![]() ![]() ![]() Adapting a comic storyline into an animated feature is no easy task, especially when the story arc is extensive and spans multiple issues. 'Superman/Batman: Public Enemies' is written by Stan Berkowitz, whose story is based on the graphic novel by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. Uniting with his only ally left, Superman and Batman must fend off friend and foe as they work together to expose Luthor and save the planet. But as a massive radioactive meteor composed of Kryptonite guns straight for Earth, the cunning Luthor seizes the opportunity to frame the Man of Steel and turn the entire world against him, issuing a warrant for the hero's arrest and placing a one billion dollar bounty on his head. Even most of the Justice League believe Luthor has turned over a new leaf and have become sanctioned representatives of his government, all except for Superman (voiced by Tim Daly) who isn't convinced his archenemy is reformed, and of course the Batman (the legendary Kevin Conroy) who has always been a loner and fought conformity. Surprisingly, Luthor manages to deliver and quickly restores the nation to a state of tranquility. When America's economy is in turmoil and the crime rate is at an all-time high, a desperate country elects ruthless businessman Lex Luthor (voiced by Clancy Brown) as President of the United States, whose campaign promised major change for the better. It's just too bad 'Superman/Batman: Public Enemies' fails to capture this essence. Really, they are the yin and yang of the DC Universe. Light and dark, the parallel lives of Kal-El and Bruce Wayne have converged on a singular path and while they may butt heads on occasion, they understand each other in the deepest sense, their mutual respect and trust for one another having forged a unique unbreakable bond. Yet, they are one in the same - both orphans whose loneliness is the driving force behind their pledge to fight injustice. These two heroes really couldn't be any more different - one is a godlike being from another planet, and the other is a mere mortal who relies solely on his wits to solve crimes. And sometimes that's enough to carry the day.I don't think any relationship in all of the realms of comics fascinates me more than the one Superman has with Batman. No, it doesn't have the same level of quality dialog or plotting as some of the other books on the shelves these days. As the story continues, they start to seem less and less different and even take pages from each others' books. You have to two protagonists, as different as night and day, thrown together by circumstance. At it's core, Superman/Batman is a buddy picture. That's okay with me, however, because it's fun just to look at his take on various DCU characters. Half the time, it seems like the purpose of the script is just to give McGuinness more characters to draw. He lets McGuinness' art speak for itself. Loeb takes the fairly high concept premise of Batman and Superman kicking the crap out of everybody and runs with it. It seems like every other page is a pin-up. It's a bit on the cartoony side, but so is the story. I hope I'm not spoiling this for anyone, but in a book called Superman/Batman, who did you think was going to emerge victorious at the end? Ed McGuinness' art is gorgeous. And really, with Batman doing the planning and Superman providing the brute force, the victor is a foregone conclusion. Batman and Superman versus everyone else in the DC universe. The rest of the superhero community then sets out to arrest our heroes and bring them to justice. Of course, Batman and Superman refuse to turn themselves in and they become criminals. Presdient Lex Luthor's declaration that Superman is to blame. ![]() The bulk of the story centers around a deadly kryptonite meteor on a collision course with Earth and U.S. ![]() It's clever, though, and doesn't last forever, so it can be forgiven. It actually gets a bit annoying in stretching my suspension of disbelief as they think almost identical statements. Throughout the book, similar parallel narration lets us know how each hero views the situation. In each, we get the basic breakdown of how each hero thinks and how they operate. Jeph Loeb makes the most of the differences in these two characters, laying out parallel story lines for the opening of the book. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |