Superman Batman Annual #1 (I didn't see a thread anywhere else

[saintsaucey]

I got my comics the other day and this was the second issue I read. It was different. I have read the original version of this. My library had a volume of collected superman comics and this was one of them. It captured the same story and mad it is own. Instead of Clark and Bruce getting along. Bruce was a complete drunken playboy bastard and Clark seemed more like the oafish guy from Allstar superman. I enjoyed Deathstroke and the Not so death stroke but I could have done without Owlman and Ultraman and Superwoman. the ending with Mixyespiddlick was unnessicary and just served to remind me how much I hated Jeph Loebs last issue.

what did yall think

[shadow of a madman]

Hated it.Loathed it.A complete throwback to the ugly death rattle that was Loebs's last arc.

[jerrymcl89]

I liked it. Obviously not so much in continuity, but I thought it was quite a bit of wacky fun.

[malephoenix]

Can someone offer a full summary?

[DoctorDoom]

Omg....
DEADPOOL !!!!

[Grizsly]

Hell yeah - DEADPOOL. Too funny, especially since Kelly wrote it.

All in all, thought it was a great take on the Superman/Clark Batman/Bruce relationship, and with how they discover each other's identities. Deathstroke in costume for the first time - great little twist, and again - DEADPOOL!

As for Ultraman, Owlman, Superwoman - they are the alternate Clark, Bruce, and Lois, so with the whole Bermuda Triangle homage to the original, it made sense in a wierd way. And the Mxy ending just served to keep it outside of continuity and just a fun tale to tell - exactly what a great annual should be.

Solid art, too.

That's all for a summary - just buy it and read it! I think it's fun. Or listen to the haters and don't. But discover it for yourself and decide - better than judging from a summary from either a lover or hater.

[J. Robb]

I take it this was a bit of a tribute to Jeph Loeb, as the story was very much in his barely-readable style and his Bizarro appears at the end, but I think it came off more as a parody. But maybe that was the intention, I'm not sure.

I imagine Loeb fans and maybe Deadpool fans would like this annual, but I just thought it was a mess.

[Jack Zodiac]

Hated it.Loathed it.A complete throwback to the ugly death rattle that was Loebs's last arc.

Enjoyed it. Loved it. A total escape from the horrible go-nowhere plot of the title itself, and an enjoyably Silver Age quality of storytelling. Read like a World's Finest.

[sly_kat]

i thought this was crap... but the deadpool thing was brilliant:D

[Guts/Batman]

Disliked the art. Looked it over. Put it back on the shelf.

[brundlefly]

I take it this was a bit of a tribute to Jeph Loeb, as the story was very much in his barely-readable style and his Bizarro appears at the end, but I think it came off more as a parody. But maybe that was the intention, I'm not sure.

I imagine Loeb fans and maybe Deadpool fans would like this annual, but I just thought it was a mess.

You summed up my take on this issue perfectly. Started out well enough, but then got steadily sillier and more unreadable as it went on, until finally ending with more unwelcome Mxy/Bizarro "humor." I should have just skimmed this at my LCS instead. My mistake.

[Mia]

I'm not that familiar with WF or Silver Age stuff. But the whole issue reminded me of the Batman/Superman animated cross over. Where the two characters both in and out of costume loathed each other. And were essentially competing to see who the was the 'top dog'.

One thing I must say, it really is a treat to read an interpretation of SM where he doesn't let Batman/Bruce Wayne push him around. Seeing him with spine and not behaving like putz is a rare treat. I can actually respct the character.

I didn't find Clark's last line funny though.

[Lanowar]

I was reading this thinking "That guy looks awfully like Deadpool" then I suddenly realized it was suppose to be him. That made the annual for me though I am still confused as to who hired Slade and who hired "let's say Deadpool" to protect Batman. Was it another realties bruce wayne or somthing?

[gorosaurus]

I know it was not in continuity, but Bruce's older brother Thomas is Owlman;
if you are going by the same Post COIE continuity that Grant Morrison established in EARTH-2. Some of it was fun, the ending kind of sucked; Why did Mxy hire people to kill Wayne in the first place? The style of narration telegraphed that the narrator would be Mxy or some other " funny" character. I like humor in the S/B books, but not slapstick. The "good" Wade, I mean Slade Wilson, was fun.

[PatrickG]

Who says it wasn't in continuity?

That last page is tongue-in-cheek but doesn't mean it isn't in continuity. And while being tongue-in-cheek, it continues to explain the story in a plausible (if goofy) way.

Mxy hired Slade to kill Bruce Wayne on a cruise and hired Superwoman to kill Owlman on the same cruise in the anti-matter universe. Then the cruises crossed over in a dimensional rift. Commissioner Thomas Wayne of the anti-matter universe hired Deaaaaaaaaa--! to keep his son alive.

Things were complicated by the fact that Superwoman took Lois' place at dinner. (Because Superwoman IS Lois Lane in her universe.) Also, Superwoman is lovers with Owlman so she only wanted to stage his death while Deathstroke wanted him dead for real.

[PatrickG]

I know it was not in continuity, but Bruce's older brother Thomas is Owlman;
if you are going by the same Post COIE continuity that Grant Morrison established in EARTH-2. Some of it was fun, the ending kind of sucked; Why did Mxy hire people to kill Wayne in the first place? The style of narration telegraphed that the narrator would be Mxy or some other " funny" character. I like humor in the S/B books, but not slapstick. The "good" Wade, I mean Slade Wilson, was fun.

They never TECHNICALLY contradict this on-panel.

And Mxy apparently hired someone to kill Bruce for the fun of it to spice up the story of Superman and Batman learning eachother's identities.

[Bruce Wayne Jr.]

This was fun, and I loved the inclusion of Deadpool.

but... Let's just not make it a monthly thing. ;)

[Krypton King]

It was a wonderful madcap escapade in the tradition of Loeb's run which I loved. This is probably the best issue I've ever read from Joe Kelly.

[Jack Zodiac]

It was a wonderful madcap escapade in the tradition of Loeb's run which I loved. This is probably the best issue I've ever read from Joe Kelly.

It'll be a chore since it isn't collected in trades, but if you liked this annual, you should try to hunt down Kelly's Deadpool series. It was pure awesomeness.

[Sean Whitmore]

A couple of neat ideas and a few brilliant dialogue bits (Lois: "I am Superman!") are not enough to save the book from Kelly's "everything including the kitchen sink" mentality, which suffocated any weight the story might have had. I mean seriously, any ONE of the plots in this issue could have been a decent story, with some actual focus dedicated to it.

I really hope this ends up not being in continuity. If it is, look at what Kelly has saddled us with as the history of New Earth:

-Batman and Superman first meet fighting lameass dopplegangers from Earth No-Name. Lame.

-Batman and Superman learn each other's identities because Mxyzptlk felt like screwing with history.

-Deathstroke's first job as a costumed freelancer is a massive failure, and he apparently never tries to fulfill it again (after being knocked out with one blow).

-Ultraman, the scary-evil Superman from another world, makes his debut and is a useless idiot. Not at all unlike the Superman parody on that Drawn Together show.


Kelly needs a plotter to work with, badly. Because he has nice ideas and hilarious character interaction (even if he did create a baffling version of the Bruce Wayne mock identity that differs from every previous portrayal we've ever seen). For example, I loved the running gag of Batman knocking Lois out whenever she was about to learn something.

Batman: "We have no secrets, Miss Lane. Come over here and I'll show you..."


SEAN

[PatrickG]

-Batman and Superman first meet fighting lameass dopplegangers from Earth No-Name. Lame.


Don't think that was their first meeting. I'm gonna take a wild flying leap and say they'd teamed up on a half dozen or more occasions before that.

And those "lameass doppelgangers" were the grown up Titans from "Titans Tomorrow". I think there's a certain amount of pathos in seeing Bruce put down Tim while beating the crap out of him while Superman assaults Conner.



-Batman and Superman learn each other's identities because Mxyzptlk felt like screwing with history.


My impression is that it would have happened anyway but that Mxy just spiced up the surrounding circumstances.



-Deathstroke's first job as a costumed freelancer is a massive failure, and he apparently never tries to fulfill it again (after being knocked out with one blow).


Enh... I think Deathstroke should have an arc to his career. Uber-Deathstroke annoys me more than the Uber-Bat and even Batman had a few failures at the start of his career. Anything that can send Slade weeping and talking about his childhood is a keeper in my book.




-Ultraman, the scary-evil Superman from another world, makes his debut and is a useless idiot. Not at all unlike the Superman parody on that Drawn Together show.


Have you caught Ultraman's appearances in:

- SUPERGIRL
- JLA
- ACTION COMICS

...?

He IS a useless idiot and a rather perverse Superman parody. He's not a brilliant planner. He's a big jock who's usually concerned with ruining lives and hurting people less powerful than him... and along the way trying to get back at his wife and best friend for blatantly having an affair that everybody knows more about than him. The guy is not respectable on any level. He takes pleasure in cruelty to animals, he's slow-witted and his wife sexually assaults other men for information and she killed her own baby by smothering it in her chest while snapping its neck. Meanwhile, Owlman -- Ultraman's "best friend" -- is out to kill his own father and sneak around with UM's wife.

These guys are not intellectual matches for the JLA, by and large, and they weren't pre-Crisis either. They're thugs with a heavy bit of parody and some sickening over-the-top qualities.



Kelly needs a plotter to work with, badly. Because he has nice ideas and hilarious character interaction (even if he did create a baffling version of the Bruce Wayne mock identity that differs from every previous portrayal we've ever seen). For example, I loved the running gag of Batman knocking Lois out whenever she was about to learn something.


Actually, this is pretty much in keeping with Morrison's take, which is in keeping with Geoff Johns' take which is in keeping with the BATMAN BEGINS take.

Bruce Wayne wants to ruin his name by acting out as an ingrateful, snobbish, sex-crazed playboy.

Morrison is going for a variation on this: Bruce Wayne as a bored millionnaire who seeks out random women for liasons, travels to the moon just to pass the time and is exploring travel between alternate dimensions, with the subtext being that he wants to have orgies in an environment where the laws of physics are different.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

This was a heckuva lot of fun. It works for what it is, the origin of the Superman/Batman team as told by Mxy to Bizzaro #1. It was a tall tale based upon an old story. Good goofy fun that doesn't try to take itself seriously.

And UnDeadpool is hilarious.

Some of the jokes fall flat, but the ones that hit are pretty funny. "Well, this is awkward." is the funniest Appolo & Midnight reference I've seen in awhile. It's too bad Kelly didn't throw these two in from Wildstorm for good measure. DC owns the rights so it should have been easy. The story had everything else. It was like Mxy was on caffine/sugar rush.

I love the Ultraman, Owlman & Superwoman dynamic. Was Superwoman Lois Lane in her original version. That's a nice touch.

[CaptainAwesome]

I liked it. It was very funny and a lot of fun. Worth four bucks? Not a chance.

[J. Robb]

I really hope this ends up not being in continuity.
I wouldn't worry about that, I think this was quite obviously a joke issue. Whether it was a funny joke or not seems to vary from reader to reader...

[Sean Whitmore]

And those "lameass doppelgangers" were the grown up Titans from "Titans Tomorrow". I think there's a certain amount of pathos in seeing Bruce put down Tim while beating the crap out of him while Superman assaults Conner.

Okay, honestly, I didn't notice that. I was wondering what an evil Gar would be doing there, so that's slightly better than a new team of dopplegangers. But only slightly, since there was no mention of who they were or why they were fighting. I disagree that any pathos could be had out of a one-page fight scene that was apparently so easy to win both Bruce and Clark remember handling it solo.



Anything that can send Slade weeping and talking about his childhood is a keeper in my book.

Well, okay, your mileage may vary on this point.



He IS a useless idiot and a rather perverse Superman parody.

We have Bizarro to play useless idiot Superman. Ultraman should've remained the way he was in Earth Two: scary-as-hell murderer Superman. Where it doesn't matter how bright he is because he'll kill you soon as look at you. The Ultraman/Owlman "Abbott and Costello" routine just makes them seem more manageable and less frightening.



Bruce Wayne wants to ruin his name by acting out as an ingrateful, snobbish, sex-crazed playboy.

Rudeness has never seemed like a part of the Wayne mask to me, though. Priest toyed with the idea a little bit, but not to the extent that Kelly did. Bruce has always been sex-crazed, frivolous, stupid, and oblivious of others, but never insulting. Even Bale's Bruce didn't become intentionally insulting until he was trying to get all the civilians out of his house.

Bruce cutting in front of Clark and then asking, "Why are you talking to me?" just seemed very, very different from the Bruce who walks out on board meetings to play golf or something.


SEAN

[aukevin]

You summed up my take on this issue perfectly. Started out well enough, but then got steadily sillier and more unreadable as it went on, until finally ending with more unwelcome Mxy/Bizarro "humor." I should have just skimmed this at my LCS instead. My mistake.
My thoughts exactly.

[We R. Venom]

That was one crazy book. I was confused the entire time. I was continuously laughing though, good stuff.

[Jason1Kent]

Had Conner in it, Rocks for me!!!! I know, his evil future self but gives hope to this multi reality blah blah that Conner will be back!

[trickster]

Who says it wasn't in continuity?



Well, Mxy is dead.

On a different note: Bitter much DC? With that Civil War reference? Besides it's not like you didn't have your share of grim (and still do).

[90'sCartoonMan]

Wow, what a weird book. I liked the Clark/Bruce rivalry and Superman and Batman wondering about each other's identity.

It got progressively weirder. I think I was a little confused at first because I thought Super Woman was supposed to be the alternate Wonder Woman. I liked the use of Deadpool, though, that was funny, and that page describing all the weird stuff.

Wait, if this is supposed to take place in the past, what's with the Brokeback Mountain reference?

[BYC]

I need to check this issue out. Lots of different viewpoints, should be interesting.

[Jack Zodiac]

Well, Mxy is dead.

On a different note: Bitter much DC? With that Civil War reference? Besides it's not like you didn't have your share of grim (and still do).

Mxy's alive and well. New universe, new rules, and I think his last death was almost completely ignored.

And bitterness? Nowhere near. It's intercompany fun. Lampooning. They've been doing it to each other for decades.

[trickster]

Mxy's alive and well. New universe, new rules, and I think his last death was almost completely ignored.

And bitterness? Nowhere near. It's intercompany fun. Lampooning. They've been doing it to each other for decades.

Yeah, but sales-wise, not to mention idea-wise, Marvel's got them beat for now. Civil War wipes the floor with IC.

[Jack Zodiac]

Sales-wise, definitely, and maybe even conceptually, because I think the idea behind Civil War is a good one. Personally, though, I think their execution blows.

[glennsim]

Wow, what a weird book. I liked the Clark/Bruce rivalry and Superman and Batman wondering about each other's identity.

It got progressively weirder. I think I was a little confused at first because I thought Super Woman was supposed to be the alternate Wonder Woman. I liked the use of Deadpool, though, that was funny, and that page describing all the weird stuff.

Wait, if this is supposed to take place in the past, what's with the Brokeback Mountain reference?

I double-checked Wikipedia, and I don't think the pre-Crisis Superwoman was Lois Lane, I think she was just an Amazon.

Superwoman-as-Lois was introduced in the Grant Morrison "Earth 2" book.

Seems like a mistake, as it leads to confusion about whether she's the Wonder Woman counterpart or a powered Lois Lane counterpart.

[Sean Whitmore]

Yeah, but sales-wise, not to mention idea-wise, Marvel's got them beat for now. Civil War wipes the floor with IC.

So what? Should DC be printing a "we're sorry Marvel is better than us" note at the end of every issue? :)


SEAN

[brundlefly]

Wait, if this is supposed to take place in the past, what's with the Brokeback Mountain reference?

That was the problem with DARK DETECTIVE, too, as it was obviously supposed to be set in the past, but the Joker was making American Idol and reality TV jokes. I guess it's a case of the writer wanting to "have his cake and eat it, too," setting his story in the past but still using commentary on current pop culture for 'comedy' purposes. This comic was such an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink, logic-defying mess that I had forgotten about the Brokeback Mountain anachronism.

[shyguy]

I liked aspects of the book. The art was generally nice, some of it was pretty funny, and I tend to like the Earth 1 Crime Syndicate.

But I never like Superman and Batman not being friends, and Bruce Wayne was just... weird.

Better than most of S/B though.

[trickster]

So what? Should DC be printing a "we're sorry Marvel is better than us" note at the end of every issue? :)


SEAN

No. But it's still sour grapes. Kinda reminds of how Paris Hilton turned down Pussycat Dolls' "Dont'cha". I'll bet she's bitter now. :p

[Sean Whitmore]

No. But it's still sour grapes. Kinda reminds of how Paris Hilton turned down Pussycat Dolls' "Dont'cha". I'll bet she's bitter now. :p

Maybe if it was just recent, but like Jack said, they've been goofing on one another forever. They probably would've done the same thing if DC was selling better. :)


SEAN

[Kaos]

I thought it was good and I loved the clark/bruce dynamic

"That chin?!"
"I vibrate at superspeed when there a cameras, its makes the picture less clear"
"son of a..."

[Lanowar]

So what? Should DC be printing a "we're sorry Marvel is better than us" note at the end of every issue? :)


SEAN

I'd buy Aquaman if I knew at the end of every issue they had a advert that said that. Sales would go through the room...ok maybe not still one can wonder.

[Ilash]

Fun, funny and ridiculous. I don't want all my comics to be like this but this annual was a hoot and I would love to see Kelly write more Superman/ Batman.

That is all.

[Deadpooligan]

Anybody got scans of the Deadpool joke? My LCS sold out of the ish...

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Anybody got scans of the Deadpool joke? My LCS sold out of the ish...

Deadpool joke? More like jokes, dozens of them. Deadpool is a major character in the story.

[Luc Star]

Oh God, this has got to be one of the funniest Batman/Superman comics I've read in a looong time.

The Deadpool cameo was awesome. I especially liked the parts where he is trying to tell someone his name and he kept getting interrupted.

But the best part of the whole issue had to be... uh, wait... how do you use those spoiler tag thingies here again?

[Sean Whitmore]

Oh God, this has got to be one of the funniest Batman/Superman comics I've read in a looong time.

The Deadpool cameo was awesome. I especially liked the parts where he is trying to tell someone his name and he kept getting interrupted.

But the best part of the whole issue had to be... uh, wait... how do you use those spoiler tag thingies here again?


Kind of a moot point by now, but it's these: [*spoil][*/spoil], only without the two *'s.


SEAN

[Luc Star]

Kind of a moot point by now, but it's these: [*spoil][*/spoil], only without the two *'s.


SEAN

Thanks Sean.

Now, my favourite part in the whole issue: -


After wishing good night to Lois -
Bruce (to Clark with a fake grin plastered across his face as he watches Lois walk away from them): I will give you one million dollars to throw yourself overboard.

Clark's response (identical fake grin in place as well): Up yours, rich boy.


LOL. I can't believe our favourite boy scout said that.

All in all, one of the more enjoyable comics I’ve read in sometime now.

[stealthwise]

A fun, fun issue. I never read Superman/Batman (I find most of Loeb's work repulsive), but I picked up this Annual on a whim (and after a comment by Patrick), and enjoyed the hell out of it.

Deadpool! Great character interactions, great dialogue and humour. I felt honestly entertained by a single issue from DC for once.

[malephoenix]

Seems like a mistake, as it leads to confusion about whether she's the Wonder Woman counterpart or a powered Lois Lane counterpart.

Where's the confusion? She's both.







Finally got this issue yesterday. Lots of fun. I don't care about the last page one way or the other. A lot of the story was frustrating, though - trying to keep straight how each character got where and why.

[coinilius]

Where's the confusion? She's both.

One reason why the issue is somewhat confused is in who she's supposed to look like - in the Superman/Batman annual, they mistake the normal Lois Lane for Superwoman because they look the same... but in Superwoman's other appearances, she was depicted as looking like Wonder Woman.

Also, the anti-matter Earth Owlman isn't Bruce Wayne, he's Thomas Wayne jr... and Ultraman, Owlman and Superwoman should have been wearing there pre-crisis outfits, rather than these ones, as they were established as having the pre-crisis outfits earlier in there careers by the (somewhat) recent JLA story that featured the CSA.

Unless there's been some New Earth changes to the anti-matter Earth as well...

[glennsim]

One reason why the issue is somewhat confused is in who she's supposed to look like - in the Superman/Batman annual, they mistake the normal Lois Lane for Superwoman because they look the same... but in Superwoman's other appearances, she was depicted as looking like Wonder Woman.

Also, the anti-matter Earth Owlman isn't Bruce Wayne, he's Thomas Wayne jr... and Ultraman, Owlman and Superwoman should have been wearing there pre-crisis outfits, rather than these ones, as they were established as having the pre-crisis outfits earlier in there careers by the (somewhat) recent JLA story that featured the CSA.

Unless there's been some New Earth changes to the anti-matter Earth as well...

Not to mention the fact that the rest of the characters seemed to have a 1:1 correlation with Earth 1, but this mixes characters.

Did I mention that the original Superwoman DEFINITELY wasn't Lois Lane because the Lois Lane of the original Earth 3 married Alex Luthor and gave birth to Alex Luthor Jr., of Infinite Crisis fame...?

[coinilius]

Yeah, post-crisis Superwoman does indeed mix characters - Grant Morrison intended it as a homage to the 'Lois Lane as Superwoman' stories of the fifties, but in Earth 2 the graphic novel she is clearly drawn to still physically resemble Wonder Woman rather than Lois Lane.