If I had to guess, I'd say that this book is going to do exceptionally well. Two of the biggest characters in comics, teamed up on a regular basis, with impressive creators behind it? Like the recent announcement of Jim Lee on Superman, it's a creative no-brainer that seems a right direction from a Superman editorial office that has had too many missteps in the past. However, while Superman/Batman bodes well for fans of the characters and especially for the hundred thousand or so fans of the current Batman series, I have some minor concerns that hold me back from completely enjoying the book. It's an interesting first issue, all the more so because Loeb avoids the obvious big bad guy and goes for a smaller one and because McGuinness's art has never looked this good before, but it's not perfect, at least not in my eyes.
Anyone who has read Loeb's work on most of the DC characters knows that he has a flair for doing the big, iconic scenes. His various Batman stories have always played around with the big names and the most interesting periods of the character, and while his Superman was more character-driven and less event-driven, it was also always suitably big. So it should be no surprise that his opening sequence, a repetition of the age-old origins of both of these characters, manages to come across as fresh despite being material most of us have read dozens if not hundreds of times. Sure, it verges on being overly cute, with some of the parallels between Batman and Superman almost not working, but it demonstrates quickly and effectively what these two heroes have in common and what sets them apart. It is, in short, just about a perfect opening for this kind of book.
What surprises me, and what will probably surprise many readers, is how Superman/Batman sort of quiets down after that big splashy opening sequence. Oh, it's not dull, not at all... it's just not a big smackdown between Batman, Superman and a well-known master villain. It's one of Superman's second-string villains, one who can be legitimately threatened by both heroes despite their disparate power levels, and it's a story that's as much about investigation and cooperation as it is about explosions and punches. I'm very, very wary of a throwaway line where Loeb hints that this Superman villain might be tied into the death of Bruce Wayne's parents, but I'm hopeful that it's just Loeb being cute rather than a decision to tie this villain into one of the classic origin stories.
Not to worry, though, because after the relatively quiet opening story (and it is relative, as both Superman and Batman are in grave danger by the time the cliffhanger hits), Loeb hits the readers with the big bang, the big idea that will spur the next part of the story on. It's a great idea, a clever riff on the destruction of Krypton and an interesting opener to the game of "What is Luthor playing at?" The main story was solid but didn't really draw me in completely, but the last three pages have me on the edge of my seat anticipating the next issue.
What really surprised me, though, was how much I enjoyed the artwork on this book. I've always liked McGuinness's work, at least in theory, but I was never quite sold on his style as the right one for Superman. However, with the addition of Dexter Vines on inks, this book features probably the best artwork I've ever seen from Ed McGuiness. Unlike inker Cam Smith, who reinforced some of McGuinness's cartoony and sometimes even goofy elements, Vines gives the book more shadow and considerably more edge, with a notably harsher use of line and shadow on Batman that sets him apart from his brighter, more bombastic partner.
