Superman isn’t as tough as he used to be. There’s a new guy calling himself Batman. You know what that means: it’s time for a classic superhero misunderstanding fight where the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight throw down again.
Like it’s been doing for the last few weeks, DC Comics is putting out free previews of the comics that will be hitting stands after their placeholder Convergence event ends this month. Most of the ones they’ve offered this week are forgettable or not exciting enough to talk about. But the preview of the Batman/Superman title gives me more reason to get psyched about the upcoming status quo shifts happening with the company’s two biggest characters.
(Spoilers follow. Hover over the top left of each image and click on the magnifying glass icon to expand it.)
In case you haven’t heard, the new Batman is going to be Commissioner Jim Gordon, wearing a darkly-hued suit of power armor. And Superman’s power levels will be lower than they’ve been in decades, not great for a superhero whose secret identity is due to be exposed to the world. So, of course, when Kal-El hits Gotham—sporting a new look himself—on the trail of super-powered bad guys, he runs into Batman. It’s not a happy reunion.
The end of the teaser holds a big surprise that heralds even more twists for the relationships between DC’s major heroes and villains. Of course, fights between Batman and Superman are nothing new. But the reason this new rivalry stands to be different and worth paying attention to is because of the changes that are coming.
This won’t be super-smart, super-rich Bruce Wayne trying to pummel Superman; it’ll be a cop who’s been awed by or wary of the Kryptonian for years. And this isn’t a Superman who can necessarily shrug off a nuke anymore. A few good punches from the new batsuit could take him down. I keep telling myself that I should know better to be excited about this stuff but I can’t help it.
Contact the author at evan@kotaku.com.