Broken Frontier

The corrupt super-duo travels throughout alternate realities in search of themselves and in doing so discover their true destinies.

When this storyline began, I questioned the reasoning for placing it in a book that is supposedly inside continuity. If an after-the-fact re-imagining of DC’s two biggest heroes’ origins isn’t an Elseworlds tale, then I don’t know what is. Then, last issue, the older, prophetic Superman who made his enigmatic debut in the first story arc made his return to the book. Things started coming together, and after some reality shifting that saw either one or both of the heroes’ imminent demise, Superman (thanks in large part to his elder self) began to realize how things were actually supposed to be. As for Batman…not so much.

It has been said by some that Jeph Loeb has the best understanding in the industry of both of these characters. While his runs on the individual titles for each character resulted in mixed reviews and fan reaction, this series makes such a lofty assertion difficult to argue against. The inner dialogue, while sometimes repetitive, is very spot on in respect to the characters. The plots Loeb has come up with for this book have been appropriately over-the-top as Batman and Superman have risen to larger-than-life status. In addition, one can surmise after reading one of these stories that the writer is not just cashing a paycheck, but he is a big enough fan to head up a SuperBat Club.

Carlos Pacheco keeps getting more and more spectacular with each successive issue. He has a classic take on the title heroes, and here, with Loeb’s dark script, he and the rest of the art team really shine. A lot of credit should be given to Merino for keeping the inks subdued enough to allow Pacheco’s clean and classy pencils to shine. This is especially true because the gloom and doom of the script forces Martin to keep her colors dark for a sort of post-apocalyptic tone.

I’ve said from the beginning of this series that Mr. Loeb was just out to have some fun with the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight. I still believe that, but it appears there is so much more at work here. He also looks like he plans to push the boundaries of who the characters really are and what they really mean to the world they live in--something that will give the DC Universe an enduring, prominent impression.

-Kert McAfee