Superman/Batman Vol. 4: Vengeance [Hardcover]

Jeph Loeb (Author), Ed McGuinness (Illustrator), Dexter Vines (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 2006

The original superstar team of Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness return for one of the most talked about storylines of the year.

The fourth volume of the enormously popular SUPERMAN/BATMAN series finds our heroes confronting a new challenge: The Maximums, a group of super-heroes closely tied to the U.S. Government. Someone has killed one of their team, and the Maximums are on the hunt for the murderer. The trouble is, there are two names on the top of their list: Superman and Batman!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (July 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401209211
• ISBN-13: 978-1401209216
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 6.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,062,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Will the real Batman or Superman please stand up?, July 26, 2006

By 

Gotham Night - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Superman/Batman Vol. 4: Vengeance (Hardcover)

Yes, it's silly. Yes, it's a little confusing. But yes, I loved this book. In time I have learned to relax and love MXYZPTLK, and here he has our two boys in total confusion. Batzarro (who I loved), Bizarro #1, Supergirls, Maximums, boom tubes, alternate earths, and an absolutely hilarious episode with the Batman Beyond character and Bizarro. Jeph Loeb had SO much fun writing all of this and poking fun at the industry, while still managing to include some heartbreaking moments too (Batzarro's death). What is not to love?? Relax, take a deep breath, buy it, and enjoy.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't skip it..., May 15, 2007

By 

J. Brooks "tenaciousjb" (Hamilton, OH United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Superman/Batman Vol. 4: Vengeance (Hardcover)

I'm not quite sure why so many people have a problem with this story. Sure it's crazy, but considering the main "villains" involved, it should be nothing else. I don't think a lot of people really "get" this story, which is so crazy...it works.

There's a ton of characters involved, and some twists to old favorites. I loved The Maximums as an Avengers parody, great stuff there. Bizzaro and Batzarro are great as unlikely heroes, although after awhile it can be a chore reading their text. It was cool to see Loeb handle them just as he does Supes and Bats though.

Overall this is a fun read, if you take it too seriously, you'll end up jaded like the other people who've written reviews on it. It looks very likely that Loeb and McGuinness just wanted to have a good time with their last S/B arc. It's nice to have some comics left these days that don't take themselves so seriously. It's also worth noting that this arc again builds on the relationship between Superman and Batman, which Loeb is great at. I recommend it, don't listen to the hate.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Jeph Loeb's swan song, thankfully, April 30, 2007

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Superman/Batman Vol. 4: Vengeance (Hardcover)

Up until this storyarc, I pretty much enjoyed Jeph Loeb's run on the high selling Superman/Batman series, but sadly, Loeb's final arc on the title is just loaded with plot holes and hard to understand. Vengeance finds a group called the Maximums hunting down Superman and Batman because they believe the two iconic heroes murdered one of their own. Naturally, this is not the case, and soon enough Bizarro is on the scene, along with "Batzarro" (I kid you not), the Joker, and Mr. Mxyzptlk. What happens next in Vengeance is incredibly hard to follow as Loeb appears to shift things into high gear, but things never take off. His renditions of Supes and Bats are more wooden here than ever before, and the story inconsistencies and additional appearances out of nowhere just boggle the mind. Ed McGuinness, who teamed with Loeb when Superman/Batman launched, returns to lend his pencil work with Dexter Vines on inks, may be too cartoony for some, but it's undoubtedly the highlight of this TPB. This ended up being Loeb's last arc on the title before taking work once again with Marvel, so hopefully the otherwise talented and celebrated writer has had his batteries recharged.