Batman/Superman [2019] #16 - DC Comics

BATMAN/SUPERMAN No. 16, May 2021

Reading like an “Elseworlds” imprint, this twenty-two page “glimpse of brave new worlds within the DC Universe” certainly must have captivated the majority of its audience with its somewhat innovative manner of telling a story via two separate strands of movie reels. Indeed, Gene Luen Yang’s somewhat startling approach to this comic’s storytelling as a literal double feature probably ensured that Issue Sixteen of “Batman/Superman” was read at least a couple of times by fans of the American icons as they digested “The World Of Tomorrow” and “The World Of The Knight” both as individual and adjoined narratives; “You can either follow one story line to the end and then come back for the other or follow both story lines simultaneously! The choice is yours!”

The first of this comic’s “alternate realities” definitely contains a number of intriguing differences to the modern-day Superman’s universe, most notably that Martha Wayne somehow survived the alley-way shooting which should have caused her infant son to become the avenging Dark Knight, and has resultantly become a big name in the world of technology. Initially threatened by “the maniacal machinations of the Unknown Wizard”, this tale from Metropolis soon develops much less of a tongue-in-cheek tone as Bruce’s mother is arguably ‘earmarked’ as the true villain of the well-penned piece.

Likewise, the California-born writer creates a similarly strong adventure for Batman and Robin in this book’s secondary yarn, as the Dynamic Duo foil Spider Lady’s bold attempt to rescue the Joker and Penguin from some insane experimentation programme at Arkham Asylum. This time though, a “trans-dimensional collision” has resulted in Kal-El being killed mid-flight during the baby Kryptonian’s escape from his doomed planet, and causes Lois Lane from this comic’s Man of Steel story to shockingly appear just as the Caped Crusaders are about to battle a strange figure inside a mysterious fortress at the Arctic Circle. 

Adding enormously to all these celluloid shenanigans is Ivan Reis and his incredibly well planned layouts. The Brazilian artist is clearly on tip top form pencilling the exploits of this book’s titular characters, but it is the way in which he incorporates all of his drawings into a winding roll of film which really helps sell the suggestion that the reader is watching some old flick at the cinema, rather than simply perusing a paper-bound publication. In fact, it is easy to hear the whirr of a vintage Kodak cine projector in the background as each parable is played out.

The regular cover art for "BATMAN/SUPERMAN" #16 by Ivan Reis, Danny Miki & Sabine Rich