REVIEW: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #51
Warlord fans rejoice, Batman and Superman are heading to Skartaris in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #51. Travis Morgan the Warlord is a cool swords and sorcery combined with the old hero stories in pulp magazines a century ago that can stand on its own, yet it has always been a location and part of the DC Universe. It’s also got dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures because time is skewered.
Dan Mora puts our heroes among the prehistoric residents of Skartaris. For the primal warrior-like variants of their costumes, I sense influence from stories like Batman Odyssey and Superman The War World Saga. The only dinosaur Mora has drawn in this series thus far is the one in the Batcave. This time, they’re alive and hungry. I love the Jurassic Park Spinosaurus and T-Rex references for some of the designs.
Adrián Gutierrez juxtaposes Superman and Batman with stylized Warlord doing the classic swords and sorcery hero pose like Conan the Barbarian in his variant. No backgrounds here, but the simplicity is part of the charm.
Mattia De lulis’ variant actually asks a valid design question. Should the Joker have crossed or uneven eyes? If they’re going for chaotic Joker rather than criminal mastermind Joker, then yes. Definitely looks like something crazy is going on, he’s even gripping buildings –I missed that as a design aspect in monster movie posters. The Batcycle this time around is looking marginally more consumer friendly.
While taking the exact flight path that pilot Travis Morgan did years ago as part of a recon, Batman, Superman, and Robin end up in Skartaris. The world is very magic in nature, meaning that it’s unfortunately one of those places where Superman is greatly depowered, and things can hurt him. Warlord, himself, arrives and saves them from a dinosaur attack –he was actually trying to domesticate it. Superman, being the animal lover he is, goes to bury the dinosaur Travis killed but is ambushed by a tribe of reptilian people. Warlord reveals these to be the minions of the Tyrant Rex, another pilot-turned Skartarisian but took a darker path. Warlord, Batman, and Robin join his allies Machiste, Mariah, Tara, and Shakira in a raid on one of their villages to rescue kidnapped locals. Batman realizes he can’t reach Superman and that something is wrong. Now, they must mount a rescue mission.
Mark Waid once again reaches through the massive toy box that is the DC Universe to see what else he could add to this series which has become his sandbox –a place to play outside of the current DC timeline. Warlord has a huge cult following as a hero originating in the Bronze Age, just as games like Dungeons and Dragons were hitting the market. Outside the fantasy, Warlord has always been a story of survival and heroism amidst a backdrop of savagery –something Waid gets and includes. This story has all the makings of a crossover had Warlord not be part of DC –characters coming to another world, meeting the characters, and working together. I wonder if he’ll reference Batman Odyssey. Superman spends sometime time of out of commission in this issue, so fans like me may want more. Letters are by Steve Wands.
Adrian Gutierrez lives every boy’s dream and professionally draws superheroes and dinosaurs. It’s also high time for a modern take on Warlord yet staying true to the original design. For me, it’s always been the leopard skin loincloth. The land of Skartaris is a wonderous yet dangerous place and it’s been brought back. We may also be looking at more beast-like villains down the line of this story. Fully disclosure, I’m still learning what Skartaris has and doesn’t (it’s magic, it really could be anything!). Colors are by Luis Guerrero.
(8/10) Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #51 continues the series’ blast-from-the-past storytelling, making old worlds and characters feel new again by turning our heroes loose on them. If there’s anything that deserves it, it’s Warlord.
