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REVIEW: Batman: SuperFriends, the women behind the duo

 
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Overview
 

Story by: Tom King
 
Art by: Clay Mann
 
Colors by: Jordie Bellaire
 
Letters by: Clayton Cowles
 
Cover by: Clay Mann
 
Publisher:
 
FG RATING
 
 
 
 
 
4.5/ 5


User Rating
1 total rating

 


To sum it all up..

I am happy with SuperFriends

0
Posted January 2, 2018 by

 
FULL REVIEW
 
 

The Dark Knight has his reasons for not telling his bestfriend, Superman, of his engagement with Catwoman. For whatever reason that is, Superman has to forget about it since he and Lois are on a double date with the newly engaged couple–Batman and Catwoman.

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Tom King does it again. SuperFriends, is a two-part story, that about the relationship of Batman and Superman. However, through the course of the story, Tom also explores their separate relationships with their significant others. And as a bonus for the Christmas season, Tom also magnified the blurry relationship of Lois Lane and Catwoman.

SuperFriends Part 1 is a heart-felt story that focuses on the relationship of Batman and Superman. It provides the narrative of how the other sees the other. In Batman #36, two stories are happening at the same time. As the story progresses, the two stories converge and delivers a story about friendship and respect.

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Part 2, Batman #37, the story becomes more dynamic in a way that Tom brought in Lois Lane and Catwoman. The story further strengthens the narrative that Batman and Catwoman, as opposites as they are, were made for each other. The story also showed a rare interaction between Lois Lane and Catwoman. The banter between the two is entertaining considering that these two characters rarely talk to one another.

Story-wise, it is not your usual Batman story where the Dark Knight goes up against the colorful villains of Gotham City. Tom King, the master that he is in dissecting the core values of superheroes, pits Batman against his worst enemy–his humanity. There are no big battles in this book nor are there mysteries to solve. Rather, SuperFriends, is all about the relationship of Batman to the outside world. Tom puts it in a way that despite being essentially undefeatable, the Dark Knight is still a human being susceptible to human emotions and capable of interacting with other human beings just like him. The story has a beautiful ending as it pays tribute to Ed McGuinness and Jeph Loeb’s Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.

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Clay Mann did an amazing job with his interior artwork. Batman and Superman looked brooding but at the same time, they looked real. However, there are some panels which, I believe, are lackluster. Following Clay Mann’s work for an insurmountable time, I also believe that he’s not responsible for the dryness of the art. Some panels are really off and I’m assuming that it has something to do with the inking of his artwork. Clay Mann’s other works are far better than his artwork here in SuperFriends. Nonetheless, the art is still good.

Overall, I am happy with SuperFriends. As a longtime Batman fan, I’ve been yearning for stories like this where Batman is forced to accept his humanity. It may not be the Batman stories that we got used to but it provides another element which may be used for future stories.


Review by Paolo Ollero, co-founder of The Dark Knight Philippines, the premier Batman group in the Philippines


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