REVIEW: Batman/Superman #6

Batman/Superman #6 is here and it’s another incredible issue from Joshua Williamson & David Marquez. This series has been awesome, each and every single issue and this one is no exception.

First up, lets take a look at the covers. The standard cover by David Marquez is stunning. I really love his art style, you can really see the textures in all of the different materials featured here. I mean just look at the line-work on The Batman Who Laughs’ helmet! Marquez’s covers have been so consistent in this series, each and every one of them have been awesome.

The variant cover is by Simone Bianchi, and it is absolutely spectacular, mesmarising in fact! I’m not too familiar with Bianchi’s work, but damn, I am going to do some research now! It’s so beautiful. It really reminds me of a piece that belongs on a palace ceiling. It’s gorgeous.

It’s time our heroes told their closely kept secret to other people of interest, well person – Wonder Woman. First of all her entrance is strong and fierce just as she is, that is reinforced by both her words and her actions, which are perfectly drawn by David Marquez. She is the epitome of female POWER, and that just oozes off of her. Williamson’s representation of her is great, I really want to see more of this character within this arc.

This issue is all about working together as a team and highlights the damage that can be done when something is kept to yourself, and I personally think that’s a great message. Although we personally will probably never get into this exact situation that our heroes are facing, but it certainly is a message that can be applied to many things, so it’s great to see our heroes embrace and acknowledge that.

Both Superman and Batman were reluctant to actually tell anyone else, let alone Wonder Woman about what has been going on in the series, and they built it up inside them before plucking up the courage to tell her. Turns out, she already knew, of course she did, it’s Wonder Woman! I loved this, as it led her to question how truthful the pair really were. She really grounded our heroes in this issue, and I really would like to see more of her in this series.

One thing that I disagree with is the fact that this issue is intertwined with SO many other series. It’s nice to see some continuity within the series that we read, but it felt too much in this issue. There were references from three different series, and sometimes it felt like I HAD to read them to fully understand what was going on. It would have been nice to have a better re-cap of the events of those series, just so we can understand this one a little more.

With that said, one thing that is done incredibly well by Williamson is the story telling. We constantly switch between past, present and different scenes, but it is done so seamlessly and you are never left thinking “wait, where are we now?”. This is done with the narration and the artwork working in perfect conjunction. It’s rare that this can be pulled off so well, but the pair do it perfectly.

The final pages had me constantly thinking “wait, who is that?”, and “but, then who is that?!” It’s safe to say that it was a mystery perfectly executed! But damn, what are those two doing together? And where do they fit in with the current storyline. I love how much Williamson is experimenting with the characters that are so dear to the heroes’ mythos, you can tell he is having a blast in doing so. With every issue I read, I enjoy seeing yet a new character emerge.

Once again the artwork is fantastic. The action sequences with Wonder Woman taking on her enemies single-handedly are just incredible. Marquez really is a master at this and it shows. From the use of colours, to the background and the colours used to compliment them, everything seems to be carefully selected, and it really works.

I loved Batman/Superman #6, it had some very strong character portrayals, shock introductions and potentially team ups, incredible inspiration and witty surprises, it had it all. I’m really excited to see where this issue is going to go from here!

Haven’t picked up your copy of Batman/Superman #6 yet? You can pick up the standard cover by David Marquez here (UK), or here (US). Or if you prefer the variant cover by Simone Bianchi, you can pick that up here.