DC’s Batman and Superman are seen by many as role models and classic icons of the Golden Age of Comics – but even they had their moments of awkwardness in high school. Considered opposites in their outlooks and approaches yet never failing to work together to defeat evil (unless they see each other as evil and fight one another, as seen in The Dark Knight Returns), Batman and Superman rarely make mistakes or commit social faux pas in public. But in Wonder Twins #1, both Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne admit they experienced their share of problems in high school.
The Wonder Twins are a pair of aliens from the planet Exxor with a very long history in comics beginning in 1996. Most, however, will remember them from their debut in the television show The All-New Super Friends Hour in 1977. The two are metamorphs; Zan can transform into water (in any state and temperature), and Jayna can transform into any animal, even beasts from mythology – but the pair can only use their powers when together. Both have a sunny disposition, are rather naive to the customs of Earth, and approach most situations with excitement and optimism, sharply contrasting with the other members of the Justice League.
In Wonder Twins #1, written by Mark Russel with art by Stephen Byrne, Zan and Jayna arrive at a new high school and Zan immediately embarrasses himself during a thunderstorm (puberty, for Exxorians, is partially triggered by thunderstorms in a process they called the ‘Thunderlust’). Zan embarasses himself in front of the track team, but Batman and Superman console him. “When I was in high school, I had a crush on a girl named Becky Muldoon. I’d space out in English class, just dreaming about her. I’d even secretly written a love song about her. Which I stupidly left on my desk.” The teacher at Batman’s boarding school subsequently read it out loud to the rest of the class, and Batman even earned an embarrassing nickname for his blunder.
For his part, Superman considered himself ‘Mr. Smooth.’ Unfortunately, during an attempt to impress two women, he leaned on a door and fell on his face in front of them. Both Batman and Superman reassure Zan that these moments happen to everyone – including DC’s ‘World’s Finest’ heroes.
Not much is known about Superman and Batman’s time in high school (and even less is known about Batman’s time), so this is a rare glimpse into the world of Bruce and Clark before they became heroes. Though the Wonder Twins book is a comedy first and foremost, it never fails to deliver a lesson or two at the end of every issue. Batman and Superman may be icons now, but even they had their woefully embarrassing high school moments.
