Superman/Batman #54 – Review

By: Michael Green (story) Mike Johnson (dialogue) Rags Morales (pencils and cover) John Dell (inks) Nei Ruffino (colors) Rob Leigh (letters)

The Story: Superman struggles to find his place in a world without his powers. After striving for so long to be more human, he’s discovering that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Batman on the other hand, is loving his new-found strengths just a little too much. His new powers are helping him clean up Gotham at an alarming rate, but at what cost? They say absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Batman may fall prey to the rule.

What’s Good: The power shift between the two heroes is playing out very well. Not only because it’s nice to see their role reversal, but also how they’re reacting. The fact that Batman of all people is having trouble seeing things clearly with his new powers says a lot. Embracing his new-found god-hood and further alienating his allies sets up some good character tension down the line. Superman’s struggle with mortality and inability to help also comes off very well. We’ve all felt helpless in our lives, but to go from god to guy in a few seconds would be tough for anyone to come back from.

What’s Not So Good: My only real gripe is the lack of overall villain thus-far. Silver Banshee came in and did her thing, then Batman threw down with Bane and all of that was fine. But it’s still unclear if the arc will only be about the power-shift, leading to a powerless Superman trying to take down a power-mad Batman. Or if a larger problem looms on the horizon.

Conclusion: This arc is off to a great start but I feel that the sooner we get an idea of where things are headed the better. If you’ve ever wondered what Batman would be like with powers, or Superman would be without them, this is a must buy. You might be surprised at the results, and a little surprise here and there is a good thing.

Grade: B+

-Ben Berger