Batman/Superman #7: Worlds Collide

Joshua Williamson continues with his fantastic story of the other dynamic duo as they take the fight to emerging threats head-on with the use of Bruce’s new “crime detector” and come across a danger that neither of them had expected, but should have taken heed of at some point. This comes in the form of an angry General Zod, implying he’s ever happy, trying to do what Superman never could and bring the destroyed city of Kandor back to life.

Williamson does a great job of emphasizing the characters of both Ra’s and Zod by digging into their respective motivations and why they would clash rather than work together. Ra’s, for all intents and purposes, is a glorified eco-terrorist and assassin. He states that having more living Kryptonians would be a waste of Earth’s resources and denies Zod the use of one of his Lazarus Pits. This is perfect characterization because Ra’s generally believes in the strength of humanity, much like Lex Luthor and would see the weak culled.

Zod is much the same way, but is wholly in favor of Kryptonians as the Universe’s greatest race. Though Ra’s destroys the pit that he would have used, Zod continues to search and that’s what makes him such a great character. He has tenacity and a love for his people, but that love leads him to commit villainous acts to reach his goals. At the same time, he doesn’t know the effects of the Pits and doesn’t quite see how terrible of an idea he has.

Wiliamson’s storytelling is made possible by John J. Hill’s awesome lettering. Speech bubbles are excellently placed throughout, covering much of the empty space that artist Nick Derington leaves for scenes while still allowing for scale to be shown when needed. Hill also does an amazing job with sound effects like having a “SSSSSS” as Superman’s hands burn at the touch of synthetic Kryptonite and a “WHOOSH” as Superman pushes Ra’s out of a smokescreen escape. It makes the panels more appealing and fun.

The amazing Nick Derington and colorist Dave McCraig take over from David Marquez and Alejandro Sanchez. Derington brings his signature, cartoony style and gives this opening issue a more lighthearted feel despite the heaviness of the story within. It’s stylish and shows that Derington knows how to use his style to great effect as he portrays wonder and a sense of scale through various panels.

McCraig does an awesome job of accentuating Derington’s lines with his fantastic colors. One of the best examples of how effective McCraig is is a double page splash of Rogol Zaar destroying Kandor and the background being filled with an ominous orange lighting as the city crumbles around the people. Another great one is Ra’s al Ghul emerging from the Pits during another flashback, where the waters are shaded in various greens as they splash about.