Unaware of being watched, Batman pursues villains including Killer Croc and Poison Ivy, and discovers that Poison Ivy's latest plan will require that he ally himself with Catwoman in order to defeat his old friend Superman. Late last year, DC revitalized one of its major franchises when it assigned Batman to Jim Lee, one of the hottest comics artists, and Jeph Loeb, an equally popular scripter. The pair's first five issues, collected here, pit the crimefighter against two classic foes, Killer Croc and Poison Ivy, and later bring in DC's other big gun when Batman follows Ivy's trail to Metropolis, where he confronts Superman. Lee's dynamic, detailed, often overwrought art provides the excitement and drama superhero fans demand, and Loeb's combination of fast-paced action and deft characterization is equally crowd-pleasing. Despite the hype and the huge sales the Loeb-Lee series has enjoyed, it is essentially a just-above-average superhero saga that lacks the thoughtfulness of Loeb's reimaginings of Superman's and Daredevil's early years. Moreover, Lee's art lacks the innovation of such previous Batman limners as, most notably, Frank Miller in the Dark Knight series. Nonetheless, this is solid genre work, whose popularity in its original monthly installments guarantees an eager audience for this hardcover roundup. Gordon Flagg Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved