DC’s two greatest superheroes couldn’t be any more different. Superman is an alien with godly powers, granted by radiation from the Earth’s sun. Batman is an unpowered human relying on his wits and guile who uses the darkness as a tool against crime. Superman’s heroism comes from the values instilled by his adoptive family, while Batman’s crusade against crime began after he lost his parents in a random act of crime. Superman inspires the best out of humanity while Batman fights the most depraved individuals humanity has to offer. Even their alter egos are far apart. Clark Kent is a humble, unassuming journalist from a blue collar farm town, while Bruce Wayne is a celebrity billionaire born and raised in a major city. However, while Batman and Superman contrast in just about every way possible, the two heroes do have one thing in common: a common goal to protect the innocent and pursue justice.
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This week’s Justice League #43, by Geoff Johns and Jayson Fabok, puts both Batman and Superman into yet another set of contrasting situations. Superman, trapped on Apokolips with his mortal enemy/Justice League teammate Lex Luthor, discovers his powers are fading from a lack of exposure to yellow sun radiation. Meanwhile, Batman gains the powers of a god when he takes control of the New God Metron’s Mobius Chair. How the heroes react to these dramatic status quo changes drive the action through the rest of the issue. While Superman flees the forces of Darkseid, Batman plans the Justice League’s next move, using the Mobius Chair to enhance his already formidable tactical skills.
Despite the loss of his extraordinary powers, Superman remains fundamentally the same. Sure, he might not be able to use his x-ray vision or superstrength, but the core tenets of his character remain untouched. At one point, Superman warns Luthor not to harm a hoard of attacking slaves, despite the fact that the aliens were trying to kill him. Later, when trapped between a wall and a swarm of Parademons, Superman places his trust in his greatest enemy, choosing to believe that Luthor’s offer of help is genuine despite their long adversarial history. It seems that the core of Superman’s character aren’t his vast abilities, but rather his sense of compassion and unwavering trust in the best of humanity.
By contrast, Batman slowly loses himself to the power of the Mobius Chair. His arrogance and self-assuredness are intensified, as he floats above his team-mates, orders them around, and cuts other heroes off in mid-sentence. Now armed with the knowledge of the universe at his fingerprints, Batman truly is the smartest man in the room. And he knows it. Interestingly, Batman’s typical caution and methodicalness are erased by an unerring confidence in his abilities and an absolute trust in a mysterious alien tool.
When Wonder Woman expresses concern about Batman’s well-being, the hero actually smiles at Wonder Woman, which might be one of the most unsettling images ever shown inJustice League. Perhaps the most telling change in the issue are how the word balloons reflect the extent of Batman and Superman’s changes. When Batman sits in the Mobius Chair and gains its powers, his word balloons turn black with a red outline. Batman’s new word balloons share the same effects as Grail, Darkseid’s daughter and the harbinger of the Anti-Monitor’s war against Apokolips. Batman’s character may be defined more by his lack of character than even he’s willing to admit.
At the end of the issue, Batman leaves the rest of the Justice League just before they confront the Anti-Monitor, pursuing his own mission in the fight against the villain, while Lex Luthor flings Superman into an Apokoliptian fire pit in an attempt to restore his powers. As Superman emerges from the fire pit brimming with negative energy, he turns his sights on Luthor and vows to kill him. Noticeably, the “negative” Superman’s dialogue uses the same black and red word bubbles as the Mobius Chair Batman and Grail. A loss of powers might not change Superman’s character, but Apokolips’ corrupting fires will.As the Darkseid War enters a fever pitch, both Superman and Batman will need to be true to themselves if Earth is to survive.
