Batman/Superman #12 Review

Written by: Greg Pak
Art by: Tom Raney and Ken Lashley
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 3, 2014

Deja Vu All Over Again

I have enjoyed the last few months of Batman/Superman.  Granted, they were an awesome Jeff Lemire one-shot and a Doomed tie-in, but I was looking forward to this issue nonetheless.  Unfortunately, this was not the book I was looking for.  It's not quite a First Contact issue and it doesn't start a new arc.  it's kind of stuck in the middle of something and I just want to get the hell off.

Batman and Superman are back from all their Earth 2 shenanigans, but get this...they remember what happened.  What What?  They pretty much remember it all including Kaiyo taking them there.  As if on cue, Kaiyo shows up with a deal.  They can go back to Earth 2 to change the past, but each of them only gets one shot.

The rub of it is that when they go back they are "ghosts".  They can watch as history repeats, but they can only pick one time to become real and change events.  This leads to recap and so much dialogue, inner and outer.  There are a couple of nice moments, but nothing new happens here.

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I hate to give broad statements in reviews, but this issue is pure filler.  Greg Pak gives us a recap of Earth 2 #1 but kind of leaves Batman/Superman fans out to dry.  Nothing here pushes anything forward.  The whole issue seemed silly and not in a fun way.  The silliness ends with the promise of a "clean slate" in Batman/Superman #13. It's almost like Greg Pak is apologizing for what the reader just sat through.  I expect so much more from him.

At least we get some kick ass Jae Lee art, right?  Of course not.  We get mediocre Tom Raney and Ken Lashley art.  The one positive is that their art blends well together without any jarring transitions.  The problem with that is that it is not good.  The faces in this issue go from bizarre to awful and back again.  

Just a side note...I know that the solicits are often wrong and/or misleading, but the solicit for this book sounded awesome.  I'm guessing that's for next month and this issue was an inventory book to fill in the void before the new arc.  It doesn't make the issue any better, but it explains it a little.  Here is the solicit:

A new arc begins following the events of FIRST CONTACT. The worlds of Batman and Superman come to an explosive clash as something terrible happens to the Worlds Finest team, and a Dark Knight who is not quite himself must team up with Lois Lane to find a missing Man of Steel. Meanwhile, Selina Kyle encounters a person of amazing strength who has no idea who he is.

Sounds like the "Clean Slate" Pak promised, huh?

Bits and Pieces:

Unless you want a recap of Earth 2 #1 or an issue with bad art and an inconsequential script, pass on Batman/Superman #12.  This issue is pure filler and if you skip it you will miss nothing, but you'll have $3.99 more in your pocket.  Hopefully, the promised "clean slate" for next month makes me forget about this issue.

4.5/10