Publisher's Weekly Review
Anderson's latest is a hokey, contrived imagining of the first meeting between Batman and Superman, set during the thick of the cold war and hobbled by flat characters and flatter dialogue ("My source was murdered shortly after she spoke with me. That tells me that Luthor must not have wanted her talking"). The two superheroes are initially introduced when Clark Kent interviews Bruce Wayne for a feature in the Daily Planet, and their alter egos cross paths again as Batman and Superman are drawn into Lex Luthor's dastardly scheme for world domination. (It involves the Soviets and "Death-ray transmitters.") To stop it, Batman and Superman embark on a ludicrous globe-trotting mission that's equal parts camp and Forrest Gump. A schlocky mediocrity for die-hard fans only. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal Review
Anderson, best known for his Dune prequels and several other DC superhero novels (The Last Days of Krypton), shows readers what might happen were millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne and small-town newspaper reporter Clark Kent to meet in the midst of the Red Scare 1950s-as both their secret identities and their superhero selves. Wayne comes off as a James Bond clone and Kent as an aw-shucks country boy, which, while mildly true about the alter egos of two of the most famous superheroes in the history of comics, does not begin to give them the depth they deserve. The settings (both Superman's Metropolis and Batman's Gotham City) are well done, and Anderson conveys the imposing feel of the Soviet presence. Still, Anderson's vision of cooperating heroes lacks punch, and when faced with a novel instead of graphics, readers may find that some of the fun has been lost. For DC fans only, though you know that this book will be pushed. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/09; library marketing.]-Stacey Rottiers, Warren Civic Ctr. Lib., MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
