16th Mar2022

‘Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #1’ Review

by Dean Fuller

Written by Mark Waid | Art by Dan Mora | Published by DC Comics

Any time I see Mark Waid’s name on a Superman book, I’m buying that. With Mark Waid, you know you are going to get a fun, well thought out story that more often than not will involve a chunk of DC history and a few interesting guest stars along the way. When the book is called World’s Finest, with the long history and pedigree that name has, that’s pretty much what you are going for. With Mark Waid writing Superman and Batman, you know you are going to get the ‘classic’ take on them. No super angst or psychotic issues with Waid, just Dark Knight Detective and Man of Steel. My kind of stories. The other thing I like about Mark Waid is that he’s not afraid to go big. Big storylines, big consequences, big villains. That’s why his Fantastic Four over at Marvel was also so good. Let’s hope this is too.

We start in Metropolis, at the Daily Planet building, with Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and Lois Lane running from an attack by Poison Ivy, all the while trying to find the missing Clark Kent. Obviously any attack on Metropolis will bring you to the attention of…Batman and Robin. Apparently. Seems Batman and Robin have been tracking Ivy from Gotham, and as Superman appears a little dispute over turf ensues. Supes territory, Bat villain. Hmm. Luckily, Metallo makes it easy by also rocking up, and obviously his kryptonite based powers mean Supes will sit that one out. We get several fabulous pages by Dan Mora, really channeling classic DC with his visuals while Waid channels classic Silver Age style adventuring. It’s all great fun. Waid even gets in some red kryptonite and a ‘bat-rope’, well that’s just showing off.

It soon becomes clear that Poison Ivy and Metallo, major players as they are, are not the main event here, as a shadowy figure watches on with glee. Although Batman takes out Ivy with an unceremonious kick to the face, and Robin shatters Metallo’s kryptonite heart, Superman takes a full red kryptonite injection. Which is not good. If you know red kryptonite, you know it has a very bad effect on kryptonians. If you don’t, think back to Superman III, when Superman is split into two beings, good and bad. Red always leads to option number two.

Gotham City now, a few years before the events we have just seen, and The Penguin has Robin suspended upside down over a boiling vat, in partnership with soldiers from the anti-matter universe of Qward. Batman and Superman make short work of them all, and Waid shows that as different as they are, they make the perfect team. They even finish with a handshake, the way all classic team-ups finished, as quintessential as Clark Kent’s knowing wink to the reader. Where it all began, I guess, but now back to the present and a Superman in big trouble. The red kryptonite injected into him was actually a blend of several pieces, all of which can create a different mutation. Yikes. He literally mutates into a man of steel. Real steel. That’s Mark Waid right there.

Neither Batman nor Robin can help with something like this but, this being a Mark Waid book, they know a man who can. Niles Caulder, otherwise known as The Chief. Otherwise known as founder and leader of the Doom Patrol. Cue guest appearances from Elasti-Girl, Cliff Steele, and Negative Man, as they try to help stop a rampaging, hallucinating Kal-El. Some great action scenes, with Dan Mora doing a fantastic job. Ultimately powers can’t defeat Superman, so Batman steps in and uses deduction and knowledge to subdue and restrain Kal. Off to Caulder Mansion in Midway City, home to the Doom Patrol. Niles Caulder has decided to….operate. On Superman. With kryptonite laced instruments. I don’t think I can wait a whole month to see how this all turns out.

This was ridiculously good. Mark Waid out-Waid’d himself, with a great script that ticked every possible box. Nods to the Silver Age stories, to the classic Batman/ Superman friendship, to the wider DC Universe, they are all here, lovingly crafted. A fan writing for fans. Mora’s art is outstanding, juggling many different scenes and characters with relish. Beautiful to look at.

Sometimes I get a little jaded with modern books, but then a book like this comes along and reignites the love affair all over again. Comics as they should be.

***** 5/5

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