Batman/Superman #20 – Gene Luen Yang, Writer; Ivan Reis, Penciller; Danny Miki, Inker; Sabine Rich, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This inventive series only has two issues left, unfortunately, and Gene Luen Yang’s run will only be one extended arc. What a relief it is, then, that it’s such a unique arc that it’ll leave an impact on the DCU on its own. With the main DC Superman and Batman kind of in limbo, the story has been dominated by two alternate versions of the heroes—each from a world where the other one never existed. That was a good enough hook, but since then it’s become a genre-busting old-school adventure where the two heroes and their closest allies zoom from one world to another, exploring genres from old-school sci-fi to classic western. It feels like a tribute to the early days of comics, when superheroes were just one of the many players and many different genres had their days in the sun. But there’s one genre they haven’t explored yet in this arc, and its day is here—horror.
The megalomaniacal Auteur.Io has always been a great villain—essentially Brainiac if he went to film school. But after he’s defeated in the west world with the help of El Diablo and Alanna Strange, he sets about destroying his creations with the help of a new villain—a twisted version of Etrigan from a world where his hell-realm is essentially all that’s left. Etrigan launches an attack on Superman’s “world of tomorrow,” leading to a fiery final battle drawn brilliantly by Ivan Reis. This is a widescreen comic with epic action, sure, but what really sets it apart is the incredible level of detail that goes into it. The panel layouts are some of the most complex I’ve ever seen in a mainstream comic, especially outside of cartoonists like James Stokoe. It can almost be a bit too chaotic at times, but it’s so much fun and unlike anything else at DC. This is going to make one hell of a completed story.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
