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Superman/Batman (12 Volumes Collected Edition)
Superman/Batman, Vol. 11: Worship
Tales of Superman and Batman written by Paul Levitz, the former President and Publisher of DC Comics and legendary writer of THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES. While The Man of Steel’s godlike presence on another world is perverted by Lex Luthor, zealous Superman followers look to make human sacrifi ces in his name back on Earth. Can Batman save the fi rst victim before it’s too late?
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 26, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 29, 2014
It's ok.
Sort of hokey, but sort of cute, too.
I thought Levitz did a good job with Lois Lane's character. Evidently she's been taking some kung fu classes from Batman or something, so she's not quite a damsel in (as much) distress anymore.
Yay!
At first I thought Lex's plan was pretty stupid and pointless, but it sort of came together in the end.
Enter the Legion of Superheroes!
I'm not familiar enough with these guys to make any judgment calls on whether or not Levitz actually did a good job with the characters.
But to the untrained eye (mine), they didn't suck.
Also, if you're a big fan of Terry McGinnis then you might want to check this one out, because his stories open and close this volume.
I have a love/hate thing with the Batman Beyond stuff. I like McGinnis, and I like the world, and I like his stories.
However.
I'm one of those sad saps who desperately wants to believe that, at some unidentified time in the future, Batman will retire and live happily ever after...surrounded by family and friends.
Come on, a girl can dream, right?
I know, I know...
I probably should mention that the library copy I read sort of cut off unexpectedly in the last story. Maybe that's how the story was written, but I think it's more likely that the book was missing the last few pages. So maybe I would have rated this higher if I had been able to get the full impact of the story.
*shakes head NO*
Not great, not awful.
If you happen to run into this somewhere, and can get it cheap (or better, FREE), it wouldn't kill to to read it.
Sort of hokey, but sort of cute, too.
I thought Levitz did a good job with Lois Lane's character. Evidently she's been taking some kung fu classes from Batman or something, so she's not quite a damsel in (as much) distress anymore.
Yay!
At first I thought Lex's plan was pretty stupid and pointless, but it sort of came together in the end.
Enter the Legion of Superheroes!
I'm not familiar enough with these guys to make any judgment calls on whether or not Levitz actually did a good job with the characters.
But to the untrained eye (mine), they didn't suck.
Also, if you're a big fan of Terry McGinnis then you might want to check this one out, because his stories open and close this volume.
I have a love/hate thing with the Batman Beyond stuff. I like McGinnis, and I like the world, and I like his stories.
However.
I'm one of those sad saps who desperately wants to believe that, at some unidentified time in the future, Batman will retire and live happily ever after...surrounded by family and friends.
Come on, a girl can dream, right?
I know, I know...
I probably should mention that the library copy I read sort of cut off unexpectedly in the last story. Maybe that's how the story was written, but I think it's more likely that the book was missing the last few pages. So maybe I would have rated this higher if I had been able to get the full impact of the story.
*shakes head NO*
Not great, not awful.
If you happen to run into this somewhere, and can get it cheap (or better, FREE), it wouldn't kill to to read it.
June 21, 2018
Levitz comes onto the book for two stories. The first featuring Batman Beyond, Terry McGinnis. It was just OK. I liked the second one with Jerry Ordway much better. It parallels two separate stories of religion gone wrong with some great looking art by Jerry Ordway. And because this is Paul Levitz, he, of course, finds an opportunity to bring in the Legion of Super-Heroes. The story does end abruptly and could have used another issue.
Read
February 7, 2018I read the individual issues so I might have missed something that would have brought the story together in a collected addition (I think goodreads says that at least one issue of some other line was added to this), but the bottom line is that it started out good and then got wonky (which seems to be how most of this run of Superman/Batman has been).
I love the part where Batman gets Lois' distress signal and rushes to save her when Superman fails to respond within 10 seconds - the fact that he will drop everything to make sure his friend's wife (girlfriend? not sure where we are anymore) is safe says a lot of about their relationship (see you can develop the characters with actions and not speech bubbles that amount to "this makes me feel things"). It also says a lot that neither partner needed to comment upon Batman's presence - it was a given that he would show up and that is that.
The whole part with Lex tying to convince an entire planet that he is basically a god (lots of Prometheus references) and that they should wage war on Superman really forces you to stretch your ability to suspend your disbelief but these are comic books and allowances must be made.
Then as per norm with this series, there is dimension hopping, time stream hopping, and everything gets wonky again *sigh*.
Although to be fair, I do like Terry in Batman Beyond so seeing him was fun but it also felt like a bit of an ad for their new(ish) Batman Beyond series that had been stuck in the middle of an issue of Superman/Batman.
I read these issues a while ago but I can distinctly remember the story line involving Lois, the cult of Superman worshipers being manipulated by Lex, and Lex's Prometheus complex, but I cannot remember why there was time stream/dimension hopping or what that had to do with anything. So at least part of the story stood out and was good, but then the rest is meh.
I read them as individual issues but Goodreads only has them as collected additions so maybe things make more sense if you read the collected edition.
I love the part where Batman gets Lois' distress signal and rushes to save her when Superman fails to respond within 10 seconds - the fact that he will drop everything to make sure his friend's wife (girlfriend? not sure where we are anymore) is safe says a lot of about their relationship (see you can develop the characters with actions and not speech bubbles that amount to "this makes me feel things"). It also says a lot that neither partner needed to comment upon Batman's presence - it was a given that he would show up and that is that.
The whole part with Lex tying to convince an entire planet that he is basically a god (lots of Prometheus references) and that they should wage war on Superman really forces you to stretch your ability to suspend your disbelief but these are comic books and allowances must be made.
Then as per norm with this series, there is dimension hopping, time stream hopping, and everything gets wonky again *sigh*.
Although to be fair, I do like Terry in Batman Beyond so seeing him was fun but it also felt like a bit of an ad for their new(ish) Batman Beyond series that had been stuck in the middle of an issue of Superman/Batman.
I read these issues a while ago but I can distinctly remember the story line involving Lois, the cult of Superman worshipers being manipulated by Lex, and Lex's Prometheus complex, but I cannot remember why there was time stream/dimension hopping or what that had to do with anything. So at least part of the story stood out and was good, but then the rest is meh.
I read them as individual issues but Goodreads only has them as collected additions so maybe things make more sense if you read the collected edition.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
January 6, 2016Quick read. It was decent.
September 13, 2021
Read this as Superman/Batman, Volume 6.
I love A Time Beyond Hope by Paul Levitz. I grew up on Batman Beyond (I <3 Terry McGinnis) so this was a well-written throwback for me. Of course, there's the sad inclusion of old, alone, and depressed Superman. :(
I did like that old Luthor was the villain here & the K-drugs was a cool story!
(Really interesting sub-plot about Superman being the Ghost & sending criminals off into the Phantom Zone. So cray that Mon-El is in there. I know him from the Supergirl TV show on CW! What's he doing in the Phantom Zone?!)
Also, sweet .
4 stars.
Worship, Sacrifice, Assention, and Ressurection by Paul Levits were the weakest links in this book.
It starts off in Worship with Superman destroying a hurtling asteroid in space. One rock that he tries to smash up surprisingly has kryptonite in it and knocks Superman out and he and the rock crash onto this planet, destroying a building or two. Superman gets up and tries to put things "back together", sorta, and then without a word of hello or goodbye (or miming an explanation), he's off.
I dunno what Superman usually does in these scenarios, but not saying anything and flying off, feels...well, off.
The people of this planet with the two destroyed buildings look pissed.
Lex is, of course, spying on Superman with a super satellite in space, and wants to use this planet of angry people to turn them against Superman (for what purpose, I'm not sure). He invests Trillions of dollars in sending this planet goods and technology along with some "prophesy" that one day Superman will return (and he's evil and destructive, so prepare etc. & that they should harvest the kryptonite from the asteroid that fell so one day in the future they will get their chance to destroy Superman... *eyeroll* and that's it).
Anyway, while this is happening, Lois gets kidnapped by a Superman worshiping cult (also secretly controlled by Lex. Why? I dunno.) They want to burn Lois alive because she rebuffed Superman's romantic attentions and married Clark Kent instead. The Incel logic is hilariously ironic.
Luckily, Batman heard Lois's signal while Superman was off-world & goes to save her from the fire.
What I liked about this plotline: Luthor has a protocol called "Code Black" to enact whenever Batman is in Metropolis. Lex/Lexcorp cancels all criminal activities for 24 hours so Batman doesn't take an interest in him. <3
Also, he apparently trained Lois in martial arts?! <3 <3
What I hated about this plotline: Besides for the Incel sacrifice of Lois? -She's topless for the whole thing.
When Lois was kidnapped she was wearing a white blouse and a suit (skirt and matching jacket). When she's tied up at the stake, her shirt is missing but she is still wearing her suit jacket (now over a bra). Who takes off a woman's jacket, removes her blouse, and then puts the jacket back on to burn someone alive??! ...Someone who wanted to draw Lois tied up at the stake in her bra, is who.
Anyway, Batman is looking for the cult and where they meet. He drops by an old synagogue first and I recognize the building from a tour I did of NYC's Lower East Side. The building is the former Adath Jeshurun of Jassy Synagogue on Rivington Street near Eldridge in Manhattan. The building is now apartments or lofts or whatever, and it's a little weird Levits (or Ordway?) includes this building in his story about a weird murderous crazy religious cult. Anyway.
Lex's whole thing is that he wants to be a god, where Superman is a false god.
He goes through a lot of trouble prepping this world (with the two destroyed buildings) to hate Superman for what ends up being a two-second follow-up interaction where Superman goes back to the planet to check on the people he saved and they want him gone quick (armed with kryptonite spears etc.). That's it. That's all that happens. They drive him off, and that's when he discovers one of Lex's rockets in space delivering this word technological advancements beyond their time.
Superman threatens Lex. Lex threatens Superman (that one day he'll get him, even if it takes a thousand years!), and in Ressurection we have a time-traveling kryptonite Lex clone from the future that goes back in time to kill Superman. The Legion of Super-Heroes time jump back and they fight the Lex/kryptonite monster and save an even younger Clark (Superboy) and Smallville from destruction. The end.
Eh. Two stars for the whole Worship, Sacrifice, Assention, and Ressurection thing.
I love A Time Beyond Hope by Paul Levitz. I grew up on Batman Beyond (I <3 Terry McGinnis) so this was a well-written throwback for me. Of course, there's the sad inclusion of old, alone, and depressed Superman. :(
I did like that old Luthor was the villain here & the K-drugs was a cool story!
(Really interesting sub-plot about Superman being the Ghost & sending criminals off into the Phantom Zone. So cray that Mon-El is in there. I know him from the Supergirl TV show on CW! What's he doing in the Phantom Zone?!)
Also, sweet .
4 stars.
Worship, Sacrifice, Assention, and Ressurection by Paul Levits were the weakest links in this book.
It starts off in Worship with Superman destroying a hurtling asteroid in space. One rock that he tries to smash up surprisingly has kryptonite in it and knocks Superman out and he and the rock crash onto this planet, destroying a building or two. Superman gets up and tries to put things "back together", sorta, and then without a word of hello or goodbye (or miming an explanation), he's off.
I dunno what Superman usually does in these scenarios, but not saying anything and flying off, feels...well, off.
The people of this planet with the two destroyed buildings look pissed.
Lex is, of course, spying on Superman with a super satellite in space, and wants to use this planet of angry people to turn them against Superman (for what purpose, I'm not sure). He invests Trillions of dollars in sending this planet goods and technology along with some "prophesy" that one day Superman will return (and he's evil and destructive, so prepare etc. & that they should harvest the kryptonite from the asteroid that fell so one day in the future they will get their chance to destroy Superman... *eyeroll* and that's it).
Anyway, while this is happening, Lois gets kidnapped by a Superman worshiping cult (also secretly controlled by Lex. Why? I dunno.) They want to burn Lois alive because she rebuffed Superman's romantic attentions and married Clark Kent instead. The Incel logic is hilariously ironic.
Luckily, Batman heard Lois's signal while Superman was off-world & goes to save her from the fire.
What I liked about this plotline: Luthor has a protocol called "Code Black" to enact whenever Batman is in Metropolis. Lex/Lexcorp cancels all criminal activities for 24 hours so Batman doesn't take an interest in him. <3
Also, he apparently trained Lois in martial arts?! <3 <3
What I hated about this plotline: Besides for the Incel sacrifice of Lois? -She's topless for the whole thing.
When Lois was kidnapped she was wearing a white blouse and a suit (skirt and matching jacket). When she's tied up at the stake, her shirt is missing but she is still wearing her suit jacket (now over a bra). Who takes off a woman's jacket, removes her blouse, and then puts the jacket back on to burn someone alive??! ...Someone who wanted to draw Lois tied up at the stake in her bra, is who.
Anyway, Batman is looking for the cult and where they meet. He drops by an old synagogue first and I recognize the building from a tour I did of NYC's Lower East Side. The building is the former Adath Jeshurun of Jassy Synagogue on Rivington Street near Eldridge in Manhattan. The building is now apartments or lofts or whatever, and it's a little weird Levits (or Ordway?) includes this building in his story about a weird murderous crazy religious cult. Anyway.
Lex's whole thing is that he wants to be a god, where Superman is a false god.
He goes through a lot of trouble prepping this world (with the two destroyed buildings) to hate Superman for what ends up being a two-second follow-up interaction where Superman goes back to the planet to check on the people he saved and they want him gone quick (armed with kryptonite spears etc.). That's it. That's all that happens. They drive him off, and that's when he discovers one of Lex's rockets in space delivering this word technological advancements beyond their time.
Superman threatens Lex. Lex threatens Superman (that one day he'll get him, even if it takes a thousand years!), and in Ressurection we have a time-traveling kryptonite Lex clone from the future that goes back in time to kill Superman. The Legion of Super-Heroes time jump back and they fight the Lex/kryptonite monster and save an even younger Clark (Superboy) and Smallville from destruction. The end.
Eh. Two stars for the whole Worship, Sacrifice, Assention, and Ressurection thing.
November 20, 2019
It just lacks heart. As always, the art is more than competent, though not beautiful. Basically, anything that takes place off Earth or in the future is just gibberish that takes one out of the story, as much as such a thing exists here. There was the seed of a good idea here (Lex Luthor encouraging zealots to worship Superman as a god as a way of eroding Superman's confidence/Luthor paying criminals to keep Batman distracted with low stakes but highly attractive crimes). It is just wasted, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2021
This isn't good. While Paul Levitz and Jerry Ordway are definite legends, this story is pretty terrible. Lex's actions are so stupid they defy reason. Batman and Superman act like they barely know each other at times. Not good. The annual was much better as it involved Batman Beyond. The anniversary issue was also a letdown. Overall, if you're wanting to read this for nostalgic reasons, save yourself some time.
January 26, 2024
2.5 Stars
I thought this one was a little "meh." This series seemed to lose its way fairly early in the run, but it was just good enough to keep going on for a while. Never quite reached the level of the early issues, however.
I thought this one was a little "meh." This series seemed to lose its way fairly early in the run, but it was just good enough to keep going on for a while. Never quite reached the level of the early issues, however.
January 16, 2019
La historia principal está bien, con referencias interesantes a las sectas y a la época de la Inquisición. Las historietas breves del final son mediocres en general, alguna vale la pena.
June 19, 2019
The Batman Beyond chapter is great, but the main story (an update on the Lexor saga) is only just okay. The epilogue, with the Legion, is serviceable but not quite my cup of tea.
July 28, 2023
Not bad. The worship story is pretty ok. The batman beyond story is enjoyable. The anniversary issue is cobbled together crap.
January 28, 2025
Weird art will haunt me forever
September 11, 2025
4.5 stars.
Lois was a BADASS in this I LOVE MY WIFE!!
Not 5 stars only bc the last issue was a bit overwhelming and I didn't like the whole Luthor-clone thing ngl, but the rest was really good
Lois was a BADASS in this I LOVE MY WIFE!!
Not 5 stars only bc the last issue was a bit overwhelming and I didn't like the whole Luthor-clone thing ngl, but the rest was really good
September 8, 2012
I love how the writing in this series just keeps improving over time. This volume had some excellent stories in it and I truly enjoyed most of the book. The only part that doesn't seem to fit with the overall volume are the stories that open and close it. They are entertaining and fun, but they don't seem to mesh with the plot of the stories in the middle of the volume. Still, an entertaining read even if there are stories that don't seem to mesh with the central plot. Very worth the time spent reading it.
June 11, 2011
Library copy. I haven't really enjoyed much of the stories out of this title since way back when Loeb was writing it so I'm pleased that the three tales Paul Levitz writes are very good. I'd definitely consider buying this book and adding it to my personal library collection alongside the 3-4 Loeb books already on the shelf.
June 10, 2013
The beginning of this volume was AWESOME. Teaming Terry McGinnis with the future iteration of Superman (know by baddies as "The Ghost")was completely awesome. I love Batman Beyond. Wish they would make it into a movie . . . but I digress.
The rest of the comic was pretty cookie-cutter, but enjoyable nonetheless.
The rest of the comic was pretty cookie-cutter, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Read
May 28, 2012With the lack of supermarriage in the nu52, I lived reading this! Especially loved the contrasting personalities for superman and batman and their tonight's on relationships. As a big Clark and Lois fan, I loved it.
December 25, 2012
Its up to Batman to save Lois Lane from a cult, while an alien world devotes themselves to hating Superman. Not a lot goes down in this volume, but there is an interesting Batman Beyond story with Superman. Its just not very exciting, and there is a huge lack of a climax.
January 6, 2015
Tak jsem zkusil dalšího Superman/Batman a stačilo. Průměrnej komiks s pár hezkými nápady; Suprák furt buzeruje chudáka Luthora. Závěrečnej sešit sem odignoroval, protože nesnáším Legion of Superheroes, takže mi možná unikla nějaká velkolepá pointa, ale přežiju to.
June 4, 2011
Meh. I'd really give this one 2 and 1/2 stars as it was 3 separate, mediocre stories about Superman & Batman teaming up (sort of) to defeat Luthor.
May 19, 2011
Garbage ... even for this superhero apologist
June 10, 2012
Not even close to living up to the previous books in this series, and yet it was still a good read.
March 18, 2012
I don't know why I'm still collecting the trade paperbacks of this series. Lois was kickass at least.
August 1, 2016
Good to know Levitz's streak of awful didn't start with the currently horrendous Worlds' Finest.
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