Artist Dan Mora has revealed a new sneak peek at Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #4, featuring a new character that’s a combination of the Dark Knight and Man of Steel. Seeing the two DC heroes merged in this manner will evoke memories of the fusions from the Dragon Ball franchise. Writer Mark Waid and Dan Mora have relaunched Batman/Superman, spinning out of a story they told in aย Detective Comicsย #1050 backup story in January. World Finest‘s opening arc flashes back to a time when Dick Grayson was still the Boy Wonder and Batman’s sidekick Robin.ย
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“Batman Superman Worlds Finest #4 sneak peek of a new character. I had a blast drawing this guy. FOC is this Sunday, May 22nd, make sure to preorder your copies,” Mora wrote on Twitter. The Batman/Superman Dragon Ball Z-inspired fusion combines both heroes’ costumes. For example, a red Batman mask covers the character’s face, red padding covers the shoulders as if it were Superman’s cape, a sleek form-fitting blue costume covers the torso and upper arms, and a utility belt is wrapped around his waist. The House of El emblem is on the chest that also forms the Bat-signal. Batman’s wrist gauntlets are on display with green energy radiating from all around the body.
Mark Waid’s work onย Detective Comicsย #1050 marked his return to DC, following a multi-year stint at Marvel Comics. Dan Mora rose to popularity on BOOM! Studios’ย Mighty Morphin Power Rangersย franchise, and recently collaborated with Mariko Tamaki onย Detective Comics. Writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Ivan Reis took over the previous volume of Batman/Superman in the conclusion ofย Dark Nights: Death Metal.
Some of the more popular Dragon Ball fusions took place in Dragon Ball Z, such as Gogeta/Vegito between Goku and Vegeta, and Gotenks (Trunks and Goten).
Waid is also working on a Batman/Superman: World’s Finest spinoff with artist Mahmud Asrar titled Batman vs. Robin. The five-issue miniseries features oversized installments and releases in September. “What I can say is that the first arc ofย World’s Finestย is, was, and always has been, designed deliberately to lead into what is going to beย Batman vs. Robin,” Mark Waid teased in the announcement byย Popverse. “What I was trying to do with Batman versus Robin was try to take them into a realm that I’m not used to seeing them in, which is dark magic sorcery, rather than science, rather than logic and detective stuff. We’ve seen Batman and sort of peripheral magic, but I want to get into the down and dirty of it.”
The description of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #4 reads: “As Robin and Supergirl race to retrieve the secrets of the Devil Nezha from ancient China, Batman and Superman get more than they bargained for in the present! To save humanity from the fires of the demon, the World’s Finest must go toe-to-toe with the protector of Sector 2814…Hal Jordan.”
What do you think of the new Batman/Superman: World’s Finest hero? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! Issue #4 goes on sale June 21st.