Superman / Batman 8 - 13

I want to believe that this arc was more than just a vehicle for Mike Turner to draw a teenage girl in a bunch of different outfits, but I'm having a hard time doing it. Every issue it seemed that Turner made it a point to showcase Supergirl in some new type of attire for the teen boy crowd to drool over (I don't understand why anyone would drool over a drawing, but I've had conversations with boys who go nuts of some of Turner's stuff). You have Supergirl in no clothes, in casual clothes, in her Supergirl uniform, in her amazonian princess outfit, in her Darkseid's apprentice suit, in more casual clothes, and different permutations on the already pre-defined wardrobe of Kara.

Outside of this story's focus on the new Supergirl, you also get plenty of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman hitting people and fighting between Darkseid's minions and the amazonian women. Having said all of that, as much as I wanted to dislike this arc, I found I actually had a fun time reading it. I don't know how he does it, but Loeb manages to write an engaging story, even if it isn't the most intelligent.

What has really been a shining star in this series are the inner monologues of Batman and Superman. Seeing the different interpretations of the same situations and people is really intriguing and Loeb manages to capture the essence of each character in how he writes the thoughts of both of the characters. Batman is the untrusting and calculating sleuth while Superman is the boy scout who takes everything at face value.

This key difference in personalities leads to Batman and Superman confronting the arrival of Supergirl in different ways. Remarkably, for a visual medium, it was the written word that kept me coming back for more. I'm not trying to knock Turner because he does some very good work, which at times I enjoy depending upon what he's drawing, but his art was simply overshadowed by Loeb's writing. Personally, I couldn't think of a better way to have a new Supergirl introduced into DC's continuity than this arc of Superman/Batman.

Ratings
Art: 3.75
Story: 4
Overall: 4