Vengeance is mine (Superman / Batman: Vengeance - Jeph Loeb)

Member Name: SWSt

Product:	Superman / Batman: Vengeance - Jeph Loeb
Date:	16/04/09 (114 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A surprisingly fun story, packed with interesting characters

Disadvantages: Not terribly substantial, some may find it too silly, corny ending

Batman and Superman have a somewhat chequered relationship ranging from being firm friends to bitter enemies. There have been a number of different titles in the Superman/Batman cross-over series which seeks to examine that relationship from a number of different angles.

One thing Vengeance does for certain is instantly grab your attention. It sees Superman and Batman travel to a parallel world to take revenge on the man who killed Lois Lane. The murderer is part of a team of superheroes called The Maximums who subsequently seek their own vengeance against the two heroes.

As I've said in previous reviews on the Superman/Batman titles, it's always very difficult when doing these cross-over stories to capture both characters equally. Generally, one character comes out better than the other. This isn't the case with the work of Loeb and McGuinness, though, who are very familiar with both characters and try to ensure they received equal attention. That said, with this particular title, the focus is not so much on Superman and Batman themselves as on the large list of supporting characters.

Batman stories often vary wildly in tone - from the very dark to the absurdly light. This one probably falls towards the lighter end of the scale. Normally, I wouldn't thank you for this: I prefer my Knight Dark. Just occasionally, though, lightening Batman up a little can work - and it does here. The book may be pretty superficial and light, with a pretty forgettable storyline, but you will enjoy it while it lasts and it will even demonstrate a surprising ability to make you laugh - not something you normally associate with Batman.

Most of the time, you won't be entirely sure what's happening, but it is always fun to read, with lots of action, lots of plot developments and lots (and lots) of fights. Revelations are made at pretty regular intervals to build up a mild sense of suspense, leading up to a rather amusing ending. Having said that, the plot is daft and very surreal and some may find it difficult to warm to. It feels more like the sort of "quirky" tales you got in 60s comics, rather than something from the new millennium. Having said that, I don't normally like quirky tales either, but found myself enjoying this.

Part of the plot sees Batman and Superman visiting a number of different parallel worlds, all with their own heroes and villains. Essentially, this gives the writers the excuse to let their imaginations run wild, creating a massive cast of supporting characters who are all pretty familiar, but have just a little twist on them: Batwoman instead of Batman, Superwoman instead of Superman and more Supergirls than you can shake a pointy stick at (which, of course, gives the artist the opportunity to draw plenty of skimpy costumes and female flesh!) It's clear that the writer and artist are having a field day creating so many variations on the same character and this sense of fun transfers across to the reader who also enjoys their creations.

There's also fun to be had from Bat-zarro and Bizarro (imperfect, stupid clones of Batman and Superman) who provide an amusing double act. Normally, these are precisely the sort of characters I would hate - deliberately created to be "quirky" and "fun". Surprisingly, though, they work well within the context of this story. They are well-written and worked into the plot in a way which seems natural: they actually have a purpose and a role to play, rather than just being written in for a bit of light comic relief. Loeb and McGuinness take characters that should be (and to a degree are) a bit silly and a bit annoying, but manage to make them believable... providing you don't think about things too much.

The artwork of the book is excellent too. McGuinness is well used to drawing both characters and captures them well. In this particular book, he probably captures Superman's character best. The relative lightness of plot is better suited to a Superman story than a Batman one, and this comes across in the artwork, with the use of lots of bright colours. Nevertheless, when the story demands it, he still manages to capture Batman's darker side.

The panels are clearly laid out too. Occasionally in comics, you wonder which bit you are meant to read next, as dialogue bubbles appear all over the place. Here, it's always clear and McGuinness uses a mixture of standard size, miniature panels and full page images to give the story either an epic or a claustrophobic feel, as required.

The one thing you do need to make sure before you read Vengeance is that you have read the earlier stories from this cross-over series. A number of events from past stories are referred to which are central to the plot. If you haven't read the previous stories, you will be left scratching your head in bewilderment at some of the events, as there is no recap of them.

It's the ending that really lets the book down. After the conclusion of the main adventure, we are treated to the "musings" of Batman and Superman on their developing relationship. This feels artificially added-on and more than a little cheesy - a bit like those corny moral messages you used to get at the end of the He-Man cartoon. It's a shame because it's one of the few mis-steps in the whole book.

Much to my surprise (given the nature of the tale), I enjoyed this book. It's light-hearted and fun. Yes, it's very insubstantial and it's never going to register amongst either Superman or Batman's greatest tales. As a one-off, though, it offers something just a little bit different to what we normally get from either character and proves itself to be endearingly daft. As a showcase for some of DC's more colourful, unusual characters, it works. As a Superman or Batman story, it's not terribly memorable.

I don't think this is a tale you're likely to read more than once, so unless you can pick it up cheap, I'd recommend borrowing, rather than buying.

Basic Information
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Superman/Batman: Vengeance
Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness
Titan Books, 2006
ISBN: 978-1845761783

© Copyright SWSt 2009

Summary: As a one-off, it just about works. Try before you buy, though, as it won't suit all