Batman/Superman #3

This is quickly becoming one of my favourite series out the now, as although the last issue didn't quite live up to the brilliant opening issue it was still very interesting, having me very excited for this series. I am also very interested with this new character Trickster, and after seeing the cover for this issue am interested as to how Darkseid will be involved.

Plot

The Trickster reveals a dark secret and we see how the Clark and Bruce of Earth-2 met each other.

Review

This was an amazing issue, and although not quite better than the first issue of this series, it was better than the last issue, and Greg Pak continues to develop this story brilliantly. This issue had a lot of very exciting parts to it, as although still not quite as exciting as the first issue the developments in this one were really interesting, and have me extremely excited about the conclusion in issue 4. I also loved how Pak managed to add some lightheartedness to this issue with the younger Bruce and Clark from Earth-2 sequence, which was very interesting as well. There were however also a couple of things that I was slightly disappointed about, but overall this was a fantastic issue.

The art in this issue was overall very good with both Jae Lee and Yildiray Cinar both doing a terrific job. I've already stated in my previous reviews on this title that I'm not a huge fan of Lee's work, but I have to say that he has impressed me on this series. The layouts of his artwork were once again brilliant, and he even managed to show some emotion in the characters, even though it was overall still rather stiff. Cinar's artwork on the flashback sequences was also fantastic, as although a much different style to Lee's, it really suited the lighthearted nature of the sequence, showing the characters emotions perfectly, and although the layout in this sequence wasn't as good as Lee's it was still very dynamic and impactful.

The end of last issue would see Earth-2's Wonder Woman introduced into this storyline as she took down Trickster, using her Lasso of Truth to get answers out of her. I question whether Wonder Woman is a character that should be involved in this series, as although I loved seeing the interaction between her and the other characters in this issue I felt that overall it may have been slightly unnecessary. I also loved seeing how the younger Superman reacted to her and the fact that she called him "boy."

One of the things that I was slightly disappointed with in this issue was the lack of a proper Darkseid appearance, as after seeing the cover for this issue I was really looking forward to seeing him make an appearance, and the one we got was rather poor. It did however not take too much away from the issue, and at the same time also added more mystery and suspense. It also leaves some build up for the conclusion of this story, and I hope that Darkseid has a proper appearance in the conclusion.

The other part of this issue would show how the Clark and Bruce of Earth-2 met. I personally loved this sequence, and it was one of the best things about the issue. I loved the lightheartedness of the sequence, and how it's so different from the series so far. I also enjoyed seeing the relativity of this sequence, and the symbolism of it throughout this issue was brilliantly shown by Pak. I also loved seeing the attributes of these younger versions of Bruce and Clark, and how that even at their young ages they still showed the characteristics they'd have throughout their crime fighting career. I also enjoyed the interaction between the Earth-2 versions of Alfred and Jonathan Kent, as it added more depth to the sequence.

Final Verdict

Although the series hasn't matched the brilliance of the first issue in these last two issues it has however had some very interesting development points that have me very intrigued as to how this story will conclude. It also had some emotional and exciting points throughout, as well as some lightheartedness. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this issue and can't wait for the conclusion, though am more excited about the Doomsday Villains Month issue the now.

Rating: 9/10

This review was originally posted on my website Imagination Centre (here).