BATMAN/ SUPERMAN VOL. 2: GAME OVER by Greg Pak, Brett Booth, and Jae Lee
Collects Batman/ Superman #5-9, Batman/ Superman Annual #1, and Worlds’ Finest #20-21
Before I even start to talk about the content of the book this review focuses on, I want to say that I STRONGLY recommend that you purchase a physical copy of this book. The first three chapters, originally printed in Batman/ Superman #5-7, are meant to be read horizontally. Unless you’re reading this with a program that accommodates that view, you’ll have to key in commands to rotate your screen just as I did. However, it’s likely that DC had the foresight to fix this in editions that you can download from their digital store (my review copy is essentially a PDF). Still, I found it incumbent upon me to point this out.
Fans who love to see Batman and Superman team up should find something to enjoy here. Writer Greg Pak makes good use of Bruce and Clark’s dialogue and internal monologue, playing them off each other in a way that is highly reminiscent of Jeph Loeb’s days of writing this book’s predecessor, Superman/ Batman (that was the standard of the series, but Loeb arguably had the best run on it). They’re written as friends and teammates, yet have sort of a sibling rivalry that makes for interesting reading. No disrespect to Pak, but I believe that Brett Booth steals the show with what I feel is his finest artwork to date. His contributions to the horizontal chapters are worth the price of admission alone. I kid you not.
Those horizontal chapters comprised an arc that saw Toymaster create a video game in which the objective is to kill Batman that somehow seeps its way into reality. It turns out Mongul is the culprit, who sees gamers as untapped strategists. He actually succeeds in killing Batman, who is soon brought back to life by alien nanotech with rebuilt organs and is given superpowers. Not only that, gamers can control him. Yeah.
The network of gamers (influenced by pollen from Golden Fury Blossoms) uses Batman to try to kill Superman while Mongul tries to destroy the planet. Our heroes find a clever way to use Mongul’s strategy against him and save Batman. This may seem convoluted and like a bit much to take in for fans who love a “grounded” Batman, but I found it rather entertaining. If you don’t agree, just keep taking in Booth’s art.
Ramifications of the aforementioned arc are felt in Batman/ Superman Annual #1. It sees Jochi, son of Mongul, seek retribution. Red Hood, Batgirl, Steel, Supergirl, and Krypto join the fight that sees our heroes participate in a battle on Warworld while part of the group tries to disable the planet’s weapons to avoid the destruction of Earth. The ending is rather surprising and I won’t spoil it in the slightest. Jae Lee, who contributed much art to this volume, joins us for this chapter along with Kenneth Rocafort and Philip Tan, both of whom provided some dandy doodles. Lee, however, I am a bit indifferent about. I see why people enjoy his work, but a lot of it looks too weird for my taste, especially the way he draws faces. He also isn’t one for backgrounds.
The “First Contact” arc that was a crossover between Batman/ Superman and Worlds’ Finest comprises the second half of this volume. Seeing Batman and Superman meet Huntress and Power Girl, both of whom originate from Earth 2, was a delight. Huntress wisely takes a brief moment to catch up Batman (and readers) on her background. It’s pretty amusing when the girls keep talking about how the guys are different from the ones they knew back home; I found it to be reflective of how some fans view The New 52. The four heroes are drawn into a sci-fi conspiracy that is Apokoliptian in origin. I won’t elaborate further than that at the risk of spoiling.
Supplemental material includes a variant cover gallery and sketchbook.
While I don’t find myself enjoying Batman/ Superman as much as its pre-New 52 predecessor, Superman/ Batman (which was one of my favorite titles and set a high bar), it continues the tradition of placing the two most iconic superheroes in existence in crazy sci-fi adventures. There has to be at least something that will make you smile about this book, so give it a shot. Score: 7/10
