Mild Mannered Reviews - Specials
Superman/Batman #55
Scheduled to arrive in stores: February 18, 2009Cover date: April 2009
"SuperBat" - Part 3
Writer: Michael Green and Mike Johnson
Penciller: Rags Morales
Inker: John Dell and Drew Geraci
Reviewed by: Michael Bailey
With the help of the Justice League and good medical care Clark survives his gunshot wound. Meanwhile Batman takes his war on crime global. The League tries to talk to him about his increasingly violent behavior and Batman tells them to leave him alone. Nightwing confronts Batman but the fight is very one sided and Nightwing ends up needing medical care. Superman realizes he has to face Batman and prepares to do so with the help of Alfred and a reinforced suit.
Story - 2: There is nothing I can write about this issue that I didn't write about the previous chapters of "SuperBat". The story is terrible. I can't find anything about the plot or even the dialogue that is even entertaining at this point. Batman has super powers because of magic and now he is becoming darker and more violent because of magic. Oh and because he is staying in the dark too much his powers weaken.
Wow, that's incredibly bad writing and plotting.
None of it makes sense. I don't even care at this point. Bane survived Batman punching a hole through his body? Really? Is that what you're going with? Was this a choice of the writers or the editors? I would like to know because I don't care how juiced up Bane is surviving something like that is pushing the limits of my willing suspension of disbelief.
The rest of the issue was downright boring. Superman survives and is on his feet halfway through? That is some magic. Even the big moments of this issue were stale. The Nightwing/Batman fight (which was mindless and only served to show how "over the edge" Batman has become) and Superman suiting up at the end produced nothing but a lot of eyeing and sighing especially the suiting up part. This will undoubtedly lead to another Superman/Batman fight, which is a plot device that is certainly new, original and hasn't been done lately.
Oh wait. It has. A lot.
But wait a minute. This time Batman has the super powers and Superman doesn't, so that makes it new and different and exciting. Right?
Actually it doesn't.
Actually it makes me very sad that we can't get two decent stories in a row out of this writing team.
And another thing; if this series is not in continuity then please stop using elements of current continuity into it. Either go all of the way or forget it. The whole, "we just want to tell good Superman/Batman stories," argument that DC likes to repeat is getting a little old and would make more sense if they were telling good Superman/Batman stories in these pages.
Next issue; the thrilling conclusion. Hope I can stifle the yawn.
Art - 3: This is not Rags' best work. I don't know if it is the inker or if he is trying to change up his style. The characters look off to me. Maybe it's the story itself making the artwork seem worse than it is. I don't know. I just didn't care for it.
Cover Art - 3: Again the characters look strange on this cover. It is dynamic enough but I just don't care for it all that much. Probably the weakest cover of the arc.
Mild Mannered Reviews
2009
Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.January 2009
- Action Comics #871
- Superman #682
- Adventure Comics Special Featuring The Guardian #1
- Supergirl #35
- Superman/Batman #54
- Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #1
- Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #2
- Trinity #23
- Trinity #24
- Trinity #25
- Trinity #26
- Superman & Batman vs. Vampires & Werewolves #3
- Superman & Batman vs. Vampires & Werewolves #4
- Justice League of America #27
- Justice Society of America Kingdom Come Special: Superman #1
- Justice Society of America Kingdom Come Special: Magog #1
- Justice Society of America Kingdom Come Special: The Kingdom #1
- Justice Society of America #21
- Tangent: Superman's Reign #9
- Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #20
- Super Friends #9
- Action Comics #872
- Superman #683
- Supergirl #36
- Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #3
- Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #4
- Trinity #27
- Trinity #28
- Trinity #29
- Trinity #30
- Trinity #31
- Final Crisis #5
- Final Crisis: Secret Files #1
- Superman & Batman vs. Vampires & Werewolves #5
- Superman & Batman vs. Vampires & Werewolves #6
- Justice League of America #28
- Justice Society of America #22
- Tangent: Superman's Reign #10
- Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade #1
- Super Friends #10
- Action Comics #873
- Superman #684
- Superman/Batman Annual #3
- Supergirl #37
- Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #5
- Trinity #32
- Trinity #33
- Trinity #34
- Trinity #35
- Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #2
- Final Crisis #6
- Final Crisis #7
- Justice League of America #29
- Tangent: Superman's Reign #11
- Black Lightning: Year One #1
- Black Lightning: Year One #2
- Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade #2
- Super Friends #11
- Action Comics #874
- Superman #685
- Supergirl #38
- Superman/Batman #55
- Adventure Comics #0
- Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #3
- Trinity #36
- Trinity #37
- Trinity #38
- Trinity #39
- Justice League of America #30
- Tangent: Superman's Reign #12
- Black Lightning: Year One #3
- Black Lightning: Year One #4
- Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade #3
- Super Friends #12
- Superman: World of New Krypton #1
- Action Comics #875
- Superman #686
- Supergirl #39
- Superman/Batman #56
- Superman/Batman #57
- Trinity #40
- Trinity #41
- Trinity #42
- Trinity #43
- Justice League of America #31
- Black Lightning: Year One #5
- Black Lightning: Year One #6
- Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade #4
- Super Friends #13
- Superman: World of New Krypton #2
- Action Comics #876
- Superman #687
- Supergirl #40
- Superman/Batman #58
- Superman/Batman #59
- Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #4
- Trinity #44
- Trinity #45
- Trinity #46
- Trinity #47
- Trinity #48
- Justice League of America #32
- Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade #5
- Super Friends #14
- Superman: World of New Krypton #3
- Action Comics #877
- Superman #688
- Supergirl #41
- Superman/Batman #60
- Trinity #49
- Trinity #50
- Trinity #51
- Trinity #52
- Justice League of America #33
- Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade #6
- Super Friends #15
- Superman: World of New Krypton #4
- Action Comics #878
- Action Comics Annual #12
- Superman #689
- Supergirl #42
- Superman/Batman #61
- Justice League of America #34
- Super Friends #16
- Superman: World of New Krypton #5
- Action Comics #879
- Superman #690
- Supergirl #43
- Superman/Batman #62
- Wednesday Comics #1
- Wednesday Comics #2
- Wednesday Comics #3
- Wednesday Comics #4
- Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #5
- Justice League of America #35
- Justice League: Cry For Justice #1
- Super Friends #17
- Superman: World of New Krypton #6
- Action Comics #880
- Superman #691
- Adventure Comics #1
- Superman: Secret Files 2009 #1
- Superman Annual #14
- Supergirl #44
- Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #2
- Superman/Batman #63
- Blackest Night: Superman #1
- Wednesday Comics #5
- Wednesday Comics #6
- Wednesday Comics #7
- Wednesday Comics #8
- Justice League of America #36
- Justice League: Cry For Justice #2
- Super Friends #18
- Superman: Secret Origin #1
- Superman: World of New Krypton #7
- Action Comics #881
- Superman #692
- Supergirl Annual #1
- Supergirl #45
- Adventure Comics #2
- Superman/Batman #64
- Blackest Night: Superman #2
- Wednesday Comics #9
- Wednesday Comics #10
- Wednesday Comics #11
- Wednesday Comics #12
- Justice League of America #37
- Justice League: Cry For Justice #3
- Super Friends #19
- Superman: Secret Origin #2
- Superman: World of New Krypton #8
- Action Comics #882
- Superman #693
- Supergirl #46
- Adventure Comics #3
- Superman/Batman #65
- World's Finest #1
- Blackest Night: Superman #3
- Justice League of America #38
- Justice League: Cry For Justice #4
- Super Friends #20
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Check out the Comic Index Lists for the complete list of Superman-related comics published in 2009.