There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. After a lengthy absence from DC, Mark Waid returned to the fold properly almost two years ago with the launch of “Batman/Superman: World’s Finest.” Along with Dan Mora, Waid has created a series that works on a number of levels. We think you can’t miss it.
Who’s this by?
“Batman/Superman: World’s Finest” is written by comics legend Mark Waid, who did work at DC from 1985 through the late ’00s, creating classic works like “Superman: Birthright,” “The Flash,” “Kingdom Come,” “52.” After some acrimony, Waid departed for Marvel, BOOM! Studios, and Humanoid. Waid started easing his way back into DC in 2021, before launching this book at the end of the year with Dan Mora. Mora, who may be best known for his “Power Rangers” work, the “Once and Future” series with Kieron Gillen or “Klaus” with Grant Morrison, both at BOOM!, has been doing great covers at Marvel, and doing occasional DC work. Now, he and Waid can’t get enough of each other, doing both this title and “Shazam” monthly, somehow.
What’s it all about?
This title, set in the past, is a collection of Superman and Batman team-up stories that occasionally feature other DC characters, specifically Dick Grayson as Robin and Kara Zor-El as Supergirl. These are not retellings of old stories, but new tales set in the past.
What makes it so great?
On its surface, a book that has some questionable ties to continuity (more on this in a moment) set in the past doesn’t sound like a book that would be all that exciting. However, the way that Waid and Mora are crafting this book is truly exceptional.
First of all, Waid understands not just these characters but the core of their friendship better than anyone who has written the pairing in the recent past. Waid’s Bruce Wayne isn’t all doom and gloom, but rather shows the reader why Clark Kent would want to be friends with him. Similarly, while Superman can sometimes, especially in stories where he’s younger, appear like a no fun goody-two-shoes, Waid’s Clark is undeniably great in unassuming ways.
This is all aided by Mora drawing these two as two gorgeous hunks existing in a world that is dripping with charm and warmth. Mora’s work never feels stiff or stilted, but rather exudes both energy and grace. Mora’s Superman in particular is, perhaps, as perfectly as the character has ever been expressed on the page. He’s hulking but gentle, graceful but bulky. Mora’s Superman exhibits all of the contradictions in the character perfectly.
But the book isn’t content to just do buddy stories and a great running story about a Dick and Kara date.
There is also some big-brained DC metanarative happening here. First of all, Waid has brought “Kingdom Come,” his classic work with Alex Ross that explored an alternate timeline story of aging superheroes, into the modern DC continuity through some multiversal shenanigans. But that’s not too special, now is it? Old work are retconned in and out of continuity all the time. What Waid has done is taken the central figure – Magog – and given him an origin that is so full of heartache and character that it totally recontextualizes the story through his eyes.
Beyond that, the book also feels slightly off, continuity-wise. It almost feels like this is another alternate Earth that appears very similar to ours. Part of that is the timeline, with Dick Grayson as Robin far later than he would normally be considered, or the spinoff “Teen Titans: World’s Finest” series having anachronistic smartphones featured prominently. In this week’s issue, #20, we see Barry Allen exploring the multiverse what appears at least a decade before we see him do similar stuff in the wake of “Dark Crisis on Infinite Crisis.”
But taken all together, even if the continuity stuff isn’t as interesting as we think it may be, the book is such a clear cut winner due to the fantastic art and the thoughtful scripts. Really, don’t miss this.
How can you read it?
“Batman/Superman: World’s Finest” #20 dropped on Tuesday and is available at finer comic shops everywhere. Issues #1-19 are also currently available on DC Universe Infinite Ultra.
