Review: Batman/Superman #18
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer:Â Â Gene Luen Yang
Artist:Â Â Â Ivan Reis Â
Letters: Saida Temofonte
Colors: Sabine Rich Â
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
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Summary
Batman/Superman #18 – The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel are on a mission to stop the godlike Auteur.io from destroying the pocket worlds he’s created…but where on Earth did Auteur.io even come from?
The answer starts not on Earth at all, but with an ancient cult of World Forger worshipers on a planet far away-and if our heroes are to have a prayer of stopping this mythic behemoth, they’ll need to get to the bottom of his power source, and quick! It’s a race against time as the parallel lives of entire worlds hang in the balance!
Positives
Gene Luen Yang continues a very unique way to tell a story within a comic. What started as a filmstrip and two parallel universes have combined to mix time eras, heroes, and different roles on both heroes and villains. To paint Bruce Wayne as a “mama’s boy” and to have a venom-laden Alfred (sigh…I miss Alfred) is quite a different take.
I have bought into this particular story as it melds quite well with the Multiverses idea. Having portals that appear within different universes that allow a hero (or villain) to go from universe to universe is unique. Stealing weapons, forging relationships with other heroes (and villains) in the timelines makes for an interesting tale of leap froging for both heroes!
This clever way of telling a story involving time jumps should arguably be an entire DC arc as it has the potential for some really cool story lines. However, here is hoping that the seeds of this story has ramifications for future story lines!
Positives 2.0
This type of comic is the perfect playground for some flashback Easter Eggs. But in this case the authors and artists provide us some alternate versions of our heroes where we do have some familiar faces but not in very familiar roles. That’s what makes this latest Multiverse story line so intriguing. We can get that type of mixture and we are now fine with it. However, the sediment needs to settle so we can figure out what is real, what could be real, and what is simply fun storytelling while we are on pause in the natural timeline.  
Negatives
None, really, as it is a fun story. I personally didn’t like a weak personality like Bruce who becomes a cross between Solomon Grundy and Two Face once given a dose of Martha’s drug. Again, the multiverse theme at work let’s readers ponder the great “What If’s…” within the DC realm.
Verdict
Batman/Superman #18 – It’s hard to find a fresh take on the World’s Finest, but this story arc has done just that. Here’s hoping the comic is playing the long ball with this story line as it has the potential to be DC altering!
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