REVIEW: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #38
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #38 brings us the first chapter in the We Are Yesterday crossover with Justice League Unlimited as the return of the Legion of Doom draws near. To say that Gorilla Grodd and The Flash’s appearances are guest-starring roles would be an understatement. This is one of those issues that is pure enjoyment from start to finish.
Regular cover artist Dan Mora gives us Superman, Batman, and Grodd set to an abstract or cosmic background of various patterns and colors. It’s a very interesting design choice, cluing the reader in on the characters but leaving any sort of plot or story unknown. The bat signal appears to be the only tangible thing in the background – we truly have not seen anything this unique from Mora before.
Adrian Gutierrez continues his Batman and Robin origin variant series – illustrations of historical events within Bruce and Dick’s history from their first meeting to their first time putting on their suits together set to the original comics that depicted them. This month’s is the first time they teamed up with Superman. As a World’s Finest artist, it’s a fun crossover of Modern and Golden Age comic art.
Ted Brandt, with colors by Ro Stein, brings us a cartoony variant as the artist of Darkwing Duck. It’s The Joker being truly evil with a kryptonite feather trying to stop Superman from saving Batman. There’s a cartoonish and toyish charm to it.
Gavin Guidry and Elizabeth Torque also have some great Batman and Superman featuring variant covers this month.
Gorilla Grodd becomes the world’s problem in this issue, while making his war on humanity very public. Having been witnessed by Clark and Bruce, they waste no time springing into action with Barry. As they would find out, the more peaceful and reserved king, Solovar, has been imprisoned and Grodd has assumed control. His motivation has yet to be revealed beyond anything other than his disdain for humanity. Grodd has serious firepower this time around and people or should I say apes to lend a helping hand., that brings us Titano, the giant Kryptonite-powered ape, is being used by the gorilla for his own benefit.
It was only a matter of time before Mark Waid, lettered by Steve Wands would bring his Justice League and World’s Finest titles together. Had it not been for the crossover label on the cover, this would seem like a self-contained issue but a really great one at that. Titano isn’t a robot ape here, but rather a mutated space chimp with Kryptonite eyes, which is a great 1950s radioactive monster trope.
Clayton Henry is the series’ newest artist but is no stranger to good Superman art with his recent work with Waid on Action Comics and Tom Taylor on Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent. His art is sleek, characters tend to pop from their panels’ borders (literally), and are all around designed for action. Titano’s new design as a giant chimp feels more grounded than a giant robot gorilla and you bet there is a great panel of super-speed Superman and The Flash. Given how we handled Injustice Superman in Jon Kent’s series, he can also draw a sinister Superman. Colors are by Tamra Bonvillain.
(9/10) Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #38 goes All-In at DC with the first entry in the We Are Yesterday crossover event. Gorilla Grodd returns in his full glory as one of the main members of the Legion of Doom in one of his boldest attacks yet. The main theme of this story has yet to be revealed, but it’s hard to beat a read that fun from the first to the last page.
