Superhero Times: a service of Action Online
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Every month, countless numbers of comic books get shipped to stores that chronicle the adventures of super-heroes. Some are very serious and some are not too serious, but few are ever downright funny. Mini-series like Special Education (NOTE Special EDucation is the correct title as the lead character is named ED.) or Howard the Duck may add some laughs, but very rarely do you see top of the line, world renowned characters in amazingly funny and silly stories. Superman/Batman 51 not only gives us this, but does it in a manner that tie into the endless Crisis spin-offs invading the DC Multiverse.
When an attack by the Floronic Man calls Superman and Batman into action, they are amazed to find pint sized versions of themselves attempting to save the day. These miniature versions look to be about 2 feet tall and hail from a much friendlier Earth where Superman left Krypton because it was too cloudy and Batman’s parents were rudely shoved down by a bully. Just as Superman and Batman try to get a handle on these tiny crimefighters, the rest of the miniature Justice League arrives. Little version of The Flash, Supergirl, Zantanna, Green Lantern, Red Tornado, Red Arrow, Vixen, Wonder Woman, Black Lightening, and Black Canary appear and all seem to have childlike and silly personalities.
Mistaking the ‘giant’ versions of Superman and Batman as bullies, the League attacks until Wonder Woman uses her magic lasso to discern that these are indeed heroes and this is not their Earth. With nowhere safe to go, Batman reluctantly agrees to take them all back to the Batcave until they can figure things out. A particular 5th dimension imp makes an appearance and the issues ends as the puny villains find their way to this universe.
What makes this issue stand out is how well it’s done. The pacing is swift. The dialog is crisp. The artwork is rendered perfectly. It is pure fun with a dose of silly, but the characters of the Superman and Batman that we know remain true to who they are. Writers Michael Green and Mike Johnson have fun with the situations without making Superman or Batman come off as silly themselves. Plus, there are little touches of the silliness of these other characters’ world mixing with ours that makes it a joy to read. When Robin enters the Batcave and the female heroes see him, he make a note of the little hearts and lipstick kisses floating in the air around them and how it seems to creep him out a bit.
Raphael Albuquerque obviously had a ball on this issue. Certainly, his ability to draw Superman and Batman with realistic anatomy and emotive facial features shows well in his work here. Additionally, he’s able to render the little versions and all their silly additional features and emotional personifications just as well. The silly characters are as true to their silly stylings as the real characters are to their reality and amazingly, just as well as the writers were able to make it work in the story, neither seems out of place in the art either.
Rarely will a comic book make you laugh out loud, but this issue made me in a number of places. Considering that they wanted me to, I can’t recommend this issue enough.