Superman & Batman: Generations Omnibus

Writer-artist John Byrne's take on how the lives of Superman and Batman might have panned out, had they both come onto the scene (as their comic book adventures did) in the late 1930s and then aged in real-time, is an inconsequential but enjoyable tale that seems a tad more substantial than is actually the case because it's the work of a very superior craftsman. Byrne's visual storytelling is on particularly strong form throughout, and he genuinely seems to care for the characters. Both his writing and his art display real affection for different periods and styles in DC's books. And, for once, Byrne avoids his frequent tendency to mess things up with crass touches. It's a really fun read for comic book fans of a certain vintage and inclination, though of absolutely no interest to anyone outside that demographic.The omnibus includes the three "volumes" of the series as originally published in floppy form. Volume one keeps a tight focus on the Supes/Bats families from the late '30s to the end of the twentieth century: volume two looks at the same period, but shows interactions with the wider DC universe: while the extended volume three takes us all the way to the 30th century, bringing in the Legion of Super-Heroes, the New Gods, and the "Great Crisis" of OMAC and Kamandi.As reinventions of the DCU go, this is tame stuff compared to, say, Darwyn Cooke's "New Frontier", but then that's the difference between a minor genius like Cooke and a superior craftsman like Byrne. Byrne plays really well with the toys that are already in the box (as he himself said) while Cooke built a new box.But let's not damn with faint praise, though. "Generations" is good fun throughout, occasionally affecting, sometimes inventive and even exciting at points, though volume three slightly outstays its welcome. Byrne's tone throughout is upbeat and optimistic, in keeping with the old comics he's celebrating, and this is a very welcome contrast to the juvenile "darkness" of way too many comic books since the 1980s. There's nothing of any significance here, but that may in fact be one reason why it's highly enjoyable to read. I particularly enjoyed Byrne's characterisation of Batman as an empathetic soul who, you know, has THAT job to do, but still GETS ON with other people. I remember that dude from the '70s, and I've missed him. Where's he been all these years?PS The book is slightly let down by the formatting and production values. DC is consistently less good at Omnibus editions than Marvel, and this one does their usual double non-whammy of dropping the livery from the original cover art and not giving us much supplementary material. Minor complaints, but regular ones. It's about time they sorted this out.

A superb Byrne collection. Excellent artwork and writing from John. I think I may be his biggest fan though. So.... I'm biased.

It’s Byrne at his best

“Superman & Batman – Generations Omnibus” collects Superman & Batman: Generations #1-4, Superman & Batman: Generations II #1-4 and Superman & Batman: Generations III #1-12There’s not much to say about these comics. John Byrne was one of the top creators back when they were published, and this shows in the quality of the art and story.I read the first two series in collected editions back then, but the third one was never collected until now.This is a spectacular work, though not necessarily for everybody.My local library ordered this in at my request