DCU Comic Book Reviews

SUPERMAN/BATMAN #49

K, Chapter 6:  Cache

August 2008

Written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson

Pencils by Shane Davis

Inks by Matt "Batt" Banning

Cover by Shane Davis and Matt "Batt" Banning

Synopsis

After learning that LexCorp is the company who had been building Kryptonite weapons for the government, Superman and Batman confront Lana Lang, CEO of LexCorp.  Superman doesn’t want to believe Lana was behind it, but she did it to keep the company from going bankrupt.  Superman tells her that they are going to take the Kryptonite.  She tells him that if he tries, she will blow it all up, leaving a dust of Kryptonite that will force him to leave Earth.  Superman doesn’t believe she will do it and orders Batman to take the Kryptonite.  Lana blows up the Kryptonite.  On the moon, Superman moans about the loss of his home.  However, Hiro (aka Toyman) offers a solution to help Superman, in exchange for a date with Power Girl.  Later, Superman tosses the Kryptonite into the sun, destroying it all, except for a small cache that Batman keeps for himself....

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Wow.  And I don’t mean that in a good way.  This issue pretty much is like the rest of this story.  There are a lot of good ideas in the story, but the execution doesn’t do those ideas justice.  The characterization of the World’s Finest are handled well (including the use of the narration boxes) but ultimately this is a Superman story with Batman along for the ride, especially this issue in which Batman stands around and waits for Superman’s orders.  The key to this book is to write stories about the way both of them deal with a situation and this one fails. 

Green and Johnson spend the first half of the book setting up a dire situation for Superman, actually decide to go through with it, and then immediately undo what they had done with a deus ex machina.  Toyman just takes the wind out of the sails of the story.  It is kinda like pushing someone into a pit and then offering them a ladder to get out.  While I don’t believe Lana would do what she did, I thought her actions were intriguing and an interesting plot development.  But Green and Johnson weren’t interested in the ramifications.  It wasn’t what was done and how to deal with.  The important thing was who did it.  And I think that’s a big mistake.  Unless the writers have ideas on how to follow up on this story, it puts the other Superman writers in a bad place, forcing them to either ignore this story or deal with Lana’s betrayal.  The first option makes this story irrelevant and the second is just too damn complicated.  Personally, I like the first option the best. 

Strangely enough, the whole Lana Lang portion of this book reminded of the Leslie Tompkins fiasco in the Batman books a few years ago.  Yet another case of a minor supporting character who does something bad in the name of doing something good.  In that case as well as this case it is a bad decision.  And in both cases the rationale behind both is flimsy and doesn’t hold water.  I can understand Lana making the decision to stockpile Kryptonite to save her company, but for her to push that button?  I can understand keeping it away from Superman, but not to the point of killing him or destroying what she is trying to protect.  In what way does that actually help her company?  Either Superman takes it or she blows it up.  Either way it is gone.  So, no I don’t buy for one minute Lana would do what she did.  Of course, the writers decide to hedge their bets by offering a disembodied voice talking to Lana, suggesting that perhaps she was not of her right mind when she did it.  So there is an out.  Kinda like what they did with Leslie when they brought back the Spoiler. 

By the way, doesn’t Superman have enough super speed that he could’ve stopped her from pushing that button?  Or used his super breath to blow her away?

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