Batman has always been great as a solo hero, but he’s at his best when he’s teaming up with other heroes and showing them up. They just don’t have the same level of prep time that Batman automatically comes equipped with and they end up looking bad. This collection brings a few team ups from the series and I shall talk about each one in the review before wrapping up. Let’s see if the team ups will be as fun as the TV show or if they’ll end up involving a lot of plot hax.

The first issue involved a classic team up with Superman. Superman needed Batman to help him solve a mystery over in Kandor which could prove to be deadly! Superman doesn’t retain his super abilities while he’s in this city so that definitely means trouble for him. Batman is glad to help although he can be a little obnoxious about it…He’s Batman! The story was all right, but there weren’t any cool villains and the stakes never felt that high. Batman was pretty solid and Superman was a decently cool character as well so we still had a strong cast. It made up for the lack of danger and action.

The next issue involved Shazam and the Psycho Pirate! The Psycho Pirate decided to mess with everyone’s emotional levels and not even Batman could resist! Can Shazam save the day!? Well, aside from the fact that Batman is completely resistant to all forms of mental abilities thanks to his advanced mind, Batman should have taken the whole thing better. The Psycho Pirate is a pretty weak villain when it all boils down to it and Shazam was good except that he was a little overconfident. Robin had a pretty good cameo and it was definitely a fun comic.

Next up, we had a team up with The Flash! This was the first comic in the collection that I didn’t really enjoy. Flash and Batman get trapped in a strange world….will they be able to escape!? This comic was just really boring and the way that they escaped the world did not make any sense in the slightest. I would have preferred that Batman just tore a hole in the dimension because that would have been more believable. There were not any stakes here either and it was a bit of a waste. I did like the last scene with the “old” Flash though…even if he was a little too young.

We also got a team up with Wonder Woman! This one wasn’t very good since they pulled the whole Cupid Arrow technique which I never believed in the first place. Strength of character should be enough to negate that and while there is a plot twist at the end, it definitely doesn’t save the comic. The only good part is the giant battle at the end where all of the heroes and villains go at it. Naturally, Martian Manhunter is losing and he needs to be saved by one of the other heroes. The writers really don’t like this guy.

Guy Gardner got a comic to himself as well. As per usual, he’s arguing with Batman when the Manhunters attack. They are after an alien who claims that he’s innocent and now Batman must find the real culprit. This was definitely one of the better comics and we got a lot of action. The Manhunters actually looked pretty impressive and they had a solid level of super speed and their power was formidable as well. Their plot was definitely the most fun while Batman’s subplot wasn’t quite as interesting. The ending is pretty intense and leaves room for a sequel!

Martian Manhunter got the final comic and it wasn’t your average comic! He has been relying on his mental abilities for investigations for far too long and he wants Batman to teach him how to be a real detective. Batman’s pretty good at this sort of thing, but can he find Martian Manhunter among such a large crowd? This comic was entertaining as it’s always fun to see Batman solve cases effortlessly. There is a battle at the end as a villain gets ready to rumble, but Batman can take care of it…maybe he’ll even let Martian Manhunter help!

The only real flaw in the collection as a whole would be the art. The art is pretty off model for all of the characters and that’s considering that this isn’t exactly a high budget comic series. It’s not terrible, but it’s definitely below the average art that you would find for a comic. This shouldn’t deter you from reading the comic, but it definitely should be noted.

This was definitely a fun collection of Batman team ups and I recommend it. There’s nothing really wrong with these comics except for the art and that can be overlooked. It’s a good way to get used to the DC Universe and Batman definitely gets his props. If you like lighthearted superhero fun, then this is definitely the comic for you. Don’t worry, aside from the puns, we do get a decent amount of action.

Overall 7/10