| Superman/Batman | |
|---|---|
.png) Cover of Superman/Batman #1 (August 2003). Art by Ed McGuinness. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Publication date | October 2003 – August 2011 |
| No. of issues | 87 + 5 Annuals |
| Main character(s) | Superman Batman |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Jeph Loeb Ed McGuiness |
| Written by | |
| Penciller(s) | |
| Inker(s) | List
|
| Colorist(s) | List
|
| Collected editions | |
| Public Enemies | ISBN 1-4012-0323-X |
| Supergirl | ISBN 1401203477 |
| Absolute Power | ISBN 1401204473 |
| Vengeance | ISBN 1401209211 |
| Enemies Among Us | ISBN 1401213308 |
| Torment | ISBN 1401217001 |
| The Search for Kryptonite | ISBN 1401219330 |
Superman/Batman is a monthly American comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular superheroes: Superman and Batman. Superman/Batman premiered in August 2003, an update of the previous series, World's Finest Comics (1941–1986), in which Superman and Batman regularly joined forces.
Superman/Batman explores the camaraderie, antagonism, and friendship between its title characters. Jeph Loeb, the series' first writer, introduced a dual-narrator technique to present the characters' often opposing viewpoints and estimations of each other, which subsequent series writers have maintained. Before the 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, the two iconic characters were depicted as the best of friends. Frank Miller's landmark series The Dark Knight Returns was the first DC story that depicts the heroes at odds with each other, as opposed to Pre-Crisis incarnations. This dynamic became DC Universe canon with John Byrne's The Man of Steel, a Superman reboot published in 1986.
After the first 13 issues, most of the story arcs were independent and self-contained from the ongoing or crossover storylines in the other Batman and Superman comic titles.[1] Superman/Batman #26, Loeb's final issue, features a story plotted by Loeb's son, Sam Loeb, who wrote it before his death from cancer in 2005 at the age of 17. Twenty-six writers and artists who knew Sam worked on the issue, donating their fees and royalties for the issue to the Sam Loeb College Scholarship Fund.[2]
As part of The New 52, a series titled Batman/Superman was released from 2013 to 2016.[3] A second Batman/Superman series was released in August 2019, with issue #16 as part of DC's Infinite Frontier.[4]
A new ongoing series by Mark Waid titled Batman/Superman: World's Finest was released in March 2022.
- ^ "20 Answers and 1 Question With Dan DiDio". Newsarama. December 24, 2008. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ "Superman/Batman #26 – PopMatters Comic Book Review". Popmatters.com. June 29, 2006. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
- ^ "The Evolution of New 52: More BATMAN, More SUPERMAN ... and More Weeklies?". Newsarama. 15 December 2023.
- ^ Batman/Superman #16 (March 23, 2021)