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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
The highly anticipated first issue of Batman/Superman is finally here, and it has definitely been worth the wait. Let’s dive in.
Spoilers Follow.
I have to be honest; I have never quite understood just how the Dark Multiverse worked. In my mind, I had always pictured countless worlds wherein the worst possible outcomes always occurred. I imagined worlds that were rotten from the moment they formed; where every city was like Gotham – or, arguably, much, much worse. But, it seems as though that is not the case at all – in fact, based on what we have seen, it almost feels as though Batman, himself, is the cause of most of the issues plaguing the Dark Multiverse.
Take for example the opening sequence of this issue, wherein we see a relatively normal exchange between Clark’s co-workers at the Daily Planet. Aside from the absence of Lois Lane, the exchange feels entirely normal; just another day at the Planet. However, that all changes when Clark gets a call from Batman. He quickly leaves the Planet – and, well, the planet - and races to his comrade on the Watchtower. Superman comments that Batman sounds different, and while his rhetoric does come off as more aggressive than usual, we’re left to believe that everything is relatively fine.
But it is not. Boy, is it not.
As Superman enters the Watchtower he stumbles across several members of the Justice League – heroes such as Wonder Woman, The Flash, Hawk-Man, and Martian Manhunter – all dead. And, before he even has a moment to react, he finds himself spitting up blood – a side effect of breathing in Kryptonite infused air. We then get a glimpse of Batman, who it turns out is in the process of transforming into The Batman Who Laughs.
The story then transitions to Batman and Detective Jim Gordon speaking atop the GCPD Police Department, as the two discuss the events of Snyder’s The Batman Who Laughs and the fall out of those events.
Speaking of which, it would probably be a good idea to, at least briefly, touch on that now. But, before I do that, I want to take note of how refreshing it is to have David Marquez helming the artistry for this story. As much as I love Scott Snyder’s storytelling – and the work he’s done with The Batman Who Laughs – I can’t help but be put off by Jock’s artwork. I suppose it did a decent enough job of depicting the inherent darkness of Gotham, but I, frankly, was never all that thrilled by it. Which is why it is such a treat to have Marquez in the driver’s seat, because his rendition of The Batman Who Laughs looks absolutely marvelous in comparison. This is not to say that Jock is, somehow, a bad artist – it is simply a matter of preference, and Marquez’s work is undoubtedly what I prefer.
With that being said, in order to really appreciate Batman/Superman #1, one really needs a decent understanding of this years The Batman Who Laughs mini series, which saw Batman go up against his dark counterpart – the one we just saw murder, what was quite possibly, the entire Justice League. In TBWL, this Batman arrived on Earth-0, and sought to spread his sinister sense of humor all across Gotham. This, on top of the fact that our Batman had just found himself exposed to the toxin that would eventually turn him into a Laughing Bat; which led to him having to combat The Batman Who Laughs on two fronts – both externally, and internally.
The story itself has a very interesting premise, but I have to admit that it really loses its steam in the latter half – leading to a conclusion that does not quite hit the mark in a very satisfying way. That being said, one could argue that the story has not yet concluded – as Batman/Superman will clearly be dealing with the fallout of The Batman Who Laughs plan.
I do like that, for those who may be unfamiliar with The Batman Who Laughs – as he is, still, a relatively new character to the Batman mythos - it provides that prologue, wherein we get to see just how deadly he can be. Moments like that are necessary in order to get an idea of what kind of person the two heroes are dealing with in this story. This is not some version of Batman who is seeking to cause mischief; no, he is out for Carnage in the same way that, well, Carnage is out for Carnage. Whew, now that I think about it, imagine The Batman Who Laughs with a Carnage Symbiote? Jinkies.
Also – and this is important to note – unbeknownst to anyone else, Jim Gordon is currently infected with the Joker Toxin. So, keep that in mind as we analyze this next scene.
So, Batman briefly explains to Superman what he has been dealing with over the last year in regard to The Batman Who Laughs. With Superman caught up to speed on the matter, Jim Gordon tells the two that a child – Danny – has been kidnapped. Except, obviously, this is no ordinary abduction, as the perpetrator was said to have been Superman; and this Superman, was apparently laughing. Batman tells Superman that the two need to work together in order to find The Batman Who Laugh’s base of operations – as, hopefully, it might provide some information the whereabouts of Danny, and the two take off.
This interaction speaks to the uniqueness of Batman and Superman’s relationship. The two are fundamentally different in many ways, but they still understand one another; perhaps better than any other heroes within the Justice League. They’re relationship isn’t normal by any means, but why would it be? One of them is an alien from another planet, while the other is a man dressed up as a Bat? The fact that the are able to have any sort of relationship is nothing short of miraculous.
I also want to add that the moment wherein Clark tells Jim to lay off the cigarettes gave me flashbacks of Injustice, wherein – in a genuinely dick move – Superman tells Jim that he has cancer whilst the two stand (or, I guess Superman was hovering) above the GCPD Station. I do wonder if that was intentional. Also, I like the fact that while Batman disappeared while Jim was in the middle of talking, Superman claims that, “that’s not [his] move,” which I found pretty funny.
Using the clues Jim Gordon gave, Batman & Superman immediately make their way towards the Laughing Bat’s Batcave. Their met with an armada of security bots, but the two make quick work of them and make their way into the Batcave. Once inside, the two mosey around the Batcave for any clues. They immideiately come across six Bat-A-Rangs laced with the Joker Toxin, which the two believe have been used on members of the Justice League.
I like this moment because, without Superman, Batman might have glossed over the chess set; but because Superman knows him so well, he assumed that it might be important. It is another nod at the dynamic of their relationship, and I appreciate that.
Before the two have a chance to analyze the information they are attacked by one of the Laughing Bat’s Robin’s. However, this Robin is not like the others, for when he yells out a simple, six letter word, everything changes.
The issue ends with The Shazam Who Laughs holding Superman by the throat with one hand, and holding a Bat-A-Rang with his crest on it in the other.
And, well, that’s pretty heavy.
Let it be stated for the record that The Batman Who Laughs is one bad mofo. I mean, honestly – to infect Shazam right off the bat was probably the most ingenious thing he could have done. Not only have you presented Batman with an enemy he’d be overwhelmingly overpowered by – but, with Shazam being endowed with magical power, it also means that even Superman will have a difficult time keeping up with him. But, even more so than that – while we were led to believe that all six Bat-A-Rangs have been used to infect members of the Justice League, it’s clear that one still remains – and it’s about to be plunged into Superman’s chest.
I mean, talk about high stakes. This could potentially lead to things playing out very similarly to The Batman Who Laughs, with Superman trying to stave off the effects of the Toxin for as long as he can. Or, perhaps Bruce still has whatever serum he used to cure himself – though, I believe he got that serum from another version of himself, so that might not be an option for Superman. But honestly, who knows.
Part of the reason that I believe that he either a.) won’t get stabbed or b.) will be healed relatively quickly, is the fact that in Price of Justice #4 (a.k.a. The Flash #65) – a tie in to Heroes in Crisis – we see that Superman, while beaten up, is relatively fine. In fact, he makes a comment about not trusting Batman – which would be a strange thing to say if he had just been stabbed with that Bat-A-Rang. Something else that’s interesting about that scene is the fact that Batman seems to be weary of trusting The Flash – which could mean that he may possibly be infected.
While I would have preferred it been a surprise, we already know the identiy of four of the six - as, prior to the release of this issue, DC released images of Blue Beetle, Shazam, Hawk-Man, and Supergirl – who may, or may not, be the intended target of the Bat-A-Rang that Shazam is currently holding. Who knows. If it isn’t intended for Superman then that would leave two more spots open, and, if I had to guess, I would say that one of those spots will belong to The Flash. But, as of right now it’s all just speculation – we’ll have to wait to see how all of this unfolds!
While Batman/Superman #1 gives its biggest surprise away via its preview – which was included at the end of Bendis’s Superman #13 – it does little to take away from the fact that Joshua Williamson has taken Scott Snyder’s version of Batman and Gotham and built upon it in a genuinely interesting way. It has been over three years since there has been a comic that saw our titular heroes team up on their own, and the first issue definitely has me excited to see where things will go as we dive deeper into discovering the identities of the Secret Six – as well as how the two will ultimately defeat them.
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