Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #47

Batman/Superman World's Finest #47 came out this last week, the finale of the Absorbascon storyline pitting the Batman/Superman Fusion against the Lex/Joker Merger. And boy, it ends ... quickly, neatly, and semi-easily.

Writer Mark Waid is almost always a fun and entertaining read and this title has been a revelation in the four years it has been out. This story seems to have some elements that fit the quality of this book. Seeing how the fused heroes work together while the meshed villain minds sometimes are fighting each other is a good insight into the characters. Seeing how our heroes deal with their secret identities revealed also has some meat on the bone to delve into. (Indeed, the Lois scene in this book is my favorite.) And perhaps this characterization deep dive was the impetus for this story. But the plot, with the Absorbascon as a deus ex machina becoming both a receiver and a transmitter that needs to be shut down then saved then reverted seemed too big to wrap up. This was a three parter! But honestly, I don't know if a longer version of this story would make the ending more palatable.

Adrian Gutierrez gets to really stretch in this arc with crazy action, a large cast of cameos, and some emotional beats. It is a rapid fire book going from magical battles to quiet apartment conversations to fistfights. That is a lot for one tiny issue. It must be hard to step into Dan Mora's shoes but I have come to really like Gutierrez's style on this book. There is an energy here that works. 

On to the book.

Leviathan (Back Up) Theory - The Atom

We are two months into Event Leviathan and I have my Leviathan Theory in the bank. Leviathan is Ted Kord, aided by the other Charlton heroes.

Like any good mystery, there isn't just one suspect. Anyone can still be Leviathan under that mask. And I have been poring over these clues so much that other theories were bound to bubble to the surface. Hawk and Dove? New 52 Superman? Adam Strange? A case (maybe not particularly strong ones) can be made for any of these characters. I know ... I have done so.

Let me throw another onto the pile.

Leviathan is Ray Palmer. And 'we' means just that. He has a partner.

What do we know about Leviathan right now that are facts. He wants to bring about world order. He doesn't want to fight super-heroes; he wants them to join. He has very advanced tech. He knows the heroes very well, maybe having worked beside them. And he seems to come from a tragic past.

Mix those facts in with some things implied in issues and I have a decent back up theory that the Atom is Leviathan.

In fact, even the names are a hint. The Atom is something small. Leviathan, by definition, means something big. That word play alone might be a hint.

But you aren't here for semantics.

You are here for a breakdown of clues. So let's get to it.

Leviathan Theory: The Enforcer In Action Comics #1011

I am trying to figure out in my head how to handle my Leviathan theories here on the site.

One thing to do would be to insert my ideas about the theories in the reviews of the books where new clues appear. New theory ideas would be rolled into the ongoing story. The down side would be that my already super-long reviews would be longer.

The other would be to have separate Leviathan theory posts thus giving me more room to discuss why I have the new idea and give some supportive evidence around it. This would keep my reviews the same length but it would mean many more Theory posts (when warranted).

For now, I think what I will do is insert any new fleeting theory (maybe Leviathan is Ocean Master??) into the review. But anything more substantial, anything that needs a broader discussion or panels from other books for evidence will be in a separate post ... like today's.

My main  Leviathan Theory  is laid out here. I freely admit that I am pretty anchored on this theory.

So let's look at my theory that Captain Atom (as a stand in for Doctor Manhattan who was a stand in for Captain Atom) is the 'Enforcer' of Leviathan.

Squint and you'll miss it but Atom is mentioned in an article for the Planet that Perry is proof-reading. You don't get all of it but it looks like Atom was seen streaking into a building before it exploded. Too obvious a clue?

It is interesting that Atom, who hasn't been seen in a while has suddenly reappeared. But wait there's more!

Stanhope Sighting

As a longtime Supergirl fan, I am thrilled when creators recognize her history and mythos. When writers throw in nibbles of prior continuity or bring back Supergirl-specific Rogues, it brings a smile to my face.

And it seems like current Supergirl writer Steve Orlando is doing just that. We already saw him name drop  Leesburg   in Midnighter and Apollo. In the Supergirl book, he named the DEO base #252. We saw a glimpse of someone who might be a main universe Belinda Zee.

And now in the Justice League of America: The Atom one shot, Orlando name dropped Stanhope College.

Here at Ivy University, Ryan Choi meets his dude-bro roommate Adam Cray.

Cray almost when to Stanhope for their rugby program. But instead he ended up a Ivy.

Stanhope College!

Back Issue Box: Super-Team Family #11

Three has been a lot of recent talk about a possible television crossover between the current Flash program and the future Supergirl show. The Supergirl show is probable one and a half seasons away but the internet is already intrigued given the massive coverage of one sentence that *maybe* there would be some universal continuity between The Flash, Supergirl, and Arrow.

It got me thinking about the Flash and Supergirl crossovers in comics. While not a true team-up they are both well known for being the 'big deaths' in Crisis On Infinite Earths. And they tussled in the recent H'El on Earth arc.

But I thought I would cover this lesser know crossover from Super-Team Family #11, a story which also included the Atom.  "The Other Side of Doomsday' was written by Gerry Conway with art by Alan Weiss and Joe Rubinstein. It is something of a crazy story and that makes it perfect for a review. And it is a whopping 34 pages long for a mere 60cents!

As I said, the story is insane with feints, inconsistencies, the need to suspend disbelief even for a superhero story, and leaps of faith by the reader. But the art is just fantastic. I have always been a fan of Alan Weiss and he does not disappoint in this issue. I love his brash and confident Supergirl in this issue. The cover above is my book as I was lucky enough to meet Joe Rubinstein at last year's Rhode Island Comic-Con and got him to sign the cover.

On to the story!

I don't know about you all but a team-up of Flash, Supergirl, and the Atom seems a bit random to me. So I had to chuckle when this spectacular is called 'the greatest team-up blockbuster of all time!' That is a pretty big boast!

And that claim is even more dubious when the opening scene is the Flash and Atom beating up some low level crooks dressed up like pirates! Maybe we start at a ridiculous low point and build from here.

The Flash and the Atom are surprised to see Supergirl swoop in and end the fight in one panel. I was a bit surprised that the Leaguers were taking so long to dispatch these Smees. And I was not surprised that Supergirl wrapped things up quickly.

Unfortunately, since she wasn't invited to the party, Supergirl didn't know that the plan was for the heroes to let one pirate escape and lead them to the head of the crime family. It actually annoys The Flash and The Atom who think Supergirl is immature ... acting like a 'pushy teenager' even if she is older now.

The Supergirl in this issue seems brash, but always with her eye on the prize. She wants justice. She wants to punish evil. And she leaps into action. I don't mind that brashness. She is still learning to be a polished hero.

Supergirl is in Ivy Town for a Women's Career Symposium in her Linda Danvers identity.

More than just attending, Linda is on a panel, one which includes Jean Loring, the Atom's girlfriend and Iris Allen, the Flash's wife. But before the Q&A session can start, a strange beam bathes the three women and teleports them away.

Now I can understand Jean and Iris being on a panel together. Jean is a local accomplished lawyer and Iris is a national reporter. But Linda? A guidance counselor in an experimental school in Florida? Seems more like an easy way to keep the plot moving.

Barry and Ray are in the audience to support their significant others and spring into their heroic identities to investigate. And, not surprisingly, battles ensue.

Large mostly featureless metal humanoids appear on the stage and battle the Flash who dispatches them. And the Atom shrinks down to a submicroscopic size and ends up fighting similar beings but on that dimension. As if that isn't strange enough, the defeated metal men, whether big or small, decompose into some sort of soil like dust.

With a clue to follow, the heroes leave to investigate.

Meanwhile, Linda wakes up in a glass tube in what looks to be the laboratory of an evil scientist. With Jean and Iris unconscious, Linda switches to her Supergirl identity and decides to do some investigating on her own.

Weiss really draws her wonderfully. I loved this page with Kara being initially thrown around by a tank-like robot only to strike a pose and dismantle the thing.

She then frees Jean and Iris and they begin to look for a way out of this place. But, like some weird tesseract, the place seems endless.

Meanwhile, the Flash and the Atom are able to deduce that the bits of metal emit a certain radiation. By vibrating at a certain frequency, the Flash can see the trail of energy which leads to an electric plant in Central City. The two split up to enter in a flanking move.

I guess I just have to accept that the Flash can see radiation.

But the fact that this started in Ivy Town and heads to Central City, the fact that Jean and Iris were kidnapped. This is starting to see less random. This is a calculated attack on the heroes.

And the place that the women are in is a nightmarish land where nothing is what it seems. This lab is endless. It is filled with machinery and defense systems. This includes this rather icky tentacle scene where malleable metal like tendrils grow from the walls and ceilings and bind Supergirl, Iris, and Jean.

This place also seems to odd in that things like mere metal or machines should be so difficult for Supergirl to overwhelm. This isn't a normal evil lab.

In fact, the women are confronted by an unseen villain who is able to knock them all out with a beam of some sort. A ray that knocks out Supergirl?? What is this place?

Meanwhile, the Flash and the Atom have to fight more metal men who, again, dissolve into odd dust. But this time, the Flash is able figure out that these things come from another dimension. And vibrating at a specific frequency (again) he is able to teleport himself and the Atom to these automatons' homeworld.

And we finally meet the villain of the piece. It's T.O. Morrow! Now why Morrow, normally dressed in a white lab coat is now wearing a Spartan helmet and a festooned marching band outfit is beyond me.

It turns out that last time Morrow was seen in DC Comics he disappeared, apparently ceasing to exist.

Get ready for a big leap. This place isn't Earth. And Morrow was teleported there by forces he cannot comprehend.

In other words, Conway couldn't explain how Morrow got here. So instead it just sort of happened.

And then Morrow pulls out his weapon, a wand of some sort that gives him complete control over his environment. He can turn the floor to tar, make metal humanoid defenders, make tentacles come out of the walls.

And, strangely, he can make an anvil appear out of thin air to fall on the Flash's head. Talk about loony? Or should I say Looney?

Morrow wanted revenge on the Flash and the Atom for his losses against the League. And since he (somehow) knew their secret identities, he kidnapped Iris and Jean to lure the heroes here. Supergirl being taken with them was a mistake.

Against Morrow's new power, the heroes are quickly defeated.

Okay, the heroes are here. They are unconscious. Get your revenge Morrow! Do it!

Nope.

Instead the heroes and Jean and Iris awaken in a medieval appearing dungeon, chained to the wall. So we went from a scientist's lab with incredible technology to a medieval dungeon?? What the heck is this place? And how can the chains be so dense or strange that neither the Flash nor Supergirl can break free. And how is Morrow able to warp the reality so easily?

One thing I have to note is that this was a time when Jean Loring was recovering from a 'nervous breakdown'. And this nightmarish place is frightening enough to send Jean into some sort of psychological shock. (I show this because Jean's psychological makeup is an important point in DC's history given the Identity Crisis series.)

The Atom figures the whole thing out. He has Supergirl blast the floor of the dungeon with her highest intensity heat vision. The whole environment shakes wildly and then the prison simply melts away to reveal this ... a living planet.

Somehow Morrow was teleported to this living planet in another dimension and figured out how to control the matter of this world. This explains how things act differently, how the surroundings can change, and why a heat vision blast shook the foundations. This place can be hurt.

Ooooo-kayy.

I guess I just have to roll with this. Because there is no way I can explain it.

And the solution to this problem? To give this planet a seizure or a stroke by sending the Atom directly into it's brain.

That seems cruel. And unusual.

(And I had to cringe again as it reminded me that such an attack was how Jean killed Sue Dibny in Identity Crisis. I wish I would stop remembering that book.)

With the planet seizing, Morrow is powerless. And Supergirl takes things into her own hands, knocking him out with a left uppercut.

The villain is defeated. But things get worse.

During the attack, Jean suffered another nervous breakdown. And the planet, susceptible to mental anguish, teleported her away. What ??? Okay, one more thing for to me to just roll with.

And there is no way to know exactly where Jean was sent to. This is The Atom's quest. To find her.

In fact, this 'search for Jean Loring' continues for some months. I don't have any other issues of this arc but I have heard it discussed in the past and would love to hear from people in the know.

This issue is one crazy mess of wild ideas and insanity. It is hard to understand everything that happens. But it is fun to see these two staid veteran heroes work with the young and powerful Supergirl. And the artwork is just beautiful.

I don't know if this issue is an important one for a Supergirl collection from a continuity point of view. But it is a rare issue in this time when she had the spotlight and teamed up with other heroes. For that alone, I think it is worth owning. And if you don't love that page with the defiant Supergirl saying she's mad and then dismantling a giant robot, you aren't a Supergirl fan. That page alone is worth the $5 you'd need to part with at a con.

Overall grade: B/B+ (nudged up based on artwork)

Review: Batman/Superman #10

Batman/Superman #10 came out this week and was an entertaining and fun issue. And if there are words I haven't been able to say too often with the New 52, they are entertaining and fun. This has the feeling of a late Silver Age early Bronze Age 'one and done' issue. Maybe the best compliment I can give it is that it reminded me of a DC Comics Presents issue. We have heroes teaming up, fighting an enemy together ... an enemy we probably won't ever see again, in a ridiculous setting.

And you know what. I didn't mind.

Every so often, my mind could use an issue like this. It is break from the 6 issue trade stories, the overlapping ever-increasing event arcs, and ... gasp ... it is fun and entertaining!

Writer Jeff Lemire does a great job introducing the Atom to the New 52 universe. This Ray Palmer is a bit quirky, a little sardonic, and smart. But when asked, he risks his life to help someone. I am becoming more impressed with Lemire as he is able to write the darker seedy Green Arrow, the more mystical Animal Man, and the bleak and too dark Futures End. This story is really wild in comparison to those settings.

Art is done by Karl Kerschl and Scott Hepburn and they bring a breezy feel to this issue which works well with this story.

Let's dive in so I can talk about setting and events.

The issue starts with Superman flying to the miniscule headquarters of S.H.A.D.E. The HQ is a small globe that Superman can hold in his hand thanks to Palmer's shrink technology. And Superman needs Palmer. So we already have a sense of Ray here, a physicist who has already perfected the technology.

Superman and Batman  were in space rescuing a space station when Batman fell into a coma.

So why does Superman need Palmer?

Because after a microscopic vision scan of Batman, Superman discovered a tiny dead superhero and in intact microscopic city in Batman's brain. This is preposterous ... but isn't that what comic books are supposed to be all about.

Let's see ... the last time we saw tiny people inside someone's brains it was Jean Loring killing Sue Dibny or Atomica killing the New Doom Patrol.

Remember when people could be inside someone and not be causing a lethal stroke?

It is all so Fantastic Voyage!

Palmer and Superman don shrink belts and head into Batman's body.

Inside Batman's cerebral vasculature, they discover this alien culture. And with the aid of SHADE universal translators, we learn a bit more. The city's version of Superman ... Captain Boldstar ... was the dead hero floating around.

And super-villains have taken over the city-ship, enslaving the populace.

I always think these adventures in someone's blood stream are odd. Where is the light source? Are those clouds? I suppose this is a bit more realistic than that time Supergirl went inside Fred Danvers to fight a germ.

Even the villains are sort of fun. They have silly names like Dr. Smashhammer and Titan Super Gladiator.

The two tyrants walk up and engage the heroes in combat.

Gladiator accidentally rips off Superman's shrink belt. In an odd twist, the Gladiator grows huge, luckily flying out of Batman without exploding his head. But that means the microscopic villain is now on our world.

Inside Batman, Superman subdues Smashhammer. Palmer uses a P.R.I.M.P. to shrink Hammer into an even tinier prison.

I like how Palmer at least acknowledges how omnipresent and silly all the acronyms are.

He uses the P.R.I.M.P. to shrink the city-ship into a different globe, reviving Batman.

Of course, this is the New 52. Despite this guy being 3x Batman's size and tough enough to help kill a Superman equivalent, Batman is able to beat him up.

Still, the art here is nice with good panel progression and a nice kineticism. 

But remember, Superman doesn't have his shrink belt anymore.

I like the odd humor that Palmer has. He jokes with Superman, telling the Man of Steel he'll have to remain in Batman's blood forever.

It is a joke. Palmer's belt can handle both of them. But how crazy is it that this scientist has the courage or will to tease Superman a little.

And just like that the adventure is over. Batman is now free of all foreign alien cultures.

For a while now Batman has been all business and rather dour. So Lemire giving him a punch line about how Batman shouldn't leave Gotham was fantastic.

That sounds like the quips friends would make to one another.

And, despite saying he is just a scientist, Palmer decides he just might become a super-hero. And when he does he'll use the code name The Atom. Nice. I like this Palmer ... a bit more interesting than the staid Silver Age guy.

Of course, Batman recognizes the similarities with Atomica ... and is worried. Ah, the New 52.

Still, this was a breath of fresh air. Heroes teaming up. A normal person inspired to become a hero. An adventure in another hero's blood stream to save an alien city. It is ridiculous ... incredible ... perfect.

There was a time that comics could be entertaining and fun all the time. I guess I'll have to be happy with 'every once in a while'.

Overall grade: B+