Thursday, August 29, 2019

Batman/Superman #1 by Joshua Williamson - Comic Book Review


From the publisher: Up in the sky, in the dark of the night, trust no one - for the infected walk among us. Spinning out of the devastating events of THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS, Superman and Batman are together once more in an all-new monthly series - and they're facing a terrifying new threat that could strike from anywhere. The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel must journey into the depths of Gotham City to learn which of their fellow heroes has been transformed into the horrifying horseman of their most dangerous and deranged foe ever. Our heroes will need to fight to survive, but an even more dangerous question lurks in the shadows: Can Superman and Batman even trust each other?

I've been a fan of the previous Batman/Superman series, and this new one by Joshua Williamson seems to be following in their footsteps. The Batman Who Laughs (from the Dark Nights: Metal series last year) has been harassing Batman and his friends over the past year or so, and now it seems that he has kidnapped an innocent boy. As Batman and Superman track the missing child down, they discover something horrible; The Batman Who Laughs has infected six people with the Joker serum from his dark universe. And even worse, the infected could be anyone, from ordinary citizens to heroes to villains. This is one of Batman's greatest fears, as he says something along the lines of "We (heroes) would make even better villains than the villains we face." And with that, the issue ends with a terrific twist, as the first of the new Sinister Six reveals themself.

Man, this issue flew right along. The pacing was terrific, and the reveal at the end was well done. I don't have much background with The Batman Who Laughs, but I didn't feel that I was missing that much, due to Williamson's excellent writing. This evil Batman is an excellent villain, and the premise of this series promises an exciting read every month. I also enjoy the uncertainty that has now been created for Batman and Superman, even between themselves. There is no real way to be sure just who has been infected, and the prospect of an ultimate evil version of some of DC's greatest heroes is downright intriguing to me. It will be interesting to see if the transformation in this issue (and further ones in upcoming issues) will have any lasting affect on the DC Universe at large. Hopefully this isn't just some one off story where everything is reset at the end.

I, for one, really enjoyed Joshua Williamson's Batman/Superman #1 and can't wait to see where he takes our heroes in future issues. Grab this if you're a fan of the Batman/Superman books, The Batman Who Laughs, or just someone who likes to see heroes go bad.

I received a preview copy of this book from DC Comics in exchange for an honest review.


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