Written by Josh Elder.
Art by Christopher Jones; Terry Beatty; Steve Wands; & Heroic Age.
Cover Art by Christopher Jones & Terry Beatty.
SUMMARY:
Entitled “A Tale of Two Cities,” DC Comics released this issue for June 2008. Presumably set during The Batman’s fourth (and final) TV season, the story begins with the contrasting perspectives of Batman & Superman defending their respective cities. Coming to Metropolis, Batman’s next target is Bruno Mannheim’s Intergang, as the crime boss is now amassing his own private super-villain army.
Having recruited Superman’s help, Batman sets up an undercover sting impersonating Clark Kent to bait Mannheim into abducting him. Against Mannheim’s army of super-thugs (including some Bane and Man-Bat lookalikes), the World’s Finest Duo have their night’s work cut out for them.
REVIEW:
Frankly, the best scene depicts Bruce Wayne playfully mingling with The Daily Planet staff. Though hardly remarkable, The Batman Strikes! # 44 offers a mix of decent writing and fun visuals. Fans of The Batman animated series should not be disappointed with this very routine team-up. Still, this issue likely qualifies as the least memorable first-ever team-up of these two DC icons in any continuity.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There is a single-page letters, answers, and kiddie art column. Also included are thumbnail cover reveals for seven other kid-friendly titles in Johnny DC’s “DC in Demand” page.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
