REVIEW: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #40
While Mark Waid finishes out the ‘We Are Yesterday’ crossover over on Justice League Unlimited, that leaves Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #40 open for a new story. This is one one-shot that packs a kaiju-sized punch in the meantime until the next big thing hits the series and it’s more than enough to suffice.
Dan Mora gives us the perfect cover for what this month’s story entails rather than any kind of cinematic exaggeration. Perry White and Commissioner Gordon have been invited to a talk show in Gotham. Meanwhile, a kaiju-like beast attacks the city while Batman (in a mech) and Superman defend against it. Even though we’ve had a story about the Fifth Dimension, this feels like the most out-of-pocket one-shot we could get.
Still, on the topic of late-night talk shows, Mora also gives us the next celebrity guest-star variant cover. Stephen Colbert promoted this on The Late Show last month and was really excited to be featured in a DC comic book. As always, Mora captures the guest star’s likeness in his art style and the idea of Superman plugging a self-help book is fun. Batman is a part of it the only way he can be.
Tirso Cons’ variant is a team-up move that Batman and Superman would have if Warner Bros. Games ever made a DC hero shooter. Cons also has one of those smooth, defined art styles that is always nice on the eyes.
Other variants this month are available from Skylar Partridge and Adrian Gutierrez.
While it’s not exactly a prestigious late-night talk show, Perry White and Jim Gordon have an interview on a divisive podcaster’s show in Metropolis. It’s for a rival media company to the Daily Planet called Galaxy Communications and take a more modern approach to reporting. Clark, Bruce, and Lois oversee Perry and Jim’s conference about crime in Gotham City and print reporting. However, a giant monster has other plans.
Rotsler continues to run his show as the monster attacks while Lois and Perry turn it into their broadcast to help evacuate. Superman and Batman are soon on the scene with a mech that Bruce has had in the Batcave. One day simply being Batman isn’t going to cut it, but today is not that day. Superman clears the area while Batman faces the monster head-on. Clark would learn that there’s no sign of extraterrestrial or interdimensional travel, meaning that this monster may be an inside job. It’s up to Jim and Lois to unravel the truth.
You know it’s going to be a fun story when the usually grounded Batman joins in on the absurd Action Comics-esque action with Superman. This isn’t a fun crossover like Godzilla vs. Kong, this is mainline DC canon. The Batwing could’ve been enough, but Waid chose to have fun with this issue and give Batman a full-blown mech. The Superman vs. Kaiju action here also adds to the hype for DC Studios’ Superman next month. Of course, the theme of print reporting vs. podcast reporting is a cool theme that would usually be explored in a Superman series. It also does a good job of spotlighting Perry and Jim, two extremely important supporting characters in the Batman and Superman canon and you get them doing what they do best. Letters are by Steve Wands.
Adrian Gutierrez once again illustrates an interlude within the World’s Finest series. There are so many great Superman panels in this issue with a shot for everything – saving people, heat vision, punches that span miles, aerial maneuvers, and cold breath. The Man of Steel is really active in this one and so is Batman with the mech’s weapons and fighting ability being tested. Gutierrez nails small cityscapes to accompany bigger characters and reflect the damage. Colors are by Matt Herms.
(9/10) Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #40 is the most jam-packed and out-of-pocket one-shot in the series. It continues the series’ tradition of spotlighting supporting characters from Superman and Batman’s respective casts, but this time has far more to excite the reader.
