Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #53

Batman/Superman World's Finest #53 came out this last week, wrapping up the three part Warlord crossover story. As always with this book, there are a lot of fun moments. But this story never really grabbed me.

Writer Mark Waid continues to do a great job with characterization in these stories for sure. In this one, it is Robin who gets the bulk of the work with our title heroes under a sorceror's spell for most of the book. Not only to we get to see how smart and funny this young Dick Grayson is but we get to hear what he has been taught about by Superman and Batman. There is a sanctity to life even if the life lived has been one of evil. Waid always shines with that stuff.

But the villain  plot here about a pilot getting magical powers and then trying to augment them with Atlantean tech all seems to come out of nowhere as does his defeat. 

Clearly I don't know what I want. I don't want decompression. But I don't want super-compression either. I wonder if this was more Waid just wanting to play in the Skartaris sandbox for a bit.

The art is again split between Adrian Gutierrez and Vicente Cifuentes. Both artists seem to be enjoying this savage land setting and these characters. 

As I have said before, I expect unparalleled excellence from this book. When it merely entertains (which this issue did) I somehow feel let down. On to the details.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #52

Batman/Superman World's Finest #52 came out last week and sported a pretty nifty Dan Mora Supergirl movie variant cover. I will never complain about seeing Dan Mora Kara.

Outside of that, this second chapter of the Skartaris adventure was otherwise just okay.

It is hard to dislike a Mark Waid moment. There are always character moments and history mentions that make the book solid. In this title, he has really poked around the DCU. This story visiting the Warlord and his supporting cast shows that premise. My guess is this story is, for many readers, the introduction to this world. Throw in some great Robin moments and the book remains the fun title it has always been.

It is the plot that those moments exist in that is what I am finding a little lacking. We definitely get two exposition dumps to explain the plot progression. The plot isn't exactly innovative. And I don't know how long I think a side adventure to Skartaris is warranted. Not when the Earth 3 story was rushed to just 2 issues.

Adrian Gutierrez remains on art and continues to sparkle. I love how he uses silhouettes now and then to accentuate the action. His take on the Warlord cast is solid. Plus we get all sorts of primitive landscapes too.

But I expect a lot from this title and this one didn't hit the usual mark. On to the book.  

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #51

Batman/Superman World's Finest #51 came out this week, another fun story that allows writer Mark Waid and artist Adrian Gutierrez to amble around more of the DCU and introduce readers to some fun characters. 

This time Waid has decided to bring our heroes to Skartaris to see Warlord and his supporting cast. That is a tiny corner of the DCU and, as far as I know, one that hasn't been explored in a while. Maybe a bit in the last Young Justice book? Maybe one of the villains from the Convergence event a while back? But I wonder if this will be the first Warlord book for many readers?

One of the best things about this book is that Waid has had free reign to go any where he wants to in this book and bring in any characters he wants to as well. Given this is an elsewhen book, looking back in the DC continuity, Waid can give us classic takes while freshening things up. As always, the young Dick Grayson Robin has the best lines.

This issue is the opening chapter so we don't get too much backstory and instead are dropped right in. We'll see where this goes.

Adrian Gutierrez knows his assignment and brings us some great dinosaur action, fun sword and sorcery battles, and some of the sexiness that was a crucial part of the Mike Grell book back in the day. The art is the best part of this issue.

This book is always fun.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #50

Batman/Superman World's Finest #50 came out this week, an oversized special celebration. Since this title hit the stands, it has been one best books on the racks month in, month out. Writer Mark Waid has been here throughout. As I have said time and time again, Waid has a perfect understanding of these characters and is able to walk the tightrope between classic and modern.

Waid crafts two stories for this issue. The first is a pretty fun team-up of our title characters. One of the things that people have asked in the past is how Superman and Batman could be friends when they methods are so different. In the first issue, Waid plays up the differences to a hundred, a level that has been in continuity in the past but no longer. It is fun to see Waid have them arguing with each other. 

But it is the second story that is the big win here. We go to the back-up World's Finest teams, Supergirl/Batgirl and Jimmy Olsen/Robin pairs in an old-fashioned contest to see which team is better. Waid has made the Kara/Dick relationship crackle in this else-when book. We have seen Jimmy team up with Babs here as well. So fun seeing them mix and match here, first racing each other then teaming up. This is a super-fun story.

Throw in some deep DC cuts in both and you have a win.

The first story is drawn by the masterful Dan Mora who gets to stretch his Ditko muscles in a crazy dream world. Whether it is insane action or crazy page layouts, Mora understood the mission. Regular title artist Adrian Gutierrez draws the second story and shines with his usual sound effect flourishes. Yes, I like his Supergirl, always a bonus.

On to the fun!

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #49

Batman/Superman World's Finest #49 came out last week, the finale of a quick two-parter sending our heroes to Earth-3. The first part really threw out a lot of ideas that I thought could be mined. But this one came and went quickly setting up next issue's anniversary fiftieth issue.

Mark Waid is joined by writer Mark Russell on this story. I wonder why that happened. Waid has been writing a lot of titles and took over Flash during DCKO. So perhaps he needed a little script help? The other thought I had was that this was some sort of backdoor pilot for Russell. I can imagine a Earth-3 mini-series by him with villains as heroes and heroes as villains. Regardless, this is a bit of a sprint to the finish which sort of left me feeling a little bit empty after the full joy of part one.

Marcus To is on art and gets to play in the sandbox, bringing in a bunch of characters from the DCU into the story including a team of 'heroes', classic DC villains flipped on Earth 3. I had to grab this variant by Nathan Szerdy with Kara and Dick out for burgers and perhaps dishing a bit about the other date we see in the shadows.

I loved the last issue as we got to see the other 'syndicates' on Earth-3. So I hope that Waid (and/or Russell) gets to explore this world again some time.

On to the book.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #48

Batman/Superman World's Finest #48 came out last week, the first part of a new arc focusing on Earth-3. There is a lot to love about this issue as the story unfolds. First, this book has done such a great job of riffing off the idea of World's Finest duos, so why not an World's Un-Finest? Focusing on Owlman/Ultraman makes perfect sense in this book. 

I have commented on how Mark Waid seems to be able to take classic DC ideas and freshening them up. Here, he moves beyond the classic Earth-3 idea that the Crime Syndicate rules the whole world and instead expands it wonderfully. The unholy Trinity is one syndicate. But other hero groups form other syndicates running their turfs. It opens up the world for way more stories, showing us evil versions of other heroic teams. This issue gives us a little bit of a quick tour of a few of these groups.

But in what I love as a meta take, Waid is looking back at this book and having teams that aided our World's Finest now fighting this World's Un-Finest. This has to be intentional. And as a fan of the book I love it.

Marcus To is on art for this arc and he brings an inkier, more shadowy style than I am used to seeing for him. This makes sense for an evil world. In places, and perhaps appropriately, it reminded me of Richard Case's work on Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol. 

I have read many Earth-3 stories. This one felt completely fresh. Kudos to the creative team! On to the book.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #47

Batman/Superman World's Finest #47 came out this last week, the finale of the Absorbascon storyline pitting the Batman/Superman Fusion against the Lex/Joker Merger. And boy, it ends ... quickly, neatly, and semi-easily.

Writer Mark Waid is almost always a fun and entertaining read and this title has been a revelation in the four years it has been out. This story seems to have some elements that fit the quality of this book. Seeing how the fused heroes work together while the meshed villain minds sometimes are fighting each other is a good insight into the characters. Seeing how our heroes deal with their secret identities revealed also has some meat on the bone to delve into. (Indeed, the Lois scene in this book is my favorite.) And perhaps this characterization deep dive was the impetus for this story. But the plot, with the Absorbascon as a deus ex machina becoming both a receiver and a transmitter that needs to be shut down then saved then reverted seemed too big to wrap up. This was a three parter! But honestly, I don't know if a longer version of this story would make the ending more palatable.

Adrian Gutierrez gets to really stretch in this arc with crazy action, a large cast of cameos, and some emotional beats. It is a rapid fire book going from magical battles to quiet apartment conversations to fistfights. That is a lot for one tiny issue. It must be hard to step into Dan Mora's shoes but I have come to really like Gutierrez's style on this book. There is an energy here that works. 

On to the book.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #46

Batman/Superman World's Finest #46 came out last week, the second part of the Luthor/Joker team-up arc and basically a issue-long brawl between our main characters ... but with a twist.

This is a standard Mark Waid story, digging into some old DC concepts like the Thanagarian Absorbascon while giving it a nice updated feel. Last issue, the Joker and Luthor fused into one body. This issue we get to explore what that mind is like, with two completely dueling mindsets trying to work one body. Through some plot shenanigans, we get a fusion Superman/Batman being (harkening back to World's Finest #4 ). So we then get to see what two minds thinking together sound like as opposed to the villains. It is a nice little writing trick, giving us a nice dive into the thoughts of our main protagonists and antagonists.

But the real joy of this issue is the art by Adrian Gutierrez. It probably isn't the best word but there is a frenetic feel to his art. There is a wild energy to it. And in this issue where two fused beings are just throwing down, the art just sizzles. This just feels like a Dragon Ball episode with overpowered fused-form beings are zipping around the skies trading blows. I don't mind a brawl issue now and then.

I don't know why this issue got a Chuma Hill variant cover with Supergirl and Catwoman but it is an interesting composition.

On to the story.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #45

Batman/Superman World's Finest #45 came out last week and it is hard for me to think this book is almost 4 years old. The format of intermittent adventures from some elsewhen in the past has worked perfectly in giving us fun, entertaining stories reaching into the deep recesses of the DCU with a both a classic feel and a modern sensibility. Time flies!

This issue starts a new arc bringing us a Joker/Luthor team-up, the perfect contrast to our heroes. Throw in a guest star and some nods to some Silver/Bronze age goodness and you have another win. Writer Mark Waid has been walking that tightrope of classic and new for a while and definitely continues to shine. For me, the best part of this set-up issue is that a Lex/Joker team-up would not be an easy alliance. These two would not get along even if they have similar difficulties with heroes.

Adrian Gutierrez remains on art and his scratchy, energized style works very well with this story. An intangible Lex falling through a building? A violent Hawkman lashing out against the villains? A mash-up of Lex/Joker? All those things leans into his strengths and he hits it out of the park.

This is an opening chapter to an arc so we are just starting out here but there is a zaniness to this story already which was refreshing. 

On to the book.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #44

Batman/Superman World's Finest #44 came out this week and was a rollicking good time, bringing together the oddball team of Robin and Supergirl again. I have been waiting to read a story with these two on an adventure since the first time Mark Waid teamed them up in World's Finest #12.

One thing I have liked about this title as a whole is that Waid gives himself a 'done in one' issue between big arcs, a sort of breathing space. He has taken advantage of these side adventures to explore our characters a little deeper and have a little fun. And trust me, this issue is a lot of fun.

It builds on the characterization from the earlier stories. In those early arcs and that other solo issue, Kara is a more mature late teen dealing with the razzle-dazzle, overly eager, almost too self-assured Dick. You can feel her eye-rolling at his circus showmanship. But over the course of this story that softens as she gets to understand him more, appreciate him more. And both recognize their status as 'seconds' in their family. Whenever you put two people in a high pressure, high stress situation, emotions will run hot ... and we even get a little bit of that here.

The art here is done by Lucas Meyer who brings a significant polish to the proceedings. There is a little Lupacchino in there, a little Sook, a little Rags Morales. It is all beautiful.

This is a truly a laugh out loud issue. Everyone should be reading this title and, in particular, this issue.

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.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #42

Batman/Superman World's Finest #42 came out this week, the second chapter of the Bizarro World storyline. As usual for this book, there are some fun moments in the book as writer Mark Waid unravels the intricacies of the backwards Bizarro mentality. There is also a pretty solid character moment for Robin in this book as we see how Dick is maturing and learning about the world. 

You knew there was going to be a 'but' right?

This issue felt a little bit padded to me with a side battle where Bizarro and Superman fight Bizarro Brainiac. While intriguing to see what a Bizarro Brainiac does and also interesting to see the 'sane' Bizarro teaming up with Superman efficiently, it felt like Waid knew where he wanted this issue to end and suddenly realized he had some pages to fill. I don't know if the scene added to the overall story in a meaningful way.

Adrian Gutierrez remains on art and brings his usual frenzied style to the proceedings. This world is crazy. The action is crazy. His art is appropriately crazy. His Bizarro with these odd blackened eyes works well. The insane Batmobile is fun. The art works very well with the story.

On to the book. 

Review: Batman/Superman World’s Finest #41

I am still catching up on reviews as the 'Summer of Superman' is really in full effect with books coming out each week!

Batman/Superman World's Finest #41 came out two Wednesdays ago, starting a new arc putting our heroes on the Bizarro World and dealing with the ensuing insanity. There is a lot of fun in this issue as Mark Waid seems to have a firm grasp on the opposite speak and opposite thoughts of the Bizarro mind. And seeing our heroes, usually firmly in control of situations, seem like true fish out of water. Add to that some fun sight gags and this was both hilarious and scary. 

Adrian Gutierrez remains on art and ramps up the insanity. Again, the story content leads to the odd mix of humor and horror that allows Gutierrez to stretch his artistic muscles. 

Will Waid be able to keep up that mix in a satisfactory way for the whole arc?

On to the book.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #40

Batman/Superman World's Finest #40 came out last week and followed the pattern that Mark Waid has established since the beginning of the title. When an arc gets filled, we get a done-in-one story to sort of cleanse the palate. 

Waid has been pretty vocal with his politics and this issue he decides to poke fun at the alt-right or toxically masculine podcasters out there. I don't pay much attention to those people in real life, so I feel that the look of the podcaster in this issue is based on someone real. And the story is pretty simple, to grab some clicks the streamer drums up a confrontation and gets a comeuppance. It is pretty simple stuff. 

Honestly, I could take or leave the plot driving the issue. But, as usual, Waid has a complete command of the characters and inserts wonderful moments highlighting each one in a memorable way. It is those scenes that kept me invested.

Adrian Gutierrez is back on art and does a great job with a kaiju vs mecha fight in the city as well as those up close moments. He is a great fit for the book and glad he is back.

On to the book.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #39

Batman/Superman World's Finest #39 came out last week, part four of the We Are Yesterday storyline that Mark Waid is weaving through several titles.

While the prior chapters have focused mostly on the plot of the villains (past incarnations of the Legion of Doom heading to the present to wreak some havoc), this issue lingers on our heroes and how time travel can befuddle the mind. This series' main characters - Superman, Batman, and Robin - are flip-flopped. World's Finest is in some else-when past. Our World's Finest crew is shunted to the present DCU. And the current versions - Superman, Batman, and Nightwing - is sent back in time to the title's timeline. It lets Waid have a little fun. Our Bronze Agey heroes have to deal with current times and some eye-opening changes.

I will admit, I liked this issue a lot, laughing out loud a couple of time. One page in particular made really chuckle. This felt almost like a character issue in this plot driven arc and that was fine with me.

Clayton Henry is on art and brings his smooth work to the pages. I was grateful for changes in Batman's costume in the different times to ground me on who I was reading. Solid stuff.

Let's dive in.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest Annual #1

Batman/Superman World's Finest Annual #1 came out this week, the third part of the We Are Yesterday story arc coursing through this book and JLU. The basic story is the villains from the past are time traveling to the future to vex our heroes. This issue gives us the beginning of the villains' plot as Gorilla Grodd puts together his team.

This was a fun issue for a number of reasons. World's Finest is set in the past and has that classic feel. Writers Mark Waid and Christopher Cantwell mix in a lot of Bronze Age fun. First off, the villains have a Super Friends Legion of Doom feel to them. Can't go wrong there. Then, we get the World's Finest team breaking off into three mini-teams to try and stop some villains. That felt like an old school JLA or JLA/JSA crossover stories. Throw in some great guest stars and a new character and this was a bunch of fun.

I also need to point out that this book seems to contradict a primary time travel rule from the Silver and Bronze Age which means our writers are breaking new ground as well as honoring the past.

Dan McDaid is on art and brings a sort of grittiness to the proceedings. I really liked McDaid's work on the recent Kneel Before Zod mini where things were grimy and violent. He then gave a way more polished approach, still as engaging, on the Shazam book. Here the work is appropriately rough to mirror a villainous tone. I don't know if McDaid subtly changes his approach based on the story but it feels that way. I liked his work here for sure. 

On to the book!

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #38

Batman/Superman World's Finest #38 came out last week, the official first part of Mark Waid's We Are Yesterday arc running through this book and Justice League Unlimited. It feels more like a prologue but it certainly has that Bronze Age flair that Waid has brought to most of the proceedings here.

We know the main villain in the arc is Gorilla Grodd and he is the main villain here, albeit in the past leading up to the present-day story. I haven't always been the biggest Grodd fan. I don't think I have a great grasp of what his power set is or even how powerful he is. Here, Waid makes it clear that Grodd is a powerhouse, worthy of leading an uprising against the League.

When you get Grodd, you almost always get Gorilla City. Fun to see Solovar again, even if he is more coldblooded here than I am used to seeing. I suppose it makes sense given how many times Grodd has taken over his rule. 

And there is the usual fun moments between heroes in this else-when past. Everyone seems a little fun and very collegial. It always works for me. 

Clayton Henry is on art. I love his smooth lines and no-nonsense approach to art. I loved him on the recent Phantom Zone arc in Action Comics so glad he gets a big cast to work with here. Thankfully he does apes well. Not every artist can claim that.

On to the book.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #37

World's Finest #37 came out last week, wrapping up the underwater adventure that writer Mark Waid and artist Adrian Gutierrez have sent our heroes into. 

I will start with the most amazing thing about this story ... perhaps the most amazing thing that Mark Waid has ever done. He made Ronal both sympathetic and interesting.

The story itself, the Floronic Man using 'magic plants' to pit the twin cities of Atlantis against each other, is a bit of a stretch. I still don't know why he simply couldn't harvest these plants on the downlow. Or replant these plants somewhere else and create his own crop. And the wrap-up to the story is sort of a secondary part of the tale which seems more about the burden of leadership and how it can strain relationships. Whether it is Aquaman who is accused as an absent leader or Ronal who is so consumed by leadership that he has lost himself, being a leader is difficult.

The art by Adrian Gutierrez remains fun and energetic. I am amazed at how he continued to remind me this is an undersea story by adding bubbles and wave lines throughout. 

But overall, I feel this story was a little stretched out when comparing to other arc in this title. Still fun!

On to the story.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #36

Batman/Superman World's Finest #36 came out this week and was a fun middle chapter in this undersea adventure. The Floronic Man has used some hallucinogenic spores to enrage the people of Tritonis, leading that city to think the city of Poseidonis is using it to weaken the city for takeover.

The overall plot, as well as Floronic Man's motivations, are pretty thin. I think that is almost an afterthought so that writer Mark Waid can tell the stories he really wants. What if Aquaman's interactions with the surface world weakened his political power in Atlantis? What if Superman was reunited with Lori Lemaris? There are a lot of Silver Age reverberations in this one. The most obvious one is how big a pill Lori's husband Ronal is. He is bit of a domineering jerk, ready to throw down the gauntlet and start a war.

But for an old-school Superman fan like me, I always get joy out of seeing Superman and Lori interact. Lori is a married woman making Superman quite the Casanova here. Where does this fall in continuity? It is obviously pre-proposal to Lois. It seems to be post-Swamp Thing Anatomy Lesson? Hmmm ...

As for the art, Adrian Gutierrez seems to be having a ton of fun here. We see Atlantean armor. We see battle scenes. We see botanical bodies. He even continues to use words as interesting art flourishes. I love this cover by Dan Mora with Swamp Thing's face formed out of the branches/seaweed. 

Overall, a fun issue with a great cliffhanger. The foundation of the story is sort of thin but the plots built on it are great.

On to the book.

Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #35

Batman/Superman #35 came out this week, the beginning of a new arc bringing our title heroes into an adventure with Aquaman. Writer Mark Waid and artist Adrian Gutierrez are back on as our creative team. 

The charm of this comic is how it hits the sweet spot of Bronze Age fun with modern sensibilities. But that 'elsewhen' aspect lets Waid sort of put a classic stamp onto our heroes. We have seen scrappy young Robin, less-moody Batman, and friendly Superman throughout the three years of this book. But we also have seen Waid look at Metamorpho, Red Tornado, Supergirl, and others. 

This arc lets Waid and Gutierrez put their stamp on Aquaman, Mera, and the twin cities of Atlantis. Seeing Aquaman as a sort of 'man of two worlds' is interesting given the more recent runs which have been Atlantis-centric with politics and factions. But it is the inclusion of Lori Lemaris and her sullen husband Ronal was  really the cherry on the cake. 

I thought this opening arc is a nice primer on the old-school Atlantis. At the same time, this is a decent look back to why Aquaman's recent tales have focused more underwater than on terra firma.

Gutierrez continues to grow on this book. There is a sort of recurring artistic panache of repeated words or sound effects in the art. His take on the world of Atlantis and their fashion and looks is nice. But it is his take on a classic villain (seen on the last page) that really grabbed me.

On to this book.