DC Killed Batman Superman Before And after It’s Release.
Batman Superman is one of the latest titles that’s spun out of the current “Year of The Villain” line. It’s also the direct follow up to the massively popular “The Batman Who Laughs” Mini series, by Scott Synder. Here the Dark Knight and The Man of Steel team up to figure out what six heroes have the since imprisoned, Batman Who Laugh’s (BMWL) Infected and what he has planned for them.
Right off the Bat, this sounds like a title that’s worth picking up, especially for fans who are currently up to date with whats happening in DC Comics or for someone completely in the dark and just wants to pick up a new Comic Book. I knew this was an automatic buy for me because Josh Williamson, the writer for Batman Superman has been doing a killer job with his current run of “The Flash”. Also, the teaser at the end of the “Year of the Villain” special earlier this year really caught my attention.
Here we have a broad range of characters ranging from the amnesia suffering Ric (Dick) Grayson, to certain members of the Justice League/Titans, all the way down to Batman’s long time companion: Jim Gordon (spoiler: He’s revealed to be one of the infected at the end of the BMWL mini series). The fact that any one of these specific characters could’ve been infected is a pretty cool premise. I’ll go as far to say that it made me want to go back and reread recent issues with some of these said characters to see if they’ve been acting in any way that would indicate allegiance to the BMWL. Its safe to say that I my anticipation levels initially were high.
That didn’t last long, because even before Batman Superman issue one was released, the Secret Six members were revealed to us…
The first (well second…) infected hero to be revealed was Shazam and that was done via the preview pages of Batman Superman…
Three more of the infected heroes were revealed thanks to the one shot announcements/solicitations on August 15th…two weeks before the release of Batman Superman issue 1 and they were:
Supergirl:
Hawkman:
And Blue Beetle:
So much for the fun of doing detective work right?
To make matters worse, the day after the release of Batman Superman 1, DC tweeted out a video featuring the teaser art of Batman Superman, which not only revealed the heroes above but revealed the final infected hero…which was Donna Troy.
https://twitter.com/DCSuperman/status/1167104724476280832?s=20
Whether you’re someone in the loop, who was already interested in the title or someone new who needed a reason to pick up a new Comic and somehow was following DC Comics on twitter, coming across that tweet made picking up Batman Superman absolutely pointless.
Luckily enough I didn’t come across the video. Knowing five out of the six infected heroes however, didn’t change the fact that whatever excitement I and probably a bunch of others had going into issue one to now three, was now null. It’ll most likely stay like this until this current “Secret Six” story line wraps up. This is disappointing because while visually this book is amazing, thanks to David Marquez’s awesome art work, it robs the shine from Josh Williamson’s writing, most importantly the reveals, which is the driving point of this entire first arc.
On the bright side, there’s been some key takeaways that’s come from the three issues so far; such as the more focused dynamic between Batman and Superman. Besides the last two issues of Brian Bendis ‘s Action Comics, and a cute double date centered issue in Tom King’s Batman run, we don’t see these two heroes interact closely too often. Williamson recently wrote the Batman/The Flash “The Price” crossover. Once again here he shows in Batman Superman that he’s more than capable of balancing the delicate aspects that shape these iconic characters and using the story not only grow and expand on their partnership but take it into some daring waters.
Such as….Spoiler incoming….
Both Batman and Superman deciding that the best way to get info on the BMWL’s plan was by Infecting Superman with the Joker toxin. Regardless of my disdain for the spoilers, I gotta admit that this was pretty ballsy and impressive, given that Superman is known as the boy scout. I DID NOT see that coming. It also further shows just how severe the BMWL’s threat poses, if they’re willing to cross such lines. I can only imagine what other fanatical measures will these two take later as the story progresses.
For a complete newcomer (one who doesn’t have to worry about spoilers), aspects like this is what is what makes it a great comic to jump into and it should encourage them to check out the preceding titles for more background knowledge.
Its a shame that I’m one of a large sum of people who can’t really enjoy this title fully. There’s also those who rightfully decided not to stick with the series past the first issue as evident by the dip in sales from issue one to issue two. It makes me wonder if this book will even last to see its second arc since again, there’s no longer a reason to pick it up right now.
I understand that solicitations/announcements are meant to give Comic Book retailers and fans a heads up on what’s coming. In this case, DC could’ve been more strategic with said titles without ruining the excitement for what I still believe was a highly anticipated release.
I’m deciding to stick with Batman Superman. While, the reveals are spoiled, I’m excited for how Williamson will have The World’s Finest deal with the reveals, especially Superman finding out about Supergirl. I have no doubt that they’ll have their limits tested even more by the BMWL and I’m intrigued to see just how their relationship will evolve as this title progresses. Its just a shame that DC shot themselves in the foot by ruining it and causing many fans to turn away from what has the potential to be a stellar series.
