Everyone’s favorite 10 year old crime fighter is back and this time he is teaming up with Metropolis’ own Guardian in the second entry of the four part “World’s Finest” miniseries. Before I get to the nuts and bolts of the book (and how lucky Guardian must feel to be working with Damian) allow me to address the title of “World Finest” itself.
The title “World’s Finest” to me means the very best our planet has to offer in the way of super hero crime fighters. And for our trouble we are given Guardian and Robin? Please! I just hope the fate of mankind doesn’t come down to a ten year old terror with daddy issues and the cloned head of the Science Police who admits to not knowing much about science.
Yes, the premise of the “World’s Finest” books is to bring together heroes from the spheres of Batman and Superman while the aforementioned are either off world or trapped somewhere in time. The idea, apparently, is to fill the void left by those men. But don’t you think the Dick Grayson Batman would be just a little more than miffed to learn he doesn’t qualify for some reason? Ah well, at least in the next book of this series we get the compelling match-up of Supergirl and Batgirl.
As far this book goes I’ll make it as brief as possible. Not being an artist sometimes I find it difficult to judge someone else’s art work. However, I can only say the cover to this edition was truly uninspiring. As for the art work inside I thought it drifted between overly simplistic to slightly better than average. Perhaps DC is trying to entice a younger newer readership with less sophisticated tastes. The dialog also followed this same basic template. Which to be fair, again may be geared to the younger set with less discerning tastes.
As far as the story goes, which is all I am really interested in, we find Robin in all his petulant ten year old splendor in hot pursuit of a stolen device from Wayne Tech. Damian, as usual, pushes the boundaries of normal crime fighting discipline which leads him to bump heads with the Guardian. In typical boilerplate style the two heroes work against each other more often than with each other. Fortunately they have the Parasite and Mr. Freeze to unite them in their quest to solve the crime. It helps that Parasite and Freeze are easy to track and act like a couple of B leaguers themselves. A battle ensues and the baddies are easily vanquished. Damian gets the Tech back and Guardian gets to lock up the evil doers.
The MacGuffin you ask? We don’t get to see that till the final two pages. Toyman resurfaces from the first World’s Finest edition of this series and with the help of his trusty “Toyboy” Mr. Freeze is hijacked from his impending incarceration as his abilities are apparently integral to the Toyman’s latest contraption an impossibly large Superman/Batman robot that spells nothing but trouble for Supergirl and Batgirl in the next issue. Good luck to them.
World's Finest #2:
Reviewed by Dark Knight Dave
From all of us at The Batman Universe, we wish you a Merry Christmas! We hope that you spend time with loved ones and receive the gifts you really wanted. As you head to family and friends houses today to celebrate the holidays, please stay safe.
Batman sings?
Posted by Dustin
Peace on earth, goodwill toward men. This phrase describes everything in this picture. From this year's DC Comics Holiday Special 2009
Posted by Dustin
Who would have ever thought that super heroes helped Santa deliver gifts? Actually in the DCU it makes sense that they do with all of the problems in the world. From DC Comics Holiday Special 2008
Posted by Dustin
As a reminder to all, Christmas is the time of giving. I don't suggest giving Batman a Superman action figure though. From Batman: Year 100 #1
Posted by Dustin
This is another show that you most likely have already seen. You might even already own the individual seasons. For the very first time the series is collected in one form on DVD. The series first aired in the late nineties after the success of Batman: The Animated Series. It featured Big Red saving Metropolis from the perils of many of his own rogues' gallery. It aired over three seasons and ended before the Timmverse continued on with Batman Beyond.
This set consists of seven discs. It has a total of fifty-four episodes for over eleven hundred minutes. There are special features throughout and even a brand new special feature specifically for this set. The new feature focuses on Darkseid.
The series featured all kinds of villains that you have heard of and some new ones that were made for the series. Metallo, Parasite, and Toyman are all present. Many may not know that Mercy Graves was created for the series. The classic voices of Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor and Tim Daly as Superman are obviously present as well. There is even a three-part episode that crosses over with Batman and Gotham City where Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill make an appearance.
Overall, the series is another great release from Warner Bros. I don't have any complaints about this set like I had with the past ones. The discs are still numbered as if they were separate seasons, but I get why now. Another great series to add to this year's Christmas list.
Superman: The Complete Series:
The series became available on November 24, so you can get it at most retailers. If you want to get it from Amazon, click here. Warner Bros. sent over this clip to promote the release as well.
Posted by Dustin
The fate of Batman finally revealed? Bruce Wayne rises from the dead? The latest horror from the Blackest Night is none other than our own Caped Crusader?
In a stunning development from the ongoing DC universe series “Blackest Night” the skull of Bruce Wayne (that was ripped from its resting place by the villain Black Hand) has now been used as the instrument to induce the deaths of some of Earths greatest heroes.
You heard that right. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. In the latest issue of “Blackest Night” (number 5) the arch villain, Nekron, stands astride the resting place of seven million souls that once populated Coast City the home of Earth’s Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. Seemingly, only Barry Allen stands between Nekron and the fate of our world but he is soon aided by Wally West and Earths mightiest heroes the Justice League of America. The battle hangs in the balance until these heroes are joined by the seven “New Guardians” of light (read Green Lantern #48 for more back story) led by Hal Jordan. As victory is within their grasp the grimmest manifestation of the “Darkest Knight” we have ever seen is resurrected.
People, you have to see this Cadaverous Crusader to believe it. In a two page splash Ivan Reiss, ably assisted by inkers Prado and Albert and colorist Sinclair, the guardian of Gotham takes on his most hideous incarnation ever. This Batman is both compelling and repellent. Truly, it is one of the most stunning representations of Batman to date. Worse yet, in this story Batman is used as the emotional tether that Nekron needed to bring about the deaths of Wonder Woman, Superman, Conner Kent, Bart Allen and the Green Arrow Oliver Queen. As this unholy Batman regurgitates Black Lantern rings Nekron calls those heroes to their deaths as he has held them from their everlasting demise all along.
As soon as this new gothic horror of Gotham descends upon us he is gone. Having served his purpose, “Bruce Wayne” as Nekron calls him, is banished to the afterlife once again and his connection is severed. In his wake stands a new dark vision of the JLA and the fates of Barry Allen and Hal Jordan hang by a thread.
Was this truly “Bruce Wayne”? Is Red Robin/Tim Drake wrong about his fate? What answers will be given in the delayed “Batman and Robin” issue #7 and how does it tie into Blackest Night #6? If you haven’t picked up the magnum opus that is Geoff Johns “Blackest Night” I urge you to do so. This series that was once a bit slow paced and frustrating has really taken off and may be one of the best story lines we seen in comic books in years.
Written by Dark Knight Dave
If you are viewing this site, I think it is safe to say that you have probably seen this show at one point. The show started off by focusing on the Big Seven of the DCU. They were Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter. Now you might argue if these seven should be the main seven, but that is besides the point. Justice League ran two seasons and then was renamed Justice League Unlimited, which also ran for two seasons giving the series a total of four seasons. Justice League Unlimited still featured the "Big Seven," but it also featured a lot of lesser known DC characters. And when I say lesser known, I mean that. I don't think as a casual reader of DC Universe comics, you would have came across Waverider or Vibe. But the series introduced new characters that casual fans and even some seasoned fans may never have known about.
There is nothing bad to say at all about this series. The stories were well written and the animation was high quality. The only downfall of the series was that it ended. The first two seasons featured many multi-part episodes were the story carried over between two and sometimes three episodes. JLU didn't have the multi-part episodes, but it did have an overarching storyline through both of the seasons. The show hasn't been aired regularly on Cartoon Network for quite some time. I personally own the entire series in individual season form.
As for this set there are a couple of negatives, but we will get to that in a minute. Let's cover the series as a whole collected. The entire series has ninety-one episodes. The price tag may seem steep depending on where you are going to buy it from, but even $99.99 as the suggested retail price, is well worth it. Let me put it into perspective. If you were to sit down in front of your TV and start watching the series, it would take you more than two days to watch the entire series. Now I don't recommend you do that, but you may find yourself doing exactly that once you start watching the series. It is just that good.
Now for the negatives. I don't know if it is just the copies that I get sent or what, but there is always some sort of packaging error. With this series, I know it isn't just mine. The fifteen discs are packaged in two plastic DVD cases. One having all of the discs for Justice League and the other one having all of Justice League Unlimited. The two plastic cases are then enclosed in a steel case. Now, the problem with this steel case is that it has lips around the edges, which makes it difficult to get the plastic cases out without having to bend the steel. If someone was going to spend close to one hundred dollars on the series, I would imagine that they do not want to damage the casing. Once you figure out how to get the cases out, you might notice (or this was just mine) that the cases are mis-marked. They are labeled Volume One and Volume Two, but when you open the Volume One case, you find Justice League Unlimited, which many know is actually Volume Two. The paper inserts describing what is on the discs is also mis-placed in the wrong cases. Now, it may seem that I am making a big deal about nothing (and I probably am) but I can't understand why something that gets designed by a person and sent to a factory never gets checked to see if it makes sense. On top of all the that, the discs are labeled as if you bought separate seasons instead of one through fifteen.
I know I am spending way too much time covering the packaging of the series, but the thing is that this is the exact same thing that you might already have if you own the separate seasons. The special features are the same except for one new one. It is on the fifteenth disc and has the series creators discussing challenges and opportunities that the different characters presented.
Overall, the series is remarkable. It is up to par with Batman: The Animated Series. And I would even say that the writing for this series is actually a little better since it as an overall story plot. If I put aside the packaging mishaps, this is the perfect gift for a DC Universe fan for the holidays.
Justice League: The Complete Series:
It would have been a perfect five if not for the packaging and lack of new special features. Keep in mind that this rating is not what the show itself would be rated. I am rating the series collected in this new form. I can't stress enough that the show is amazing. The series was released on November 10. You can find it on Amazon by clicking here. Warner Bros. sent over this clip to show with the review. Take a look:
Posted by Dustin
We have reached the final part of the three episode storyline of Blackest Night featuring Batman and Superman. My aim here is not to recap the issues but to continue the friendly competition between DC comic’s greatest heroes and how they respectively dealt with the Blackest Night scourge. I divided the competition into 4 parts; Cover Art, Reveals, Raw Emotional Impact, and Supporting Cast and Villains.
Cover Art
In Blackest Night Batman #3 the cover art is supplied by Alex Sinclair. The cover depicts Batman in a seemingly hopeless struggle with two ghouls as they attempt to pull him into the Drake family plot. The color is washed out by an “off camera” light which in whole is apparently meant to give the scene a stark and cold feel to it all.
Over in Blackest Night Superman #3 things are red hot. The cover is by Eddy Barrows and Nei Ruffino. The picture here is ablaze as Smallville burns in the background, the air above is filled with howling wraiths and below an army of zombies march out of Hell. In the middle of it all defiantly stand Superman, Conner Kent and Krypto.
Decision=Blackest Night Superman
This was an easy win for the “S” clad warriors. Superman’s heat vision is the exclamation point to the red hued artwork here which is in sharp contrast to the muted Batman cover. The main characters stand heroically between Heaven and Hell while Batman is depicted as fighting a losing battle.
Reveals
In this round I look to see which book offers the most in the way of revealing the solution to winning the battle over the seemingly invincible Black Lanterns.
In Blackest Night Batman #3 the Dick Grayson Batman foils the efforts of the Uber ghouls by literally freezing themselves from the senses of the Black Lanterns therefore rendering themselves invisible. Thus thwarted, the Lanterns move on. Over in Superman, the weapons of the Black Lanterns are turned against them. Conner Kent uses the mask of Psycho Pirate against Lantern Kal–L and the very emotions he once fed from turn against him separating him from his black power ring and destroying him.
Decision=Blackest Night Superman
Much of the power of the Black Lanterns is centered in their rings. While Batman lived to fight another day he nearly killed himself and Red Robin doing it. The tactical advantage to be passed on is that the Black Lanterns are not all powerful when the source of the sustenance is deprived from them. As a counterpoint, Superman learned that the sustenance the Lanterns feed off of such as rage, avarice, fear, hope, love and compassion can actually be used to separated the Black Lanterns from their rings. If you’re reading the main title to “Blackest Night” we’ve learned the real way to defeat a Black Lantern is to destroy the ring he wears. This is done by focusing the energy of two combined ring powers such Green and Purple. Superman’s efforts destroyed his opponent while Batman’s got away.
Raw Emotional Impact
Much of the efforts of the Black Lanterns to gain power is by ratcheting up the emotions of their victims to an apex of rage wherein the hearts of their victims are ripped out to consummate that power. In Blackest Night Batman that rage is fueled by the recreation of the moments that Tim Drake and Dick Grayson lost their respective parent or parents. In what I have described as a “circus macabre” Dick actually finds himself under the big top where his parents hurtled to their deaths and the man responsible, Zucco, albeit a zombie version stands before him. Tim Drake finds himself in his father’s apartment at the time of his lonely death at the hands of “Boomerang”.
Over in Superman it is the secondary figure of Kara, aka Supergirl, that is faced with her dead father. No recreation of a death scene here and the principle character of Superman is spared facing the Black Lantern version of Jor-El and Lara. The most dynamic scene is provided by Supergirl’s mother, Alura, as she flies into space to rescue her daughter and defeat her dead husband by severing his hand with heat vision and pulling Kara to safety.
Decision=Blackest Night Batman
The gut wrenching (heart wrenching?) tableaus of having to relive the moment that your parents or parent died wins out. Add to that being there and being unable to stop it trumps any emotional impact that the Superman book came up with. Conner Kent saving Superman just wasn’t as powerful. I liked Krypto saving Ma Kent. But shouldn’t that have been her son’s responsibility?
Supporting Cast and Villains
Let’s start with Blackest Night Superman. Many of the characters seen in the previous issues are repeated here. It is the introduction of Alura, Supergirl’s mother, as a major player that is most welcome. She is a commanding presence. Her leadership, courage, resolve and fortitude in a time of crisis was quite impressive. I hope we see more of this character in all the Superman books.
In Blackest Night Batman all the previous characters also make their return. The two new zombified villains we are treated to are Boomerang and Zucco. These two undead louts carry much emotional baggage for our heroes and provide them a target for years of pent up anger and revenge.
Decision=Blackest Night Superman
Believe me people this was a close one. Can there be anything more onerous than the undead incarnation of your parents killers? How about the living breathing force that is Alura? There was nothing real about Zucco and Boomerang. They were just the dead avatars of a bitter but distant memory. On the other hand Alura embodied the power, grace, heroism and authority of a full blown super hero. As I said before, more of this character please!
Finale There you have it. As categorized by the stipulations stated above the Blackest Night Superman books win. If it came down which super hero actually spared their respective cities the most damage Batman would actually win. Batman spared Gotham a lot of death and destruction by moving the fight out of town. While Superman kept the fight at home and watch his home town burn below him. Not very smart. I guess even the Dick Grayson version of Batman has it over Superman in the brains department. But (ahem) I’m hardly biased.
Posted by Dark Knight Dave
Superman/Batman #65 is a story that has been retold many times, but this issue is still an enjoyable and interesting read. This issue is really carried by the great art that appears throughout the book by a number of artists. The short, yet entertaining stories make for a rather interesting “Halloween” themed issue.
Issue #65 is written by Peter Johnson and Matt Cherniss, who write a fast paced story with little left unanswered and little to ponder about. The story revolves around the Scarecrow kidnapping Superman, Batman, the Joker, and Lex Luthor. He puts each of the characters to sleep, where each one goes into their worst nightmare. Superman’s nightmare involves a crashing airplane in which, Lois Lane, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and Martha Kent are all on board. Superman races to stop it, but it is too late, and each of his loved ones are killed. The Joker story plays with the concept of, What if everyone thought the Joker was funny? After murdering several people, everyone begins to laugh at him; this upsets the Joker, saying that he is not a joke and wants to be taken seriously. The next story is Lex Luthor’s nightmare, he sets out to finally destroy Superman, but is interrupted by Perry White, which leads to rather funny mistake, and a crowd of laughter directed towards Luthor. The Batman story is the most entertaining in this issue. This nightmare opens with Alfred reminding Bruce of his’ responsibilities and that they need to discuss his priorities. I don’t want to give this nightmare away, but I will say that Alfred makes a damn good villain! The overall plot is a rather dull one, which ends with Batman awaking from his dream and conquering the Scarecrow. The individual nightmares are what make this such an enjoyable issue. Johnson and Cherniss understand these characters and each nightmare paralleled the character very well.
The story is good, but the different art styles throughout the book are fantastic. Five different artists worked on the book which included; Brian Stelfreeze, Brian Haberlin, the infamous Kelley Jones, Joe Quinones, and Federico Dallocchio. Kelley Jones draws the Joker the way he should be presented. He draws him very cartoonish, but he is still able to capture the essence of what makes the Joker such a terrifying character. I’ve never really seen Federico Dallocchio, but his art style lends itself perfectly to Batman’s nightmare. Each artist fits perfectly into the story that they are drawing.
Overall, the book isn’t earth-shattering, but it is “fun”. It does what it was set out to do, present each character’s worst nightmare, and I think it does that. However, the art is what makes this book stand out. The art is so well-done, that you find yourself not really paying to much attention to the nightmares, but that doesn’t take away from the stories. If you haven’t picked up issue #65 yet, I would defiantly do so.
Superman/Batman #65:
Reviewed by Zfactor
Batgirl’s first meeting with the Justice League. Or first time taking LSD, I’m not sure. Either way it happened in Justice League of America issue 60.
Posted by Josh
We continue the Graphic Audio reviews this month with Infinite Crisis on Earth Part 1. This one has a lot more of Batman than the last one. For this one, I gave it 4.5 out of 5 Batarangs for lots of interesting action scenes that involve Batman characters. You can listen to my first audio review by clicking here. Sit back and listen to my thoughts.
Buy the Graphic Audio for this title here
Reviewed by Dmitriy
Blackest Night Batman vs. Blackest Night Superman
Round 2
Hopefully you’ve all had a chance to read Blackest Night Batman and Superman parts two of three. My aim here is not to recap the issues but to engage in a little friendly competition between two of DC’s greatest heroes as they tangle with the latest threat to the DC universe, the Black Lanterns! In round one of this competition I divided the battle into four parts. Cover Art, Reveals, Raw Emotional Impact and Supporting Cast and Villains. As we complete the second issue of each I’ve added, Cliffhangers, as a way of rounding out the competition.
Cover Art
The cover of Blackest Night Batman #2 by Andy Kubert and Alex Sinclair pictured here reminded me of the classic Bill Murray comedy, “Ghostbusters”. While the movie made you howl with laughter this scene is of a grimmer nature. Here we see Damian, Dick and Tim unleashing torrents of hell fire from their weapons as they are besieged by legions of demonic Black Lanterns. Our heroes’ bodies are aglow with weapons fire as they stand amidst the gathering gloom and the city topples around them. Their desperate faces grimace with fear and rage knowing that this could be their last stand.
Over on Blackest Night Superman #2, we have a cover by Eddy Barrows and Nei Ruffino. This cover too could come from some classic horror movie but perhaps of a much earlier era. Pictured here we have the standard tableau of the vulnerable heroine held in the clutches of the dastardly villain. It looks like any movie poster from a vampire flick of the 20’s or 30’s where the young and innocent female is about to be violated by a nightmarish monster. Only in this case the young lady is Kara, also known as Supergirl, and the monster is her once dead father out to kill her and destroy Kandor.
Decision=Blackest Night Batman
-While both covers depict and evince the horror of the monster movie genre I’m giving the nod to Batman. The Superman cover, while classic, has been done a million times. The Batman cover is dynamic and lends itself to famous last stand movies like the Alamo or Zulu where the odds were insurmountable.
Reveals
In this section I’m looking for clues to see how the overall Blackest Night storyline is to proceed. In Blackest Night #3, Ray Palmer, the Atom, theorized that the Black Lanterns’ power rings are made possible by some amalgamation of dark matter coupled with microscopic worm holes that channel energy. A pretty significant step, whether it is true remains to be seen. In these two books unfortunately we don’t learn too much. Zombie Lanterns are shredded and re-form in both books and the heroes realize quickly that their weapons and powers are near useless. At least Supergirl confirms what Green Lantern Kyle Rayner comes to know that their loved ones would never speak to them or acts like their current evil incarnations (Green Lantern Corps #40).
Decision=Tie
-When there isn’t much to go on from each issue I’m not going to split hairs and force a winner.
Raw Emotional Impact
Certainly there is no shortage of emotional impact in either book. In the Batman book we find Priests, Cops, Firefighters, and Civilians are being torn to shreds by the Black Lanterns. Commissioner Gordon and his daughter Barbara are trapped together in seemingly their last moment as they try to blast their way free in utter futility. As this happens, the Black Lanterns taunt their victims with bitter memories and make a mockery of their lives and loves. Red Robin comes to the rescue with low altitude high speed pass that temporarily decimates the Black Lanterns. But the grotesque icing on the cake is when Tim and Dick are confronted by their dead parents, the Drakes and the Graysons.
Over in Blackest Night Superman Black Lantern Kal-L continues to provoke Superman into rash action while dead Earth 2 Lois holds Ma Kent hostage. Kal-L orders Lois to kill Ma Kent and this is only narrowly averted by the actions of Suberboy Conner Kent. The most obvious contrast in raw emotion between the two books comes from the manipulations of the dead Psycho Pirate. Suddenly, the citizens of Smallville are turned against each other or in one particular frame forced to kiss each other in a decidedly non heterosexual way!
Decision=Blackest Night Batman
-If only Pa Kent was resurrected as a Black Lantern! Now, that would have been horrific. I have no doubt that it would have pushed Superman right over the edge and I would have loved to see that. Unfortunately, this was an opportunity missed. That act would have only been superseded by seeing Bruce Wayne rise from the grave. (Hmmm, or maybe not?) The combination of the Drakes and the Graysons trumps Supergirl’s newly risen father since he is not a character that carries the same emotional impact in the DC universe.
Supporting Cast and Villains
Much of the characters we saw in the first issues of each series return in the second. In Batman, Red Robin takes on a larger role however briefly. The Drakes and Graysons get some speaking roles but they are regulated to the end of the issue. Deadman reanimates a paralyzed Barbara Gordon and they all pile into Red Robins jet powered flying bus.
But over in Blackest Night Superman #2 we have Psycho Pirate! This addition was a real hoot. Not only does he turn staid and sweet Smallville into a maelstrom of emotion he does it with hilarious and bold results not often seen in comics. We also get to see Connor Kent turn on Big Blue and lastly it’s the totally b**chin’ Martha Kent telling us, “it’s on!”
Decision=Blackest Night Superman
-This was a no brainer. (Hey, just like a zombie.) The addition of Black Lantern Psycho Pirate easily tipped the scales. I loved the interaction of the Gordon father daughter team but the citizens of Gotham are strangely absent. Smallville’s populace on the other hand, writhe together in an orgy of violence and lust not meant for our younger readers. Throw in the torch wielding Ma Kent and like the lady said, “it’s on!”
Cliffhanger
Speaking of that crazy lady in the cornfield, I wouldn’t put any money on her chances against the Black Lantern Lois. The lady’s got grit, but, please, someone has to bail her out and it doesn’t look like its going to be Conner Kent. (My guess would be Krypto to the rescue!) Kara also has her hands full with her malevolent father. And exactly how is Superman going to take on Earth 2 Kal-L, Psycho Pirate and Conner Kent? Oh yeah, there’s that whole orgy thing going on in the town square too.
Over in Blackest Night Batman our heroes have crash landed in a cemetery. No crazy citizenry to contend with unless we include the ones buried below and that is not out of the question. No, their battle seems to be isolated to the graveyard. Who knows what mayhem will go on in Gotham without the heroes around? The Graysons and the Drakes should take front and center here. Will Tim and Dick turn their fry-o-laters on their own parents?
Decision=Blackest Night Superman
-This was a tough call. Dick Grayson’s Batman seems to have his head screwed on right but Damian’s Robin and Tim Drake seem a little uneasy. I don’t think the Gordon’s will be too much help either. Deadman? We’ll see. It looks like the new Batman could be on his own and that will be toughest test for our hero.
Similarly, Superman is on his own unless we count Ma Kent and the recovering Krypto. As much as I like to see Batman battle it out in a rain soaked and darkened graveyard I am really jonesing to see Martha Kent “git it on.” The whole town spinning out of control with Psycho Pirate and Supes battling two super powered antagonists is too much to ignore.
So, much as we found in Blackest Night Batman #1 versus Blackest Night Superman #1 we have a tie. It looks like the third and final issue of each series will have to serve as the tie breaker. I promise you one will win over the other. (I hope!) Will anything come of these short series? Probably not, as the overall series will go on into next year. It’s been fun so far to see these two heroes deal with the Blackest Night in their own books and they will return in such incarnations as the JLA Blackest Night, Blackest Night Superman/Batman and the over arching Green Lantern-centric Blackest Night series. Until we meet in round three.
Posted by Dark Knight Dave
A week and a half ago, one of our contacts at Warner Bros. sent over a DVD version of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies for us to review. So what better way to review the film then by posting it the day the film comes out so that you can find out what I think of the film and whether it is worth buying or not. Let’s get into it.
When I first heard about this film being made, I was kind of excited. It had been quite some time since I first read the story in Superman/Batman. I debated for a good amount of time of whether I should read it or not before I see the film. Well, one night when I didn’t have a lot to do, I caved and picked up the six issues and read them again. That was probably a mistake. You are probably asking yourself, "Why would that be?" Well, when watching the film, I found myself comparing the two. I was nitpicking the entire film. Not something I normally do when watching a Batman film. I think I was already in line to criticize more than normal since this story is more about Superman than Batman.
The comics were written by Jeph Loeb and the art was done by Ed McGuinness. The story was a little over the top for most comics, but it was the first story arc of a brand new series that DC was launching. So over-the-top/epic is acceptable for first story arcs by my standards. The art was really what made this arc great. McGuinness’ art is amazing. Some may say that the art is too cartoony, but I have a thing for art like that. It is clean and smooth. The story starts off by going through how Lex Luthor has come to be President of the US. It then cuts to a good amount of side story that involves Metallo. We find out later why Metallo was such a large focus early in the story. Without going into a synopsis of each issue, I can say that there are very significant changes to the story in the film.
Instead of following the story from the comics, Stan Berkowitz modified the story to not only be self-contained, but also make sense in the current economy. The Metallo-part of the story is shortened by making him a Secret Service agent for Luthor. This is what makes the entire first issue of the story arc take place in less than 5 minutes. There were specific parts that were taken straight from the comics. Most of them were the one-liners between Batman and Superman. Nice nod to Loeb, but does not make up what was taken out. The first major fight sequence involving a gaggle of villains is pretty close to what it was in the original story, but seemed to be more of a situation where they were trying to say, "We are following the comics," than anything else. I thought that if they wanted to expand a sequence that fight scene would have been it. That wasn’t the case though, as I felt as if I was given just the amount needed, but nothing extra.
The second fight sequence felt way too short. It specifically was cut down and did not have the final outcome that it did in the comics. It worked for the film, but it affected the conclusion of the film. Moving on to the conclusion, the part of the film that dealt with Toyman seemed very rushed. I won’t ruin the end of the film, as I know everyone has not read the comics, but I was disappointed. It was pointed out earlier in the film that the meteor gives off a large amount of radiation that even Superman could not block with a lead suit. When you watch the film, see if you catch the plot hole. Also if you have read the comics, compare the ending in the comics to the ending of the film and ask yourself if it felt "too" epic.
Overall, I can’t say that I was too thrilled with this film. I had high hopes, but felt let down by the end of the film. The run time was the largest letdown. At only sixty-seven minutes long, it was too short. The film could have been longer. When I compare the comics to the film, I can’t understand why it was so short. There were a lot of things that were cut out of the film that were in the comics that could have easily made the film longer. Certain scenes could have been extended to make the film longer. The fight sequence with all of the villains could have been longer and made a little more smooth compared to being cut to a new set of villains like it was done in the comics. Th difference is that eh comics were showing the fight sequence on panels compared to animation. In animation, things should be smoother, not so cut-and-dry. If there was one sequence that could have been different it was that scene.
The pro’s of the film were the art and the voice talent. The art was amazing. It was a splitting image of McGuinness’ art. Superman looked like Superman and Batman looked like Batman pulled straight from the comics. The reunion of Kevin Conroy, Tim Daly, and Clancy Brown was great. Hearing all of their voices reminded me of earlier days of watching the animated series on TV. All of them were spot on with their parts. Even though the art was different and it did not follow the normal DCAU, it still worked.
In conclusion, the film was mediocre. It did not blow me away, and for certain parts I was disappointed. To be completely frank, let me ask you a question. Have you ever seen The Batman Superman Movie: World’s Finest? If you answered no, go find it in the five dollar bin at your local store and give it a watch. If you answered yes, did you like Superman/Batman Public Enemies more or less? In my opinion, World’s Finest was better. But the kicker is that World’s Finest is actually three episodes of the Superman animated series. This film seems like it should have been three episodes of an animated series. It had the voices, the feel, and the run time. So should you buy it? You decide that. For myself, this film will be sitting on my shelf for quite some time collecting dust.
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies:
Posted by Dustin