an epic struggle and practically no action when all the ingredients were in place just completely kill the story. I understand that not every issue can have a Doomsday style battle. Some issues actually work better without it, but given how this one was set up it has no excuses. It didn't just trip over itself, it threw itself off a cliff and landed head first on a slab of granite.

Besides Luthor's usual ego trip, there isn't much redeeming value for this book. It's a disappointing turn in an otherwise promising story. Batman/Superman has often been a hit-or-miss comic since Jeph Loeb left the title and it's safe to say that this issue was a total miss. That's why I give it a 1.5 out of 5. It really did fall short of damn near every expectation and failed to follow through on all the great ideas that were set up. It's a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare. A great idea is killed by a single issue. Excuse me while I go wipe he tears from my eyes and renew my Prozac prescription.

Batman/Superman #73 - Awesome Worthy of Worship

Here we go again. DC has once again sunk their greedy claws into me by dangling the metaphorical carrot of awesome in front of me. They've hit a string of grand slams with Blackest Night and Brightest day and because of it, I'm adding more and more DC comics to my pull list. It's like quitting smoking, but then taking a casual drag from a friend on a whim and the next thing I know I'm knocking over 7/11s at two in the morning for a fresh pack. It's been a while since I picked up Batman/Superman, but after the radiant awesome of Superman #700 and the engaging stories of Brightest day I just couldn't resist taking a peak. I haven't been into Batman/Superman since the Jeph Loeb era and for good reason. A lot of the stories after it have been about as promising as Tiger Woods's wedding vows. Now I've taken another look and I'm glad I did because the sheer awesome that Superman has been towing lately cannot be understated.

The issue starts off in a way similar to that of Superman #700, but not too similar. Lois Lane is in trouble again. Yeah, I know. That's about as new as the invention of the wheel. But it's a different kind of trouble this time. She's not just caught up in some supervillain's agenda. She's been kidnapped by a crazy cult who for reasons that are perfectly rational to any major religion, wants to sacrifice her to Superman. I don't get it either, but the sad thing is that's probably not the craziest thing a cult has done.


It's an interesting premise. Superman has been such an inspiration over the years, you're left wondering why some freaky religious cult didn't develop sooner. Take anything that extreme and somebody is bound to make a religion of it. As is often the case, the religion drinks heavily from the well of the irrational and human sacrifice is about as reasonable as burning incense to appease the volcano gods. Unfortunately for these guys, Lois Lane isn't a helpless damsel. She's married to Superman for a reason and as such she's not to be fucked with.


She puts up a good fight and the freaky cult leaders are left with wounded spirits, hurt pride, and a few critical injuries that are sure to earn favor with the sadomasochistic mercy gods. But she still needs saving and usually this is where Superman would swoop in and begin mass castrations for those who tried to burn his wife at the stake. But oddly enough, it isn't the Man of Steel that saves her. It's the Dark Knight. This is Batman/Superman after all so why shouldn't Batman get some screen time to kick a little ass?


He ends up doing more than that though. His next task is to interrogate one of the cult members to get some information. And anybody who knows anything about Batman's interrogation methods knows that the unfortunate victim is usually willing to suck Satan's greasy cock after just a few minutes of having a little chat with the Dark Knight.

While this poor soul is getting the fear of God shoved into his ass, Lex Luthor is at it again. Anytime someone is being worshiped as a god that isn't him, he's going to get involved. It stands to reason that if Luthor ever met the almighty himself, he would challenge him to a dick measuring contest and stretch his cock to the ends of the universe in order to win. So naturally he's going to try and one-up Superman by becoming a god in his own right. To do this he's working on a gateway to a planet that he's trying to psychologically manipulate. He wants the inhabitants to worship him as a god. When it comes to ego, Lex Luthor never does anything half-assed.


While Luthor is stroking his rock hard boner of an ego, Batman continues to interrogate the unlucky soul he subdued. Then Superman enters the picture and helps move things along, interrogating the man as anyone would for someone who just tried to kill their wife. It goes without saying that the man sang like Celine Dion. Apparently, these devout religious folk got their cues from something called the Visionary. As a means of showing devotion, it instructed the cult to sacrifice Lois Lane. I don't get it either, but it makes about as much sense as 90 percent of the bible so it's still perfectly rational in that sense. How sad is that?


With this information, Batman and Superman begin their investigation. It's like a good old fashioned mystery novel, only with more men in tights and aliens who look human. But their investigation is pretty standard. Both heroes look for answers as anyone would expect, which is admittedly pretty bland. But remarkably enough, they fall behind the one key player who doesn't have superpowers or three billion dollars of crime fighting gear. Yep, I'm talking about Lois freakin' Lane and for once she does more than just get captured and rescued.

She goes old school on the heroes, relying instead on being a kick-ass reporter who happens to have more integrity than 99 percent of the media. In other words, Fox News wouldn't hire her even if she had gold tits that spewed oil. She looks further into the man that was interrogated. Her reasoning is so profound that every religion cowers before such logic. Follow the money. It shows that while Lois Lane may always be a damsel in some ways, she knows how to do her part in the superhero business.


While answers are coming in for Lois, Lex Luthor is still working on his megalomaniac plan to become god to an entire planet. In other words, it's a pretty average Wednesday night for him. He's preparing to demonstrate technology to this planet, using simple machines that to an unenlightened mind would be more mind-blowing than a shot of LSD mixed with tequila. Lex is surprisingly articulate as he orders his minions around, making sure he's miles above them at all times in terms of authority and ballsiness. One has to worry for the planet he's about to seduce because his first divine commandment will probably be "Thoust shalt not have bigger balls than the almighty."


While this blasphemous project is going on, Superman and Lois arrive at a location that she uncovered and meet up with Batman. It turns out good old fashioned reporting does trump superpowers at times because they end up barging in on yet another freaky ritual with the Superman cult. They find out that this Visionary isn't a person that got one too many hugs from his priest as a boy. It's a glowing ball of energy. Again, in terms of cults that's perfectly reasonable. And like any religious visionary, the thing is still spouting nonsense about sacrificing Lois Lane. That's like worshipping God by breaking all his commandments and having butt sex with the devil. Even the Taliban would call that pretty fucked up.

Superman tries to set things right. He does what the movie Ghostbusters specifically teaches men not to do, which is to deny that they are god when one asks them if they are. He stands in front of the cult and says he's not god and that Visionary is just a technological trick. Granted, religion has never been good at keeping pace with science, but it's a harsh reality that they have to accept. Superman is okay with any praise, but the last thing he wants is a cult tolerant of human sacrifice in his name.


He goes onto lecture about how fucked up they are to join a cult as batshit as this. But before his lesson sinks in that Visionary ball gets unstable and by unstable I mean ready to unleash enough explosive force to burn the flesh off the bones of anyone in a two mile radius. Superman does what he does best, trying to grab the Visionary and fly it up into the sky where it won't harm anybody. It takes some doing, but Superman does blow the fire out like a big birthday candle. All the while the cult members are still urging him to save them even after he specifically said he wasn't a god. I suppose that means being a good listener wasn't a lesson taught by this cult. Again, in terms of most ordinary religions it's pretty typical.


Even though the Visionary is snuffed out, there are still plenty of questions left unanswered. The fire blob was just a trick of technology and like all technology it needs someone to operate it. The only question is who and to any reader with three quarters of a brain, the answer is pretty clear. This is where the plot with Lex Luthor ties into the plot with Batman and Superman. It's a perfect merging at the end, revealing that Luthor was behind the cult. It seems like this was just a proving ground, a test for when he takes the next step with the target planet. In terms of plotting, this is pretty damn brilliant and Luthor. He may be a madman, but he knows how to go the extra mile.


It's a solid end to a solid comic, setting things up for another pivotal issue. It lures the reader in like that first hit of crack and it's a great jumping on point for those looking to get back into this series. I certainly enjoyed it. It's not nearly as emotional and profound as Superman #700, but it does everything a reader could want in a Batman/Superman comic. It isn't without it's faults. At times the art is a little inconsistent. The colors are poor so are the details. In addition the action is a little weak at times. It feels as though it could have been drawn out more, but for what it's worth it most certainly got the job done.

This is another awesome comic that is doing even more to rekindle my love for the Man of Steel. It's not the flawless masterpiece that Superman #700 was, but it's still pretty damn awesome. This comic gets a 4.5 out of 5 and a very enthusiastic recommendation for anybody with any level of appreciation for awesome comics. It's official! I'm back on the Batman/Superman bandwagon and eagerly await for my next hit in Batman/Superman #74! Nuff said.