Batman rescues Lois from a cult of Superman worshipers while Luthor plots to turn an entire alien planet against the Man of Steel.
The Good
Levitz and Ordway are a match made in heaven. This is the best Superman/Batman I've ever encountered as long as the title's been running. Levitz knows these characters and the dialogue he gives Superman, Batman, Lois and Luthor hits a bullseye every time. I loved the contrast in their methods while they were investigating the cult and their monologues were overlapping into eachother with segues along key phrases. It's been too long since I've seen that kind of literary approach to narration. And the characterization of Luthor was a real stand-out... how every pose, line and even word captured his megalamania without ever needing him to cackle like a madman. It was also fun to see Ordway revisiting the concept of a Superman cult he introduced years ago with Gog's first appearance. I feel like it'd almost be redundant to explain how good his art is, because I'd run out of superlatives all too quickly.
The Bad
I bring this up consistently in these reviews because it's consistently a nuisance. I'd really like to see an end to this practice of coloring un-inked pencils, because it never looks right and it always draws me out of the story. Jerry Ordway is an amazing artist and he has tight line work, but if they really wanted to give his art a painted quality, then they should have had somebody actually paint his work -- it was absolutely jaw-dropping when it was painted in the Power of Shazam mini-series. The colors here are actually amazing, but it doesn't matter how good they are when they go over pencils, because the result is an inconsistent strength to the lines that adds up to an experience akin to listening to an awesome song on a skipping CD.
The Verdict - 4.5/5
I'm really intrigued to see how the cult and alien planet plots roll-out. The former, particularly, seems especially ripe for a lot of interesting twists and turns. Like I said, this is the best I've ever seen this title, and it's been a real treat to see Levitz back to writing these characters, as he's bringing with him some finely honed-craft. I just wish they would've gotten an inker for this!
" My only question about this is where it stands continuinity wise? Other than that I would like to read it. "
I think this particular story is like those from Legends of the Dark Knight: it "just happened" in some point in the past, but as they don't deeply affect continuity, there's no need to specify exactly when they took place.
@ComicMan24: I agree, is Bruce's Batman in this or is its Dick's? They both have very different styles so which character is the writer portraying well?
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