In Issue #7 of Batman: Fortress, we finally learned where Superman had been during the alien invasion that left the Earth powerless. Issue #8 answers the why of it all.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Batman: Fortress #8!
Turns out Supes had detected the invading ship and hoped if he could hide himself away good enough, they would simply abandon their search and leave. To me, this is completely naïve of Superman and a cowardly move for the Man of Steel. If the likes of Batman and Lex Luthor could gain entrance to the Fortress of Solitude, then surely an invading alien force would be able to. This becomes even more obvious when the three alien hunters arrive in the Fortress of Solitude to bring Superman to justice.
Credit: DC Comics
If you were expecting a knock-down, drag-out fight to break out, you’ll have to wait. There’s a lot of debate and discussion before things reach that point, which really slows the plot down to a crawl. The aliens state their case, the heroes defend Superman and then Lex Luthor tries to sell-out Superman all before the hint of a punch is thrown. Batman shows off his foresight and has already thwarted Luthor’s plan by switching his piece of kryptonite for a fake. Luthor’s attempt to betray his own kind leads to him getting his comeuppance. In a great sequence of four panels, Luthor’s precious power suit is contorted and crushed into a cube – with him still inside it. A puddle of blood leaves no doubt to Luthor’s excruciating fate.
With the pleasantries out of the way, we at last get the battle we’ve been waiting for. As expected, almost immediately the ice of the fortress starts to give way and water gushes in. Luckily, Jackson can plug the leaks before things get out of hand. This is one of the few moments in the comic when a hero other than Batman or Superman does or says anything. If you were excited for the team dynamic, you’ll be disappointed. After a few pages of action sequences, Superman ends the fight by surrendering to the aliens. He decides he needs to face justice – it would be hypocritical for a man who spent his life championing justice to try to avoid it, no matter how unfair it seemed.
Credit: DC Comics
Three days later at Cyborg’s funeral, we learn that the rest of the Justice League members have survived their imprisonment in the alien ship. We also learn the outcome of Superman’s trial: Superman agrees to depower himself in order to never pose a threat to any planet with a yellow sun. He will be able to lead a normal life on Earth.
In a surprising twist, the same molecular chamber that took Superman’s powers away was used to transfer them to Batman. In the final page, we get a monologue from Batman, floating in space with Earth in the background. Batman plans on using Superman’s powers for more than just inspiring the people of Earth, he intends to lead them. I thought this was a great ending that I really didn’t see coming. It would make a very interesting sequel to the series. It would be fascinating to see exactly how Batman would lead the people of Earth with these new, awesome powers.
Though the early issues of Batman: Fortress seemed to promise an epic battle between DC’s greatest heroes and an invading alien force, similar to films such as Independence Day, what we ended up getting was basically a heist comic, ala Ocean’s Eleven. Batman puts a team together for a specific job, and the bulk of the third act of the series is spent trying to accomplish that goal.
Though not the most action-packed series, Batman: Fortress had its interesting moments of twists and turns, and the ending was certainly intriguing.
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