Books : Superman/Batman Vol. 1: Public Enemies

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Rating:

- The World's Finest Teamup
This is one series that lives up to any hype you heard about it. Ed's art is fantastic as always, but I think the writing really comes through the most as every issue of this series is such a great read. Loeb makes this one of the funnest books I've read in a while, with great character inner play and guest appearances, all building up to a big finale which actually has big ramifications. With the extra material and sketches in the back, this is a great buy even if you caught it the first time around. good stuff.

Rating:

- Cape & Cowl
Don't you just love it when two great athletes team up?

Batman and Superman have been around for decades. Two of the main reasons people still read comics today, these two icons have appeared in -- literally -- thousands of stories ... facing threats to themselves ... challenging threats to world peace ... and making the world safe for the rest of us at the risk to their own personal safety.

However, PUBLIC ENEMIES -- under the guidance of Jeph Loeb -- takes the old and makes it new, bringing a remarkable freshness to characters who have seen some great days and, undoubtedly, have greater ones to come.

A huge meteor is hurtling across space, taunting the destruction of the planet Earth. No big deal, you say? Just send Superman into space to knock the rock off its trajectory? While it sounds like a good idea, you have to remember that the author of this work is Jeph Loeb, arguably one of the best minds working in comics today (and, for those of you in the know, he's also a consultant for the WB's hit SMALLVILLE): this meteor is a hunk from the planet Krypton ... making it Kryptonite ... and meaning that Superman is absolutely powerless against it! Its radiation threatens the survival of the entire planet, and only these two superminds and supertalents combined can find a way to save the day and put right all that has been thrown into chaos since Lex Luther was elected President of the United States.

What? Lex Luthor? President?

Clearly, PUBLIC ENEMIES is not necessarily a great 'jumping on' point for new readers. There may be some resulting confusion due to storylines hinted at that occured before this tome (Lex Luthor's election as President of the United States, Luthor's attempt to wrest control of Gotham City from billionaire Bruce Wayne, Commissioner James Gordon's retirement from the police force, etc.), but these hints serve moreso as nods to other great Batman and Superman stories for the newcomer to go and explore. Also, ENEMIES is replete -- one may argue too much so -- with guest appearances (Captain Atom, Major Force, Solomon Grundy, **drool** the lovely Power Girl, etc.) from the whole pantheon of DC villains and superheroes ... so many that that the final showdown between Luthor and Superman does feel a bit rushed to get this entire story told in what was originally six issues of the new Batman/Superman comic book, but that's a minor critique easily dismissed thanks to the strength of Loeb's work. The real magic of PUBLIC ENEMIES is that it should be considered on its own and of its own merits ... of which there are (thankfully) plenty.

Also, Ed McGuinness deserves a nod for delivering some stunning artwork to back up Loeb's epic storyline. The drawings are crisp and fluid, the coloring is dynamite and eye-popping, and the layout is exceptional.

ENEMIES is a friend worth finding.

Rating:

- Excellent Story, Beautiful Art
Jeph Lopeb has outdone himself on tackling arguably two of the most popular heroes in pop culture, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight. Now, many attempts at the team-ups between the two titans have been done, some with mediocre success and some with no success. Jeph Loeb's story is a far cry from any of the older World's Finest type stories that have featured the two heroes. It is very well plotted and is executed to near perfection.

The story starts off with a large chunk of kryptonite on a collision course with Earth. Luthor uses this to his advantage and puts a $1 billion bounty of Superman's spit-curl and even hires a meta-human team boasting the inclusion of Green Lanter, Powergirl, Captain Comet etc. And add to that the JSA also sends Hawkman and Captain Marvel after them and they get into a showdown. And if that wasn't bad enough, an older Superman (the Kingdom Come version) drops into the bat cave and beats the tar out of Superman and Batman. This is done in order to ensure that no one dies from the mistakes made here and now.

There are also sub-plots that include possible information as to the identity of the murderer of Bruce Wayne's parent (yeah I know...I thought Batman knew the killer, but this was apparently all debunked in the pre- and post-crisis stuff) brought forth by Superman.

Now, the amount of stuff touched on by Loeb in these first few issues just goes to show you that the man got a million ideas in his head. Hopefully they will come to fruition in the future issues.

And finally the art....I have not been a big-fan of Ed McGuinesses' work (dating back to his earlier work on various Superman series). They always looked too cartoony, in a bad catoony way. But this time his art was perfect. It was still cartoony but it was good cartoony (make whatever you want out of that).

If you like tight story-telling with a lot of action with a lot of substance (and who wouldn't want that?) this book is for you.

Rating:

- Brilliant
Jeph Loeb is the best writer to tackle Superman OR Batman in many a year, and putting them together in one series has been a magnificent success. Buoyed by wonderful artwork by Ed McGuiness, in this volume President Lex Luthor cons the Earth into believing that Superman is responsible for a planet-killer sized asteroid of pure Kryptonite that is falling towards the planet. Superman and Batman, with their few loyal allies, have to avoid the heroes trying to capture them, bring down the corrupt Luthor, and save the world from the meteor.

The key to this book is contrast. Superman is bright and hopeful. Batman is dark and cynical. Somehow, together, they WORK. And they work BEAUTIFULLY. Read this book and find out why this crimefighting duo will always be the World's Finest.

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