Batman/Superman #5 // Review
The first story arc of Batman/Superman comes to an end in issue #5, and none too soon. The machinations of the Batman Who Laughs has become tiresome, spreading from this title to installments of Supergirl and Hawkman, countless one-shots, and now the Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen miniseries.
This issue sees the World’s Finest Team battle the combined might of the Secret Six inside Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. Most of the chapter is a protracted fight scene, with Batman offering some encouraging words to Superman as they thwart the BWL’s big plan, but of course, it’s all for naught, and they only manage to capture the infected Jim Gordon. The other five corrupted heroes manage to escape, breaking the Batman Who Laughs out of his confinement in the Hall of Justice and leaving Superman and Batman to deal with the fallout of their decisions.
The real star of the book is David Marquez’s art. Marquez’s versions of Batman and Superman are larger than life and iconic, and his action scenes are thrilling, elevating this book beyond the cosmic gobbledygook and endless slugfest that it seems to be. The coloring by Alejandro Sanchez gives Marquez’s work weight and dimension and makes the Secret Six genuinely terrifying. John J. Hill’s lettering is elegant, though the typeface he chooses for the infected heroes becomes a bit grating to read, particularly when there are six different characters all using it.
Joshua Williamson’s writing is exceptional. He makes Batman’s uplifting speech to Superman really work. Try as he might, though, he can’t make the issue feel like more than an editorially-mandated part of the endless crossover machine, and it’s a real shame because Williamson has proven himself to be a solid writer on other titles. The prospect of Williamson exploring the fallout of this event is exciting and makes the next issue worth checking out.
The Batman Who Laughs doesn’t actually appear in Batman/Superman #5, but his shadow is all over the issue nonetheless. And that’s a real shame, because he’s become an extremely tiresome character, and it’s holding an excellent creative team back.
