The Weekly Panel of Steel #4

It's kinda slim pickin' for a Panel of Steel this week as Superman only made one appearance, and that was in the pages of Superman/Batman #82.

The story continues to chug along quite nicely as Batman and Detective Chimp uncover some important clues into the disappearance of Superman, while Superman himself begins to find his footing in the not too distant future under a magically reanimated sun.

It sounds crazy, but then again the best comic books usually are. Cullen Bunn continues to impress with a very clever script (I love the magic world Batwing! If only this was a Batman themed blog that would've been the panel of the week right there.) and Chriscross makes it all look pretty. There wasn't really one panel of Supes that stood out, however, as Batman took the center stage for most of this issue. Luckily for us we are saved with a stunning cover by Travel Foreman and Val Staples!


I love the blue monochrome look to whole thing, with the focal point being Superman's glowing white hand. The blue gradually gets darker as the light recedes from his hand, giving the battle between Batman and an army of Solomon Grundys in the background an especially eerie feel.

The highlights in the sword are a nice touch and tie the whole image together, letting us know that the rules are somewhat different on this magically influenced earth.

Good stuff, and well worth the price of admission alone. The fact that you got a kick-ass twenty page story to back it up makes it even better.

Artwork by Travel Foreman
Colors by Val Staples

Superman/Batman #82
May 2011
Copyright (c) DC Comics