Now then, enough with the blathering. Today I'm going to review something which is pretty recent, something I really liked the first time I read it, and can't put it down whenever I re-read it. Obviously something like this has gotta be pretty damn good, and I can't see I've seen anyone ever comment on this tale, so I'll let myself be the first person I've seen to have a crack at writing a review on this comic.
And what is it, you may pray tell? Well, it is Superman | Batman : The Search For Kryptonite aka issues 44-49 of Superman/Batman, written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson, pencilled by Shane Davis, inked by Mike "Batt" Banning, coloured by Alex Sinclair and Pete Pantazis, and lettered by Rob Leigh. (Yes, I am going to do that for every review I do, even small ones, but it wouldn't be right to not give full credit to the ever changing staff who make these wonderous little things. Thank you one and all, including everyone I can't name, like editors, printers, publishers, adminers, coffee stirrers and everyone else involved in this wonderous industry. You make my life a brighter and gaudier place to live in).
This tale begins brilliantly - a humerous take on the film industry making a comic book film (how appropriate considering my line of work), an incredibly stupid origin of Batman and the worst actor I've seen since, well, ever... After that, the main premise behind the story takes hold, and, addresses a key point of comics that's become especially blatant with Smallville: "Kryptonite is everywhere. It's ubiquitous. It's embarrassing."
I won't bother to summarise the rest of the comic, as I don't see the point when you can just read it. Instead, I'll point out some of the bits that I particularly liked:
- The dynamic between the new Aquaman and Supes/Bats. I've never particularly liked what happened to Aquaman, they really messed him around, then shunted him off and put a new kid in his shoes. Bleh. But at least here he's been arrogant, but not an arsehole like Damian, not getting on my nerves or anything. He's doing what he thinks is right, what he feels is best for his home, and, yeah, wanting to beat the crap out of Superman.
- It really gets under both the title characters skins, showing their inner workings brilliantly. Especially the bit during Dinosaur Island; Batman is stubborn, an arse, and completely dedicated to his 'friends'. And this is not the normal Superman, this is a Superman obsessed for the greater good of the world, who will sacrifice his own life as he recognises his own higher calling. I've never been the biggest fan of Superman (shock, horror), but he's someone who is needed, the just of the just, as it were.
- It's epic yet heartfelt at the same time; we've got Superman and Batman patrolling the entire world, going into space beyond the Watchtower, exploring magic islands and fighting Kryptonite super soldiers, while still being human and keeping the story personal. It's something that Superman/Batman can do really well, as it has the two constant internal monologues, while other stories generally spread them around a bit too much. And that bit with Lana, well, I don't get why that happened, but, well, wow. Someone's learned a lot from Kristin Kreuk...
- The artwork, the designs, all of it's just really good. Superman's lead suit is damn cool, as is AquaBats, the (non-regularly seen) supporting cast all look good. It's just highly polished in that respect. I do have to tip my heart to all the artists involved in this. It takes a damn good tale and just keeps on adding. The only flaw I can say about it, save the classic 'Batman's cowl should have those dags in it by the side' is the Phantom Stranger's eye shadow looked dodgy. And yes, that's my only complaint about the artwork here.
And the great thing about this comic in the end is that I can't slag off the ending for it being too convenient, as it's all established (which some writers still can't grasp, I'm looking at you Russell T. Davis), the writings top notch, the art is damn pretty to look at.
By now I'm sure you're fed up of me prattling on about this comic, so I'll just say: go and read it, enjoy it, love it. And now, with my first review all done, I'll just leave you with those immortal words of Saint Walker:
“All will be well”
