bmaackreadscomics's review
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
Writing: .25
Art: 0.0
Characters: .25
Enjoyment: .5
Originality: .75
Art: 0.0
Characters: .25
Enjoyment: .5
Originality: .75
bansheebooks's review
3.0
More of a 3.5 The story was better when focusing on the dynamics of clark and Bruce’s relationship. The story itself had weird pacing. J Lee’s is always so inspiring even if it’s not the typical superhero arts type. I love it.
booknooknoggin's review
3.0
A little confusing about what was going on in this story,but it was okay.
susurrus's review
4.0
Art art art! Amazing. Unique. So pretty. The story is good too. I'm not a huge fan of Superman but I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Good intro to Kaiyo the chaos-bringer and Darkseid. I will probably continue with this run and also anything Jae Lee has illustrated.
bookishrealm's review
3.0
Here I go attempting to do the impossible...I don't what made me feel like I needed to read through DC's New 52 stuff since I really need to catch up with Rebirth but here we gooooo
If ya'll didn't know I get a lot of my reading guides and information regarding both Marvel and DC from Comic Book Herald. He is absolutely AMAZING. While I've been trying (horribly) to keep up with his Marvelous Year (Marvel reading guide), I decided it might be fun to check out some of his DC reading guides and he did not fail. While I could have gone straight into DC's Rebirth line, I decided it might be fun to go back and read the New 52 material in reading order. This is one of the first trades that he recommends that we start with and boy was I confused.
DC hosts some of my favorite comic book characters, but their continuity SUCKS. And I'm not surprised to say that the confusion is ever so present in this volume. Essentially the reader sees an encounter between Batman and Superman as Bruce and Clark. Clearly the two are not fond of each other in the least bit. After a strange encounter with a mischievous goddess, Bruce and Clark are transported to another world where they meet the Earth 2 versions of themselves. And folks, this is exactly where my poor pea-sized brain couldn't keep up. It wasn't necessarily the storyline because I understood why the goddess wanted to see the two worlds compared to each other (this is made clear in the Justice League/Darkseid issue at the end); however, I think that the artwork really made things complicated. Batman/Superman from Earth 2 literally look no different from the Batman/Superman of Earth. Yes, I know they are supposed to be identical; however, there were no distinguishable characteristics (i.e. clothing) between the characters in terms of artwork so when Batman fought Batman I really didn't know who was from Earth and who was from Earth 2. That made the story more confusing than it needed to be. Like a lot of reviewers have stated before me, it made the plot feel like it was all over place. There were some aspects that I did enjoy like the friendship of Batman and Superman on Earth 2. I think that their childhood meeting gave me all the warm feelings I needed. I also really enjoyed the origin story of Darkseid and it made me look forward to seeing him in future volumes of new 52.
So while this wasn't the greatest collection (I know that most of new 52 is a hit or miss), I did enjoy seeing New 52 Batman and Superman meet for the first time. I thought that the artwork was interesting. Not my favorite as it's very whimsical and didn't necessarily fit the context of the story itself; however, I heard that Jae Lee does some fantastic artwork in other comics so I'll definitely check it out.
I'm ready to continue my journey of reading New 52. This should be interesting.
If ya'll didn't know I get a lot of my reading guides and information regarding both Marvel and DC from Comic Book Herald. He is absolutely AMAZING. While I've been trying (horribly) to keep up with his Marvelous Year (Marvel reading guide), I decided it might be fun to check out some of his DC reading guides and he did not fail. While I could have gone straight into DC's Rebirth line, I decided it might be fun to go back and read the New 52 material in reading order. This is one of the first trades that he recommends that we start with and boy was I confused.
DC hosts some of my favorite comic book characters, but their continuity SUCKS. And I'm not surprised to say that the confusion is ever so present in this volume. Essentially the reader sees an encounter between Batman and Superman as Bruce and Clark. Clearly the two are not fond of each other in the least bit. After a strange encounter with a mischievous goddess, Bruce and Clark are transported to another world where they meet the Earth 2 versions of themselves. And folks, this is exactly where my poor pea-sized brain couldn't keep up. It wasn't necessarily the storyline because I understood why the goddess wanted to see the two worlds compared to each other (this is made clear in the Justice League/Darkseid issue at the end); however, I think that the artwork really made things complicated. Batman/Superman from Earth 2 literally look no different from the Batman/Superman of Earth. Yes, I know they are supposed to be identical; however, there were no distinguishable characteristics (i.e. clothing) between the characters in terms of artwork so when Batman fought Batman I really didn't know who was from Earth and who was from Earth 2. That made the story more confusing than it needed to be. Like a lot of reviewers have stated before me, it made the plot feel like it was all over place. There were some aspects that I did enjoy like the friendship of Batman and Superman on Earth 2. I think that their childhood meeting gave me all the warm feelings I needed. I also really enjoyed the origin story of Darkseid and it made me look forward to seeing him in future volumes of new 52.
So while this wasn't the greatest collection (I know that most of new 52 is a hit or miss), I did enjoy seeing New 52 Batman and Superman meet for the first time. I thought that the artwork was interesting. Not my favorite as it's very whimsical and didn't necessarily fit the context of the story itself; however, I heard that Jae Lee does some fantastic artwork in other comics so I'll definitely check it out.
I'm ready to continue my journey of reading New 52. This should be interesting.
mordredrisika's review
2.0
This review was originally posted (with pictures): http://francesandlynne.wordpress.com/batmansuperman-vol-1-cross-world/
This story has Batman and Superman at the beginnings of their superhero careers. As Batman is investigating the death of one of Wyane Tech’s employees, Superman turns up and assumes Batman is the villain. They begin to fight, but before things can be resolved, Kaiyo (the Chaos Bringer) transports the pair to another version of Earth (Earth-2 or something like that). In this new world, both encounter older versions of themselves. Not only are they older, with stable lives and loves, but many of the events that shaped them are drastically different, hinting that the younger versions are from a far more corrupt and dark world than their older counterparts. As all four men struggle with the implications of their meeting, Kaiyo continues causing trouble and forces them to all work together. However, what is Kaiyo’s ultimate goal in all of this? And will the four be able to work together long enough to figure that out?
There is also an additional story with the origins of the villain Darkseid. However, due to a technical glitch, I was unable to read this section, so I cannot comment on it.
I received an ARC of this comic after a request to Netgalley. I am a huge Batman fan, but have never actually read the comics. Superman, however, has never been one of my favorite heroes, but I was willing to look past this to read a Batman story. While I have not read either of their comics before, I am no comic book novice (I regularly read several comics and review many others); having said that, I found this story rather hard to follow. From reading other people’s reviews, I can see that I am not alone in this. The plot is rather convoluted, and even after finishing reading it, I am not really sure what actually happened. Worse, I found it really difficult to keep track of which two were the younger superheroes and which the older versions of the superheroes. With Superman there is the advantage that the younger one is in a more casual version of his iconic suit. However, I could not distinguish which Batman was which when they had their cowl’s on. I am usually able to pick up on many small things and use context to help, but even with that, I still was never sure which Batman was which!
Besides the confusion I had, I did enjoy watching the younger and older versions interact with themselves, especially the Batmans. I have always loved how smart Bruce Wayne is, and it was great to see them figure things out quickly, especially as they are still very similar. The Supermans, however, are much more dissimilar. This mostly stems from the fact that the Kents (his adopted parents) in the younger version have died, and now Clark is very angry and not the nice guy we usually think of. Usually I like brooding and slightly angry characters, but for a Superman, it didn’t really work for me.
There were two other parts that I really enjoyed. The first was the flashback to how the older versions became friends. In their world, they have been friends for 20 years, and it all started after Alfred and Bruce’s car broke down near the Kent’s farm. The two boys don’t necessarily get along well at first, but their caregivers give them some space and they figure out that they are not like other kids. Really it comes down to one line, which I love. Young Clark has to hide himself from everyone so his powers don’t scare others. Bruce, though, is not scared of him, and, in fact, seems to like to try and provoke Clark. So as Clark recalls, “For twenty years Bruce has been my best friend, because he was never scared.”
My other favorite part was the women in the story. I was very excited to see many of the famous DC women; Lois Lane, Wonder Woman, and Catwoman/Selina Kyle. Even better was that they were not only present, but awesome. Wonder Woman and Catwoman figure things out so much faster than the boys. They even begin to work together to help out the boys, which was epic!
The artwork was not some of my favorite. There were some very pretty drawings and layouts (especially involving Catwoman!). However, there were some very ugly ones as well. I think poor Superman ended up rather piggish in some of the art, which was just not pleasant.
Overall, it was interesting to read, but not enough for me to love it. I will not be buying this, nor do I feel compelled to read the next installment, unless I borrow it from someone or receive a free copy.
Final Verdict: Not as great as this combination should be (especially as there are two Batmans and Supermans), but worth a read if you are interested or get a free copy.
This story has Batman and Superman at the beginnings of their superhero careers. As Batman is investigating the death of one of Wyane Tech’s employees, Superman turns up and assumes Batman is the villain. They begin to fight, but before things can be resolved, Kaiyo (the Chaos Bringer) transports the pair to another version of Earth (Earth-2 or something like that). In this new world, both encounter older versions of themselves. Not only are they older, with stable lives and loves, but many of the events that shaped them are drastically different, hinting that the younger versions are from a far more corrupt and dark world than their older counterparts. As all four men struggle with the implications of their meeting, Kaiyo continues causing trouble and forces them to all work together. However, what is Kaiyo’s ultimate goal in all of this? And will the four be able to work together long enough to figure that out?
There is also an additional story with the origins of the villain Darkseid. However, due to a technical glitch, I was unable to read this section, so I cannot comment on it.
I received an ARC of this comic after a request to Netgalley. I am a huge Batman fan, but have never actually read the comics. Superman, however, has never been one of my favorite heroes, but I was willing to look past this to read a Batman story. While I have not read either of their comics before, I am no comic book novice (I regularly read several comics and review many others); having said that, I found this story rather hard to follow. From reading other people’s reviews, I can see that I am not alone in this. The plot is rather convoluted, and even after finishing reading it, I am not really sure what actually happened. Worse, I found it really difficult to keep track of which two were the younger superheroes and which the older versions of the superheroes. With Superman there is the advantage that the younger one is in a more casual version of his iconic suit. However, I could not distinguish which Batman was which when they had their cowl’s on. I am usually able to pick up on many small things and use context to help, but even with that, I still was never sure which Batman was which!
Besides the confusion I had, I did enjoy watching the younger and older versions interact with themselves, especially the Batmans. I have always loved how smart Bruce Wayne is, and it was great to see them figure things out quickly, especially as they are still very similar. The Supermans, however, are much more dissimilar. This mostly stems from the fact that the Kents (his adopted parents) in the younger version have died, and now Clark is very angry and not the nice guy we usually think of. Usually I like brooding and slightly angry characters, but for a Superman, it didn’t really work for me.
There were two other parts that I really enjoyed. The first was the flashback to how the older versions became friends. In their world, they have been friends for 20 years, and it all started after Alfred and Bruce’s car broke down near the Kent’s farm. The two boys don’t necessarily get along well at first, but their caregivers give them some space and they figure out that they are not like other kids. Really it comes down to one line, which I love. Young Clark has to hide himself from everyone so his powers don’t scare others. Bruce, though, is not scared of him, and, in fact, seems to like to try and provoke Clark. So as Clark recalls, “For twenty years Bruce has been my best friend, because he was never scared.”
My other favorite part was the women in the story. I was very excited to see many of the famous DC women; Lois Lane, Wonder Woman, and Catwoman/Selina Kyle. Even better was that they were not only present, but awesome. Wonder Woman and Catwoman figure things out so much faster than the boys. They even begin to work together to help out the boys, which was epic!
The artwork was not some of my favorite. There were some very pretty drawings and layouts (especially involving Catwoman!). However, there were some very ugly ones as well. I think poor Superman ended up rather piggish in some of the art, which was just not pleasant.
Overall, it was interesting to read, but not enough for me to love it. I will not be buying this, nor do I feel compelled to read the next installment, unless I borrow it from someone or receive a free copy.
Final Verdict: Not as great as this combination should be (especially as there are two Batmans and Supermans), but worth a read if you are interested or get a free copy.
jamietherebelliousreader's review
3.0
3 stars. I liked the artwork a lot. It was so beautiful and breathtaking at parts and I was just really impressed with it. I really liked the whole Bruce and Clark were childhood friends take. It was so adorable to see them meet as kids and their interaction. I'm a sucker for Clark and Bruce friendship storylines. Also, this had Selina/Bruce and Clark/Diana and I'm such trash for those ships. That was a plus. That is always a plus.
My main issues with this was the story itself. The plot was kind of all over the place and I got confused between which Bruce and Clark were from the present and which were past versions of them. I just feel like the story should've been stronger to match the artwork. I feel like the artwork completely out shined everything else. I feel like the story gets stronger in the next volume and on so I'll definitely be reading it whenever I get my hands on it.
My main issues with this was the story itself. The plot was kind of all over the place and I got confused between which Bruce and Clark were from the present and which were past versions of them. I just feel like the story should've been stronger to match the artwork. I feel like the artwork completely out shined everything else. I feel like the story gets stronger in the next volume and on so I'll definitely be reading it whenever I get my hands on it.
madscibrarian's review
2.0
The art for this was just so off-putting. I am just not a fan of Jae Lee's artstyle. It doesn't work for comics at all.
The story itself was confusing and hard to follow. We have Superman and Batman being transported to a different Earth to see an older version of themselves that are actually friends with one another And apparently the whole reason for this is to show that Darkseid is coming? I think it was meant to be mysterious but that's hard to pull off when you're already using premade comic book lore.
However, I do think we need more instances where Catwoman and Lois Lane work together. They're both superhero love interests that do not like being sidelined, thus making a great team.
The story itself was confusing and hard to follow. We have Superman and Batman being transported to a different Earth to see an older version of themselves that are actually friends with one another And apparently the whole reason for this is to show that Darkseid is coming? I think it was meant to be mysterious but that's hard to pull off when you're already using premade comic book lore.
However, I do think we need more instances where Catwoman and Lois Lane work together. They're both superhero love interests that do not like being sidelined, thus making a great team.