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\nBy Michael Green<\/b>, Mike Johnson<\/b>, Scott Kolins<\/b>, Francis Manapul<\/b>, Rafael Albuquerque <\/b>& various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-4012-2808-8<\/p>\n
\nBy Michael Green<\/b>, Mike Johnson<\/b>, Scott Kolins<\/b>, Francis Manapul<\/b>, Rafael Albuquerque <\/b>& various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-4012-2808-8<\/p>\n
For decades Superman<\/i> and Batman<\/i> were quintessential superhero partners: the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153World’s Finest team\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. The affable champions were best buddies as well as mutually respectful colleagues, and their pairing made sound financial sense since DC’s top heroes could happily cross-pollinate and cross-sell their combined readerships.<\/p>\n
In darker post-Crisis on Infinite Earth Times<\/b>, the champions were retconned into grudging colleagues, at odds with each other over their methods and attitudes: as different as night and day, but with the passage of time the relationship was revitalised and renewed and the World’s Finest Heroes were fully restored to their bizarrely apt pre-eminence, regaining respect and friendship even though they were still in most ways polar opposites.<\/p>\n
Finally, after a few tentative miniseries forays, in 2003 the World’s Finest Superheroes bowed to the inevitable and officially reunited in a new team-up series entitled Superman\/Batman<\/b>: an angsty, edgy, post-modern take on a relationship almost as old as the industry itself.<\/p>\n
Reformed as firm friends for the style-over-content 21st<\/sup> century, their new stories were all big blockbuster events by major creators, designed to be repackaged as graphic novels. Eventually however the momentum slowed and shallow spectacle gave way to some genuinely interesting and different stories\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n This volume contains Superman\/Batman<\/b> #60-63 and #65-67 (from 2009 and 2010), offering just such intriguing glimpses at other, lesser seen aspects of the mythology surrounding the Cape and Cowl Crusaders.<\/p>\n ‘Mash-Up’<\/i> (by Michael Greene & Mike Johnson with art by Francis Manapul from Superman\/Batman<\/b> #60-61 from July & August 2009) apparently finds the Dark Knight and Man of Steel side-slipped into yet another alternate Earth where old and familiar faces take on new and disturbing forms. However, as they join the heroes of the valiant Justice Titans<\/i> in battle against Lex Joker<\/i> and Doomstroke<\/i>, the razor sharp intellect and obsessive suspicions of Batman slowly determine a far more logical cause for their current situation; something only one of their old foes could possibly be behind\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n There’s a far darker tone to ‘Sidekicked’<\/i> (Greene, Johnson and illustrated by Raphael Albuquerque from #62) as Tim<\/i> (Robin III<\/i>) Drake<\/i> and Linda Lang<\/i> AKA Supergirl<\/i> meet for lunch and reminisce about their first meeting.<\/p>\n Left alone after their respective mentors were called away to a JLA emergency, the kids had to respond when a riot broke out at Arkham Asylum<\/i>, but although Robin was worried that the sheltered ing\u00c3\u00a9nue from Krypton might not be prepared for crazed killers such as Joker<\/i>, Two-Face<\/i>, Scarecrow<\/i>, Clayface<\/i>, Mad Hatter<\/i>, Killer Croc<\/i>, Poison Ivy<\/i> and Mr. Zsasz<\/i>, it was his own sanity that nearly sundered before the kids finally triumphed\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n ‘Night & Day’<\/i> – Greene, Johnson & Albuquerque – from Superman\/Batman<\/b> #63 – finds Batman the last person free on an Earth dominated by super-gorilla Grodd<\/i>. With Superman trapped off-world by a planetary Green Kryptonite force screen, the Dark Knight is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his world – but once again, nothing is as it seems\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n This volume omits #64, but resumes with more mindgames as ‘Sweet Dreams’<\/i> (#65 by Johnson, Matt Cherniss and artists Brian Stelfreeze, Brian Haberlin, Kelly Jones, Joe Quinones & Federico Dallocchio) depicts Superman’s greatest failures and Batman’s final breakdown – or at least that’s how the Scarecrow prefers to remember it\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n