Batman/Superman: World's Finest #13 Review

   

Written by: Mark Waid
Art by: Dan Mora
Colors by: Tamra Bonvillain
Letters by: Steve Wands
Cover art by: Dan Mora (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: March 21, 2023

Batman/Superman: World's Finest #13 begins a thrilling new arc as the World's Finest come together to find out who murdered Simon Stagg, and the clues point to one of their own.
Is It Good?

How?!? How does this series continue to impress and excite me with every dang issue???

Batman/Superman: World's Finest #13 is everything you could hope for in a fun, exciting, mysterious, engaging encapsulation of what made DC Comics one of the Big 2. More of this please.

The story begins with an announcement that Simon Stagg was found dead from poison in a locked room. Given Stagg's history of making enemies due to his petty, vindictive nature, the suspect list is long, but early signs point to Stagg's bodyguard and JL member, Rex Mason, aka Metamorpho.

What follows is possibly the most well-constructed flashback-cum-origin-story of Metamorpho you'll find anywhere and a perfect lead into how Mason became Stagg's bodyguard and eventual murder suspect.

But wait, there's more. Ace photographer Jimmy Olsen is on the case (with the urging of Clark Kent) to investigate the murder using all the journalistic skills he's learned. The results surprise everyone, including Clark Kent. In short, you get an excellent World's Finest mystery, an excellent primer for Metamorpho, and a Jimmy Olsen highlight issue.

At the risk of over-gushing, the fact that Mark Waid could pull those disparate storylines together in a coherent adventure that gives each thread proper attention is almost miraculous. Or the bar at DC has been lowered so far; I'm not used to seeing good writing.

In any case, everything about this issue is fun, engaging, and exciting. The little moments of dialog, some serious and some quippy, give the characters personality and clarify their relationships with each other. The pacing is dead solid perfect, and the mystery is intriguing, especially when you see the twist at the end.

Of course, this issue's success greatly relies on Dan Mora's art. You get the feeling Mora is having fun with this series, and it shows. The costume and figure work is excellent, Bonvillain's coloring is outstanding, and the book looks fantastic.

Never mind. I can't stop gushing about this issue. Nothing DC publishes right now comes close.


About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces:

Batman/Superman: World's Finest #13 is as good a DC Comic as you'll likely find anywhere. The story is fun, with an intriguing mystery. Multiple characters appear, but each gets proper attention, and the art is brilliant.

9.5/10