Superman and Batman Vs. Vampires and Werewolves

Ladies and gentlemen, this is not one of my smart-ass article titles; instead it is the actual title of a 6-issue limited comic book series from Kevin VanHook, where Superman and Batman will?wait for it?fight vampires and werewolves. MTV’s Splashpage calls the title “brilliantly campy,” but I’m only willing to concede it’s so stupid that it may be brilliant, and haven’t made up my mind yet.

The conceit: Professor Combs, a kerrazy obsessive-compulsive scientist noodles around in his lab with magic until ? Eureka! ? he opens a portal to a land teeming with the undead. At the professor?s hands, a straight-cop named Jenko is transformed into a reluctant werewolf desperate to temper his beastial drive, while a smooth con-man, Demeter, becomes a cocky, platelet-craving vampire ? who dupes Jenko into thinking he?s looking for a cure.

A land teeming with the undead? Sigh. I assume DC is just paying back Marvel for ripping off JLApe.

That?s where Superman and Batman come in. The Dark Knight ?shows up to investigate after a half-eaten body is thrown from a roof,? said VanHook. (Alfred will likewise make an appearance for a little comic relief.) ?So I?m really playing up Batman as the world?s greatest detective as well.? The Man of Steel turns up soon after and learns that ?these creatures are magically created through this ritual. And Superman is vulnerable to magic,? VanHook pointed out, excitedly. ?When he gets into a fight with a werewolf?he gets scratched!? Sweet.

Sweet? Really? Ability to scratch Superman or not, Superman can throw a werewolf into the goddamn sun?I don’t see this being a long fight. Also, are vampires and werewolfs actually “magic,” per se? Sure, both of them have supernatural illnesses, but the fangs of a vampire are still just teeth, and the claws of a werewolf are just animal claws. Unless they’ve specifically had magic spells cast on them, they really shouldn’t be able to break Superman’s skin, should they?

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I’ve realized I’m thinking far too hard about this, and have depressed myself. Anyways, catch a few preview pages over at Splashpage.