REVIEW: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #46
It’s a battle of the fusions in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #46 in a confrontation that seems like it should be in DC K.O. We’re really being treated here with a break from the high octane fighting of the concurrent DC Universe with high octane fighting from this series set in the past –you can never have too much. We’re also finally getting back to what makes this series so great after a time of one-shots and crossover issues.
Dan Mora’s main cover juxtapositions the main cast of our story like those mix-and-match character books. It’s never the case that Mora’s art is bad, it’s that we have nothing interesting to look at here. Picking Superman’s hairline to represent him is also choice that could be better.
Chuma Hill, however, does something interesting for his variant cover –a Supergirl and Catwoman team up. Usually, Kara is with Batgirl on her Gotham City adventures. Also props to Hill for using Catwoman’s classic purple and green highlighted suit. That would translate better to the watercolor-like art of Hill, giving him more colors than just black to work with. The background is like abstract shapes in the cream of a caramel latte, very warm on the eyes.
Sean Izaakse’s variant includes Robin, who does not appear in this arc despite being in most all this time. Izaakse is doing some great work on Green Arrow with his art feeling like a mix of 90s Dan Jurgens and 2000s Jim Lee –truly the best of both worlds. A Batman, Superman, or even Justice League story illustrated by him would go hard.
Adrian Gutiérrez’s variant cover highlights the grasp Lex Luthor and the Joker have on their respective rivals.
The Joker and Lex Luthor have not only fused into one being, but the artifact they sought to stole from Hawkman, the Absorbascon, has given them unlimited knowledge. The initial explosion that fused them left Batman and Superman in an intangible-like state on the molecular level. The good news is that Green Lantern is able to come and fuse them just as he did before way back in issue #4. We all saw this coming –the return of the Superbat, the only thing capable of fighting the near omniscient Lex Joker.
With their god-like power, Lex and the Joker start to unleash laughing death –starting in Metropolis. After saving a plane when the pilot succumbs to the insanity, Batman, and Superman spring into action to save the city and take down the big bad. But there’s far more to Lex and Joker’s fusion then meets the eye and they can do nearly anything. What’s their endgame too? To remake the universe? To destroy it? Or, to horde the knowledge all to themselves?
Mark Waid gave us the teaser back in issue #4, now we can see what Superbat can really do. As much as I’ve seen, it just feels like another version of Superman since its always exhibiting his powers. Sometimes, there’s a bit of Batman but just as gadgets. There’s always a plague at work with Waid, too. We know that Lex and Joker are in this for the evil cackles and glory, but what could be the endgame of hijacking this much power? This could evolve into a whole Emperor Joker-type story. Also, thanks to infinite knowledge, the Joker knows who killed Tupac! Letters are by Steve Wands.
Adrian Gutierrez is joined by Vicente Cifuentes for illustrations. There are some panels in the beginning of the issue where the art seems faded and worn, but it resolves as the issue goes on. Superbat had all the workings of a great Superman variant –the streaking red dashes around the panels at super speed, senses beyond normalcy, and suped up gadgets. The Lex Joker design feels like it plays more into Lex than the Joker, with only features from his end being the white skin and smile. However, it seems like Joker is the more dominant one in the fusion. With all that power, that can’t be good for anything. Colors are by Tamra Bonvillain.
(9/10) We got our own unofficial DC K.O. match right here in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #46. Superbat returns and this time, it’s going to be challenged. But to what ends?
