Let's Keep This Professional
Written By: Tom King
Art By: Clay Mann, Seth Mann, Jordie Bellaire, Clayton Cowles
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: December 6, 2017
*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*
Now that the Rules of Engagement arc is over and nothing seemed to matter with it...... I mean, no Holly, no death squad waiting for Batman or Catwoman on the way out, it's time to move on and see how Superman is taking Bruce's engagement....... and apparently, how Batman and Superman see one another. Let's jump into this issue and see if we get our normal King-isms and if he's just going with some fan service moments or see if this story actually has some legs to it. Let's check it out.
Explain It!:
For this issue it seems that Tom King wants to break down everything we think we know about Batman and Superman so that he can build it up from the ground up and the way he goes about it is........... he says that Batman and Superman aren't friends. Now a year ago I could see that when we were simply dealing with the Pre-Flashpoint Superman, which Batman didn't know, but since Superman Reborn came about and combined the continuity of Pre-Flashpoint and the New 52........ Well, Batman's been Superman's best friend for years. What we get out of this though is that Batman doesn't consider Superman his friend and because of this, he doesn't call Clark to tell him about Selina and his engagement. Which then turns to Clark being upset that Bruce didn't call him.
Pretty much though, we get the repeated dialog as Batman talks up Superman to Catwoman and Superman talks up Batman to Lois until their paths both cross when they discover that all four of them are investigating the same string of crimes perpetrated by Doctor Double X, which the last we saw him he was locked up in Arkham.
In the end, Batman and Superman, not being friends take out Doctor Double X and then agree to go on a double date so that their significant others can meet each other and all that. Whether Batman and Superman consider themselves friends or not at the end of this issue I couldn't tell you because it was just hard to feel out the situation with how dramatic they were being about a phone call when they've been working together with their sons for awhile now and in everything else............ been friends for a long time now.
That's it for this issue of Batman and like I figured when I went into this issue, you get your repeated dialog, your underwritten scenes and your fan service moments and in the end........ not a lot of story. All in all, I don't know why we had to tear down the World's Finest's friendship here just to build it back up in twenty one pages because the outcome just made our favorite heroes seem like over dramatic teenagers and nobody needs that. As for the art, I'm a huge fan of Clay Mann, but this issue was a little line heavy for my liking and came off like a Francis Manapul issue. Now that may not sound bad to most, but I'm more of a fan of a cleaner look to my comics. Even with that though, this book still managed to look great, I just with the story was as strong.
Bits and Pieces:
If you want Batman to explain how great Superman is and vice versa then maybe this issue is for you. As for me though, Batman and Superman are more than just dramatic teenagers who refuse to make a telephone call and in the end, this issue doesn't jive with the relationship that our World's Finest team should have.
5.1/10
I would say the same, but exactly the same thing happened with the drake and josh actors this year, curiously lol. Nah, I really feel that in your critics you should analyze more the visual, it is an important part of a comic, The form of angle and narrative precision gives at least for this to be a 7.
ReplyDeleteIf the story isn't well-told then form of angle and narrative precision are a problem, wouldn't you agree?
DeleteThat does not make much sense. For something to be well narrated it must first have a good visual sense. An example is superman peace on earth. That his story is super simple in itself, But what makes it special is all that art expresses. And on this occasion in the way that the pictures and the situation with dye something slife of life achieves it. Same sups and bats have been with a very friendly relationship for years, it must be said that bruce is not very sociable in normal terms, I mean, they are almost always together as superman and batman, but almost never as friends bruce weyne and clark kent
DeleteYeah, they trust each other like heroes, many times they put their lifes in the hands of the of the other, but the problem here is Bruce. He doesn´t have a normal personal life, Tom King is telling the first time that Bats decides to be selfish
DeleteI think it washes away a lot of their past...bruce and Clark have been there for each other a lot, even since Rebirth. The two have been together in Super Sons a bunch as two fathers, Bruce went to check on Clark after oz effect and we saw that Bruce was there when Jon was born. Tom ling makes them out to be work buddies.
DeleteI think you might be misinterpreting this issue a little. King's point at the end is that they *are* very close friends, and respect each other a great deal. That's why each guy basically goes off on a bromantic paeon about how the other is so great. The issue is that Batman - being Batman - is uncomfortable being the emotional center of attention or being vulnerable (even with a close friend), so he makes excuses not to call. So Superman - being Superman - feels hurt because he (like you, I guess) assumed they were pretty close buddies and now doesn't know what to think.
ReplyDeleteit's a back and forth of repeated dialog that leads up to two friends, who have been friends and been there for one another for a long time now just explaining to the reader who Batman and Superman are. It seemed that King wanted to tell this story, but since it didn't make any sense, he had to tear down the foundation of the World's Finest so that he could rebuild it by the end of one issue, which apparently garners "oohs and aahs".
DeleteI cant believe Eric Shea just wrote this response, excellent wording. The story in and of itself is pretty fine with with no problem on my end however I 100% agree with Eric that its not Batman and Superman that should be the characters of it.
DeleteTheres a story in also keeping Batman and Superman's relationship in tact and Batman keeping the secret as well which I would have enjoyed much much more.
Eric, your review reads like a man who's never had a friend he wanted to secretly kiss on the butthole.
ReplyDeleteDid I click anonymous on this? I hope I did!
Dammit!
Delete