Superman/Batman #27 unveils a new creative team. Whenever a title makes a wholesale creative team change then that title then has 3 issues to prove to me that it deserves to stay on my permanent pull list. If it fails to do that, then it will drop to my probation list and has 3 more issues to work back on to the Revolution’s permanent pull list. If it fails to do that then I drop the title. Can Mark Verheiden and Kevin Maguire keep Superman/Batman on the Revolution’s permanent pull list? Well, starting their run with an issue centered on Power Girl and Huntress instead of the two characters that I purchase this comic book to read about is a bad start. Let’s check out the review.
Creative Team
Writer: Mark Verheiden
Artist: Kevin Maguire
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10.
Story Rating: 2 Night Girls out of 10.
Overall Rating: 3 Night Girls out of 10.
Synopsis: This issue starts with Earth-Two Huntress and Earth-Two Power Girl regaining consciousness after their fight with the Ultra-Humanite. Power Girl remembers that Batman came out of his retirement to help her on a rescue mission.
We then shift to Batman remembering how he and Superman arrived to fight the Ultra-Humanite and how they both got taken out. We then see Huntress standing over the unconscious ape body of the Ultra-Humanite. Power Girl then lands next to Huntress. Huntress asks Power Girl if she is ok. Power Girl asks Huntress if she is ok and just where does she sees Power Girl. Huntress looks around and asks Power Girl where is Huntress. (Ok, we all know where this is going.) The two figure out that Ultra-Humanite transferred Superman’s mind into Power Girl’s body and Batman’s mind into Huntress’ body.
Power Girl and Huntress then hear a scream from a woman who has been taken captive by the Ultra-Humanite who has transferred his consciousness into the body of another Ape in the zoo. Ultra-Humanite tells them that Power Girl and Huntress’ minds are still in their bodies and are desperate to return. That his plan was mostly Brainwave’s idea. Ultra-Humanite has the other apes attack them while he makes his escape.
Power Girl and Huntress then decide to go pay Brainwave a visit. They arrive at his last known address and ask the manager what room Brainwave is in. The manager stares as Power Girl’s huge rack and immediately tells them the room number. Batman/Huntress comments that there are more effective techniques when interrogating a person than using force. (That is the truth.) Brainwave tells them that their two successors, Power Girl and Huntress, are going to bring about Superman and Batman’s destruction. And once they are gone than the ladies are going to have to deal with the fact of what they have done. That soon Power Girl and Huntress’ consciousnesses will seek to regain control and their minds will overwrite Superman and Batman’s consciousnesses and erase them from existence. The only way to sop it is by making contact with their bodies which, of course, are hidden. Brainwave then dies. Huntress/Batman can begin to feel Huntress’ conscious trying to take control. By sharing minds, Batman discovers that Huntress is his daughter. Helena then pulls back and allows Batman to keep control of her mind.
Power Girl and Huntress then fly off to Joker’s old hideout. Batman reasoned that Brainwave making appoint of telling them that the “joke” was going to be on them was a clue. (Sheesh, these villains are so dumb.) Suddenly, Ultra-Humanite blasts Superman and Batman. Then Solomon Grundy appears and starts to beat up Power Girl/Superman. During the brawl, Solomon throws Power Girl/Superman into the room where Superman and Batman’s bodies are being hidden. Power Girl makes contact with Superman’s body and the big red S is back. Superman then takes out Ultra-Humanite while Power Girl takes out Solomon Grundy. Huntress then touches Batman’s body and he takes control over his body again. Of course, Batman has no knowledge of anything after arriving at the zoo to fight Ultra-Humanite. So, he no longer knows Huntress’ secret. Power Girl then says that this all feels like a dream. (Oh no. This is NOT happening.) Everything fades away and we see Power Girl in the Bottle City of Kandor, one year later. Power Girl says that she just had the most insane dream. (Dammit! I wasted time reading an issue that was nothing more than a dream? I hate dream issues.) Someone from off panel tells Power Girl to hurry up and get dressed. That they need to get out on patrol. We then see a one page splash shot of two armored female figures. One figure says “All right, Flamebird. But you were a lot easier to take when you were just Supergirl.” And the other figure says “Enough, Nightwing. Kandor’s waiting.” End of issue. (What the hell?) We are then told at the bottom of the page “Check out current issues of Supergirl to find out just what the heck’s going on here! (Oh eff you, DC. I’m not buying Supergirl no matter how much you try and shove that character down out throats.)
Comments
The Good: This issue was absolute crap. Oh, c’mon, I have to think of something positive to say about this issue. Ok, I thought that up until this all turned out to be nothing but a dream, that the story was pretty well written. I thought the dialogue was rather humorous at points. The story had a nice flow and a good pace to it. It was actually a pretty good read up until the train wreck of an ending that totally ruined everything for me.
I also enjoyed all of the Earth-Two goodness. Original Batman and Superman. The original Huntress. Brainwave and the Ultra-Humanite. Great characters. I guess we will only get this great Earth-Two action in dreams. I really miss all of the Earth-Two characters.
I thought that Maguire delivered some nice looking artwork. I like his style and he draws a very nice looking comic book. Maguire definitely can draw hot chicks.
The Bad: Ok, to put it simply, the ending absolutely destroyed and ruined what was otherwise a rather solid issue. I hate. No, I loathe will all my heart and soul dream issues. They are a complete waste of time and make the reader fell totally gypped at the end. I feel like this was nothing more than a totally wasted issue.
But, what made it even worse is that this issue ends with a lead in to the Supergirl comic! Now, not only do I feel like I read a pointless dream story, but that this entire issue was only designed to serve as a lead-in to the current Supergirl storyline! That Superman/Batman #27 was nothing more than an advertisement and a hook to get people to purchase Supergirl’s title. You know, if I gave a damn about Super Britney I would have already purchased her title. But, I don’t. And this issue definitely didn’t encourage me to purchase Superbimbo’s comic book.
Enough DC. Enough. I know you guys want to artificially boost Supergirl into a central status in the DC Universe as one of the premier characters. That is why they are shoving her down out throats in every comic book. Enough. Let Superbimbo grow organically. Let her develop naturally without forcing her on everyone and on every title. If people like her then she will gradually assume a more important position. If people don’t like her then she will stay as a minor player in the DC universe. But, by artificially building her up and by constantly shoving her down our throats every time we open any DC comic book is just going to build a lot of hostility toward Supergirl’s character. It certainly has with me.
The fact that Superman/Batman #27 was nothing more than a tool to advertise and get people to purchase Supergirl’s title is pathetic. I am so unimpressed with DC in this effort. I purchase Superman/Batman, hold on to your seat and get ready for this shocker, because I want to read cool stories about SUPERMAN and BATMAN! I don’t want to read a dream issue that is nothing more than a lead-in to a Supergirl comic book co-starring Power Girl.
Verheiden isn’t a bad writer. The Earth Two story was well written. It was a fun read. I think that Verheiden can deliver a quality comic book if DC gets out of his way and lets him do his job. But, right now, I have absolutely zero interest in the next issue of Superman/Batman. None at all.
Superman/Batman #27 is a great example of what not to do when a new creative team takes over a title. It established no storyline about the two central characters. The little blurb for Superman/Batman #28 says “a new arc begins with Mark Verheiden and Ethan Van Scriver revealing ‘The Enemies Among Us.” Of course it is a new story arc! This just proves that Superman/Batman #27 was nothing more than a wasted issue designed to shill for Supergirl’s title. Of course, issue #28 is a new story arc, because they didn’t do anything at all with issue #27. This is just pathetic. Issue #27 was unnecessary and pointless.
Overall: This is a horrendous start for the new creative team on Superman/Batman. I know that Verheiden probably had no control over this issue. DC’s editors probably decided what they would do with this issue. But, this is still a terrible start for the new creative team. Therefore, I’ll give Verheiden a couple of issues before I decide to drop or keep this title on the Revolution’s permanent pull list. I will admit that with Van Scriver doing the art that I’ll probably be pretty happy with what is coming next.