Batman/Superman #7 Review

Kandor Lives?

Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Nick Derington, Dave McCaig, and John J. Hill
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: February 26, 2020

This book seemed like it only existed to set up the Hell Arisen book, and I worried that it would have an identity crisis because of it.  However, the last issue's cliffhanger with Zod and Ra's had me excited to see what Joshua Williamson has cooking, especially if Kandor is involved.  So, is this the start of something big?  Let's find out...



The issue opens with an explanation of Kandor and how it got bottled up by Brainiac.  It's quick and to the point, but there is a HUGE error that could be a misprint, but somebody should have caught it!  Also, I don't particularly love seeing Rogal Zar's name tied in with this and hope that gets wiped away at some point as well.  I mean, this was all Brian Michael Bendis nonsense, and while I like a good story, I hate that Williamson is now playing cleanup duty to a shitty one!

We check in with Superman and Batman and immediately get the surface-level fan service dialogue that fuels this book.  Each character thinks about the other while we get cool looking, but meaningless action scenes and poses.

We get a mention of the "new" database that leads our heroes to the Stryker's Island grave to talk a little Kryptonite Man, residual kryptonite radiation, and then get attacked...with Kryptonite!  By Ra's Al Ghul!!!

The best part of the issue is when Ra's tries to escape in a cloud of smoke, and Superman wants no parts of it!  That's when Superman learns of Zod's plans and since it shits in the face of what we have recently been getting, it's explained away with the wave of a hand.  It does set up an uneasy team up with our heroes and Ra's, and that's something you don't see often.

We continue with Batman flying in Ra's Demon Wing plane, which is kickass, all the way to the Lost Temple of Quetzacoatl.  After Ra's talks all about how the Temple is protected in case Zod attacks, we see he already did and is about to throw Kandor into a Lazarus Pit.

The issue ends with Superman pleading with Zod, and Batman and Ra's ready to battle whatever shows up.  The cliffhanger is pretty big if you are a Superman fan, though this sort of thing has happened before, and it never works out right.

The only real problem I have with this issue is that things are forced along at such a quick pace that you never feel any stakes or tension.  Ra's shows up to fight, but the fight is over right away, they go to protect the Lazarus Pit, but Zod's already there, Superman tries to convince Zod to abort his plan, but...  It doesn't make for a bad issue, just a feeling that you didn't get everything you could have out of it.

I usually like Nick Derington's art, but it felt off here.  Some of the character close-ups looked strange, and the overall style didn't fit the big story Williamson was trying to tell.

Bits and Pieces:

I am all for Williamson fixing the crap that Bendis did to Kandor, but I wish he allowed the moments to feel big before moving on to the next one.  It felt like everyone was in a race to get to the finish line first, and there's no winner when that happens.  I am looking forward to seeing where it all leads, but I hope we can catch our breath a little while we do.

6.9/10