Building a Better World's Finest: The Man of Steel #3

The Man of Steel #3 (November 1986)

"One Night in Gotham City..."

John Byrne-Byrne/Dick Giordano

Doug: Would it be negative to begin our third installment of our six-part series by using the term "mixed bag"? Those of you who've been along over the previous two weeks know that Karen and I were only mildly enthusiastic about issue #1; last week our impressions made a nice rebound as we each found issue #2 to be a fun little ride. But this week -- well, we'll see how it turns out.

Karen: Before we get going here, I just want to say that while I think John Byrne draws Superman very well, I've never cared much for his Batman. Can't really say why, it just doesn't look 'right' to me.

Doug: I actually really like his depiction of the Caped Crusader here; if I recall (and the memory fades daily) I liked the Batman-Captain America team-up as well.

Karen: He's just too bulky for me. I prefer the long and lean Aparo version.

Doug: Our weekly tour begins with a hood on the run and a giant bat-silhouette descending on him. And then the violence starts, and here's where history steps in. I'll be honest -- when I read this as a junior in college I thought it was great. I was fully on board for the Miller-esque Batman revamp, was totally digging all of the changes at DC, etc. However, when I read this the first time (Karen and I each read a book at least twice when writing our reviews) a couple of weeks ago I was just blown away at what a total ass Batman was. Several months ago we ran an Open Forum about characterization and the modern depiction of "the G-D Batman!". Well, that fellow is on full display in Man of Steel #3. I guess I didn't notice it in 1986, but this Batman bears little resemblance to the Denny O'Neil or Steve Englehart Dark Knight of the 1970's. If you think the interrogation of the Joker in The Dark Knight film was something, how about these lines? -- "And I'll do a lot worse than that, Bull. I'll hurt you. And you'll stay hurt." "The only way one man can clean up this town is if all the low-life stay good and scared. And that means dishing out a few object lessons, once in a while. Too bad for Bull. He's quite athletic, in his own way. He's not going to like having to get around on crutches for..." And then Superman grabs the Bat-rope.

Karen: Yeah, I'm not a fan of Batman as jerk, or sadist. I don't recall how I felt at the time, but I can tell you re-reading this now, this is a characterization I could do without.

Doug: Superman, on the other hand, is portrayed as he's often stereotyped -- the Boy Scout. I think John Byrne almost went overboard in trying to paint these guys as opposites. Our heroes converse for several pages (egad, do you think this influenced Bendis??), and Byrne uses this as a stage on which to play out how dissimilar they are. Batman's paranoia is on steroids, as he's encased himself in a force field set to activate itself when in contact with "super-dense biological matter" -- or a Superman. Superman shrugs it off, saying he could get to Batman and put him behind bars before Batman could even move. But then the Caped Crusader plays his trump card -- he tells the Man of Steel that to try to touch him would cause the death of one innocent Gothamite. Batman claims to have planted a bomb in Gotham City that will detonate if the force field is penetrated!
Karen: I love how shocked Superman is by this. It's shocking to the reader too, although we eventually do get an explanation for it. I did enjoy how Batman was able to elude Superman, despite his super-senses.

Doug: Superman, now powerless in the presence of the Batman, has no choice but to hear out the tale Batman begins to tell. There have been a rash of burglaries and murders in Gotham lately, all involving the theft of precious objects and a most devious method of killing (little bombs, razors, etc.). All of this has been perpetrated by a woman named Magpie (for those not in the know, magpies are birds that have an affinity for shiny objects). We drop in on Magpie, and she's a real treat -- you think the Joker or Riddler are crazy? They got nuthin' on this dame! We see Bull having to explain why he didn't throw the Batman off the trail, but he's not got enough brain cells to formulate a decent answer. And since his loyalty (and smarts) are getting in the way of the smooth acquisition of pretty, shiny things, he's gotta go. A pin-prick of a paralysis drug and a stick of dynamite in the mouth, and it's no more Bull.

Karen: Magpie is ugly inside and out. Seriously, that character design is just awful! One thing I'm noticing with these books is how dated they feel, and it's mainly due to the fashions and hair styles. Much like our FF Annual a few weeks back, we are getting another horrendous Byrne hair-do. The gag with the dynamite in the mouth - "Oh no boss! Not 'Happy Birthday'!" - wasn't funny to me at all. Batman has already told us that Magpie has killed and maimed a bunch of people.

Doug: I guess on the re-read I was somewhat taken aback at how outrightly violent this story is. There really isn't much left to the imagination -- lots and lots of bad things happen on screen. And is it just me, or does Byrne have a thing for odd librarian-types? There are several gratuitous a** shots throughout this story. That wig and glasses would be enough to scare me away!

Karen: Yes, the violence -implied and otherwise -seemed amped up. I guess the Joker killed people too, but my recollection was that it was never played up. Here, there's no doubt that Magpie is a murdering psychopath.

Doug: Superman picks up the sound of the explosion, and it's off to the races for the World's Finest. Batman and Superman arrive at the Gotham Museum of Antiquities where Superman makes, shall we say, an entrance. One of Magpie's hoods pulls an automatic pistol and lets fly. The bullets just bounce away, until Superman steps forward and crushes the barrel. Meanwhile, Batman easily apprehended the last of Magpie's goons. The game's almost up, but Magpie reaches into her bag of tricks and throws some pellets that release a quite-caustic gas. She flees, but Superman is able to save Batman by inhaling all of the gas and then flying beyond the Earth's atmosphere to exhale it. Noting that even he cannot survive outside of Earth's oxygen, he quickly flies back to the surface.

Karen: Magpie's two hoods are named Carling and Gruenbach -sounds awfully close to Carlin and Gruenwald, don't you think? I think it was interesting that Superman still has some of his more goofy powers, like super-breath and microscopic vision, yet has been reduced in overall power, unable at this point to survive in space.

Doug: Superman uses his telescopic vision to find the Batman, who is by a rather non-descript black vehicle. He's at the trunk, and we learn that the car is equipped with "one of the most advanced ... labs in the state". Batman analyzes a strand of thread that must have come from the inside of Magpie's bag. He determines that it's 5,000 years old; Superman obviously isn't a detective himself, as he says aloud that Magpie couldn't be that old! Duh... Batman basically says to follow along, amateur, and leads Superman to the museum that serves as Magpie's HQ. She's inside alright, ranting and raving. Superman walks over to her from behind and grabs off her hair! In yet another incredible piece of cramming-something-under-a-wig/mask-and-who-would-ever-know-??, the gal has a full head of red hair. And her real name? Wait for it... Margaret Pye. Ugh. Shades of Batman, 1966 (which I like in spite of all of its dopiness). Ol' girl crumples to the floor; Superman feels pity for her, but Batman talks of Arkham Asylum, and thinks of the victims.

Karen: Superman does come off as a bit of a doofus there, doesn't he? Batman must be rolling his eyes and mumbling, "5,000 years old...right." But it serves to highlight Batman's detective talent. But it just doesn't seem right for him to be driving such an ordinary car! I had the same reaction as you: Margaret Pye? The henchmen, the silly schemes...I suppose this was a tribute to the Batman TV show but it just seems horribly lame.

Doug: Afterward, our heroes meet again on a rooftop to continue their conversation about methodology, morality, etc. Superman is floored to discover that the bomb of which Batman had spoken was actually on his person -- the Gothamite who would have been killed was Batman! Superman agrees to let Batman continue his war on crime, and as he departs Batman muses to himself, "A remarkable man, all things considered. Who knows? In a different reality, I might have called him "friend"." Was that an "out" for DC if the revamps didn't work? A Bobby Ewing shower scene?

Karen: Actually, I think it was Byrne the Star Trek fan quoting from the episode "The Balance of Terror," where a Romulan commander says the same to Captain Kirk right before he destroys his own ship. But who knows? DC wanted to change things. I recall at the time, people saying that Batman and Superman wouldn't 'really' be friends because their styles were too different. But comics are not real! I like the fact that the two characters are so different and yet have tremendous respect for each other and a solid friendship. This was really well handled in the Justice League cartoon. It seems like the two became friends again in the comics, at least by the 2000s, when we had the Superman/Batman book instead of World's Finest. But by then Batman's 'jerkiness' (I'd use a stronger term but we are family friendly) was deeply ingrained and he basically treated everyone like dirt.

Doug: I know I've been somewhat hard on this story, but I do want to say that it looks great. The Byrne/Giordano combination is really stellar -- as I said, I think here Byrne draws a great-looking Batman, and I liked then and still do now the use of the black bat as the Batman's chest insignia. The characters all look like individuals, and you can almost feel Byrne using some of the pointers in John Buscema's How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. The ordinary people are smaller-framed, while Superman and Batman are impressively filled-out. There are backgrounds aplenty, and there are places in the story where the coloring really enhances the mood. So overall, I guess I would assign a C+ or so for the words, but definitely an A for the pretty pictures.

Karen: I already expressed my distaste for the Byrne Batman, so that's where we part ways, but I think your grades are pretty much what I would give!