REVIEW: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #33

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #33 is a really dense grand finale with locations and heroes changing on every page. While Batman and Superman go after Eclipso, it’s a whirlwind of hero team-ups and rescues in such a short span. It seemed like everyone was going to unite against Eclipso last issue, but the final battle goes in another direction. Still, we get some great Superman moments in this issue.

You never would’ve guessed this would be the grand finale in the Eclipso arc with Dan Mora’s cover since Eclipso doesn’t really appear on it. Mora uses a darker color palette for Batman as opposed to the blue and grey. There are traces of it there, but it’s hard to make out. It works to its credit and makes it feel like Keaton’s Batman with the vibrant yellow bat symbol.

There are a couple of special variants for this issue. Carlos D’Anda’s variant features the Creature Commandos coming to MAX on December 5. Seeing the cast of creature characters and Rick Flag Jr. from numerous trailers on the cover of a comic book makes you wonder – why haven’t the Creature Commandos got a comic series in recent years?

The McFarlane Toys variant of the DC Multiverse Superman and Batman fusion figure is artistic in itself. The fusion made its debut in this World’s Finest series in issue #2 and figure companies like McFarlane and Funko struck while the iron was hot. Now, the McFarlane Toys’ fusion figure makes an appearance as a variant in the very series it came from. Toy photography is a very underrated art form.

Batman and Superman-focused variants are available from Tom Raney, Adrian Gutierrez, and Marguerite Sauvage.

The Justice Society has the League back under control, but that still leaves the entire world and Eclipso himself. Superman, Batman, and Robin head to the US Satellite Control Network in Greenland – this is where Eclipso is. He wanted control over the satellites despite being a god-like being trying to block out the sun. Perhaps it’s necessary for an extra boost to allow him to get close to the sun because it would burn him otherwise. I’m sorry to say this, but that is unclear to me. Again, the good news here is that Superman has moments where he gets creative with his powers and those never get old.

What else is kind of unclear in this issue is why all the other heroes have to be scattered throughout the globe to the point where every page is a new location as opposed to having a charge against Eclipso. It’s superheroes doing what they do best and saving people, but it gets a little disorientating going from action panel to action panel set miles apart from each other. There are four different hero team-ups to follow here in such a short period of time, and that doesn’t include Batman, Superman, and Robin.

Mark Waid does his best to make this issue, which is meant for the finale, more spectacular than the last one, but it really isn’t happening. At the same time, ending this arc in three issues also meant that the third one would have to be really dense to wrap everything up which is how this one feels. It also felt odd scattering the Justice Society and Justice League around this issue when the object of the last one was to free the Society and unite against Eclipso. Waid does continue to do a great job of portraying what is a younger DC Universe – it still has that Silver Age appeal. Letters are done by Steve Wands.

Adrian Gutierrez only gives us space to breathe in the first two pages. From there, heroes jump, fly, and lunge into action and show no signs of letting up. They have to stop all the disasters in the book – storms, power outages, civil war, and fires. Some of these may or may not have been caused by Eclipso in the first place. If you can focus on Superman and Batman’s confrontation with Eclipso, that’s where the best action is. Gutierrez uses the chaos to his advantage, so as much as it all is, it’s never boring to look at. Colors are by Matt Herms.

(6/10) I hope you have the reflexes of Superman himself because Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #33 is all over the place as the Justice League and Justice Society attempt to corner Eclipso with the sun in his sights. It’s madness all around the world with so much going on in such a short span of time in what is meant to be the final issue in the Eclipso arc.