Batman/Superman #4 Review
Writer: Greg Pak
Artists: Jae Lee & Ben Oliver
Published by DC Comics
Honestly, who doesn’t love the Batman and Superman dynamic times two? The pair of the world’s finest super-bros continue to deal with the crystal and its implications for both of their home planets. All while DC’s leading ladies attempt to deal with the villain who brought them all together.
After reading this issue, I think Pak was going for a more character driven storyline than plot. Not to say the story was bad; I’ve enjoyed every single issue thus far, but for reasons not to do with the story, as engaging as it was. I loved the relationships he described between the Bruces and the Clarks, their dialogues, monologues and quips against each other. While there was a resolution to the plot, I think I liked the resolution to the partnership, and the hints of budding friendship between ‘our’ Supes and Bats. The story itself seemed to be more of a setup for another upcoming one, and that’s cool. The first arc of a ‘new’ title in the New52, it’s bound to be as such. Solid work overall, especially with Kaiyo’s somewhat ominous warning at the end.
Lee and Oliver do really a fantastic job. I’m not even sure if I can critique properly because I loved every bit of their work. The major strengths, though, have to be Lee’s body language and Oliver’s faces. The one page that really got me was Oliver’s first of the issue, with Earth 2’s Bruce and Clark with their respective families, and then our Bruce and Clark with their respective nothings. What a visual!
(And it’s petty and weird, but I love that Oliver put insane detail into that really awesome gothic looking bench in the park with the bullied child, reminiscent of Lee’s in issue 1 and the beginning of this one. For continuity’s sake, I guess. Also, it’s just a really awesome bench.)
So this wraps up the first arc, I think? A solid story and amazing characterization, it’s setting up for some great things to come.
4/5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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