Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #43

Batman/Superman World's Finest #43 came out this week, the conclusion of the Bizarro storyline by Mark Waid, Adrian Gutierrez, and Sean Izaaske. This was a quick arc which embraced the Bizarro aspect of the world with backwards talk and ideas and insanity. But it also somehow veered from those humorous aspects to some serious pathos. Bizarros just want to live their lives.

Mark Waid does his usual writing dance of both revering DC's history while modernizing it. Square world? Backwards speak? A 'secret' Batcave with neon signs pointing it out? Pure Bizarro madness out of the Silver Age. But Bizarro's who are sad for becoming 'sane' because they miss their true lives? Robin learning lessons about personal freedoms? A Bizarro Krypo? Nice updates. Heck, Waid even made Bizarro talk, which often can be aggravating to me, have some internal sense. And giving us Robin as the audience's POV character worked well.

The art is a mix of usual artist Adrian Gutierrez and Sean Izaaske. Both bring the insanity and their styles are different but flow well together. They also embrace the insanity, bringing some wild images.

I don't know if this is one of the better arcs for this high-ranking title. But it was a fun diversion.

On to the details.

Last issue we learned that the Bizarro World was collapsing into a round planet. An alien created a 'sanity' plague to try and force the denizens to recognize the threat and save themselves. 

It almost seems like a Krypton-esque threat with the core of the planet expanding and breaking the 'specifically reinforced' planetary crust.

Who made the crust? How did they have it reach 'hydrostatic equilibrium'? Who knows. But at least it gives an answer about how it remains a cube in our current comic world where people might question the physics of it all.

Leave it to Robin to come up with an answer thanks to the Bizarro bubble gum he found. If the core is getting bigger, make the planet bigger to contain it. And if you need a bigger planet, why not use Brainiac's enlarging ray we saw last issue.

A couple of things to point out. One, we saw Robin blow a square bubble from the gum last issue, a fun moment for sure. But kudos to Waid for making that throwaway gag an important plot element.

Second, I complained last issue that the fight with Bizarro Brainiac seemed like a silly side adventure that was taking away from the main plot. Now I see how it was to have the Enlarging Ray be introduced for the necessary ending.

Kudos to Waid for bringing it all together.

While the Supers try to stabilize the planet, the Bats have to save the people from the sanity plague.

So why not head to Bizarro World's leading chemist ... Bizarro Bibbo. A bit of a stretch but funny.

What I truly love is Robin clutching his head after listening to pages of Bizarro-speak. Robin ... you speak for all of us. But why didn't they go to Bibbo immediately? Why enroll Superman and Batman to help with a cure if they knew of a Bizarro master chemist?

Even Waid knows he has to play within the rules. If Superman shoots an enlarging ray at the planet, isn't he going to enlarge everything? Buildings? People?

So a quick line is thrown in saying he is doing it just right. Thanks for answering my question Waid!

In the silliness though is this Bizarro existential angst. Robin continues to wonder why a Bizarro would want to leave the world of sanity. In particular, why would Bizarro Batman, now that he is thinking more like Batman, want to go back to being backwards?

The answer is heart-wrenching. Because he was happy. 

Take a step back and ponder this. That means Batman (who Bizarro Batman is thinking like) is unhappy. It means if you are denied who you are supposed to be, it leads to sadness.

A poignant moment in a Bizarro story. Amazing.

Even with a bigger planet crust, the core remains unstable and needs some super action to keep it contained. Even Bizarro Superman and Superman can't handle it alone. 

Enter Bizarro Krypto.

I wonder if this is Waid cashing in on the Krypto zeitgeist these days.

And have we ever seen a Bizarro Krypto before?

With the planet saved, our heroes leave.

And Bizarro Batman and Bizarro Superman have one last moment of sane reflection.

Bizarro Superman could never leave his best friend. So down the hatch with the cure.

Overall this was a fun story that included some great moments. This ending touched on all the key points. And I was pretty impressed with the tight rope of silliness and seriousness. But much of the major plot stuff happens magically ... the planet saving, the cure, etc. 

Overall grade: B