Batman/Superman #1
DC Comics
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: David Marquez and Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: John J. Hill
Batman and Superman are the team-up of legends. Any time the pair are together is amazing, but then there are the writers that add that bit of flair we didn’t know we wanted. The two of them are extremely different, but balance each other out in pretty interesting ways.
For fans of the Superman/Batman book by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, you are in for a treat with this book. Williamson nails the dynamic between the World’s Finest with bits of dialogue that capture who they are at their core. I always love when the pair of them correctly guess how the other is feeling or thinking at the present moment, and reading the internal narration from each of them really put a smile on my face.
I would like to give a special mention to the letterer, John J. Hill, for some pretty interesting font options at points in the story. One of my favorite examples is a scene where Superman is speeding off to take a criminal to jail. Instead of doing the standard thing and shrink the text as he runs off, Hill instead makes the text slowly fade away and the “Whoosh” sound effect picks up from the last part of the sentence. I really think it’s an effective visual.
Speaking of effective visuals, Marquez draws an amazing Superman. There’s a shot of Superman flying in the clouds, and it looks absolutely amazing. His art overall is beautiful and it pairs nicely with Williamson’s writing. Early on, there’s a reveal on who one of the infected is, and Marquez really foreshadows it well with the art.
Sanchez’ colors are rather muted, but it fits in with the darker tone of the book. I always love seeing the visual differences between Batman and Superman, and even with the muted colors, Superman still pops more than Batman.
If I could have one wish involving this book, I’d wish that the Batman Who Laughs wasn’t the main villain. However, Williamson makes him more of a presence in the book, making a bit more horror-like. He also alludes to the Dark Multiverse as more potential villains for the two of them to fight. If you’re not a fan of that, that may turn you away from the book, but Williamson really adds reasons to stay on board.
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