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Batman/Superman #22

Scheduled to arrive in stores: September 28, 2021
Cover date: November 2021

"Little Boxes"

Writer: Gene Luen Yang
Artist: Paul Pelletier
Cover: Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, and Sabine Rich
Variant Cover: Gary Frank and Brad Anderson

Reviewed by: Craig Boehmer
Click to enlarge

While in prison Calendarman is visited by Mr. Mxyzptlk. Mxy gives him infinite powers, consisting of being able to see outside of his current panel box. He uses it to protect himself from some thugs, and then to learn Batman's identity. He takes this information to his crew, who all laugh at him causing him to blind them with a broken beer bottle. He then sets his sights on Superman and Batman to earn a second surprise that Mxy had promised him. Inspite of his best panel hopping efforts, the World's Finest defeats him causing Mxy to blame the readers. Such a fun read.

5Story - 5:I loved this story. It is silly and fun, but still manages to provide you with a quintessential Superman/Batman moment. When Calendar Man's arm accidentally gets cut off, and they save his life, it shows Yang's understanding of the characters. Yang allows the dynamic duo to play off each other very well, even when they are not the focus of the story. Having Calendar Man as the focus gives Yang the chance to highlight one of the C list villains in Batman's Rogues Gallery. It doesn't really bring anything new to our understanding of Calendar Man, but it does show how malicious that imp from the Fifth Dimension can be. Such a great story. DC is pumping out some great Superman stuff right now.

5Art - 5: The art is fantastic. All of the characters look great and dynamic. The fight scenes where Calendar Man is bouncing between panels is hilarious and wonderful. Pelletier is such a solid artist right now. I'm curious where he and Yang will end up in DCs future.

5Cover Art - 5: Great cover that showcases the menacing villains trapping our heroes on a calendar. The cover pops with colours, and little Mxy has rarely looked better.

5Variant Cover Art - 5: This cover should be a poster on my wall. This is how good a cover of Batman and Superman can look. Gary Frank can flat out draw Superman, I love how he gives him just a hint of the Christopher Reeves look. If they were serious about making money, DC needs a Black Label Superman book by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. His art is gorgeous here.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2021

Note: Except for digital first releases, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

January 2021 February 2021 March 2021 April 2021 May 2021 June 2021 July 2021 August 2021 September 2021 October 2021 November 2021 December 2021

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