With Batman v Superman just days away, at the time of this writing, I think it's only fitting that I take a trip down memory lane and discuss the first time Batman and Superman met - back during the glory days of The New Batman/Superman Adventures.
I've always been a big comic book fan. What really got me into Batman was the Tim Burton Batman film from 1989. What kept me coming back was the amazing Batman: the Animated Series. That show was so much fun to watch and I always had a sense that I was getting much more story than most cartoons dared to tell. That was definitely confirmed when I was growing up, buying the DVDs and thinking to myself, "Wow. This show is still great! These are very mature stories!"
And it just got better! Those same producers went on to make Superman: the Animated Series. While I enjoyed the show, I didn't fully appreciate it till I was an adult. But that was not the case during the team up episodes with Batman. I remember back when video stores were still around I must have rented The Batman/Superman Movie 100 times and watched it over and over again. To this day, it makes me smile. While there isn't really a fight between Batman and Superman in it, there is tension and conflict. Superman doesn't agree with Batman, but Batman doesn't care. He's going to catch the Joker and leave.
The first time the characters meet is pure genius. Batman is interrogating a criminal in a nightclub. Superman comes in to stop him, saying that he's got all the information he's going to get. Batman grabs Superman and tosses him across the room. Superman stares at Batman with a classic, "How the hell did he do that?" look. As Batman goes to continue his interrogation, Superman rams into him, smacking him against the wall. "I heard you were crazy. I didn't think you were stupid," a pissed off Superman says before using his X-Ray vision to sneak a peak at Batman's true identity. Batman doesn't seem surprised that Superman would do this. Instead, he whips out a small chunk of Kryptonite and watches Superman become weak, even though the piece is just a sliver of a larger piece that the Joker has in his possession.
Later that night, Superman returns to his apartment and puts on his pajamas as Clark Kent. He takes a phone call from Lois Lane, who has started dating Bruce Wayne, and he notices something on his cape. He grabs a bat-shaped device, uses his telescopic vision to see Batman spying on him. Batman gives him a sarcastic salute and runs off. "Touche," Superman grumbles and crushes the Bat-tracer that Batman had placed on him.
The episodes in question are absolutely perfect for a first time meeting between Superman and Batman. It features a team up between Lex Luthor and the Joker, who are sublime together, a romance between Lois Lane and Bruce Wayne, who later discovers that he's Batman, and plenty of action as the heroes put aside their differences and take down their nemeses. Basically, in the late 1990s, an eleven year old boy couldn't have wished for anything better.
They kept the crossovers to a minimum, but some of the best episodes came out of it like "Knight Time" which saw Superman posing as Batman while trying to find out what happened to Bruce Wayne. Superman, in Batman's costume, fights the Riddler, Mad Hatter, and Bane. It's pretty much as bad ass as it sounds. It's revealed later that Wayne was being mind-controlled by Brainiac to build a new craft for him to escape from Earth. "The Demon Reborn" saw the return of Ra's Al Ghul. In that episode, the Lazarus Pits no longer could help to keep him alive, so he attempted to steal Superman's strength.
Those two episodes, combined with Superman's return in Batman Beyond eventually paved the way for the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated series. Some of the all time best Batman-Superman-Justice League stories have been told in animation, even over the comic books (any die hard fan will agree to that). Batman and Superman's friendship felt like it was earned over a mutual respect for each other despite their different approaches to fighting crime. Watching Justice League, I could see where they had that friendship and partnership that was stronger than any other characters. And it all started with The New Batman/Superman Adventures.
I've been wanting a Batman/Superman film ever since I was a little kid. I mentioned before how back in 2002, there was talk of Wolfgang Petersen directing a film from Andrew Kevin Walker's script.
My heart soared and I couldn't believe that I was going to get an honest to God team up movie featuring Batman and Superman! Then . . . you know . . . we didn't get that movie. Instead, WB gave Christopher Nolan a shot at Batman with Batman Begins and Bryan Singer took on Superman Returns. While each film has their fans and critics, there were always rumors that possibly Superman and Batman would cross over. While Superman Returns didn't fare well at the box office, and Nolan went on to make two more Dark Knight films, there were still rumors. Hell, after Man of Steel premiered I remember reading that WB was willing to offer Christian Bale $50 million to reprise his role as Batman for MOS2. That turned out to only be a rumor, as Bale admitted later he was never approached, but the thought was always there. When were Batman and Superman going to be in a freaking film together?
That's when San Diego Comic Con 2013 happened. It was finally going to happen! A month later, it was announced that Ben Affleck would be playing Bruce Wayne/Batman. As the usual, and frankly, unprovoked, fanboy hate came out. I will admit I was hesitant at first. Then I saw Argo and The Town. My fears were put to rest. I knew immediately that Affleck would be a great Batman. My feeling has never changed and if early reviews are any indication, I'm right. This film will be nothing short of epic to me.
Over the years I've read many comics featuring Batman and Superman. Sometimes solo adventures, sometimes with the Justice League, sometimes in a team up or a guest spot in each other's books. I can tell you one thing - the pairing, fights, arguments, hand shakes, etc have always made me smile. Batman and Superman are the best characters in comic books. When they team up, assuming the writing is well done of course, it's magical and exciting to me. Every time I see Batman and Superman in animation, video games, comic books, I think back to The New Batman/Superman Adventures. I've always loved Batman and I totally believe that Batman could beat Superman in a fight. But to be honest, I don't want them to fight. I want them to get along, be best friends, and kick the crap out of the bad guys. Because that's who they are. They're heroes! And to me, they're idols. Characters I've looked up to my entire life. And now that I get to see them in live action? It's going to bring tears to my eyes.
Till Next Time!
JJ - the Comic Junkie!
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