The DC Universe line of animated pictures continues to hit the high notes, at least as far as ambition is concerned. First they decided to adapt the storyline that killed Superman, then they sought for a tie-in with The Dark Knight, then they attempted to conquer a Wonder Woman origin, all with a Darwyn Cooke adaptation somewhere in between. Now, one of the undisputed masters of comicdom (in my humble opinion) is getting his storyarc from the comic book Superman/Batman adapted for this line of sterling animated pictures.
No, folks, the Jeph Loeb-penned tale has nothing to do with the similarly-titled Dillinger/Purvis biopic starring Johnny Depp and Christian "Batman" Bale. Rather, this is a team-up story about Batman and Superman. The graphic novel, also titled Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, takes place in the closing days of Lex Luthor's first term as U.S. President. When scientists spot a Kryptonite meteor hurtling toward Earth, Luthor declares the meteor is hunting Superman, blames the big blue boy scout, and puts out a bounty - answered by supervillains and superheroes alike. Superman and Batman team up for a few good slugfests as well as a final showdown with Luthor that sets the stages for the Infinite Crisis storyline.
The animation here looks like a continuation of the Timm-verse style of animation with an interesting mix of Ed McGuinness (the illustrator on the Public Enemies issues) thrown in for source fidelity. It seems, based on their track record, that the DCU line will stay pretty faithful to the source material, since a lot of characters (Silver Banshee and Katana, for example) and concepts (the Superman/Batman flying robot) show up in this brief trailer. I'm certain not everything will stay in the story - the subplot about Metallo potentially being the murderer of Thomas and Martha Wayne, admittedly one of Loeb's missteps in the story which he whitewashes by the end - but I'd certainly hope the creators of the DCU adaptation stay true to the surprising revelation about the Kryptonite meteor, revealed in Volume 2 of Loeb's run on Superman/Batman (sequel?). [Spoilers: the meteor is actually a spaceship, carrying Kal-El's cousin Kara Zor-El - Supergirl - to Earth from Krypton!]
I'm sure I'll be seeing this film, but it's a little esoteric of a choice for the animators, who must know that their audience is comprised of diehard Loeb fans. Just make sure you do this one right, folks; I'd hate for another Superman: Doomsday slipshod adaptation.
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is landing some time in the fall of 2009 - I'll keep you posted.
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