Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

  Superman - Batman Public Enemies, Loeb - McGuinnes - Vines.

First Impressions:

 
Yes fans, the book is better than the movie!
 
McGuinness' art is superb throughout.  Loeb's writing, though a bit uneven, keeps us moving through the story.  This is the first of the four issue series.

We have secret knowledge of what both Batman and Superman think of each other's methods and madnesses through the courtesy of little yellow and little blue balloons which makes the story more interesting -- a first person narrative within a narrative so to speak.
 
Luthor gets himself elected president.  In the story, Superman second-guesses himself that he should have been more involved and told the American people that it would not be a good idea. 

Luthor blames Superman for the Kryptonite meteor that is flying to the Earth and will wipe out all Man.  And that is the reason he puts out a bounty on Superman's head.  That part of the story is a bit far-fetched! 

Story!

Another aspect is Luthor's hatred of superheroes yet uses them as his fall guys to rein in Superman and Batman.  These heroes think they're defending and following the president of the USA. 
 
Finding and catching these two is not easy for anyone and it's great fun watching the fight scenes and the clever ways they go about defeating these heroes, some of whom are held in thrall by Gorilla Grodd (man, where'd he come from).
 
Batman's passion to find his parents' killer combined with the equal passion of Metallo who has a kryptonite heart but doesn't consider himself evil is compelling.  In fact the themes of considering ones' self evil, ones' acts evil, is peppered throughout the story.  These themes were missing from the film, which itself was quite action-packed, but could not afford to lend the reader pause to consider:  Luthor thinks he is the good one, stamping out the alien menace from Krypton.  Superman from the future (another element missing from the film) thinks he's doing good by attempting to kill people in the past to prevent the events of his present. 
 
Between all these lofty thoughts we get some knock down drag out with Captain Marvel vs. Superman (always fun) and Hawkman versus Batman, which the Hawk and the Bat reluctantly clash. 
 
Subplots of Luthor's baiting other heroes for their defeat are also throughout the story, making a tale that is as complex as it is long.  Still, great to dig into Luthor's madness while those around him support his station but not necessarily his policies. 

The whole Superman Batman composite robot, well, that was a bit Silver-Age silly.  Still, I do like the book!

Bottom Line:

Recommended for Loeb fans though not at the standard of Batman: Hush, a fun World's Finest tale.

The Story:  
An asteroid is heading for the planet Earth and President Lex Luthor blames Superman as the one personally responsible. He sends a team of heroes after him to arrest him for his crimes. Superman, with the help of Batman overcomes Metallo and then stops Lex Luthor's evil plans as well as figuring out a way to stop the incoming asteroid. 

My Thoughts:  
Two of my favorite characters written by two of my favorite comic creators, what more could you ask for? Jeph Loeb did an excellent job writing a story involving two of the most iconic superheroes ever created. From the opening pages, Loeb sucks you right into all the drama and action as he briefly gives you a quick history of the two characters and then suddenly propels you into the middle of a battle with none other than Metallo. What makes the fight more interesting is the twist and possibility that Metallo may have killed Bruce Wayne's parents. 

Something I really enjoyed was reading the internal dialogue of Batman and Superman when talking about the other. Seeing their relationship progress and their opinions of one another was invigorating. 

The art is by Ed McGuinness who is one of my favorite artists. I love his style and it fits perfectly here for these two characters. I love the way he drew everyone really but something about the way he captured Batman's essence was unbelievable. McGuinness is a master of drawing out a fight scene as proven here. Dave Stewart added a nice finishing touch with his colors.

In terms of continuity, I'm not sure exactly when this takes place. But based off Lex Luthor's last words, I would guess before Identity Crisis. Regardless, it's one story you wont want to miss out on. Reading Superman and Batman together is a real treat and to see their relationship develop further is very enjoyable. If you're a fan of either of these characters (and how could you not be?) then you should definitely be reading this series. 

Rating: 5/5

This book is not bad at all. Its got a lot of characters from an army a villians to a lot of heroes. When i read a comic book, i always like to see a lot of characters and cameos in a book, but at the same time make sure that it does not affect the story. And this books certainly achieved that. Another great thing i like about the book is the fantastic art and coloring. It is incredible to say the least. Like when superman is shooting a heat vision barrage at metallo. I personally liked hawkman and captain marvel's battle with the duo. All in all a great read.