Batman/Superman #6 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; David Marquez, Artist; Alejandro Sanchez, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: The team-up titles featuring members of the Trinity usually focus on big, explosive storytelling, which makes Batman/Superman #6, a surprisingly melancholy and character-driven issue, a pleasant surprise. It’s the aftermath of the battle with the Infected, and while Commissioner Gordon has been captured, the other five former heroes are in the wind. Word is getting around about Superman and Batman’s deception, and the first to confront them is Wonder Woman. She’s been searching tirelessly for her protege Donna Troy, and to say she isn’t happy with being kept out of the loop is putting it lightly.
Williamson does a great job with this scene, letting Marquez’s brilliant art convey the emotions without too much dialogue. Unlike many scenes with falling-outs between heroes, Diana isn’t looking to attack. Her stony silence as the three of them fight a tense battle and a pointed threat speak volumes in a way heroes punching each other doesn’t many times.
The confrontation and the similar loss of trust with other heroes forces Clark and Bruce to take stock, and the series then does a bit of a time jump to after Clark’s identity reveal and Bruce’s fresh start in Gotham. The second half of the issue is a little slower and doesn’t have the same punch as the first half, but there is a great confrontation with an Infected Gordon in his cell as he spews out some creepy lines that seem to come from the existential horror that being a cop in Gotham creates.
This arc has been good, but I think I’m more excited for the next arc, which will bring in Ra’s Al Ghul and the semi-reformed General Zod for a war over the Lazarus Pits. Zod’s had a great storyarc over in Superman over the last year, and I’m looking forward to his new status quo as an antihero spinning out into this title. This book has been event-driven so far, so a more independent storyline might be what it needs to take it from very good to great.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
