In reviewing the World’s Finest comic book franchise, I have said time and time again that this remains the pinnacle of superhero storytelling for DC Comics in our modern age, and the Batman/Superman annual doesn’t buck this trend. The annual issue works on a number of different levels, with the originator of the World’s Finest umbrella, Mark Waid, planting the seeds of the wild challenges facing the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel in the future. What the issue also does is traverse the lesser-known corners of the DCU with a modern flair.
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The first annual for Batman/Superman: World’s Finest begins by focusing on a bevy of fifth-dimensional imps, led by Mr. Myxyzptlk and Bat-Mite, arguing the point of which Justice League member is the greatest of all. Writers Mark Waid and Cullen Bunn have fun here, taking the opportunity to throw hilarious commentary at the DCU and its media projects via the “Mites.” Of course, great heroes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be without their equally great villains and the World’s Finest creative team takes the opportunity to hint at quite a few new powerhouses making their way to the DC universe.
The side stories seen here collect more creative teams to focus on offering “World’s Finest” iterations of the likes of Metamorpho, Challenges of The Unknown, and the Teen Titans’ Bumblee. Each tale presents a unique story that feels both modern and timeless, working as strong introductions to these characters. Of course, like any anthology comic, there are some stories that shine brighter than others here. For me, the star of the show was the story from Christopher Cantwell and Jorge Fornes that focuses on the Challengers of The Unknown.
The Challengers of The Unknown remains a hard-sell as a concept in the DC Universe, as they don’t have flashy superpowers of their own and their “modus operandi” treads into the same territory as the Fantastic Four. What this short story in World’s Finest is able to do is to play on both the story itself, and the panel work of the comic, to elicit how strange these adventurers truly are and why the team has set out to explore their own universe and beyond. The Challengers of The Unknown haven’t been a major player in DC Comics’ ever-expanding roster, but World’s Finest‘s annual certainly gives credence to the idea that their time has come.
While not as strong as the story focusing on the Challengers, the additional two supplementals focusing on Metamorpho and Bumblebee do a strong job of giving comic readers a better look into these characters. As mentioned earlier, World’s Finest’s biggest strength as a comic book line has been its ability to take a Silver Age mentality and implement it in a modern story, and these anthology tales are no different. The creative teams are able to take the best from both worlds and give readers something that feels essential to these larger-than-life figures.
This isn’t to say that this issue is entirely without faults, however, though said dents in the armor are far from a reason to avoid it. Ultimately, while the premiere story feels humorous, it is one that also feels supplemental and not necessarily essential when it comes to what is to come for Clark and Bruce’s upcoming adventures. There are also some artistic issues that I would be remiss not mentioning, especially when it comes to some lack of detail in the story focusing on the Teen Titans’ Bumblebee.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest remains the gold standard when it comes to DC’s current superhero offerings, continuing its streak of creating stories that feel like a pinnacle for any comic book era. Even when stories are taken from the hands of creator Mark Waid, that general theme appears to work well regardless of which creative team is mining it.
Published by DC Comics
On January 30, 2024
Written by Mark Waid, Cullen Bunn, Christopher Cantwell, Stephanie Williams, and Dennis Culver
Art by Jorge Fornes, Rosi Kampe, Edwin Galmon, and Travis Mercer
Colors by Lee Loughridge, Andrew Dalhouse, and Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Steve Wands
Cover by Dan Mora
