Batman/Superman: The Archive of Worlds

Batman/Superman (2019)

by Gene Luen Yang, Ivan Reis (Illustrator), Danny Miki (Illustrator)

Dive into strange new worlds as the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight are met by new villains, new heroes, and a transdimensional threat!

In the aftermath of Dark Nights: Death Metal, the DC Universe has been completely shaken. Witness a debut of deadly new villains, including the Spider Lady and her poisonous webs, and Dr. Atom, who hides dastardly secrets. This is Batman and Superman like they’ve never been seen before!

Collecting Batman/Superman #16-22 and Batman/Superman 2021 Annual!

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Superheroes, Superman, Science Fiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published December 28, 2021

About the author

Gene Luen Yang writes, and sometimes draws, comic books and graphic novels. As the Library of Congress’ fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, he advocates for the importance of reading, especially reading diversely. American Born Chinese, his first graphic novel from First Second Books, was a National Book Award finalist, as well as the winner of the Printz Award and an Eisner Award. His two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints won the L.A. Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award Finalist. His other works include Secret Coders (with Mike Holmes), The Shadow Hero (with Sonny Liew), Superman from DC Comics (with various artists), and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series from Dark Horse Comics (with Gurihiru). In 2016, he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. His most recent books are Dragon Hoops from First Second Books and Superman Smashes the Klan from DC Comics.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gene Luen Yang and Ivan Reis craft a story straight out of the Silver Age. Autuer.io is an alien god with the powers of a movie director to other realities. Batman and Superman from various realities all cross between these worlds by burning through their film and leaping into another one. Reis provides some interesting panels consisting of film cells fluttering across the page. It does do on for way too many issues though.

In the last issue, Mr. Mxyzptlk gives Calendar Man the ability to tell he's in a comic. So he can look flip ahead to future panels or punch someone from one panel to the next. It was quite the fun issue.

[Khurram · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok elseworld type book. It is found the first issue interesting, having the top half of the book being the story of Superman from the World of Tomorrow, and the bottom being Batman's World of the Knight story both being told at the same time. The rest of the book the stories converge.

It is an interesting concept to have a story of two worlds converging one with out a Batman and one without a Superman.

A decent story and very good artwork, but this book read like a giant Elseworld book. I guess a standalone arc like this might be a nice break for some as the last two volumes are very entrenched in the DC main universe, but for me there just something missing.

[Sem · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decently fun retro adventure with an innovative and fun format for the first couple of issues. Being a throwback to old superhero stories, it carries all the same burdens so it's not exactly perfect but Yang is a master at mimicking the classics while adding a touch of his own wit, so it's all a fun ride, if a slightly too long one.

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good comic. The idea behind the first issue was rather well done- two different stories going on at the same time. The rest of the story with the mixing of worlds is pretty good. Throughout the artwork is well done. The only one I did not like Batman/Superman 2021 Annual, with its subpar art, and the addition to the overall story was lacking.

Now what was this volume about? A poorly-named villain, Auteur 1.0, has the ability to warp reality like a movie strip and is combining Batman and Superman's lives. In order to fight effectively, Superman and Batman switch worlds to fight various versions of their worlds. Like I said, this is a solid, not great, volume. Good story and really good artwork.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Em Gene Luen Yang a gente pode confiar! O trabalho do autor sino-americano nos quadrinhos de super-heróis é muito bom, principalmente se comparado com a maiori dos materiais disponibilizados atualmente. Gene desenvolve heróis e tramas que nem subestimam e nem superestimam o leitor, mas colocam esses elementos no mesmo nível de quem os lê. No caso de Batman/Superman: O Arquivo dos Mundos no nível de um leitor de quadrinhos tarimbado que vai entender as referências a filmes e à linguagem de quadrinhos e à história dos quadrinhos de super-heróis que ele isneriu nas páginas deste encadernado. O que deixa o encadernado menos empolgante, entretanto, é a inconsistência da arte, que começa com Ivan Reis e depois vai assumindo um monte de estilos e de autores diversos que na maioria das vezes não serve à narrativa. Na minha opinião, a série deveria ter começado e se encerrado com os trabalhos do brasileiro, afinal, a arte dele também é uma atração e tanto nos primeiros números da série. De toda forma, é uma grande evolução da fase anterior por Joshua Williamson que vinha numa pegada sombria e violenta demais. A fase de Gene Luen Yang é divertida, leve e celebra aquilo que os quadrinhos tem e tiveram de bom durante sua caminhada até aqui.

[Mohamed Metwally · Rating 3 out of 5]

As if it was not enough to have a multiverse introduced in the Metal event, but now comes another expansion (or should I say complication) of the DC universe with the introduction of another array of worlds that are under the manipulation of Auteur.IO, and my fear is that this adventure takes place in Earth Zero, that is, I fear a third layer of complication will be added by some writer in the future to create an arc that comibnes the Archive with the Multiverse.

Leaving my fears aside, it was a good angle to have two wrolds with each of them under the protection of one of the duo in absence of the other, to witness their first encounter, and the budding seeds of the eventual friendship that binds them.

MiM

[A.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable Batman/Superman run that, along with the new Shang Chi ongoing, showed me just how great of a writer Gene Leun Yang can be. The biggest shame is the book was cancelled after this, and I really wouldn’t have been mad if this team did another arc before Waid and Mora take over later this year. Oh well, at least we have this one.

[J New · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most insanely out there trippy silver age meta story I’ve read in ages. And then it gets even more meta in the last story! Loved it! It’s like fun fan fiction yet holds up and the art and story design are amazing! Butler smash…

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superman and Batman win again. Just like always. YOU! You know how every one of these stories is going to end! So why do you keep coming back? It's like you enjoy having the same thing repeated to you, over and over! It's a sickness, I tell you! You've been here every month since 1938! That's forever! I mean, I didn't even show up until 1944! But then, perhaps I should be grateful. After all, the little boxes that make up my reality will keep on going ad infinitum, even after this particular sequence ends, simply because...--you love to see your heroes win.

Gene Luen Yang's TPB collection Batman/Superman: The Archive of Worlds manages, after so many decades, to utilize the comic book format innovatively. This is a creative concept. But, also, this is one cheesy Superman and Batman story:

Robin continually complains he has trig homework waiting for him when he's finished working with Batman...

Superman tells a villain that "saving lives" is what heroes do-even if the life is that of a villain who up to that point was trying to kill him...

Batman and Superman don cowboy outfits and save a train-load of people...

And, during the run, Yang continually shows how malleable the comic book format is. I'm not a huge fan of breaking the fourth wall, but, without spoilers, Yang accomplishes more than just that. I can't stress enough how creative, innovative this story is--but I also cannot stress enough how cheesy the action and dialogue is.

It's worth a read--but be warned, Gentle Reader--this comic really dives deep into the corniness comic book readers may believe has been erased and replaced with gritty realism. Not in Yang's world here.

Robin: Holy--! Superman sure packs a wallop!

Batman: If by "wallop" you mean unnecessarily noisy brute force, then I concur.

Lois Lane: You have a better idea, Batman?!

Batman: Always. Robin, these robots are ducks.

Robin: Ha! Ha! Gotcha, Batman. Let's get 'em in a row!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is ending, and only Batman and Superman can save it! But these aren't the Caped Crusader and Man Of Steel you're used to - and these Golden Age heroes are going to have to adapt quickly when they find themselves trapped in the Archive Of Worlds, run by the mysterious Archivist. With an an entire multiverse of stories to sift through, can Batman and Superman find a way home before their film reels run out?

I love weird concept stuff like this. Gene Luen Yang isn't afraid to experiment with comics at the best of times, and he does a lot of that here, including a flip-book issue that can be read from either direction. This collection is a love letter to Silver and Golden Age comics, and is densely packed with crazy story ideas from the word 'go'. It's like DC knew this title was ending, so they just decided to let Yang go wild, and it pays off in spades. Even the epilogue issue, which focuses on the more traditional Batman and Superman, has a few little unexpected twists along the way.

The artwork is also a huge selling point, with Ivan Reis on most of the main issues and Francesco Francavilla on the annual. The fact that Reis manages to pencil some extremely dense pages on a monthly book without delays or fill-ins was a huge surprise to me, and even when things get crazy he never lets up on the details that have made him an industry giant.

Gene Luen Yang has become a name that I'll follow onto any book he's writing. This isn't your usual Batman/Superman story, it's something totally different and innovative instead. It looks great from cover to cover, and it's extremely entertaining even when it's not making you turn the book upside down to read it. Highly recommended.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Batman/Superman: The Archive of Worlds" is a fun and wild read. In this book, Batman and Superman are from different universes. Batman is from "The World of the Knight", where there is no Superman and Metropolis is in ruins. Superman is from "The World of Tomorrow" where there is no Batman, Thomas Wayne is dead, and Martha Wayne lives with her son Bruce (and neither are superheroes). What brings them together is a multiversal threat, one who (literally) sees the different universes like a bunch of movie reels.

It's weirder than other Batman or Superman stories that I've read, but I like it. I enjoyed seeing Batman and Superman and Robin work together. I also enjoyed the worldbuilding and seeing the various universes as well as other heroes, like Alanna and El Diablo. The story stayed fun and exciting throughout. Jim Gordon is different in both universes and hilarious in one of them. The Lois Lane in both universes is pretty cool - both are smart, think quickly on their feet, and are brave. Plus, I felt that the story stayed true to the essence of the characters, especially Superman and Batman. It does get a bit confusing at times, but the story is great and so is the characterization. In addition, the art is good also.

With that said, there are a lot of characters and not always enough time to flesh them out. El Diablo and Alanna's relationship was a bit rushed. I also wish we got to learn more about them both.

Still, this was a neat read. I like the plot, characterization, and world building. It is a great Elseworlds tale.

[Clint · Rating 2 out of 5]

This might be a delight for anyone with a particular fondness for genre entertainment of the 1930s/40s, but I don’t and found it busy and uninteresting. The plot is hypothetically promising in how it uses modern ideas of meta-storytelling to mashup those old genre stories, but in execution it ends up being as meaningless and emotionally inert as most modern DC multiverse crisis stories. Plus it’s told with dialogue that reverentially mimics the wide-eyed “Golly Gee!” tone I associate with superhero comics of that era (and have zero interest in). The art isn’t technically bad, but its throwback style is visually busy with unappealing coloring that I didn’t care about.

The one-off final issue with Mister Myxzptlk is way more clever and entertaining with its meta shenanigans and visual gags with the panel layout; I wish all the earlier issues were more like it.

I’ve generally loved Yang’s creator-owned work, but this was a disappointing miss and makes me wary of checking out his other for-hire Superman comics.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two worlds running parallel suddenly collide - as the Superman and Batman from each reality meet and try to figure out exactly who is behind this chaos.

Gene Luen Yang took things to a "golden age" type of story with this one, because it feels very much like those more outlandish stories. The villain is over the top and kind of goofy, the characterization of each version of our heroes are each campy, and the whole conceit of why things are happening are pretty outlandish.... but you know, somehow it works.

There's something about DC's legacy that really lends itself well to - not only referencing back to their acclaimed past - but to literally pull from it to influence the stories of today. Because this was something that felt reverential, but still new - in a weird way. And when I say weird, I mean it cause the story is definitely out there!

But it was an enjoyable volume and one that I would say was fun to read. Too bad the series got cancelled in its current iteration.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collects Batman/Superman issues #16-22 and Batman/Superman 2021 Annual #1

I bought the first four issues in this collection when they were originally released, and initially, I was really into this story. The first two issues hooked me, and I thought the storyline had a lot of potential. I started to get bored with the next two issues, so I decided to wait for the trade from there. Because of that, there was 10 months between my reading of Issue #19 and my reading of Issue #20. I ended up skimming the trade once I actually picked it up from the library, as the story seemed to have lost its steam quickly.

SPOILERS:

The Darkseid tease was the best part of the end of the collection, but I'm not sure if this plot thread will go anywhere.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the the best Batman/Superman team-ups i've read. this is as good as the best of Elseworlds and reminds me of being in my teens and being excited to see the new issue of Brave and Bold or the latest JLA/JSA crossover.
Batman and Robin when they were fun team up w/a 40s Superman from a different earth. Lois Lane is a hero, Bruce isn't dead, El Diablo and Alanna from Rann might be having a romance while fighting Etrigan.
And there is a bonus story that reads like part of Morrison's Animal run.
Gene Luen Yang shows that he's the writer to chose if DC ever pull Jack Knight/Starman back and James Robinson isn't available to write it. Yang is a brilliant, fun writer in the Roy Thomas, Kurt Busiak, James Robinson mold.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a bizaar but interesting book. Batman and Superman and many versions of them meet in parallel worlds, different realities. Following threads of two story lines one in Superman's "World of Tomorrow" and Batman's "The World of the Knight" we meet the keeper of the archives Auteur.10. One reality has the Spider Lady as Lois Lane. One has Batman's mother survive. Alfred is different, Batman becomes two-face, Superman falls in love, Lex Luther is kind/is evil.....it's crazy.
The world's and realities are in constant change as the archivist tries to make a perfect world and destroy all the others. Batman and Superman race to save their worlds.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is multiverse shenanigans done right! I loved when the multiverse was a fringe idea or a yearly annual. Now with Pandora's Box opened, it's the mainstream and largely used to expand corporate IP rather than interesting storytelling.

Don't get me wrong, the original Crisis Trilogy was pretty solid, and so was Multiversity. But since then there have only been a handful of stories that used it well. Metal is fine, but I think over does it.

A few books like Dial H for Hero, really hit it though.

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A storyline primarily focused on alternate-universe versions of Superman and Batman as they deal with a mad movie-obsessed god. The worlds featured in the story take inspiration from DC's Golden Age and especially DC's oft-overlooked movie serials; there are also a lot of creative remixes of familiar characters, and even the layout of the story itself is unusual and clever. The final story in the collection is similarly original, featuring a team-up between (of all characters) Mr. Mxyzptlk and Calendar Man; the only thing that sets it back a bit is some tonally dissonant gore. (B+)

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took a few collections, but this one finally feels like a thoughtful exploration into why Superman and Batman would need to be in a book together, taking a metatextual look at the role of serial fiction in historic and modern culture through a main story about alternate worlds that exist on film reels and a short epilogue story about some lesser villains learning about the nature of comic page layouts. Loved it.

[Jerry Aguirre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great story arc in these issues. It was consistent, made sense, and it was all constructed in an imaginative way. The story telling through film paper was awesome. The jumping between worlds, seeing larger versions of themselves, questioning their existence, fighting for others! It is what makes our heroes, heroes! Awesome comic book collection.

I loved the story. An introduction of a NEW villain. Very fresh in my eyes. Great way to end the series.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the Calendar Man story. Deadpool would be proud.

Not the larger movie arc felt like trying to do something big without having it impact the larger DC storyline. Which I guess is historically the assignment for this title. Also there was a little much say but not showing, including a big one that left me scratching my head as I feel something important didn’t make the page.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very close to four stars, but not quite strong enough. This is just a crazy, unique take on Batman and Superman that deserves a Sentra for originality. I’m not totally sure that it all works or makes sense, but it’s an interesting take on a multiverse story that’s more enjoyable than I initially thought it would be. I doubt I’ll read this again, but I’m not sad that I read it.

[Doctor Doom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great artwork for a convoluted drawn-out story. Really quite non-sensical story but the various versions of Batman & Superman are fun, as are the various cameos by other heroes/villains and characters. The main Robin of the story is a real hoot and pushed this book into the positive review category. Definitely worth at least one read.

[Kris Ritchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comparing this to Mark Waid's run later in Infinite Frontier, and it is clear to me which I prefer.

It wasn't bad, just kind of there? I don't really care too much for Silver Age-ish stories, and this definitely evoked that but without the brilliant art of Dan Mora to lift it up it just kind of feels average.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this was too convoluted for me, even though I did enjoy the idea of Superman and Batman from different universes being more suited to each other's villains. This was just way too busy for my taste.

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the book is an arc that is meta of Superman and Batman being in different worlds without the other and then they start crossing over into each other's worlds trying to figure out what was going on. Fun enough, very Silver Age. The last issue is very silly with Mr. Mxyzptlk and I liked it!

[Elisabeth Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome. Superman in a world where Batman doesn't exist; Batman and Robin in a world where Superman doesn't exist... them ending up going to each other's worlds (of course), busting some baddies... *nods* Epic.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting. The format was new for me. The parallel stories combining and then developing onto a metastory. I had a great deal of fun reading this.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically a tribute to Silver Age Batman and Superman comics. It's fine enough for what it is, but I'm not that enamored with the Silver Age writing style to stay riveted through a story this long.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok