23 Years Ago, This Classic DC Duo Reunited and Quietly Changed DC Comics Forever

Superman and Batman are DC Comics‘ greatest heroes, the two most important characters in comics. Basically, if you’re reading a superhero comic, it’s because of these two. They were the most popular of the first age of heroes. DC knew what they had on their hands even back then, bringing them together as the world’s finest team in, well, World’s Finest. It was the first book that’s whole point was to be a team-up between the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight, starting a tradition that the publisher has followed numerous times over the years. Fans love reading about the two characters teamed up, with each era of the character usually having at least one team-up comic starring the two of them.

One era that didn’t have a lot of Superman and Batman team-ups was the post-Crisis era. The two heroes were allies but not really friends, to the extent that both knew the other’s identity but didn’t talk about it for years (I swear it was a big deal in the early ’90s that they didn’t have a close relationship). Team-ups between the two were fewer and different (at least in the days before JLA), more business and less friendly. The early ’00s were pretty good for both characters, and eventually DC decided that it was time to bring the world’s finest together again. They recruited a fan favorite team for a book that was basically the death knell of post-Crisis, a catalyst for huge change for DC Comics – Superman/Batman.

Superman/Batman Reminded Us Who the World’s Finest Were

Jeph Loeb had become something of a superstar in the late ’90s. The former screenwriter was known for working with Rob Liefeld in the mid ’90s, but was also doing amazing work on Batman over at DC with artist Tim Sale. Batman: The Long Halloween was his big splash and he soon became a hot writer, with him and Sale beginning their color series at Marvel and Superman For All Seasons. He got to write Superman (Vol. 2) in the year 2000, working with artist Ed McGuinness. Fans loved his Man of Steel, and DC soon figured that they had a writer who could do both characters perfectly. DC’s icons were both doing pretty at well at this point, with the Superman books actually doing better (that’s why the title of the book is Superman/Batman; that would change in future volumes), and a team-up book was just the right old school flavor DC wanted.

The early ’00s were a time of great change for DC. A new generation of creators were taking over, ones who were raised with Bronze Age DC, with new head honcho Dan DiDio wanting to basically remake that pre-Crisis era with a modern edge. Post-Crisis DC had grown in its own directions and it was time to slow that down. Superman/Batman was going to be the foundation brick. The twos relationship had gotten closer over the years, but this book was basically a return to them as best friends in a way they hadn’t been in a while. Loeb did a fantastic job with both characters, creating an opening story that saw the two of them battling against President Lex Luthor, fighting against the US government. It was an exciting modern-flavored superhero story that also wasn’t afraid to get a little cartoony. It was old school in a new school way and fans loved it.

Superman/Batman was a massive hit in 2003, a charming story that was something of a sea change. It’s first story arc ended with a wild-eyed Luthor promising there would be a crisis, starting the anticipation for the 20th anniversary of Crisis on Infinite Earth. This was the beginning of the build to Infinite Crisis, a time when DC worked across its line to start to prepare for a return of the past. The book’s second story arc – “The Supergirl From Krypton” – saw artist Michael Turner come onboard for a story that brought Kara Zor-El back as Supergirl. This was the next step in the re-Bronze Age-ification of DC, with Superman/Batman again pushing things forward in huge ways. Loeb’s last two story arcs on the book – “Absolute Power” and “With a Vengeance” – were less important to the overall story of DC at the time, but still had a lot of old school feel to them.

Crisis on Infinite Earths changed DC forever, taking the building blocks of what came before and making something different. However, it got to the point that at times, DC didn’t really feel like DC. This would begin to change in the ’00s, as creators reached back to the books they grew up with for ideas. Superman/Batman was, in a lot of ways, a proof of concept that you could find a way to combine the maturity of modern DC with the more fantastic elements of the past. By the time you get to the sixth issue and you see the giant Composite Superman robot, you’re seeing DC Comics subtly start to shift gears, a process that they’ve been undergoing ever since.

DC Owes All of Its Current Success to Superman/Batman

2026 is an amazing time to be a DC fan. The publisher has been able to get on track, creating a modern superhero multiverse that pays tribute to the past while moving things into the future. It’s a fantastic time and one of its foundations is Superman/Batman. This book came at a time when DC was on the rise and was able to bring together the best duo in comics for the first time in years. Superman and Batman together is something of a no-brainer and were the perfect place to start changing the DC Universe.

Superman/Batman is a book that you don’t see talked about very much anymore. Because of the Supergirl movie, we’ve gotten some people talking about “The Supergirl From Krypton”, but other than that, it’s something of a forgotten book. However, there was a time when it was one of the flagships of DC Comics, on the forefront of the changes that would lead to the success the publisher is experiencing today. It’s a legendary comic that helped get us to where we are today and deserves its flowers.

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