At this point, we all know how the Batman/Superman conflict goes. It's gotten a little predictable. Loeb and Lee stay within the realm of the predictable, which is the bad news for those who have seen this time and time again. For those who are coming back to the characters after a long absence, though, which is really the audience Loeb and Lee have captured, there's but one word to describe this issue: Cooooooool. It appeals on the fanboy level, that part of you that will ask over and over again "Who'd win in a fight, Batman and Superman?" and while some of us may either not have that level or not respond to it anymore, those who still do will love this issue.
To be honest, I've gotten a little tired of seeing Batman out-think Superman, and even though I knew it wasn't going to happen, I held out hope that maybe we'd see Superman just beat up Batman a little bit this time out. While Loeb and Lee definitely give the sense that Batman and Catwoman are in a desperate fight, and Batman's smarts and strategies are well-done and interesting, I continually wish for a fight where Superman doesn't look like the chump. Loeb gets points from me, however, for making a big part of this fight about Superman's victory and not just Batman's, and for having Batman note that Superman could be using powers that he isn't, as well as providing reasons for it. There's also a really small part by one of my favorite Superman supporting cast.
What with this being an all-out battle story, it's really Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair who get to shine. And they do. The double-page splash of Batman decking Superman, the shots of Batman and Superman exchanging powers and gadget use in a fight and the wide open nature of the panels makes for a fast, brutal and effective extended fight scene. I was a bit put off by Lee's take on Lois Lane, who seems to have grown about two cup sizes and traded in her journalist's garb for a hooker's wardrobe, but the powerful forms of Batman and Superman and the lithe forms of Catwoman and Poison Ivy make up for it.
Speaking of Catwoman, I have mixed feelings about her use in this arc. While I'm a fan of the Catwoman/Batman relationship, and it's kind of neat to see her working as a de facto partner to Batman, she seems a little too super-heroic and out in the open in this take on the character, especially in contrast to the fantastic take we're seeing from Brubaker over in the Catwoman series. Still, it's something very different than what we're seeing in the other Batman books, and Loeb has shifted Batman subtly away from the Miller-esque take and into a more sane and heroic mode, which is definitely welcome.
In the end, the Loeb/Lee Batman remains a book that isn't really delivering what I was looking for from the book, but that's my problem and not theirs. For those seeking a fairly straightforward super-hero take on Batman, and the use of some of the biggest names in comics by some of the biggest names in comics, Batman is hard to beat these days.
