Batman: Justice Buster Vol. 2
I won’t say Batman: Justice Buster Vol. 2 was one of my favourite recently-read comics, but it is one of the best continuations I’ve seen in a while. As previously noted, Vol. 1 just sort of pricked my interest without standing out in any particular way. But with Vol. 2 (chapters 7-13 in the original series) things really pick up.
There’s not too much I can say that won’t be either a spoiler or, more likely, incomprehensible to non-fanboys. As you’ll know by now, and as a postscript starring Bat-Mite and creators Eichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi further explains, this is an alternate-world Batman. In this world the Joker is a masked man who turns out to be Jason Todd, who is also mentoring young Dick Grayson. Batman and Superman are still locking horns every time they meet, though it isn’t all that clear why, or at least why Batman hates Superman so much. Joe Chill is both the guy who killed Bruce Wayne’s parents and the guy who killed Dick’s parents and he’s also been posing as Grayson’s Uncle Sam. And finally Batman’s crime-fighting AI, known as ROBIN, has (as I not so presciently predicted) gone rogue. Which means the mechanical monstrosity dubbed the Justice Buster is getting ready to mete out its own kind of justice, which is a sort of anti-justice, if you know what I mean. Because what would perfect justice look like anyway? As Hamlet put it, use every man after his desert, and who of us would escape whipping?
This is all very weird, and convoluted, but I really got into it. Of all the recent reimaginings of the Batman character and his mythos this is the one I’ve found most original and enjoyable. About the only thing I found to fault was one real headscratcher of a translation error. How is “Sam Reynauld in Death,” which is shown twice, an obituary notice?
So where before I felt the series was only just worth sticking with, I’m really looking forward to Volume 3.
Alex Good 
Are these new or old comics?
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Relatively new. I think the series ran starting in 2021. These books collect several issues of the original run in a single volume.
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Oh goodness, are they going to turn this into a batman mecha versus Supes thing?
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Just for a bit, but they’re quickly past that. Batman made the battlebot thingy which even has a kryptonite weapon that takes out Superman. But then the battlebot (that’s ROBIN) goes rogue at the end and casts out Batman because ROBIN thinks it can handle dispensing justice better on its own.
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That’s good to hear. I just see japanese and I think “mecha”. And since there IS a mecha, well. Especially since they don’t really specify WHY there is the conflict between Bats and Supes.
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In the first book they show Batman and Superman arguing, but it’s over philosophical differences about how to fight crime and I think Batman also thinks Supes is just too full of himself (and the feeling is reciprocated). All of which spells tension, but I don’t get where the hate comes from. But maybe I just wasn’t feeling it right.
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There’s a historical difference between them in terms of fighting crime, but they’ve always respected each other a lot.
There was one artist however who really hated Superman and in one of the Batman stories had Batman killing him. It all seems to have sprung from that. I’ll see if I can remember which comic it was.
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Got it.
The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. except it might not be Batman but a nuclear missile that kills Supes. I’d have to go read it again and that’s just not going to happen.
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What is a mecha?
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japanese term for giant robot.
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Ok thanks.
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Sometimes also referred to simply as a Mech….
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Giant robot would have done 🙄🤣
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Yeah, but this way, I get to post TWO comments instead of one 😉
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Haha 😜
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I know I’ve read The Dark Knight and I sort of have a memory of that storyline about the missile but my memory is a lot worse than yours. I will however go back and read them at some point.
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That’s my first instance of an artist really hating on Superman and it seems to have run on from there.
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