A pretty good story titled “TORMENT” continues in SUPERMAN/BATMAN #39.

As we finished with issue #38, Superman had been “Scarecrowed” by, well, The Scarecrow and was now nothing more than a drooling imbecile. Dr. Crane proceeds to transport The Man of Steel to Apokolips via something called a “Boom Tube” that is operated by the “Mother Box.”

The Batman, being the world’s greatest detective that he is, figures out that The Scarecrow is behind Superman’s strange behavior and disappearance. Thus, he “detects (that’s what detectives do, right?) and discovers the spot wear Crane took Kent and sent him through that “Boom Tube” thing.

Confronted by The Scarecrow and his goons -- all the while under the influence of fear gas -- The Dark Knight manages to kick everyone’s ass, obtain the “Mother Box,” and whoosh himself through the “Boom Tube” to Apokolips -- in hopes of saving Superman.

I won’t give away what happens, but this issue ends by clearly setting up a confrontation between The Batman and Superman -- who is now under the complete control of Darkseid.

Frankly, when I read words such as “Boom Tube,” transport, “Mother Box,” and Apokolips in conjunction to a Batman story, I usually turn my nose up to it. I’m just not a fan of Batman stories that involve aliens and the fantastical -- as well as “Mother Boxes” from this point on.

Yet, I’ve found myself enjoying “TORMENT” storyline quite a bit to be honest.

Alan Burnett has whipped up a pretty good story and I really like Dustin Nguyen’s interpretation of both Superman (again, he definitely has a “Brandon Routh” vibe) and Batman. And I’ve got to mention the cover -- the cover, by Nguyen and inker Derek Fridolfs, is simply tremendous!

As I’ve said before, if you are a big fan of the entire DC Universe, you’re gonna dig this story line as well as this comic book as a whole. Batman fans will be split on it, in my opinion. Those who don’t mind Batman going through “Boom Tubes” and the like, will love it -- as this title does have a lot of the fantastical in it.

But as a fan of the solo and “realistic” Batman, I must admit that I’m not having that much of a problem with “TORMENT” or SUPERMAN/BATMAN. The writing and art have made my dislike of sci-fi’ish Batman tales subside just a bit.

Hell, maybe I busted through a "Boom Tube" to an alternate reality where I actually enjoy sci-fi Batman.