Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #33

Batman/Superman World's Finest #33 came out last week, the finale to the Eclipso story arc which has been a tidy three issues. That length is unusual for this title (typically 5 issue arcs with a done-in-one every 6 issues) and comics in general these days which are either trade length mega-stories or just ongoing narratives.

I do wonder if this story is three issues because writer Mark Waid really wasn't sure what he wanted to do here. For sure, this has been the least cohesive story on this title which I have routinely said is the best on the rack. But there is a lot going on here and much of it not really fleshed out. There are some plot elements that happen almost magically making me thing Waid knew what he wanted to have happen but wasn't sure how to get there. There is Eclipso and the oddly possessed Bruce Gordon trying to rule the world by controlling satellites. There are heroes quickly possessed by Eclipo's evil and then just as easily shaken from the possession. There is a subplot of the JSA and the JLA trying to figure out how they relate to each other. There is a fantastical rescue early in this issue and a fantastical conclusion at the end. I don't know ... it is sort of blurry.

Could Waid be overworked? He has this book, the upcoming JLU, Batman/Robin year one, and any other titles he is on. 

Artist Adrian Gutierrez is again on art but even his work, in places seems less polished than prior issues. Still solid but it did make me miss Dan Mora a little. 

That said, the story is over. 

On to details. 

Last issue ended with all the heroes turned to diamond by Eclipso. How will our heroes get out of this trap?

Well, here is the first 'well that came out of nowhere' moment. Robin wasn't turned to diamond. And Robin has the Amulet of Nabu, given to him by Dr. Fate for just such an emergency. Hmm ...

Even Robin knows it makes little sense saying 'don't ask me' about it.

As I said in the intro, Bruce's conversion to some evil light-powered Eclipso was never truly explained but here we are. 

I like the word 'bang-sticks', sort of a Ash from Evil Dead II line. 

The evil duo not only get the satellites under control but also somehow get power companies under their control as well. 

The JLA and JSA have to split up to handle innumerable emergencies. For example, this one hospital in Chicago without power. The physician-heroes tend to the patients. GL will power up the place.

While I get Waid's sentiment, hopefully the actual physicians (and nurses, etc) are still there caring for the patients as well. 

And was this happening at all hospitals on the grid? Does this one merit 4 super-heroes?

Can't mull things over too long or it gets complicated. 

Nice art here by Gutierrez. 

Of course Waid knows how to throw in some callbacks and riffs to make old timers like me happy.

For example, the Atom dancing through the cortex of a brain dead victim to keep them alive is a nod to Brave and Bold #115 where the Atom did that in Batman's brain!

I talked about how there is a lot of possession/non-possession in the book for no apparent reasons. And I talked about how there seems to be some unwritten rift between the League and the Society, perhaps the JSA feeling too old?

So here the JSAers are again taken over, all of them. They shed it shortly thereafter. 

I include this panel because Wesley Dodds saying they are considered 'doddering' fools has to be intentional. 

The powers for Bruce seem endless. As Superman tries to subdue him, Bruce fires a beam at a manned satellite lab forcing Superman to outrace the beam to save them.

But it turns out it is red sun energy meaning the Man of Steel is suddenly dying in space.

Sort of reminded me of Brave and Bold #147 where Supergirl needs to outrace a beam sent to a satellite.

The Flashes are also fighting.

But Barry's loving words seem to melt away the darkness of Eclipso, allowing Jay to shake it all off. 

Too easy? Or a showcase for how resilient Jay is?

The book ends suddenly. The Spectre shows up. There are skirmishes with Dr. Fate and Bruce and the Spectre and Eclipso. The heroes teleport the villains so their evil diamonds touch each other which for some reason makes them explode, killing Eclipso and freeing Bruce.

That solution came out of nowhere. It wasn't discussed or hinted at. I guess the heroes knew it would work. 

But overall, things were fast and furious here with stuff occurring without much build-up or explanation. 

If you let these things wash over you, this is a fun quick story. (After all, if you think about ANY super-hero story too long things get muddy.) But this wasn't as perfect or near-perfect as prior arcs. So in some ways it is a let down.

Given that the JLU sounds like a similar book in concept (the trinity with 'other heroes' as needed - albeit in the present not some undisclosed past), I wonder if this book gets a new writer?

Overall grade: B