Superman/Batman Vol 04: Vengeance

I'm not quite sure why so many people have a problem with this story. Sure it's crazy, but considering the main "villains" involved, it should be nothing else. I don't think a lot of people really "get" this story, which is so crazy...it works. There's a ton of characters involved, and some twists to old favorites. I loved The Maximums as an Avengers parody, great stuff there. Bizzaro and Batzarro are great as unlikely heroes, although after awhile it can be a chore reading their text. It was cool to see Loeb handle them just as he does Supes and Bats though. Overall this is a fun read, if you take it too seriously, you'll end up jaded like the other people who've written reviews on it. It looks very likely that Loeb and McGuinness just wanted to have a good time with their last S/B arc. It's nice to have some comics left these days that don't take themselves so seriously. It's also worth noting that this arc again builds on the relationship between Superman and Batman, which Loeb is great at. I recommend it, don't listen to the hate.

Great addition to the series. I wasnt too crazy about the story, but the number of different characters more than made up for it.

This was one of the most bizarre graphic novels I have ever examined. 1) it jumps around a lot, 2) the characters mainly the Bizarro ones are just nuts, and 3) they make multiple references to past events. But still the art is cool, the story is crazy, and some of my favorite characters appear (Darksied, The Joker, and Bizarro). So despite or maybe because of these I have to recommend this to any Superman or Batman fan.

Lately I've been disappointed more often than not by the newer graphic novels and compendiums that have hit the store shelves but in the case of Vengeance I have to say this is really good stuff. Jeff Loeb introduces an all new team of superheroes called the Maximums that seem oddly familiar. The team is an extremely blatant homage to the Avengers/Ultimates including a mythical Viking, a super soldier, a giant man named skyscraper and so on and so forth. The team even includes doppelgangers of Spider Man and Wolverine. This is not an Avengers rip off but a playful imitation of Marvel's super team and it's pretty clear that this is likely a one time appearance for the Maximums. Late in the story there is a nod to fans of The Ultimates when the Maximums are merged into a single being called The `Ultimate' Warrior (or is it a nod to fans of the worst pro-wrestler ever). Meanwhile Batman and Superman are merged into a single being called the Composite Superman and believe me I'm old enough to remember the original Composite Superman. It's these kinds of nods and winks running through the story that made it so enjoyable. Vengeance is a pretty wild tale, featuring parallel universes filled with piles of alternate versions of Superman, Batman and Supergirl as well as an all new Bizarro take on Batman named Batzarro. Batzarro may actually be the single best part of the entire story. Jeff Loeb was particularly meticulous in making sure that every single phrase spoken by Bizarro and Batzarro are indeed in reverse of their meaning and it becomes rather enjoyable to try and decode their actual intent. Despite the craziness of the story (which includes The Joker and Mr. Mxyzptlk) the author manages to keep it from becoming muddled and incoherent which is often the result in stories with this many characters and swerves. Mr. Loeb also does a good job of tying the story in with previous story arc's including `Public Enemies' and `Absolute Power'. I am a big fan of Ed McGuinness's illustrations. His art is rather cartoonish but that doesn't bother me. As always he manages to produce very clean and consistent images. I have to confess that I'm extremely surprised that Vengeance isn't getting better reviews since I found it to be a very enjoyable read.