DCU Comic Book Reviews

SUPERMAN/BATMAN #14

Absolute Power, Part 1:  I Pledge Allegiance

January 2005

Written by Jeph Loeb

Pencils by Carlos Pacheco

Inks by Jesus Merino

Cover by Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino

Synopsis

Once, long ago, a spaceship fell to Earth on the Kent Farm.  Not long after that, the Wayne family was murdered outside a movie theater.  Then, unknown persons, interrupted history, taking Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne as their own.  These same people also stop the “Age Of Heroes” killing The Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter and making sure Aquaman is never born.  Today, Superman and Batman are the rulers of the world.  Their motto:  “Obey or Die.”  Superman lives with Lois Lane while Batman occasionally sees Selina Kyle.  On Superman’s birthday, they visit Star City to deal with the Green Arrow, killing him for fighting against them.  Then the go to the moon to visit the ones who rescue them: Mekt Ranzz (aka Lightning Lord), Laevar Balto (aka Cosmic King), and Eve Aries (aka Saturn Queen).  Elsewhere, a woman visits a bum and says the world needs him.  With her magic lasso, she reveals her name as Diana and that the bum is really Uncle Sam.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

It is becoming a common theme:  Loeb begins a new storyline with a great premise and tightly woven tale with the potential for greatness.  This issue is no exception.  Loeb takes the origins of Superman and Batman, twists just enough so that is familiar, but different and then creates a world based on those differences.  Then he tosses into the mix the Legion of Superheroes, Wonder Woman, and for good measure Uncle Sam (but not the Freedom Fighters).  At first I was surprised by the inclusion of Uncle Sam, but it made sense since the history of America (judged by the cover) has been altered so radically.  The people are not free:  they are being oppressed by the World’s Finest and naturally it would fall upon Uncle Sam to fix it.  All of this is intriguing material and a great set-up. 

The problem, of course, is not the set-up, but how well Loeb is able to follow-up on it.  Both stories in this book (World’s Finest and Supergirl From Krypton) so far have gone on a downward spiral the longer it continues.  If Loeb stays true to form, the following issues will feature non-stop action with dozens of characters fighting each other (interspersed with alternating narrative from the title characters) until he decides to wrap it all up in the final issue.  Not much of it, however, will make sense, although it will be cool looking. 

I do have one little nit-pick:  if the Legion threesome were able to kill off other heroes, why did they fail to kill Wonder Woman.  Wouldn’t it be possible to go Themyscira and kill little Diana before she became a woman?  And what happened to Jay Garrick and Alan Scott, the original Flash and Green Lantern?  Or even John Stewart or Guy Gardner?

 

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