The Batman Who Laughs is loose in Gotham, so Batman needs Superman’s help to find him. There’s always more to The Batman Who Laughs’ plan than everyone expects though. Spoilers for Batman/Superman #1 follow.
There’s something about a Batman/Superman series that makes it seem like it’s something that is consistently released. However, this isn’t the case as it’s been over three years since there was a similar series. Because of that, it’s nice to finally see another one of these series. However, the real question is, is the series going to benefit from the premise that it began with, as essentially a sequel to The Batman Who Laughs? If this first issue is any indication, the series will probably only be treading water, at least for a little while. This is a passable first issue, but it doesn’t really hit as hard as it is attempting to.
There are several notable things that this issue does right though. First off, the dynamic between Batman and Superman is pitch-perfect. It’s pretty much exactly how these two characters should interact with each other. In fact, the way that Joshua Williamson writes the two is very similar to how Tom King wrote the two during the “SuperFriends” arc. Their interactions in this issue are quite a bit darker than that arc is, but the sentiment remains the same.
The idea that the two would be teaming up against The Batman Who Laughs is something that feels right at home for a series like this as well. However, because The Batman Who Laughs has been so prevalent since his introduction, his impact has been diluted a bit. So, even though there are plenty of interesting places that the story can go, this issue suffers a bit from slight burnout on the character. It’s still a good character, just a character being relied on much too heavily right now.
Then there’s the twist of The Batman Who Laughs corrupting, or rather infecting, Billy Batson. Where you land on this plot point hinges completely on your thoughts about corrupting heroes. If you’re against it, there’s nothing in this issue that will change your mind. There’s potential for this corruption to play into themes of the story that have yet to come to fruition, but right now, the corruption feels very superficial. This is fine, but there could definitely be more at play.
David Marquez’s art though is absolutely gorgeous. Even if you aren’t completely sold on the story, the art is worth the price of admission. This is first work at DC, but the way he draws Batman and Superman makes him feel like he’s been drawing them for years. Their mannerisms are perfect and they feel like some of the best iterations of the characters in a while. His action is well done and his pacing is near perfect as well. His art is the best part of this issue.