I hate Metropolis. It's an art deco nightmare. All bright lights and rounded corners. 
- — Batman
Superman/Batman #53 is an issue of the series Superman/Batman (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 2008. It was published on October 29, 2008.
Synopsis for "Super/Bat (Part I)"
Superman and Batman attend an antiquities gallery at a museum in Metropolis in their civilian identities of Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne. The Silver Banshee arrives and steals a rare ornament known as the Cawdor. This empowers Banshee even more and she delights in the knowledge that her curse will soon be broken. Bruce and Clark switch into their fighting gear, but the Banshee manages to escape. During the fight, Batman is injured by shards of broken glass from one of the display pieces. Superman rushes him to the Batcave, where Alfred stitches up his wounds. As Batman awakens however, he finds that his injuries have completely disappeared.
Superman however, is not experiencing Batman's fortuitousness. For reasons unknown, he has lost the use of his X-ray vision. He suspects that magic may be involved and that it is directly tied to the incident at the museum. He flies back towards Metropolis but as he nears his apartment, his flight gives out, and he crashes down through the ceiling.
Batman meanwhile, goes on patrol with Robin. His senses are highly attuned and he now possesses the ability to see through walls. He raids a building containing a group of thugs and miraculously survives a blast from a rocket launcher fired at point blank range. It becomes obvious to him now that he has somehow acquired Superman's powers. Batman flies to Metropolis and finds Superman, saying "We need to talk."
Appearing in "Super/Bat (Part I)"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- Batarang
- Batcomputer
- Batrope
- Bat-Signal
- Cawdor Amulet
- Superboy Memorial Statue
Vehicles:
- Gotham City police blimp (Cameo)
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Superman/Batman: Finest Worlds, Superman/Batman Vol. 5 and Superman/Batman Omnibus Vol. 2.
- This storyline takes place before Final Crisis #7.
See Also
Recommended Reading