In the end, Superman is forced to give his powers up to Batman to make himself look better when he is brought before the ruling tribunal of the alien antagonists and tried for his ancestors’ crimes (Off panel of course. This distinction has resurfaced in modern comics in temporary spurts or alternate universes, from Batman gaining the powers of Black Adam during the climactic battle of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths to his using an experimental compound to stand toe-to-toe with an evil Superman in Injustice. But the strengths in Fortress lie within its smaller moments rather than within its broad strokes, a distinction that comes into focus as the eponymous Fortress of Solitude enters the equation. I am now entirely convinced that the pitch for this comic was “Batman has to break into the fortress of solitude. Batman: Fortress by Gary Whitta and Darick Robertson essentially poses the question “what would Batman do if the Earth was under attack and Superman was missing?

Because two famous characters are killed and Superman’s family history is retconned to align with that of a certain 20th century figure who famously had one ball, although that (probably apocryphal) detail was a long way from the thing he was best known for. But it's also expertly paced with amusing dialogue and a central mystery that's surprisingly crunchy.It turns out that Superman is completely AWOL and no one knows where or even when he vanished off the face of the Earth. In the mysterious absence of the Last Son of Krypton, Batman must rally the rest of the Justice League to counter the alien threat… but first, he must quell a crime wave on the blacked-out streets of Gotham! Outside of making all the characters look like fools multiple times over there aren’t any “new” ideas added to the mix.

From the wrinkles on Gordon’s forehead to the brick walls, the coloring perfectly emphasizes Robertson’s inks and blends to create the gritty atmosphere that is so important to Gotham. In all honestly this should have been a Justice League story but aside from that nit pick it is an ok story.It’s the type of story that is both frustrating to read and completely forgettable when you’re done. There is so much Batman content out there on a regular basis, that to add another book to the pile should mean something. Given the powers and abilities to match his peers, the Caped Crusader can expand his mission in ways that he could only previously dream about, no longer constrained by his ordinary human limits.

Here’s the thing: When DC publishes a Batman miniseries, it comes with the implication of being special in some way. Many of these conversations are stagnant enough that Darick Robertson is unable to flex his sequential muscles. I do like that it does try to explore something that is not really discussed to often and that is Krypton's past as conquerors as members of various alien races who suffered because of Krypton invade Earth looking to kill superman and we see Batman trying to find a way to beat them by getting various heroes to rally after the Justice League is defeated.On top of that, we get a nice take on President Luthor after a good long while and his interactions with Batman are another highlight.

By using technology within the Fortress of Solitude, Superman not only willingly surrenders his powers for good, he secretly transfers them to Batman to so he can become Earth’s next mightiest hero. Bei solchen schwerwiegenden Vorkommnissen muss natürlich Superman konsultiert werden, doch blöd nur, dass dieser wie vom Erdboden verschwunden ist. I enjoyed this story for what it was - a short, fun read that did not require much energy or brainpower to get through. Plus I always appreciate his ability to mostly be framing a grounded, up-close imagery but when it's needed to bounce between that and big action shots and dynamic pages, he can transition quite well. I was just reading it for fun and I found that in a rare instance, the tale takes choices and directions I really didn't see coming, both in terms of some characters who make appearances, choices made along the way and hidden facts about the history of the DC universe that FIRSTLY makes it clear that this is a non-canon story for sure and SECONDLY, it allows for things to go in even more unexpected directions that just make it more fun all the way to an ending I promise you, I did not see coming until I turned to a specific page and read a specific line.The most offensive moment in the comic, and probably the series as a whole, is the character assassination of Superman. The story moves at a remarkably brisk pace and that keeps the energy at a nice high - something I've seen not happening in many such mini's where the company decides to expand them to the more common 12 issues whereas this being a tight-8 actually works for it very well!