Review: Batman/Superman #15
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Andrei Bressan
Letters: John J. Hill
Colors: Alejandro Sanchez
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
Summary
Batman/Superman #15 – “Solomon Grundy died on a Sunday!” But when this monster man kicks the bucket, all hell breaks loose! When the body of Grundy begins to break down, so begins a toxic time bomb that could wipe out half of North America! It’s up to the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight to get Grundy from S.T.A.R. Labs to Slaughter Swamp before the clock hits zero…but with a horde of super-villains all looking to snag the sizzling super-titan for their own nefarious ends, our heroes had better move quickly!
Positives
It’s clear across the DC Landscape that Endless Winter is in almost every DC book, and every DC Character is involved in this endeavor.
Joshua Williamson takes the opportunity to write an interesting tale of Solomon Grundy’s rebirth actually has ramifications to all if he is not taken back to the Slaughter Swamp, his exploding death could mean destruction for all.
While Batman normally could take out an army of Solomon Grundys, he calls in Superman for some help. More on that later, but it is interesting as the story develops as we are seeing DC hint at subtleties of the landscape across America.
It feels like we are in an Endless Winter as we battle the pandemic, but we are seeing some “green” around the corner. Ivy as well as Swamp Thing come into play as they want to make sure Grundy is delivered to the Swamp. It appears that the brighter days are coming in terms of plants, spring time, and all things green for the coming DC years. Not in the form of cash, but in the form of environmental awareness.
Ivy doesn’t look like Ivy under Andrei Bressan‘s pen. She is a stronger version of herself than depicted in other books and series. I look forward to seeing this character evolve more in 2021!
Sometimes the authors make a subtle statement, or an unintentional statement. Perhaps that is their intent or perhaps it is like that of Scott Snyder’s Undiscovered Country where he seemed to have the playbook for 2020 before 2020 was a “thing”.
Positives 2.0
Sometimes the boys simply want to go out and play in the snow! Sometimes you just need your best friend around on a snow day to simply talk. Whatever the reason, Bruce and Clark need each other to keep each in check as well as have a place where they can be peanut butter to each other’s jelly! It’s a bromance like no other as portrayed by Williamson!
Negatives
None here, but a bit of foreshadowing of a lot of use of green paint in 2021. I feel like with Ram V taking over some duties with Swamp Thing, a JLA Dark fusion with the JLA, and Ivy reading to take on Gotham without Harley in Gotham in about two months of Future State, it’s shaping up to be a strong St. Patty’s Day!
Verdict
Batman/Superman #15 – With Tom Taylor’s work using Solomon Grundy and Ivy as strong protagonists in his DCeased series, I felt it was just a short amount of time before we get to see them in the main story lines. This was an issue of closure, foreshadows, and friendships! All are great reasons to sit down and read this one!
