Superman and Batman are one of the best known duos in comics, and often called the gold standard for when superhero team-ups. They’ve been best friends since the Golden Age of comics, growing closer and farther apart as their characters evolved over the years, but always coming to stand at the other’s side when they need it. You’d think they would clash, with Superman being the ultimate symbol of hope and Batman being a much darker, broodier character, but they actually balance each other out perfectly, covering each other’s weaknesses and enhancing their strengths. They are a joy to see together, so it’s no surprise that they’ve teamed up a lot across the decades. Today we’ll be looking at five of the best Superman and Batman team-ups, and discussing why you should read them.
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1) First Team-Up
One of the best places to start reading Batman and Superman crossover stories is where they first worked together, and Dave Gibbons and Steve Rude’s World’s Finest miniseries covers exactly that. Lex Luthor and the Joker decide to swap cities, and their particular style of crimes stupify both the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight. They’re initially reluctant to work together, thinking that their styles of handling villains are just too different. However, over time they realize that not only do they need each other to save the day, but they have a lot more in common than they thought. This story emphasizes both heroes’ strengths and flaws beautifully, showcasing exactly why they bounce off of each other so well. On top of that, the art is phenomenal. It combines their then modern designs with their Golden Age styles. They don’t use any narration, focusing only on needed dialogue and letting the art do the heavy lifting, which shows the parallels between Superman and Batman so well. This series is only three issues long, but all of them are treats that I highly recommend.
2) Public Enemies
This classic storyline is the first arc of the Superman/Batman comic, created by the stellar team of Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. Batman has uncovered evidence that Metallo could be the one who killed his parents, and at the same time Lex Luthor was informed of a massive Kryptonite meteor approaching Earth, which he blames Superman for. Lex declares Superman public enemy number one for bringing the meteor to Earth, and adds Batman to the list after the Dark Knight helps his best friend escape capture. The two are forced to come to blows with plenty of their heroic allies, all the while trying to find evidence to bring President Luthor down. This arc set the stage for an incredible comic series that is entirely worth reading all the way through, making great use of dual narration from both leads to showcase their differences and similarities. This storyline is considered one of the absolute best, and was actually adapted into an animated movie titled Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, which I also recommend checking out if you want more good-cop, bat-cop hilarity.
3) World’s Finest Double Date
Tom King’s run on Batman might be controversial, but it undeniably gave us one of the funniest and most wholesome storylines involving Batman and Superman, and maybe in all of comics. The two issue “Superfriends” storyline was drawn by Clay Mann and is covered in issues #36 and 37. Batman refuses to tell Superman he got engaged to Catwoman because he feels like he’s nothing compared to Superman, and Superman thinks that means Batman doesn’t consider him a friend. After the two heroes and their significant others have a chance meeting while on the trail of a crime, they decide to have a double date and hit up a local carnival. This story perfectly captures the intricacies of Batman and Superman’s endless respect for each other, and shows how their own humility and adoration for the other keeps them from realizing how similar the two of them are. Lois Lane and Catwoman also form a surprisingly great duo of their own. These issues are cute and full of laughs, and are required reading for even the most vocal Tom King haters. We get to see Batman and Superman swap costumes for crying out loud, and Bruce’s dry humor is on full display the entire time.
4) Sitting With a Dying Daxamite
The “Universe’s Finest” storyline takes place in the New 52’s Batman/Superman issues #28-30, written by Tom Taylor and penciled by Robson Rocha. Superman and Batman are called in to investigate a mystery that will take them all across the universe after an alien crashes into the moon and spend their last few moments drawing out the pair’s symbols. The heroic duo comes into conflict with the Main Man himself, forced to fight the notorious bounty hunter Lobo. In the end, the pair frees Si Bar, a Daxamite who was imprisoned and forced to stare at the sun for years on end to function as a battery. What really makes this story great is the perfect characterization, where the two heroes sit with Si Bar and comfort him in his last moments, watching the sunset with him. This story gets what makes Batman and Superman tick, why they work so well together, and how they should act as heroes. They’re heroes because they care so deeply about every single life, and will do anything they can to help everyone. I recommend this story to anyone who wants to feel uplifted and cry at the same time, just like Justice League Unlimited’s classic scene between Batman and Ace.
5) Batman/Superman Fusion Dance
Like all the other series mentioned on this list, I cannot recommend Batman/Superman: World’s Finest heavily enough. It comes out of the gate swinging hard with “The Devil Nezha” storyline, which shows Superman, Batman, and Dick Grayson as Robin in the early years of their careers. Written by legend Mark Waid and penciled by superstar Dan Mora, this arc features an ancient evil rising from its tomb, mind-controlling the Earth’s greatest villains and heroes to bring down the World’s Finest. Batman and Superman are forced to pull out all the stops to defend themselves, including one of the coolest moments in all of comics. When a mind-controlled Green Lantern attempts to take them down, Batman shouts that while Hal’s will is stronger than either of theirs, when he’s controlled it can’t be stronger than both of their wills together. They think a single thought to will the ring off Hal’s finger, and as it flies to them, their combined wills fuse together with the ring. The result is the Super-Bat, a fused version of both the world’s greatest heroes, and they demonstrate their full power by utterly kicking Nezha’s butt until they run out of power and defuse. The rest of this story is filled with equally awesome and hilarious moments. This run in general feels like a perfect fusion of Silver Age ideas and modern storytelling, and honestly, I don’t think I could ask for a more perfect comic for these two. If you like either of them, you’re going to love this series.
So there we have five of the best team-ups between Batman and Superman. These two are one of the greatest duos in comics, and as awesome as they are on their own, when they work together they only get exponentially better. If you haven’t checked out their team-ups before, you definitely should. Which Superman and Batman moment is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
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Image Courtesy of The WB Television Network -
Image Courtesy of DC Studios.
