Superman Comics verses Batman Comics: Loser leaves town
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012Even though it makes for a fun conversation starter at Comic-Con or your local comic book shop – as well as an eye-catching, albeit slightly misleading, headline – this article is not about who would win in a knock-down, drag-out, schoolyard-style fight between Superman and Batman.
This is one of those questions that’s an enigma wrapped in a conundrum wrapped in a tortilla with refried beans wrapped in tinfoil and thrown in the microwave. And honestly, do you really want to know? Wouldn’t that wipe away some, if not all, of the mystique necessary to be called a superhero?
So, other than those initial two paragraphs, this article will steer clear of that whole train wreck. Specifically, it will point its giant microscope on the dynamic duo themselves, as well as the handful of comic book titles in which their surrogate parents, the legendary comic book publisher DC Comics, put the two caped crusaders in the same series and told them to play nice.
So, without further ado, here is a brief introduction to each of these superheroes for those of you who don’t have the Justice League’s entire cast of character’s origins, superpowers and enemies tattooed in flowery script across your back.
Origin: Superman was born on the planet Krypton. Seconds before the planet’s destruction, infant Superman (then named Kal-El) was jettisoned to Earth by his father, Jor-El, a brilliant scientist.
Superpowers: X-ray vision, heat vision, freeze breath, superhuman strength and speed, telescopic vision and flight are but a few of Superman’s superpowers.
Enemies: The list of foes with which Superman has done battle is as long as the line of socially awkward basement dwellers outside your local video game retailer on the morning of the latest World of Warcraft release. So, here are the most well-known: Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Doomsday, Darkseid and the fascinating “reverse Superman” Bizarro.
Origin: As a young boy, American millionaire (or billionaire, depending on the era of publication) playboy Bruce Wayne witnessed the senseless and horrifying murder of his parents by a nameless mugger. Irreversibly traumatized by this tragedy, Wayne vows to spend the rest of his life fighting against the forces of evil that ruthlessly took his parents from him.
Superpowers: Batman is somewhat of an enigma among his fellow superheroes in that he possesses none of the powers normally associated with the term “superpowers.” Instead, he possesses superhuman powers, such as genius-level intelligence, peak physical conditioning, master-level martial artist, acrobatic and strategic expertise and access to high tech weapons, gadgets and various other devices.
Enemies: The Batman routinely battles arguably the most villainous of all comic book villains in the Joker. Other merciless predators that find it necessary to raise the Batman’s ire include Mr. Freeze, the Penguin, Poison Ivy, Catwoman and the Riddler.
Superman/Batman
One might well imagine sitting around a large conference table somewhere deep in the bowels of the DC Comics fortress. The air is rife with the stress-induced body odor emanating from harried executives racking their collective brain for ideas. When a fatigued, desperate voice is barely audible when it throws out a suggestion, almost as a joke, “Well, if one superhero is good, then two superheroes working together would naturally be great, right?”
That is the true story of how the crime fighting loners, Superman and Batman, shrugged off their individual pride and joined forces to wage all-out war against crime. Or maybe it’s not…either way, here are the superteam’s super titles:
Volume 1: Public Enemies, Superman/Batman #1-6
Volume 2: Supergirl, Superman/Batman #8-13
Volume 3: Absolute Power, Superman/Batman #14-18
Volume 4: Vengeance, Superman/Batman #20-25
Volume 5: Enemies Among Us, Superman/Batman #28-33
Volume 6: Torment, Superman/Batman #37-42
Volume 7: The Search for Kryptonite, Superman/Batman #44-49
Volume 8: Finest Worlds, Superman/Batman #50-56
Volume 9: Night & Day, Superman/Batman #60-63, 65-67
Volume 10: Big Noise, Superman/Batman #64, 68-71
Volume 11: Worship, Superman/Batman #72-75
Volume 12: Sorcerer Kings, Superman/Batman #78-84