Your Batman v Superman Comic Book Primer

The Mightiest Team on Earth/World’s Finest (1952/1958)
Though both Batman and Superman had been around since the late 1930s, it wasn’t until  issue #76 of Superman in 1952 that the pair finally hung out. This team-up would lead to the ongoing title World’s Finest, which has been reinvented numerous times, particularly in the 1970s, before DC reorganized its continuity with the multiverse mashing events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. During this pre-Crisis era, Batman and Superman are pretty chummy, to the point where they probably actually called each other “chum.”

The Man of Steel (1985)
In 1985, DC hired former Marvel writer John Byrne to bring Superman back down to Earth. This meant giving him limitations and, in general, imbuing the character and his universe with a more “serious” tone. The result was a mini-series that redefined a character who had already been rejiggered several times. It’s here we first get a creepy corporate mogul version of Lex Luthor, and, more importantly, witness Batman and Superman’s antagonistic relationship. In Byrne’s mini-series, Superman initially regards Batman as an outlaw, a sentiment echoed in the Batman v. Superman trailers when Clark Kent speaks of “the Bat Vigilante.”

The Dark Knight Returns (1986)
Frank Miller’s grim graphic novel is probably the most obvious visual analog for the new film. In a science fiction future world, Superman is portrayed as a manipulative jerk, and Batman a creaky crusader coming out of retirement to deal with all sorts of nonsense. Ben Affleck’s armored-up, aging Batman is seemingly lifted straight from these pages.

A Death in the Family (1988-1989)
After the Joker kills Robin (Jason Todd) in Ethiopia, Batman is not only super depressed, but on a crazy mission for revenge and justice. Things go from bad to absurdly worse when the Joker takes a job in the legit Iranian government. This means the Joker suddenly has diplomatic immunity, so the law, and Batman, can’t touch him. Superman is sent to intercept Batman before he can kill the Joker at a diplomatic function. Though the new Zach Snyder film probably won’t depict the Joker as a UN representative, the trailers have shown us Affleck’s Bruce Wayne glowering at a Robin costume vandalized by the Joker; it’s a clear reference to this storyline.

JLA: Tower of Babel (2000)
As the only hero among superheroes lacking legit super-powers, it stand to reason that Batman needs to know how to take out anyone in the Justice League if he needs to. This mini-series is all about just that, including the revelation that Batman has kryptonite and is not afraid to use it. Will we see the infamous kryptonite bullet in the new movie?

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2003)
When Lex Luthor was President of the United States (doesn’t seem that outrageous now?) he decided to declare Superman and Batman enemies of the state. This ongoing series saw the pair teaming up to save themselves in the face of an oppressive government. Though not as friendly toward each other as they were in the 1950s, this series certainly feels more like World’s Finest than many of the hero team-ups that came before.

Batman: Noel (2011)
An underrated one-shot graphic novel written and illustrated by Lee Bermejo, this is a retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol with Batman in the role of Scrooge. Superman shows up as a sort-of version of The Ghost of Christmas Present. This means he’s basically lecturing Batman about being grumpy and selfish.

Bonus: Batman/Superman/Alien Versus Predator
The title is pretty self-explanatory. And no, there is no news of Ridley Scott developing it into a film. Still, feel free to spread the rumor. We won’t stop you. Also, we cannot forget the fan film Dead End, in which Batman fights both Alien and Predator. Will Zach Snyder’s movie live up to it? How could it?
Celebrate Batman v Superman Day at Barnes and Noble on March 19!