Comics Question about Lex Luthor: MoS

[Andy C.]

Just finished reading Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, and as awesome of a story as it is, one thing just bugged the hell out of me:

Why exactly was Superman beating up Batman?

I mean, there doesn't seem to be any motivation behind it. Bats is up there with a handful of Kryptonite, but otherwise minding his own business, when suddenly Supes just shows up in Gotham and jumps him. I mean, haven't those two always been on the same side?

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

If you mean John Byrne's Man Of Steel then that was Supes and Bats first meeting.

 

[Spike_x1]

Byrne's story is not what he meant.

I believe that the little details of why they were fighting, why and where Superman knew to go looking for him, etc, are neglected in LL:MOS because they're not really needed for the story's message (and metaphor of Superman kicking the ass of everything humanity can throw at him) to be conveyed. All we, as the readers, really need to know is that Lex convinced Bruce that it just might be a good idea to take Superman down a peg. With that idea in his head, Luthor then gave him the chunk of kryptonite and told Bruce to do whatever he wants with it. All the other elements of that part of the story are just left to the reader's imagination.

 

[CLARKY]

Agreed. The details of the discussion were not needed IMO.