Batman/Superman #4 // Review
DC’s Year of the Villain is getting tiring. The story of Lex Luthor’s offer from Justice League has played itself out through most of DC’s superhero line, complete with a few one-shots. Tom King’s Batman title is almost finished with its “City of Bane” storyline. But there’s still the fallout from the Batman Who Laughs miniseries with the BWL’s mysterious Secret Six of corrupted heroes, which is playing itself out in various one-shots, in issues of Hawkman and Supergirl, and in Batman/Superman. It’s a lot, and it’s making Batman/Superman, which has the potential to be a solid book, feel like a cog in a more massive, more pointless event machine.
Issue #4 of Batman/Superman picks up immediately in the aftermath of the last issue, with Scarab--the infected and corrupted Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes--having taken over the Fortress of Solitude, with Batman and Superman inside. The Scarab is immediately joined by Deathbringer, Sky Tyrant, and the Commissioner--corrupted versions of Donna Troy, Hawkman, and Jim Gordon--and Superman and Batman fight for their lives as they try to corrupt Superman. Supergirl comes to their aid and is corrupted instead, finalizing the Secret Six along with King Shazam, and they are now free to...do something? Involving the Dark Multiverse? Because the Batman Who Laughs says so? It’s not entirely clear.
Joshua Williamson is generally a good writer. Previous issues of Batman/Superman have shown some insight into the title characters, and his run on The Flash is solid. This issue, unfortunately, devolves into a mess of characters yelling at each other, mindless action scenes, and really very little substance.
Thank god then for David Marquez, who draws some absolutely gorgeous mindless action scenes. The fireworks in this issue are superb, if empty, with strong coloring work from Alejandro Sanchez. Letterer John J. Hill chooses a difficult to read typeface for the corrupted heroes, unfortunately, but it’s still easier to read than the black-on-red text of the Batman Who Laughs.
If you’re following the overarching meta-story of the DC Universe as its Year of the Villain crossover continues, Batman/Superman #4 is a must-read. If not, then the issue doesn’t offer much more than a well-rendered slugfest.
