Art by: Dan Mora
Colors by: Tamra Bonvillain
Letters by: Steve Wands
Cover art by: Dan Mora
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: February 20, 2024
Batman / Superman: World's Finest #24 brings the visit to Kingdom Come when the World's Finest from two Earths must come together to stop Darkseid before he rips the Anti-Life Equation from Gog's mind.
Is Batman / Superman: World's Finest #24 Good?
Well, it all comes down to this. Batman / Superman: World's Finest #24 marks the finale of the return to the story arc that (arguably) put Mark Waid on the map, and I'm happy to report that Waid and Mora (mostly) stick the landing.
When last we left the World's Finest, Superman and Batman fought alongside Earth-22's World's Finest against Gog before he could send his Earth's heroes on a suicide mission against Darkseid. The fight ends with Gog trapped and David aka Thunderman aka Magog mostly on the World's Finest's side. Unfortunately, Darkseid arrived when he caught the whiff of a piece of the Anti-Life equation in Gog's mind.
Now, the World's Finest from two worlds and a small collection of Earth-22 heroes do their best to hold Darkseid back from ripping the piece of Anti-Life Equation from Gog's mind to no avail. Batman repeatedly orders David to get reinforcements, but he ignores the order until it's too late to save Gog from Darkseid's clutches. Desperate to save the day, David kills Gog rather than let Darkseid get his prize. Darkseid leaves when there's nothing left to gain. David celebrates, but his allies are devastated that David crossed the uncrossable line.
The issue ends with the Spectre arriving to show everyone what could be or will be before sending Batman and Superman back home.
Whether or not you feel this issue ends on a high note or a so-so-note greatly depends on your expectations. In technical terms, this issue, much like the series, is the most well-written and well-drawn series in DC's lineup. I doubt anyone would argue much against that assessment. But now, we get down to that X-Factor (apologies to you Marvel readers) in terms of generating excitement and memorable moments that get people talking.
What's great about Batman / Superman: World's Finest #24? On a technical level, this issue can't get any finer. Waid and Mora are equally in top form for what you'd want out of a superhero comic. As for that X-Factor concerning how the story ends, I believe Waid chose the best possible of all paths. Darkseid is "defeated," Gog is defeated, and Kingdom Come will still happen how you might expect, but there's enough of a twist to set up what happens AFTER Kingdom Come to give the classic story a fresh coat of paint.
What's not so great about Batman / Superman: World's Finest #24? Darkseid felt overpowered and underused at the same time. When two Superman from two Earths go all out against Darkseid, the Lord of Apokalips barely flinches, but Darkseid leaves after David unceremoniously robs Darkseid of his prize. In short, Darkseid felt like a mindless plot device meant to push David to cross a line.
How's the art? Somebody tell DC to put Dan Mora under contract with an appropriate page rate for the rest of his life. Please and thank you.
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 #24 almost sticks the landing with a multiversal battle against Darkseid that leaves one character damaged for a very long time, another dead, and hope for one Earth after its greatest challenge arrives in the future. Fans of Kingdom Come will have a lot to like in this issue, fans of great superhero art will love this issue, and DC fans finally have a comic worth looking forward to.
9/10
See, where I differ with you on this is the point that fans other than the art lovers and Kingdom Come fans would still like this a lot. If one hasn't read that or doesn't think much about it, they would feel somewhat confused that a very well written arc introducing David in this series (which I argue is the best arc of this series) got brought up again in this arc which really isn't about "David" himself and his relationship with superman but rather a tease and greatest hits of another series that had nothing to do with this title other than that the same writer wrote that too. I don't like being forced to read a stand alone elseworlds story in order to get a slight payoff to characters and stories of the title I am actually invested in, If it was canon that would be another story. If you take Kingdom Come out of it, this arc was chopped up and went very fast without much setup or explanation( all that supermen feud, batman's non existence presence other than to fight and plan, that rushed exposition about the villain Gog when he wasn't properly setup, the whole conclusion to David's story, not really explaning much about this world beyond vague stuff about the past and the future cause they expect you to know it based on Kingdom Come etc). I didn't like it when Zdarsky did it, I didn't like it when Tom Taylor did it and I still don't like it when Waid does it. None of them pulled it off and I feel cheated as a fan of this title, not the Kingdom come's.
ReplyDeleteBut i understand that my take is avery unpopular one lol. It's fine.
DeleteWaid is a writing legend and who does not love Mora's art, but this series has bene meh from jump street....
ReplyDelete