Batman Superman 28 29: A Stellar Team-Up

If the forthcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice blockbuster has you excited to read a Batman and Superman team-up in the comic books, look no further than the story arc that just started in Batman Superman (DC Comics). Starting in issue 28 and continuing this past week in issue 29, the new creative team of Tom Taylor, Robson Rocha, and Julio Ferreira have kicked off a great standalone story. You don't need to follow all the rest of the books in the DC Universe, nor do you have to have read the previous 27 issues of Batman Superman. Just jump right in with issue 28 and enjoy a great three-part story that will wrap up March 9th with issue 30.

5 out of 5 stars!

The first issue brings Batman and Superman together through a surprising incident that contains mystery and some great visuals that work well in the comic book medium. The reader is hooked quickly and the plot is thrust forward. Batman gets to do some detective work and Superman get to do some saving, bringing some nice core elements of the characters. The story is clearly centering on Batman and Superman, avoiding the common comic book trap of flooding the pages with too many characters. Lobo is there for good measure, but he fits well, adding another level of threat to the plot as he is mysteriously hired to assassinate Batman.

The first issue ends nicely with a question about another Kryptonian somewhere in a scorched part of space. The second issue picks up in a big way and we get a little bit different perspective on the events from the first issue. The plot forces Batman and Superman to separate, as Batman continues to investigate the opening mystery while Superman goes to find out what is happening with the unknown Kryptonian. The action rises perfectly as Lobo makes his appearance and we get a great scene of Batman being Batman, cautious and skeptical as always. Meanwhile, Superman shows his heart of gold as he finds and attempts to rescue the enslaved Kryptonian. But just as Batman manages to escape his peril, we find out that Superman may have been lured into a trap, leaving us with a cliffhanger for the next issue.

The story has a great pace, a visually compelling outer-space setting, and well written interactions between the main characters. I can't wait to see how it wraps up next month.