Superman & Batman: Generations, An Imaginary Tale (Elseworlds) (Paperback)

~ John A. Byrne (Author), Trish Mulvihill (Colorist)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This incredible tale follows the exploits of Batman and Superman as they meet in the late 1930s and encounter each otheralong with colourful menaces including the Joker and Mr. Mxyzptlkacross the decades. Along the way, as the two heroes establish their own families, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight pass on their missions and names to a new generations of heroes: their own sons and daughters!

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563896052
• ISBN-13: 978-1563896057
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #770,644 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceeded expectations, March 16, 2000

By	Babytoxie (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Wow. The wait was worth it. Originally published as a 4-issue series, DC did the right thing by collecting this in trade format. "Generations" is a very enjoyable story which deals with Batman and Superman in real-time: in other words, they were introduced in 1939 and age accordingly over the next century. So, instead of Bruce Wayne continuously being Batman, as he has for over 60 years (through retcons, Crisis, etc.), he ages, and the mantle is passed to others. Superman has to deal with a similar situation, for even if he doesn't age as a human does, Clark Kent has to. The best feature of the book is following these two heroes throughout the 20th century, and seeing their secret identities play a greater role in shaping their lives. They behave more like normal people.

It amazes me that John Byrne was able to cover a staggering amount of material in just 4-issues, but he pulls it off very smoothly. Also, the story is loaded with Golden/Silver-Age references, and each decade manages to capture the atmosphere of what comics were like at that time, so if you enjoyed the pre-Crisis versions of these heroes, this is the book for you.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Taste of the Golden Age in these Modern Times, May 26, 2000

By	Matthew Wang (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am not the biggest fan of John Byrne, because of his casual lack of modern continuity and numerous other reasons, but when he is at the top of his form I really love his work. In Generations, Byrne asks the question, "What if the first meeting Superman and Batman really did take place in 1939 and they both character aged in real time?" As the story infolds, Byrne separates the issues into two chapters with each chapter set in a specific decade and the story styled to that decades comic style (i.e. the campiness of the 50s, the dark 80s). What starts off being a story about two men slowly becomes a story about generations that circles back to the story of two men again. I recommend this to anyone looking for a nostaglic look at good storytelling and any John Byrne fan, because this is his best work in years.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant Elseworlds novel, June 29, 2001

By	Thomas Melville (UK) - See all my reviews

This was really interesting and it is great to see what would happen if they grew old! It's a very clever graphic novel which starts in 1938 when they are both there normal age but as time goes by they get children and their families grow old around them. Superman looks like he does in the Seigel/Shuster comics but gradually changes to the Superman we know. His daughter is a brown haired supergirl with half his powers and Lex Luthor isn't the same Lex Luthor that Superboy knows!

This explains why Lex doesn't realise that Superman is Clark. Lex worked for this criminal boss but there was an accident where Luthor lost his brain but the boss lost the use of his body. They had an operation to swop and the boss became Lex.

Another cool thing is that as everyone grows around Superman, he has to wear face make up because he doesn't grow old! When he is Superman he just wipes it all off!

Batman grows old though so Dick Grayson becomes Batman and Bruce's son becomes Robin.

It's a really interesting Elseworlds comic book that I think all Superman and Batman fans should have a look at!