Batman/Superman, Volume 5: Truth Hurts

Batman/Superman (2013)

by Greg Pak (Writer), Ardian Syaf (Illustrator), Cliff Richards (Illustrator)

THESE ARE NOT THE WORLD’S FINEST...

Batman and Superman—separately, they’re two of the greatest heroes the world has ever seen. Together, they’re an incredible team...and the greatest of friends.

But Batman and Superman have never teamed up like this before.

This is a Superman who’s lost most of his powers and had his identity revealed to the entire world. Someone is coordinating a series of attacks against him that have brought him to the brink of destruction, and he needs the world’s greatest detective to help him put the clues together.

But this Batman isn’t Bruce Wayne. Jim Gordon now protects Gotham as the robot-suited Batman, and he has no reason to trust Superman...especially when his presence in Gotham seems to have brought on a war with a race of super-powered subterranean beings!

They may not be the Batman and Superman who have done amazing things together in the past. But if they can’t learn to work together now, there may no longer be a Gotham City to protect!

Spinning off of the events of BATMAN VOL. 8: SUPER HEAVY and SUPERMAN VOL. 1: TRUTH, acclaimed writer Greg Pak (ACTION COMICS) and artists Ardian Syaf (GREEN LANTERN) and Cliff Richards (LOBO) chronicle the first meeting between two very changed heroes, with guest appearances by Batgirl, Aquaman, Red Hood and more!

Collects: DC Sneak Peek: Batman/Superman #1 and Batman/Superman #21-27.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Superman, Fiction, Comic Book

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2016

About the author

Greg Pak is an award-winning Korean American comic book writer and filmmaker currently writing "Lawful" for BOOM and "Sam Wilson: Captain America" (with Evan Narcisse) for Marvel. Pak wrote the "Princess Who Saved Herself" children's book and the “Code Monkey Save World” graphic novel based on the songs of Jonathan Coulton and co-wrote (with Fred Van Lente) the acclaimed “Make Comics Like the Pros” how-to book. Pak's other work includes "Planet Hulk," "Darth Vader," "Mech Cadet Yu," "Ronin Island," "Action Comics," and "Magneto Testament."

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 2 out of 5]

(B-) 71% | Satisfactory
Notes: Forgettable, slow, not heroes you know, in-name-only, so it's a hollow combo, even Bat-cameos feel wasted and faux.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ DC Sneak Peek, Issues #21-22 ◦ Issues #23-24

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know who I used to love?
Superman.



Well, now he's not all that super, having been depowered in the latest DC debacle.
*sigh*
So, instead of Superman, we've got Sorta Strongish Guy.
Yay.



You know who else I used to like?
Jim Gordon.



And now? Now...?*voice breaks, sobs*
He's just a middle-aged douchebag with a mohawk in a robot suit.



As for the real Batman?
He's off on Amnesia Island growing a beard, playing Boys and Girls Club counselor to underprivileged youths.
DC is slowly killing my soul...



So what do you get when you mix a ridiculously stubborn and underpowered Superman with an annoyingly self-righteous Batbot? A half-assed story where little to nothing sticks to your ribs.
Still. Having said that, it was still better than I thought it would be. Readability-wise, it wasn't half bad. My main problem was that I simply didn't want to pick the stupid thing up and start reading it.
I can't...
Oh, these characters are just...awful!
Even Lois is such an asshole. Why they felt they needed to spend several pages with her basically telling Clark to 'get over it cuz we all make mistakes, bro', was beyond me.
She purposely leaked his secret identity!
OhMyGodShe'sHorrible.



The villains were pretty lackluster, as well.
Ukur, the Beastlord of Subterranea, anyone? <--Hahahahaha!
Turns out he was (sorta) working for Vandal Savage (who's a bit better), but you never really understand what old Vandal is trying to pull off...other than a generic world domination scheme.



Ugh. I'm not blaming Greg Pak, I just don't think there was honestly much to work with here. I hate who these characters have become so much that I'm reluctant to read anything else, and it's just painful to watch whatever this nightmare of a cast is turning into.
*shudder*
But at the same time, I want to finish these New 52 titles out and see if Rebirth is better.

In all fairness, there were some fun moments. Especially once some of the Batkids showed up to help Clark out.



Overall, though? Yeah. I'm just not a fan. But if you've been enjoying what's been going on in the Batman title, or maybe you've always hated the New 52 Superman? Maybe you'll like this better than I did.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

When did everyone in the new 52 turn into a-holes? Robo-Batman, a dick. Sort of Superman, a dick. Aquaman, a dick. The new 52 seems to have picked up the tone of the DC movies and it shows here, because this book sucks. I don't want to see Batman and Superman bicker for 6 issues (unless it's in a fun way, which this is not). This leads into the Savage Dawn crossover as it appears everyone Superman has fought since he was depowered worked for Vandal Savage. Even though this book is terrible, Ardian Syaf and Cliff Roberts provide some pretty good art.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world has lost their trust in Superman -- Clark Kent's been outed, and someone's been draining his powers.

The world has lost faith in Batman -- the original never returned following the Joker's latest attack, and now a pretender works for the GPDC in a powered armor suit.

And yet these two must head of another attempt at world domination.


...from this site.

[Jesse A · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can have a weaker Superman (though DC botched the job) and you can have a RoboBatman who is not BW, but you cant have both and expect a lot of love.

[James DeSantis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is so...lame? Damn it. What happened here? Well it's simple really. Take a super depowered Superman, which is just boring as fuck, and Gordan worst characterization I've ever seen and you get this...team up? Well more like arguing a lot till you team up and then fight a generic villain over and over again.

What I liked: The art is solid and the start is interesting.

What I didn't like: Everything else. The plot is bad, the pacing is slow, and the fights are so weak it was never entertaining.

So yeah...big old skip. Not the worst thing ever but I won't remember it. 1.5 out of 5.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can we have Bruce and Superman's powers back?

Please? 🙏

[Sud666 · Rating 2 out of 5]

*sigh* Ok not sure what the hell is going on....but the story certainly has gotten on the stupid track and not likely to get off. Where to begin? Ok..Superman is now Clark Kent and is operating at 1% of his normal power. I think. At least that's how it seems sometimes while other times he seems completely normal. It's confusing and slightly irritating.

On top of this we now have a mohawk sporting (why?!!! No why?!!!!) Jim Gordon who is uh Batman. Yeah. Gordon is now Batman. Except he is in some weird manga inspired battle suit that looks like it belongs in a Japanese Mecha story. So mohawk Jim and Clark team up to fight Vandal Savage. Oh and they have help from the B-squad of Red Hood, Batgirl, and Nightwing. Vandal has found a Fifth Reich spaceship (someone should clue them in that there were on three Reichs, so the next is Fourth..but never mind) and some underground dweller is trying to steal an artificial sun. Thats about it. So while not putrid this isn't good either.

Not a fan of this "new" version of the DC universe..no worries I'm sure it will change in a volume or two.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very good artwork but a mediocre list of characters, dialogue and plot/story. Superman doesn't have his powers anymore and is still trying to be a hero and make adjustments. Batman isn't Bruce Wayne.

OVERALL GRADE: C plus to B minus.

[John Yelverton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let's see... how about we start with the fact that you can't call this book Batman/Superman when there is no Batman or Superman in it! Mecha James Gordon is not Batman, and Stronger than Your Average Man is not Superman. Throw in the fake animosity between them, and the horrible, horrible antagonist, and you have yourself a steaming pile of garbage.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't really a bad book, but it wasn't the usual Batman/Superman team up. We have a de-powered Superman teaming up with Jim Gordon in a robotic batsuit. It was something different, but I prefer the original team better. So in this volume we see some monsters from underground invading the surface world with Aquaman making an appearance. We also have Batgirl, Grayson and Red Hood joining our duo to battle Vandal Savage.

The art isn't bad, and the story's not bad either. It just wasn't what I was expecting and felt a little flat.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent (for the New 52) premise is dragged down by odious conversational repetition and a few ridiculous story decisions - dropping a reference to a Nazi 'Fifth Reich' is some hardcore world-building when done properly, here it was a throwaway reference never hear of before or to be seen again.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Superman de-powered and Batman missing altogether? Shakes up the status-quo and gives the writer something fresh to deal with but the end product for me was not all that great.

[Ben Truong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman/Superman: Truth Hurts picks up where the previous trade paperback left off and collects the next seven issues (Batman/Superman #21–27) of the 2013 on-going series with DC Sneak Peek: Batman/Superman short story told in Convergence: Booster Gold #2 and covers five stories.

"Truth Hurts" is a four-issue storyline (Batman/Superman #21–24) that has a power-downed Clark Kent as Superman and Jim Gordon as the new Batman at first they go at each other, but reluctantly team up to take them Dawn Command, Vandel Savage, and Wrath.

"Savage Hunt" , "Teamwork", and "Trust" are interconnecting one-issue storyline (Batman/Superman #25–27) that has a depowered Clark Kent as Superman along with members of the Bat Family: Dick Grayson as Agent 37, Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, and Jason Todd as Red Hood to continue the fight with Vandel Savage.

DC Sneak Peek: Batman/Superman is a short story, which features a powerless Superman facing-off with the Supremacists in Gotham City, when James Gordon as Batman comes by and promptly tries to arrest the former Man of Steel.

Greg Pak penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written moderately well – I just not thrilled with the storyline of a depowered Superman and James Gordon as Batman being enemies at first blush than working together. The stories were written somewhat unevenly, but were overall mediocre.

Ardian Syaf (Batman/Superman #21–24, 26–27, and DC Sneak Peek: Batman/Superman), Cliff Richards (Batman/Superman #25–27), Yildirary Cinar, and Howard Porter (Batman/Superman #24) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part, the penciling was well done and their styles complemented each other rather nicely.

All in all, Batman/Superman: Truth Hurts is a mediocre continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series.

[MasterSal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expectation management is super important as I've realised in reading this because I actually liked this. It was odd and I can't say I loved it or even that it was a good Batman comic but, as a Superman comic, it hit some important things about the character.

Superman is a good man and he tries and - powers or not. Now to be honest, I don't like the character design except for the t-shirt. The buzz cut and the bulked up physique is meant to be evoke a grittiness to counter the spirt and kindness of the character didn't balance for me. I didn't like the implication that Superman is 'lesser' when he look like an army he-man. It's cliched.

However, his persistence near the end and his continued desire to the right thing won me over. Plus the appearance of the Bat-family was cute so I gave it a 3 star in the end even though this decided to butcher Batman as a character. Despite not having Bruce as Batman you cant take an iconic character and basically make him an idiot. Maybe that is why you cant have Batman without Bruce - I warn you, if you are Batman fan you will likely (rightly) dislike this comic.

The first quarter is confusing as heck so power through that. If I had stopped there, as I was tempted to do, I would have rated this a 1 star. I was so annoyed that everyone seems to forget that Superman is a good guy!? So what if he was also Clark Kent – I can see his personal friends have issues but the rest??? Annoying. But I am glad I continued as this did pick for me.

PS. To be honest, I would likely have rated this a 3 star for the last panel in the book. Batman / Superman are the real power couple in the DC.

[Victor Orozco · Rating 1 out of 5]

False advertisement.

This is called Batman/Superman but where the hell is Superman and Batman? Superman's powers are gone thanks to DC's stupid Superflare draining him of his power and Batman has amnesia, so now James Gordon wears two armored Batman costumes and calls himself a superhero.

Terrible. Gordon is a self-righteous jerk who can't condone a vigilante Superman, yet he became Batman's BFF. Superman is trying his hardest to find his mark and he does well in some places.

Interesting work on the stories but its not well told as a collection. Aquaman's story with Superman works okay at first but then seems to go away. I did like that snowy adventure with Superman and those civilians but everything was then left to waste.

F

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 1 out of 5]

I defer my review to my Good Reads friend Anna's review because she nails this cruddy book but she missed one thing wrong with it and that was that the artwork was terrible too. All around hoping DC will throw all this out and start over.....good thing they kinda did with Rebirth right? Please?

[sparrowhawk dualcast · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice concept, but not so appealing for me.

[Mohammad Aboomar · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst so far in a bad series.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series ended... pretty well. I can't say I particularly loved this series, though it did have some rather cool moments and a handful of high points. (Namely when Batman and Superman lost their memories, which prompted the question: How much of who we are is from our experiences and how much is innate? As well as the story that explored the idea of Superman having his own Joker: a villain obsessed with chaos and destruction, but who would have the power to rival the Man of Steel.) Those two were pretty interesting ideas that actually felt like Batman and Superman stories. However, the vast majority of this series just... didn't feel right. It was like reading almost-Batman and almost-Superman, which seems to be a problem with the New 52. I didn't notice that at first, but the more I read, the more I realize that the New 52 didn't quite capture the characters we know and love. That was especially true in this volume. I enjoyed most of the New 52 Batman... minus the rather odd turn of events that led to Jim Gordon being robo-Batman. And, considering that was the Batman we got in this volume, I wasn't as engrossed as I could be. And, also, whereas the last couple volumes began to feel like we actually (finally!) had Superman, this one... didn't. Again. I know he's de-powered and his identity is compromised, but there was still something in his attitude that felt very un-Superman. Maybe it was the swearing. Maybe it was the palpable frustration. Superman has always had a human core: he gets frustrated, he gets angry, etc. But this Superman approached those feelings in a way that... didn't feel like the opposite of Batman. And that's Superman's charm: he's the opposite of Batman. And in this, he just felt like... I'm not sure. A more positive Batman? I don't know. Like I said, the New 52 had a habit of almost giving us the characters we wanted, but then not exactly hitting them (especially in later volumes). That said, reading this has kind of confirmed for me that I'm not going to be reading the New 52 Superman solo series. I didn't have much of an interest before, but I'm not sure I can read anymore of this almost-Superman. I'm excited to head on to Rebirth, which, from the very little I've read, seems like we're getting our Superman back. That said, I did enjoy that this comic came full circle with Bruce Wayne sticking up for a kid--the exact opposite of his philosophy at the beginning of the series. (And I'm slightly confused in some continuity... did Batman "die" and then Bruce Wayne lose his memory and get it back before or after Robin (Damian Wayne) came back from the dead... I'm sensing before, but I feel like I'm going to have to look this up to make sure. Ugh... it's so hard to make sure you read things in order.) Also, I did enjoy getting to see Red Hood, Dick Grayson, and Batgirl helping out. The more comics I read, the bigger fan I become of Red Hood. He's so blunt, and I find that hysterical. Add in that he's also one of the most complex characters in comics, with more shades of gray than a newspaper... and yeah, I need more Red Hood in my life. I also liked how it ended: that Batman and Superman, while different--darkness and light, etc.--ultimately have a mutual trust and respect for each other. That's the most fascinating thing about their friendship: that they are simultaneously so different and so similar. (Now if only that could be captured on the silver screen like it is in the comics.... *sigh* I suppose we can dream.) In short, this wasn't my favorite series, but it was still worth the time: not enthralling, but enjoyable enough.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth Hurts continues the powerless arc of Superman, but also changes the game up further here. This is not the same Batman from previous team-ups, but in fact, Commissioner Jim Gordon. Superman travels to Gotham upon learning of a secret terrorist group stealing energy weapons, but in the process, clashes with the new Batman both in investigation and strategy. However, upon learning that Vandal Savage is behind both the robberies and Superman's power loss, the whole bat family collaborate with the Man of Steel to stop their immortal opponent.

Just like Action Comics: Truth, Truth Hurts feels almost like two separate story arcs despite the connecting points. The clashes between the two main heroes here really show, as both share qualities of impatience and recklessness in their mindsets. But in a gradual process, the pair begins to work together in sync, coming an understanding of trust, working good for character development. Additional bonuses include the prominence of Batgirl, Grayson & Red Hood in the mix; a return with an old enemy of Superman from a previous story, and a guest showdown with Aquaman due to a misunderstanding. Honestly, you don't see that happen much in the Superman story so that was kind of cool. I like it, though the ending felt a little rushed, which I believe is due to leading to the next arc, and I wished there was a more thorough answer to why the old Batman is not around this time. Still interesting, with a little change up in the gameplay here.

[Benjamin Kimble · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes place in a time when Superman was depowered and Batman was Jim Gordon in a mech suit… yea. Superman is a jerk and I hate that. I understand him being a little rougher around the edges due to extended power loss but the new 52 really misunderstands Superman as a character in this regard. There’s a part where he considers letting people die, or acceptable loss, and he even uses a gun, which just isn’t Superman. The idea behind this is that Vandal Savage is trying to power up some Nazi super weapon with nukes he hid in the arctic after the Cold War. I’m not entirely sure why. We seem to be learning, in conjunction with Greg Park’s other title at the time Action Comics, that Vandal has been behind everything going wrong with Superman, and I suppose this all leads to the crossover Savage Dawn, maybe some answers will be given there. Batman and Superman don’t get along and it’s not in a fun way, it’s in a grating, annoying, childish way. The book tries to be about them setting aside their differences but it doesn’t deliver that message very well. The best part is when Batgirl, Red Hood, and Grayson show up. Red Hood is pretty one dimensional angry guy, but Dick and Barbara have good moments with Clark. Ardian Syaf does better with this more rough and tumble Superman, because he’s grittier and more Batman like. But the mech Batman doesn’t work as well with just style, it just looks so strange. Overall the book is kinda odd.

[Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bats/Supes crossover mash-ups have not, by any reasonable measure, been good.
They started off badly and then went careering downhill at such a rate Superman himself couldn't have caught up.
So it came as something of a shock to discover I had actually bought up to Vol 5 before seeing sense.
Came as an even bigger shock to discover it was next on the list. But rules is rules, so with heavy heart the book was picked up and opened with no real expectation of getting anywhere near the end.
But, somehow, not only did I make it all the way through, but I actually enjoyed the experience.
Dammit, this book was actually fun.
That's not supposed to happen.
The artwork is lively and engaging, the writing sharp and snappy, and the story (a now powerless Superman faces a Big Bad with help from new Batman and friends) even manages to make sense. It's quite the revelation.
In fact the only time you find yourself muttering FFS under your breath is when Aquaman pitches up, which seems quite reasonable under the circumstances.
Why couldn't they all have been this good?

[Doctor Doom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Superman=brave but stupid [and thus endangering others] because he doesn't want to ask for help [endangering the planet] but wants to do it himself even though he is basically depowered. Batman=not really Batman but a youngish [?] Gordon in various Batsuits ... simply ridiculous. I did like Red Hood's take on things [basically nuke 'em, it's the only way to be sure].
I realized at some point I was ready a New52 [PU52] graphic novel and while some of their concepts were decent they were rolled out wrong, double-downed wrong, ticking off the major part of their market and then finally, after bringing DC so low financially [and otherwise] they made it, would it should have been admitted to be in the first place [they denied this multiple times over multiple years] it was a different universe than the main continuity. And yes, I am still ticked about how they mishandled that! How can you tell?

[Samuel Osito · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s very different from the usual Batman Superman material, but I thought it was a decent read.

The artwork is fantastic throughout, particularly in capturing the action. The plot isn’t great but the cameos of Batfamily characters was interesting, although not super well executed. Superman continuing to exist and do his duty as an underpowered, vulnerable person seems more well realized than before in this volume, but I think its still lacking in delivery. A depowered Supes isn’t inherently more interesting, and this volume (and the whole Truth arc) didn’t do much to address that fact. There’s no character development or clever solutions, just a constant series of reminders that Clark could die— which stops being interesting very quickly.

Despite a lot of these problems though, if you treat this volume with no expectations and enjoy it for what it is, it’s a decent enough read with awesome artwork. Definitely not the strongest material in this title, but not bad either.

[Jean-Pierre Vidrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book proves two points about reading comics that I've long held: don't get too hung up on continuity, and don't worry about radical changes to well established characters. DC's New 52 had its hits and misses for me. And the idea of a depowered Superman teaming up with a new power armored Batman might have sounded like a colossal misstep to a lot of readers. But any readers who turned their noses up at this without giving it a chance missed out on one incredible story.
The characters of Kent and Gordon are explored here, both from their own points of view and from each others'.
The artwork throughout is wonderful and lively. And I give Cliff Richards and Jack Herbert extra points for actually making Superman's armor look really cool.
For a great one-off story, where you won't mind if your faves are wildly different than usual, this is a great volume to pick up.

[Nate Deprey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more of their newer graphic novels I read the more I wish these included a "previously" page at the beginning. While I like Pak as a writer if I had known Jim Gordon is now Batman and Superman basically has 1% of his strength, can't fly and is about as invulnerable as your average starting right tackle this collection wouldn't have such a steep learning curve.
All that said this is a fun story. Vandal Savage is a golden age bad guy who was given a modern update on the CW and works as an interesting foil to a depowered Superman. The addition if Redhood, Batgirl and Agent Grayson to the mix have a getting the gang together feel that serves the story well and has a nice payoff.

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first 3 or 4 issues are boring with Batman not trusting Superman and Superman not trusting Batman and every page has 1000 narration boxes that can be summed up to say "I'm not as super anymore." WE GET IT.

But the issue Teamwork was actually VERY good? The dialogue was funny and meaningful. Each character seemed like their character instead of just plot people. And then the rest of the story was good and was solved.

This book confused me because it's the same author but a huge jump in quality between issues.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's just been too long since I read Volume 4, but this seemed to be something totally different. The back says it was "spinning off events of ..." other comics that I haven't read. Also, this one didn't have the amazing art style of Jae Lee. So that was disappointing, but I did enjoy the story. I like that Superman didn't have all his powers and that Batman wasn't really Batman. Also liked the guest appearances.

[Ernest · Rating 1 out of 5]

I suppose there are some people who would have enjoyed this volume? I guess that I can't really fault the writers for trying something new, but despite solid art, the overall result of this volume did not overly interest me. I wonder if reading previous volumes would have made me enjoy it more overall.