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Gene Luen Yang's Batman/Superman Uses 40s Superman/Batman Films

Published Fri, 01 Jan 2021 12:10:16 -0600

Bleeding Cool featured a previous of the upcoming Batman/Superman comic by Gene Luen Yang, Ivan Reis and Danny Miki to show a variety of "what if?" worlds for the series, spinning out of Death Metal. With the sketch art, showing parallel lives, as playing out on movie film reel, it seems to involve politicians and Hollywood studios.

Gene Luen Yang Revives 40s Superman/Batman Movies For Batman/Superman — Credit: DC Comics

Bleeding Cool reader Atomic Kommie posted in the comments

The three villains are counterpoints to the 1940s movie serial villains who faced Superman and Batman. Spider Lady is same name as the villainess of "Superman" the serial. Dr Atom is a renaming of Atom Man aka Lex Luthor from "Atom Man vs Superman", the second serial! (You'll note Dr Atom is bald…) The Unknown Wizard is The Wizard from "Batman and Robin", the second Bat-serial! if you're wondering why the first Batman serial's antagonist isn't "rebooted", he was Dr Daka, an extremely-stereotypical "Yellow Peril"-type Japanese scientist/saboteur trying to destroy American wartime production. BTW: actor Lyle Talbot played both Lex Luthor in "Atom Man vs Superman" and Commissioner Gordon in "Batman and Robin"!

And Atomic is right, here's the solicitation copy for Batman/Superman #16;

In the aftermath of Dark Nights: Death Metal, catch a glimpse of brave new worlds within the DC Universe…but what are these strange planets? As we delve into the parallel lives of the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight, we'll meet new villains, new heroes, alternate realities, and a transdimensional collision that you will need to see to believe! It's the dastardly debut of a cadre of new villains, including the Spider Lady and her poisonous webs, Dr Atom, who sports a Kryptonite pendant, and the maniacal machinations of the Unknown Wizard! You've never seen Batman and Superman like this before—so buckle up and get ready for the start of a new era courtesy of writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Ivan Reis!

Here is Spider Lady from Superman.

And from Batman/Superman

As well as Atom Man and The Wizard from the serials…

Revives 40s Superman/Batman Movies For Batman/Superman — Screencap from Superman movie serial

And from Batman/Superman.

Gene Luen Yang delved into the history of the Superman radio serial from the forties as part of his Superman Smashes The Klan graphic novel. Could he have continued that research for the new series? And might Dr Daka get examined later in the series? Batman/Superman #16 by the new creative team launches at the end of March.

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