BATMAN/SUPERMAN #2 doubletime
COVER ART: 5/5 Even though this cover is not as iconic as issue #1, it is still an incredibly beautiful piece of art by JAE LEE and JUNE CHUNG. I love how Jae Lee illustrates the young country Clark with his short sleeves and boots with his high-water dungarees. He is really able to differentiate the two different timeline characters, with the current versions being more polished and "posh" while the younger versions are more impetuous and raw. This is a masterful execution of pencil and color.
STORY ART: 5/5 The creative team continues their ethereal version of our favorite two heroes. I have always REALLY liked Jae Lee, especially his work on THE SENTRY and OZYMANDIAS, but I have come to LOVE his work with this title. Jae's work is so consistently unique, you recognize it with the first glance. It is romantic, fantastical, a dream to view. You can almost print out any page, any frame and it would be a work of art that you could put on your wall.
STORY ARC: 5/5 How much fun is this issue?! By now, there are so many reviews, some well written, some not so well written, but a majority of them all come to the same conclusion, this is a 5/5 STAR issue. Issue #1 left us confused and a little disoriented. Who are these strange versions of our heroes. Why are they fighting? Why do they seem to just "arrive" randomly at these weird moments of time.
KAIYO..THE TRICKSTER is at play and this issue plays out Kaiyo's misadventures using Batman and Superman as his pawns. Batman and Superman are introduced to their younger, or older versions of themselves depending on which viewpoint you are looking from. I find the doublevision realities fantastical. GREG PAK not only mirrors each characters lives, but there is also a mirror of each separate hero to the other. Each young hero is raw and headstrong, a little reckless and impetuous. The older versions of each character is married to very significant characters, i.e. Catwoman and Louis Lane! Batman is the first to catch on to the game. I like this development as there are many debates on who is smarter, Batman or Superman. We all know Superman is far superior in every physical way, but mentally. Kaiyo mentions that "this one" referring to Batman is figuring it out MUCH sooner than Superman. This is to show Batman's strength, his detective mind. The real pinnacle of this story is when WONDER WOMAN shows up in all her wondrous glory upon the mythical steed PEGASUS. What a beautiful grand entrance and just like most women, she steals the show. While our manliest of heroes Superman is standing/floating around, Wonder Woman is a real warrior and does what real warriors do, jump into action. It was Wonder Woman who ferrets Kaiyo out of Louis Lanes body and stands over this trickster like a statuesque Goddess.
