From the publisher: The Batman Who Laughs' plot is bigger than either the Caped Crusader or the Man of Steel realized. Following a showdown with the devious killer's first sentinel, a jacked-up, Dark Multiverse-infected Shazam!, the pair has to figure out who else has been targeted for similar transformations. Their first two guesses: someone very close to Batman and the one hero that would make failure nearly impossible--Superman himself!
Batman/Superman #2 by Joshua Williamson comes right on the heels of issue #1. With the revelation that Shazam has been corrupted by The Batman Who Laughs, Superman and Batman are scrambling to restrain and help him. However, its not to be. Additionally, during the battle, Shazam lets slip that The Batman Who Laughs has a greater plan. As Batman and Superman recover from the fight, they discover that there are six people (the Secret Six) who have been infected. And since The Batman Who Laughs is essentially Bruce Wayne, he knows who and what is important to both Batman and Superman. This puts everyone in danger and leads to a potentially dangerous plan to infiltrate The Batman Who Laughs's plan.
I enjoyed this issue. Batman and Superman are cool, and they handled things pretty much like you would expect. However, Williamson turned Shazam (or The Shazam Who Laughs) into the star of the issue. The way Williamson writes him, Billy Batson/Shazam is just downright evil. Gone is the innocence and goofiness of a young teenager given the powers of Shazam. Instead, Billy is devious and clever, preying on Superman's nature to want to help people rather than eliminate them. He also uses his magic-based powers to his advantage in a way that I'm not sure a clear-thinking Shazam would do.
Williamson has also created a sense of unease and distrust in the series, due to the fact that anyone could be a part of the Secret Six. Batman and Superman are left with the fact that they can't trust anyone, but they need help in stopping The Batman Who Laughs. And while I realize that spoilers revealing the remaining Secret Six members are all over the internet, Williamson is slowing revealing just how deep this conspiracy goes. He maintains a level mystery, only showing his hand when he wants to, which therefore adds to the suspense.
I highly recommend Batman/Superman #2 by Joshua Williamson. This is a gripping and interesting series, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops. The potential for interesting takes on familiar characters is high, and I can't wait to see how Williamson writes them.
I received a preview copy of this book from DC Comics in exchange for an honest review.
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