The power of video games. Greg Pak and Brett Booth are unleashing what could happen if PlayStation 4 or X-Box One were to ratchet up their abilities and get some help from a monstrous super villain like, say, Mongul. Thus far in Greg Pak’s story, Batman and Superman have been sucked into a massive online video game. Mongul has fooled people into thinking the raging battle between the two heroes is part of the game, so they will file more of their energy into it.
Events have unfolded in a very lengthy and intricate way. To try and rehash what’s gone down would do a disservice to the previous issues. Essentially, Batman/Superman #7 pits Batman against Superman. The people who believe this is all a game are driving Batman, and while he’s attempting to fight their influence, even the Dark Knight has an issue with ninety million minds all vying for control. Superman has a bigger problem. To stop the high-powered Batman from killing him in the game, he must smash the console. However, in the game, Batman was slaughtered and then put back together by Mongul’s nanobots. If the console goes down, the effects might be reversed and Batman could perish.
What Batman/Superman #7 comes down to is believing. The story starts with a common Metropolis resident waiting in line to file for a grant from Wayne Foundation. It’s 4:55 and she needs it in by 5 o’clock. Suddenly, Superman, involved in a duel, smashes through the post office, costing her the chance she so desperately needs. When Mongul fastens 3-D glasses to her skull, she becomes part of the game and opens a can of whoop ass on Superman.
Superman hatches a plan to stop the game and defeat Mongul. He lets Batman win, and once he’s been defeated as a real entity, he becomes a player in the game. This allows him to tap into the millions of minds behind Batman. It’s a moment of belief, one that the world will choose heroism over hatred. Pak even injects a moment between the woman from the opening of the story and Superman. A moment where she’s forced to make a choice based on who she is, and what she truly believes.
Ultimately, good triumphs over evil. Even the woman, who seemed so destined to fail, is given a reprieve. Pak uses the visceral action of the video game to set up a separation between Superman and Batman. The Big Blue Boy Scout will always believe and choose hope of cynicism, unlike his darkly-cowled friend. It’s a long way to go for that point, but Pak’s writing is so good, the trip is well worth it.
Brett Booth’s art is glorious in both scope and execution. I don’t know if this guy could pencil a quiet independent book, but man, can he kick the ass of an action epic. DC has chosen to use a sideways vantage for this story. In other words, the pages are set up horizontally like a calendar. Booth takes full advantage of each page, cramming as much action into every panel as will fit, and then hitting us with explosive splash pages. Booth’s work is a gut punch of constant action.
(4.5 Story, 4.5 Art)
