REVIEW: ‘Batman/Superman,’ Issue #5

Batman/Superman #5 is published by DC Comics, written by Joshua Williamson, art by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, and letters by John J Hill. With Supergirl’s infection last issue, the Secret Six are now revealed. With their plan to pull a satellite to Earth from the Dark Multiverse nearing fruition, Batman and Superman will have to give all they’ve got to save the day from some of their dearest friends.

Batman/Superman #5 hits the deck running and doesn’t let up. With the Earth in imminent peril, the World’s Finest will really have to shine if they want to prevent The Secret Six from unleashing The Dark Multiverse.  While Williamson has shown his grasp for his lead characters throughout this story arc, he really kicks it up a notch here. Both Superman and Batman are given their moments and, while I love Superman as he traditionally is, it’s good to see The Man of Steel cut loose every now and then. Seeing this rare occurrence always makes me wonder why the baddies are so obsessed with trying to push Clark’s buttons.

The art in Batman/Superman #5 continues to capture the heroic feel of the story. Marquez does a great job of highlighting the nature of our heroes. There is however a drawback to how ideal of a vision the art provides of the protagonists. With both heroes looking at their best, it is difficult to process that their enemies could actually win. Despite knowing the villains’ combined strengths should be a threat, I never quite believed it. Superman and Batman just look so powerful. While this does hurt the tension of the story a bit, I was happy to give up some tension to see these two icons at their best.

The color used in this issue also stood out to me. Hill continues to apply an excellent palette to these panels. So many images feel extra vibrant. Great contrasts are used, helping Williamson’s art to reach its full potential. These color schemes recur throughout the story in a way that is so smooth it is almost unnoticeable. Yet without it the story would lack that extra level of polish.

The only blemish on Batman/Superman #5 comes in how the two Bruces continue to have contingency plans set up in advance, even for some contingencies that couldn’t possibly be prepared for or expected. I wish these characters were written like their counter moves were adaptations on the fly as opposed to the multilayered, preplanned scenarios they are made as. While this is a classic Batman trope, it is the hardest aspect of the story for me. Bruce Wayne, sane or otherwise, can only plan for so many possible outcomes.

With Batman/Superman #5 wrapping up, it leaves the story in an interesting place. With the various Infected one-shots already out and Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen following up from this, Williamson and company have done an excellent job of laying the groundwork for the larger event to follow.

Batman/Superman #5 is available December 18th whenever Comics are sold.