| Title | : | Batman/Superman, Volume 1: Cross World |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1401245099 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781401245092 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 144 |
| Publication | : | First published May 6, 2014 |
Collects: Batman/Superman #1-4 and Justice League #23.1.
Batman/Superman, Volume 1: Cross World Reviews
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(B) 74% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Its story's forgettable, the art is regrettable: it all looks slow-motion set deep in the ocean, ill-suited albeit exceptional. -
2.5 stars
In the world of graphic novels, art can make or break a story.
It plays a huge role in not only telling the story, but setting the mood. When you have an artist and a writer who are in sync, it's a thing of beauty.
And that's what makes this one so difficult for me to review.
Jae Lee's art is phenomenal. Visually, this is one of the most stunning comic books I've ever read. To say it's hauntingly beautiful wouldn't be an overstatement.
But.
I hated it.
To me, it looked like it belonged in a fairytale retelling, not a capes and tights story.
Having young Superman wear jeans instead of tights, isn't a new concept. It was done in
Action Comics, Vol. 1: Superman and the Men of Steel to give him a fresh/tougher look.
And in that one I think it worked.
In this? Not so much.
He looked like a little boy with high water pants on.
I know I'm going to catch shit for this, but as much as I loved the art, I thought it was wasted on this title. It was like seeing a fabulous dress on Sylvester Stallone. The dress might be lovely, but if you drape it over Rambo, it's gonna looks stupid.
Does that make sense?
As for the story itself?
Alternate Earths collide!
The plot basically runs along the lines of DARKSEID IS COMING!, but nobody on either Earth knows who the hell that is, and they're too busy squabbling to find out.
Our Superman and Batman (who don't know each other yet) are transported by a 'trickster god' to Earth 2, where they meet up with their older counterparts. These guys have a different history than our Bruce and Clark. Having met when they were children, they've formed a solid friendship with each other over the years, while our guys are still spitting and clawing at each other.
*insert fight scenes*
There's a way to stop Darkseid, but (according to the trickster) only one Earth can do it. Whoever is willing to 'grasp the power', or something. The older S&B want to destroy the dangerous weapon, while the younger guys think they should hang onto it...just in case.
*insert more fight scenes
Of course, if you've read
Earth 2, Vol. 1: The Gathering, then you already know how well the other guys' strategy worked.
Having a young Batman and Superman giving each other the fish-eye, plus an older version showing how deep the bond of their friendship really runs?
It should have been an easy win-win!
It wasn't.
Something was just off about the whole thing. I don't think I can really even put my finger on it in a coherent way. It wasn't a total loss, but it wasn't all that great, either.
Get this review and more at:
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Originally reviewed at
Bookwraiths Reviews
How the hell do you describe this collection?
Actually, it’s damn difficult.
Greg Pak’s story begins with a lot of promise. New 52 Batman and Superman meeting for the first time (Maybe five or so years before the New 52 reboot?) in real life as Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent. Naturally, the two don’t exactly hit it off.
Before this meet-and-greet goes too wrong, a demonic spirit of some kind appears, transporting these two — for no clear reason — to Earth 2, where they immediately clash with their alternate, older selves and each other.
As Batman and Superman are trying to understand what the hell is going on and fight off these old guys impersonating them, the mischievous demon spirit reappears, babbling on about Darkseid and telling everyone that only one world will survive. Eventually, Wonder Woman shows up to use her lasso of truth on the damn thing and get to the bottom of what is going on. No one ever really understand what the hell is happening though, because Darkseid is a complete unknown at this time.
Through all this superhero fun, Pak throws out some rather good ideas, especially those focusing on the Big Three of Earth-2 (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman) and those foreshadowing the beginning to the Earth-2 series. But, even with the bright spots, this was a story that never really caught fire, but did more sputtering and smoking before it just went out. Honestly, I don’t know if Pak was trying to simplify the narrative, make it mysterious, or give it a dreamy tone, but whatever his reasons, this whole story had such a weird surreal feeling that it was about as appealing as the art.
Yeah, I’m dissing Jae Lee’s artwork. Now, let me stop and say that I’ve always found this guys work to be amazing. I’ve considered myself a fan of his since I picked up a copy of Namor the Sub-Mariner back in 1992. Those books dazzled me, and I’ve generally liked his stuff ever since — except for this collection. Here his art has such a whimsical quality that it just doesn’t match the story. The ethereal nature of it not meshing with the superhero antics. Not sure why, but that is how I felt anyway.
All of the above really means one things: Batman/Superman: Cross World is not something I’ll remember for very long or remember very fondly. It really was a disappointment to me, because I was expecting great things from it. -
This is simply an excuse to have 2 Batman's and 2 Superman's fighting each other. Batman and Superman are thrown into another dimension where they don't trust each other and get to fight until they do trust each other some. Then Darkseid shows up. Yawn!
The art was interesting and this was so boring. I did not like it and it had little point to it besides fighting fighting fighting. DC really has some issues right now. They need better stories. These NEw 52 are very hit or miss and many of them are not hits. -
The artwork is a stunner in this graphic novel volume, however the story is rather incomprehensible. It's hard to track what's going on, seeing as how there are two different Batmans and Supermans (technically one is Superboy), and their behavior was different from what you expect from the characters. I think the origin story about Darkseid was pretty awesome. I'd definitely give that a higher rating than the rest of this volume. Overall, it's a three star read that could have been smashing with more effort for clarity.
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Here I go attempting to do the impossible...I don't what made me feel like I needed to read through DC's New 52 stuff since I really need to catch up with Rebirth but here we gooooo
If ya'll didn't know I get a lot of my reading guides and information regarding both Marvel and DC from Comic Book Herald. He is absolutely AMAZING. While I've been trying (horribly) to keep up with his Marvelous Year (Marvel reading guide), I decided it might be fun to check out some of his DC reading guides and he did not fail. While I could have gone straight into DC's Rebirth line, I decided it might be fun to go back and read the New 52 material in reading order. This is one of the first trades that he recommends that we start with and boy was I confused.
DC hosts some of my favorite comic book characters, but their continuity SUCKS. And I'm not surprised to say that the confusion is ever so present in this volume. Essentially the reader sees an encounter between Batman and Superman as Bruce and Clark. Clearly the two are not fond of each other in the least bit. After a strange encounter with a mischievous goddess, Bruce and Clark are transported to another world where they meet the Earth 2 versions of themselves. And folks, this is exactly where my poor pea-sized brain couldn't keep up. It wasn't necessarily the storyline because I understood why the goddess wanted to see the two worlds compared to each other (this is made clear in the Justice League/Darkseid issue at the end); however, I think that the artwork really made things complicated. Batman/Superman from Earth 2 literally look no different from the Batman/Superman of Earth. Yes, I know they are supposed to be identical; however, there were no distinguishable characteristics (i.e. clothing) between the characters in terms of artwork so when Batman fought Batman I really didn't know who was from Earth and who was from Earth 2. That made the story more confusing than it needed to be. Like a lot of reviewers have stated before me, it made the plot feel like it was all over place. There were some aspects that I did enjoy like the friendship of Batman and Superman on Earth 2. I think that their childhood meeting gave me all the warm feelings I needed. I also really enjoyed the origin story of Darkseid and it made me look forward to seeing him in future volumes of new 52.
So while this wasn't the greatest collection (I know that most of new 52 is a hit or miss), I did enjoy seeing New 52 Batman and Superman meet for the first time. I thought that the artwork was interesting. Not my favorite as it's very whimsical and didn't necessarily fit the context of the story itself; however, I heard that Jae Lee does some fantastic artwork in other comics so I'll definitely check it out.
I'm ready to continue my journey of reading New 52. This should be interesting. -
I’d try to summarise the plot but for the life of me I don’t think there was one. New 52 Batman and Superman, before they join the Justice League (so this is 5 or 6 years back from the “present” - the New 52 timeline is so messy!), get sent to Earth 2 by a demon trickster called Kaiyo (Kaiyo = KO = Knock-Out - it’s that imaginative!) where they meet older, wiser versions of themselves. They fight. They go back home. The end.
I think this was meant to show how Batman and Superman became close friends by showing them as disliking/distrusting one another to start with and then learning that they both share common goals, but really in the New 52, they’ve never been “friends”. Even now in the “present”, they’re still annoying one another, bickering in the constantly-fractured Justice League.
I like the New 52 t-shirt and jeans Superman so seeing more of him was good and I really enjoyed Jae Lee’s super gothic, moody art which makes Gotham look so frickin’ awesome, and his Catwoman design rocked. But those are the only positives I can think of for this effort.
It’s basically four issues of two Batmen and two Supermen talking about their differences (duh, Earth 1 is different from Earth 2 - let’s point out the changes!), fighting one another (because heaven forfend that we ever get a Superman/Batman story without the two fighting!) and then Darkseid makes a pointless cameo. It’s so boring, stale, and unimaginative, I don’t know what Greg Pak/DC were thinking! Well, I can guess - “Batman and Superman are our top-selling properties, let’s make another series with the two and make more money!”. Oh and having young Clark and young Bruce meet as kids when Wayne's car breaks down in Smallville? That's some Star Wars prequel-level garbage, Greg!
Four issues is a bit short for a book so the Darkseid Villain’s Month one-shot is thrown in which tells you Darkseid’s origins in a brief, uninteresting way. Like the other Villain’s Month one-shots, this one is a total waste of time (with no Jae Lee art to save it either).
I can’t recommend this for either Batman, Superman or Earth 2 fans as it’s such a dull, unsatisfactory story - seriously, has Greg Pak ever written anything worthwhile? How does he keep getting big assignments?! Jae Lee fans would definitely like it for the art alone but Batman/Superman is definitely not a must-read addition to the New 52. -
I had the most difficult time thinking about if I will recommend this to anyone but the answer, as it turns out in the end, is a resounding YES--but with some reservations that need to be expounded upon. This review will serve to do just that. I feel like I should tackle the good and the bad of this package on equal terms, seeing as Batman-Superman is a very polarizing New 52 title so far but I also believe that it's getting some undeserved hate or complete dismissal from most of the hardcore comic fanbase. I can get behind their reasoning because those are the same reasons that let me down when I read this first volume (collecting issues #1-4 and JLA #23.1). However, it's not entirely irredeemable.
It could be a matter of taste, and a matter of a different perspective because I confess that I could give writer Greg Pak a pass with this line-up but still be more critical with his other run, Action Comics which stars Superman since my expectations has more weight with the latter. I think that my state of mind going into this collected volume affected my overall judgment which also helped my enjoyment of the story and characterization. I would also want to disclose that I'm a Bats-Sups shipper (I adore their relationship, platonic or OTHERWISE) so that bias is my rose-colored lenses while reading this.
Nevertheless, I would still remain objective in this review because I don't want to give misinformation to anyone who is interested in perhaps giving this a try; as you well should. It's not everyone's cup of tea but it might just be yours so don't dismiss it based on the very negative reviews you may have encountered.
THE BAD
The direction of Pak's writing is something that doesn't fit from what you might expect in a tights and cape comic book. This for me is actually okay but I do acknowledge that the delivery of the plot and characters as a whole can be the most jarring and nonsensical thing ever produced on a superhero story yet. The first four issues deal with more character exposition which for someone who likes that sort of thing would easily get into it, but might be detested by readers who expect more from the plot development. However, I can't even say Batman-Superman is a character-driven story because I don't think the approach has been done well in the four issues I've read.
There are paper-thin moments among chief characters and some interactions do feel quite stiff. As for the plot in general, this is the most aspect of this volume that has been criticized and rightly so. Truly nothing remarkable happens in the storyline for the the four issues (and arguably nothing at all). The action sequences can feel diluted too when you don't know what the hell is supposed to be happening at the moment.
In addition to this, the Batmen and Supermen of two worlds don't really have much impact to the storyline. They serve more as chess pieces to a bigger game that they're not actually going to be players of; at least that's how I viewed it. This is easily frustrating then, because this is the World's Finest we are talking about; a pairing of overwhelming strength and legacy most especially when you have them together, fighting for the same things. I never get a sense of that urgency and awesomeness for the four issues and it therefore made the plot even more underwhelming when it reaches its conclusion. My review for issue #4 was particularly lukewarm. I was unhappy with how it wrapped up. It was already in a shaky ground to begin with and then we get that kind of pay-off which isn't satisfying at all.
Sure, I could give a pass because history dictates that most World's Finest stories haven't been in any kind of superior standard in comparison to other DC titles (Green Arrow-Green Lantern issues are more exciting and the more commendable superhero pairing, truth be told). But with the New 52 launch, I've always maintained a gravity of expectations that have been fulfilled by other titles (Bat-family mostly) so I wanted Batman-Superman to be one of those. In some aspects, it was.
THE GOOD
A great number of comic book readers will agree unanimously that Jae Lee's artwork is the most amazing thing about this volume (even those who don't consider Lee to be one of their favorite artists in comics right now have some good things to say about his style and layout). I admit that this is the second draw for me when I bought the volume. The majestic cover depicting Superman and Batman together that resemble a huge statue of some kind in real life is just so damn visually pleasing to look at. Lee's uniquely styled illustrations and quaint structural panels got me through reading the issues, and even increased my enjoyment some more because his drawings are just an adventure to peruse through by themselves.
As I've said before, being a Bats-Sups shipper makes me giddy over anything that includes them both in the pages (I'm prepared to enjoy the Dawn of Justice film coming out in 2016 only because I'll finally get to see live-action Bats-Sups together on screen). It's an added bonus that other JLA members are not in focus (sure, Wonder Woman makes an appearance but she hardly does anything substantial except fight pretty which is saying something horrible about the writing as well). My favorite moments will always be the character monologues between New 52 Batman and Superman that highlight how much they don't like each other and cannot work together, and that flashback sequence where we find out how Earth-2 Bats and Sups became besties in childhood.
This is why the third issue is my most favorite of all because it made my shipper heart skip several beats while reading. But again, this is a very subjective way of reading Batman-Superman that you will not share unless you consider World's Finest as a great pairing in general (which I do and you don't need to agree with me because I frankly won't give a damn if you don't).
Finally, I think it's worth mentioning that this volume has got to have the best bonus material in the last pages. New 52 DC titles lately when they go deluxe or hardcover editions would only feature variant covers (maybe a copy of a manuscript for a select issue) and that's it. But with Batman-Superman, we get pages of the writer and artist talking about the process of writing and illustrating their issues. It's a great read because you get an insider's look on how a comic book is made. It features the pencils stage for Lee's artwork all throughout while we get interviews from the people who worked for this title discussing the decisions they've made and why they chose that layout or panel sequencing, etc. For this, I'm glad I bought the volume.
FINAL VERDICT
However, don't buy the volume if you're not completely a DC fan, particularly of Batman and Superman together in one book. I still recommend you give this a chance and read it but not own a hard copy yourself because I don't think you will get your money's worth if it turns out this is not your cup of tea. Even though I'm giving this a better rating than most, I still have several things I dislike about this volume but they are ones I could overlook. But you might not, so that's an important difference between you and I.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
[DO READ MORE ABOUT MY BATMAN REVIEWS IN
http://batman-comics-geek.blogspot.com/] -
I received this book from a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
I have read a lot of DC comics collections. This was my very first New 52 collection. I found it to be less satisfying than I had hoped.
Jae Lee's art is amazing. That was the true highlight of this book. It truly outshines the story.
As for the story, it tried to be good. I saw flashes of brilliance, but things felt too disjointed. and cumbersome. The first meeting of the two titans of the DC Universe did not flow well and every scene felt too forced, with the exception of the intro and exit on the streets of Gotham between the 'alter egos'.
The final section contains origins for Darkseid and Kaiyo. This was actually fun and well executed.
Overall, I was not all that impressed with my first look at the New 52. I look forward to going backward to finish the 'Old DCU' with Brightest Day and Flashpoint. After that I may give the New 52 another chance. -
This book... what a disappointment.
What’s it about?
As everyone knows DC has a lot of crazy multiverse stuff. Some villain fucks with all that and alternate dimension Batmen and Supermen have a conflict... blah blah blah.
Pros:
I like the part with Bruce and Clark meeting as kids without knowing each other. That whole thing was very nice and well done.
There’s a random Justice League issue about Darkseid thrown in. While nothing amazing, it was interesting and I enjoyed it.
Cons:
The plot is convoluted and dumb. It shouldn’t be so goddamn hard to understand Batman and Superman but for some reason it is. It’s like Pak just said “fuck it, I’m gonna write the most convoluted story I could possibly think of for these characters”.
The artwork doesn’t work for this comic. It isn’t awful (I’ve actually seen Jae Lee draw some solid stuff before) and there are a few cool looking parts but it mostly doesn’t work. Main problems are many of the faces look iffy and it doesn’t suit the tone of the comic.
The characters aren’t very interesting which feels like a weird thing to say as I am usually a big fan of Batman and think Superman’s okay. In this, they’re just written in a way that made me feel nothing for them.
The action scenes are weak. I should never be bored reading an action scene but I was. It’s just people punching each other rather mindlessly... yay? A superhero action scene should be much more thrilling.
The dialogue is often poorly written. Very cliche in many moments throughout the comic.
The creative team seems to try adding a bit of a horror spin to this and while I do enjoy seeing different takes on various characters, it doesn’t work here.
Overall:
Don’t bother with this. I know most DC fans will be interested right away due to the fact that it’s Batman and Superman, which should be a solid duo, however this book serves as a reminder that it’s not the characters, it’s the people making the book that affects the quality. It’s not close to being the worst DC comic I’ve ever read but it is a boring, confusing mess and I ain’t reading volume 2.
It’s a shame but that’s just how it goes at times I guess.
2/5
After review song parody:
(Read in the tune of Slow Dancing in The Dark by Joji)
(I’ll try not to do this TOO frequently, I had this one planned)
I’m fighting villains (just me)
Away from life as Bruce (my life as Bruce)
Waiting to get them
Saving all of you
I'm the fuckin’ Dark Knight
When I'm around crime fighting in the dark
There’s lots of villains out there to be fought
I’m going out tonight
I’m about to fight crime
For you
For you
I am the main hero at DC
So many villains I shall defeat
You looked up at the symbol in the sky, the sky
Can't you see?
It’s callin’ for Batman (Yeah, because I’m Batman)
In the dark
Dark
In Metropolis
A superhero for you (hero for you)
Flying around ooohhh (flying around)
He came from space (from space)
Yeah
Was to be the one
Last son of Krypton
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Hope he don’t fuck up your town (He don't fuck up your town)
With destructive battles (With destructive battles)
Superhero fights
Hey Bruce
Hey Bruce
Many reasons we should be a team
Fighting many villains in the street
They look up asking is it plane or bird, or bird
Could you see
Superman and Batman (Batman and Superman)
Bruce and Clark
Clark
Bruce and Clark
Clark -
You know what? I thought this was a lot of fun. Superman and Batman, or should I say Superboy and Batboy cause they just young and reckless here, meet for the first time. Does it go well? Hell to the no. However, they are transported to a world where Supes and Baty have been besties forever. However these new wippersnappers are not about to have that. They only half trust the old, but they are more lethal, less trusting, and who can blame them? They're from New52 world, where everyone is more realistic to our world. So pieces of shit!
The story revolves around some demi-demon jumping from person to person taking over them and...that's kind of it. It's just jumping to person to person with a mission of who can stop darkseid. There's a machine that the old and new superman/batman fight over. So plot is just okay, why did give it a 4? (Well 3.5 but 4 for the art)
What I liked: Supes/Bat teaming up is always fun. I loved seeing the old interact with the new. I found the old superman and new one really funny together. I also loved loved loved the art. The dialog was easy and sharp, and nicely done. I thought the pacing was quick and fun and this was the most fun I had with New52 superman in awhile.
What I didn't like: The ending issue was a waste. Just dumb. I also thought the plot could have used a much better villain. Also why was Wonder Women in here? (Tho she hot) And it could be abit confusing till the end.
Overall I had fun reading this. Not mindblowing but a lot of fun. I really dig the art, and can see why some won't, but the asian flavor look is awesome to me. Overall a 3.5 but I'ma round it to a 4 because fuck it, was fun! -
A bit confusing, mostly because of the messy art. Well, no, that's not fair. The art was a stylistic choice that didn't really match the story. Plus, if you're going to have doubles of Bats and Supes, try going just a little farther with the differences so I can at least tell them apart. I also kept forgetting which two were "ours."
The trickster character Kaiyo is super interesting though and I can't wait to see her pop up again. -
Çizimler ve hikaye başarılı.
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This 52 reboot has Wayne and Kent meeting as kids and later continuing their friendship as superheroes. This particular tales focuses on their counterparts in an alternate world.
Artwork is done quite nicely and Pak is on my radar now.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus. -
Now I know why I've avoided Greg Pak for so long. This was a jumbled mess. Something involving a trickster god (why is this in a Batman/Superman comic?) forcing Earth 1 Bats and Supes to fight Earth 2 Bats and Supes over a magic crystal and zip they're on this and that Earth and zoom zoom zoom Darkseid will destroy all the things!
The dialog was also bad. And the terrible thing is I enjoyed the otherworld telling of Bruce and Clark as kids. That was delightful. But that was a golden nugget in a mountain of weird and boredom.
Jae Lee's illustrations are great, the lighting is fantastic, and the coloring is mythical. And they might have worked if Lee drew characters like Bats, Supes and Wonder Woman even remotely like any other version of them in existence. But Lee's faces are terrible, creepy and inhuman. And Batman weighs 90 pounds! What the hell? It's like Esad Ribic via Dustin Nguyen illustrating a Neil Gaiman urban fantasy, but it's a Batman/Superman team-up.
So yeah. What a weird book. It has that punch em up feel but with inter-dimensional travel, forced nostalgia, uncharacteristic illustrations, and sort of a "gotcha" ending. Continue reading for Darkseid taking over the world? No thanks. -
Hmm...well...the art is pretty, almost painting like, but not as over the top as Alex Ross' shit.
The story is a bit confusing, with 2 sets of Bats and Supes...the Earth 2 are the older/wiser ones and ours are the Young Guns who are more ruthless and less trusting...I feel like this could be the 1950s ones versus the 90s ones...
There's a big old weapon that's bad. The heroes have to figure out what to do...some want to destroy it, some want to use it against Darkseid...anyone who's read anything knows who made the right choice...
The more interesting stuff is the differences, like the fact that both Earth 2 heroes are married (Lois and Selina - Catwoman) and became friends at a young age...This is NOT the first time I've seen the Bruce's car breaks down in Smallville storyline...I cannot for the life of me remember where, but I saw it before when it happened, and Pete Ross and Clark just looked at the sad little boy in the fancy car. Here I like it a bit more, but it seems like this is the Norman Rockwell version of the DCU...oh well.
If it's nothing more than an outlet for art, then awesome. However, having just read the abysmal JLU Canada book, I have to applaud DC for at least TRYING something a bit different. I'd rather read something that strikes out swinging than just rehashes more clichéd trash.
3 stars seems about right, because the art elevates a moderately OK story, even though much doesn't happen other than should we, shouldn't we trust each other...then there's a Darkseid origin story.
The end.
-
3.5 Stars.
Review to come. -
When this series first came out, I gave the first issue a try and felt a little meh about it, but completed in the first arc, I decided to give it another shot with the hopes that the overall story made this whole thing more enjoyable and up my alley.
Did it succeed? DON’T RUSH ME… I’m getting to that!
First things first, let’s take a minute to talk about Jae Lee’s Catwoman… Meeeeeeo-ooooow, amirite?! I know, not the most original of jokes, but for real, this might be one of my favourite interpretations of Catwoman ever. EVER, guys. There’s a couple of panels where Lee not only captures what I envision Catwoman to look like in my dream CW book, but he captures he posturing and behaviourisms perfectly. Every single panel that she’s in is so distinctly Catwoman that even if I didn’t know it was her, I would still know (for those of you who’ve read it, that panel with Catwoman on the ledge of a building? PERFECTION… or should I say purrrfection? I’ll stop now). Same for his version Lois Lane. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
The art, while superb mostly doesn’t completely suit the story though. Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent (both in civilian form and super forms) are very anime-ish. It isn’t a bad thing, but if I don’t know if I liked it in this particular instance. At least when it came to the main fellas of the story. His Wonder Woman was a bit off to me too, being a bit wispy to me, literally in some cases. Lee gives a very gothic vibe to the book and right from page one, you know that this isn’t going to be a feel good story, even without Greg Pak’s script. I suppose Batman’s business card essentially says: ‘BATMAN – World’s Great Detective – Broody as f*ck’ but still, every now and again we have to have a fun story to lighten the mood a bit. This isn’t it though.
Onto the story that, as mentioned, is written by Greg Pak. I know he’s gotten a pretty good following over the last few years, but I’m honestly not too familiar with any of his previous works to get into that. Speaking as a first-time Pak reader, I found his writing style interesting and yet, in the case of a story involving two Batman’s and two Superman’s (due to some Earth 2 shenanigans), extremely confusing. Not a lot of clarity is given to what’s happening and the story was hard to follow, at times. It’s an action-packed first arc of a series and I found myself struggling to understand where we were in the plot, almost constantly feeling like I had missed something.
I really do like Jae Lee’s art, but I don’t know if he was the right artist to work on this book as Lee’s abstract-ish panels left me feeling like I was missing even more of the puzzle. His work just didn’t mesh with Pak’s writing to answer questions missing from the script. If anything, it added to my confusion.
All in all, it seemed like a strong effort from both Pak and Lee but their creative partnership just didn’t work out to convey the story that they were seemingly trying to tell.
VERDICT
Pass. The art is worth checking out because hot damn, them be some beautiful pages, but for me, the story wasn’t worth adding to my shelves.
I’m not sure if it’ll get better after this “build-up” arc but at this point, I don’t know if I care enough to find out, beautiful art or not. -
I have mixed feeling over this collection and I think it all stems from Jae Lee's artwork. More on that later...
Greg Pak's "World's Collide" story (the star of this volume) is a decent one with an intriguing "multiple worlds" storyline that gives us a chance to get to know the personalities of the Earth 2 trinity before Darkseid invades and destroys them. The writing is just okay, with less attention paid to telling a coherent storyline, and more attention given to character study.... yet with all that focus on character study there is surprisingly little character *development*. I enjoyed the story because I love when DC crosses over into different worlds, but I found the storytelling choppy and anticlimactic.
The artwork, on the other hand, was stunningly beautiful. So beautiful that it served as a distraction from the story. The images created by Lee are sometimes haunting, sometimes grim, but always evocative. The only thing the artwork sometimes ISN'T, is illustrative. I found several times while reading this story, that the pictures simply were NOT telling the story, regardless of how beautiful the images were. And that for me is a really big negative. For me, one of the rules of engagement for comic books is that the pictures need to always, in some small way, assist in telling the story. If they don't, then the entire experience breaks down.
The second story in this collection featuring Toymaster and Jimmy Olsen (for some reason) felt very sloppy and confusing, although the artwork is vastly more conventional than the "World's Collide" story. It was trying to create some strange digital world that blurs the line between gaming avatars and real world superheroes... but it was such a mucky concept that it I just wanted to speed through it and get to the end. The whole thing was entirely half-baked and I think most gamers out there would laugh a little at its conceptual lack of depth.
I admire that Greg Pak is testing bold concepts in this new series, but so far it feels pretty shaky and experimental.
3.5/5 -
Very nice! The artwork is gorgeous, but that's what we expect from Jae Lee after all. The story is intriguing: Batman and Superman meet as teenagers, then get sucked into a parallel world to encounter adult versions of themselves. Not real crazy about the ending, but this IS volume 1, so ... There's also a short story of the New Gods to round out the volume. Not bad. Looking forward to volume 2.
April, 2018 update:
I didn't reread this intentionally, but I literally did not remember reading it the first time. I spotted it on the library shelf and thought, “Hmmm … Greg Pak and Jae Lee. This looks good. “ It wasn't until I looked it up on Goodreads to mark it as “Currently Reading” that I saw my previous review. Even reading it didn't bring any of it back from the first time. Weird. Clearly not that memorable then.
That said, it's not that bad. I stand by my original comments.
Additionally, I really like the scene where young Batman and old Batman are facing off, only to quickly realize what's going on. Nicely done!
The final story of the New Gods feels like a fragment of something larger. Like there was some major crossover event that this graphic novel ties into.
Anyway, not bad, but not terribly memorable either. Very pretty though. -
"Cross Worlds" I found to be a very interesting read as Batman and Superman are transported by a demon goddess to Earth 2 where the find a much younger Batman and Superman. The story revolves around the brash, impetuous and youth filled duo learning to work together with the older, wiser and experienced duo (vise-a-versa).
It was a good story, but in all honesty what killed it for me was the artwork. Not that it was bad, but I just felt being an old school fan of comic books that I would have enjoyed it much more if the art had been a bit more traditional.
Otherwise watching these 4 learn to work together and trusting each other's abilities to save both worlds was a good past time. -
SO, I really, really think highly of Greg Pak's writing.
And in the Dark Tower and Gunslinger graphic novels, artist Jae Lee does dark, amazing, amazingly dark work.
And Jae Lee's artistry here is brilliantly executed.
Still, the darkness isn't quite right for Superman, and the curliness of his drawings just isn't quite right for hard, angular, square-jawed Batman. Hats off to you, gentleman, because I couldn't do one-tenth as good a job, but your not quite my favorite team-up creators.
SRC 2018 'TUM' Task 5.10 - Our favorite recreation (the wild card in this challenge!) -
This was better than I thought it would be, but that's not saying much.
-
This volume was interesting. It also leaves you with more questions than answers. We get to see the New 52 Superman and Batman (the young, raw versions) transported to Earth 2, where they encounter their more seasoned counterparts. I think it's also supposed to be the first meeting of Superman and Batman, at least in the New 52 Universe, but it came across a little awkward. There's also some type of monster or ghost behind the teleportation. It seems as though it's all got something to do with preparing for the arrival of Darkseid, which I'm assuming will be in a later arc. It's never fully explained really.
Jae Lee did the art here, and I've been a long time fan. He really won me over with his art on the Stephen King DARK TOWER comic series, so the art was a plus.
Overall it was a decent volume but not great. It felt more like a prologue then an actual story arc, and the interaction between the Supermen and Batmen from alternate words was a little confusing at times. Overall a decent arc, but not great. -
A Quickie Review
I don't have a number one favorite superhero, but, Batman and Superman are among my favorites, and these comics team them up in a crazy adventure. While I mostly enjoyed the story, I found it to be a bit edgier than I was expecting; several profanities alongside three implied middle-finger gestures muddled things up a bit. Let's hope that later adventures will improve in that department.
Score: 3/5 -
Interesting concept, but ultimately confusing with too many voices. It lacked focus. The art was gorgeous, but unfortunately too similar to the Dark Tower books. I half expected Bruce and Clark to form a Ka-Tet and set out across the desesrt in search of the man in black. They kinda did...
-
Very weak and confused story, but the art is gorgeous.
-
El nuevo universo que había llegado al mundo DC a golpe de rayo después de Flashpoint abría nuevas posibilidades para los héroes clásicos de la compañía, incluyendo a los dos héroes por antonomasia: Batman y Superman. Y si bien en el primero Scott Snyder mantuvo prácticamente intacta toda la iconografía y la continuidad del Murciélago, en Superman, Grant Morrison tenía planes muy distintos para el último hijo de Krypton. El escocés había presentado en su parcela de las Nuevas 52 a un Superman más joven, más violento, que ha perdido a sus padres y llega a Metrópolis desde Smallville para comenzar de cero, que simplemente lleva unos vaqueros, una camiseta y una capa corta, y que aún no tiene todos sus poderes desarrollados, y por ejemplo, no puede volar, solo saltar, en un claro homenaje de Morrison al Superman original de Siegel y Schuster.
En fin, que, con esta premisa, también surgía una oportunidad nueva: la de mostrar cómo se llegaron a conocer Batman y Superman, o Bruce Wayne y Clark Kent. Así que, en este primer arco de la colección, Greg Pak se remonta a un tiempo anterior incluso a la formación de la Liga de la Justicia y el ataque de Darkseid que se había convertido en el centro de todo el Nuevo Universo DC. Y en este nuevo universo quizá más oscuro o violento, la verdad es que Superman y Batman se van a llevar regular a priori, aunque vamos a conocer a un Superman y un Batman de otra tierra que son amigos desde pequeños, desde que, por azar, el coche conducido por Alfred se estropeó cerca de la granja de los Kent en Smallville. Y es que efectivamente, Pak va a tirar de universos paralelos para su historia, incluso va a crear una nueva diosa de Apokolips, Kaizo (al menos desde mi conocimiento del Cuarto Mundo es nueva, no me suena de antes), que va a ir saltando entre los dos universos, enfrentando a Superman y Batman, para tratar de discernir qué universo es más fuerte.
Y bueno; la verdad es que la historia es bastante mala; muy mala de hecho. Mi experiencia previa con Pak había sido muy buena, era el escritor de La Canción Final de Fénix, de Planeta Hulk, de World War Hulk, de la cole de Hércules... y ahora le dejaban jugar con Batman y Superman, ¿qué podía salir mal? Pues se ve que todo. El ritmo, la historia, los diálogos, los personajes... De hecho, le hubiera puesto un 1 muy tranquilamente, pero claro... Luego está Jae Lee. Y Jae Lee está espléndido, y esa Gotham que crea dibujando como solo él sabe dibujar, es lo más siniestro que he visto en toda la historia de Batman, y me encanta como utiliza las masas de luz y oscuridad... Y al dibujo le pondría cinco estrellas... Pero por muy bueno que sea el dibujo, la historia es tan pésima...
En fin, perfectamente olvidable. -
The art by Jae Lee is SPECTACULAR. Hands down just gorgeous through and through. The layouts are amazing, everything flows well, a strong use of shape and shadow throughout. Just marvelous.
The main story is fine. I’m sure if I hadn’t read dozens like this over the decades I’d be blown away, but parallel universes and alternate timelines are old hat by this point, especially for these characters. That said, this is a decent version of doppelgängers meeting, all things considered. It assumes the reader has familiarity with all the characters since everyone aside from Clark and Bruce are barely outlines of characters. It’s not a bad assumption because we all know these people by heart, but it does leave the story feeling a bit... insubstantial.
The instigating incident is caused by a reality-hopping trickster who can possess people, and that’s followed by a couple more Macguffins intended to drive the story. Basically the whole enterprise is an excuse to point out that this new reboot features grittier, wilder, younger, badasser versions of Supes and Bats. But my main problem with DC’s constant partial reboots persists, in that I don’t know how much of the past continuity I should carry forward. Sometimes it seems like the answer is “zero”, while sometimes it feels like there’s a ghost image of what’s gone before underneath everything.
The backup story is an origin for Darkseid, which is fine. But the end makes it clear he’s pillaging numerous alternate universes. I thought this version didn’t have that? Beats me. Again, these DC reboots are stupidly confusing, and I’m sure we’re due for yet another one this year.
However, definitely check out the art on this book. Really terrific.
