Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #29
Kevin Rossi
Recap
WILL DOOM-MITE DINE ON THE WORLD'S FINEST? The grand finale to "Impossible" is here, and it... well, it is as insane as you think it would be. First of all, we've got this big DOOM-MITE guy over here, check him out... he's about to eat Batman and Superman! What would that even taste like? Let's hope our heroes never let him find out, as the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight save the fifth dimension from IMPLOSION or die trying!
Review
With Batman and Superman right in the title, it is no wonder that Batman/Superman: World’s Finest is such a success, but its true success is due to the creative team. Mark Waid’s return to DC a few years ago has been a bright spot in the current DC lineup thanks to his collaborations with artist Dan Mora. Along with Waid and Mora, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #29 was colored by Tamra Bonvillain and lettered by Steve Wands. Finishing up this current arc, issue #29 shows readers the showdown between our favorite heroes and Doom-Mite. The issue, and the arc as a whole, capture a fine balance between seriousness and silliness with the latter being almost required when dealing with imps. But leave it to Mark Waid to reach an emotional high using Bat-Mite.
Regarding the art, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #29 might be Mora and Bonvillain’s best work yet on this series. Bonvillain’s coloring brings out the best of Mora’s work and vice versa. This issue has a lot of action and a lot of characters but the art does such an excellent job managing it all. There is a fun montage of the imps traveling around the world gathering various magic users. This is all happening while Superman is taking a beating from Doom-Mite. Mora seems to have a lot of fun drawing the imps but where he truly shines are the bits of body horror in this issue. For one, Doom-Mite is seriously unsettling to look at, but at times he is outright terrifying. There is an instance where Batman is transforming back into a man after being a puppet and Mora provides the in-between phase of the transformation that will haunt readers’ dreams. The highlight of the issue, however, is Bat-Mite’s sacrifice for the heroes. Batman’s lament for the fallen imp includes some fantastic writing but it is Mora’s art that drives it home with such delicate and subtle signs of emotion in Batman’s face and body language. In the end, Bat-Mite is okay and there is a happy ending, but it is done in such a way that the power of the sacrifice and Batman’s grief is not lost.
Final Thoughts
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #29 is a solid end to this arc that sticks the landing. It seems that Mora and Bonvillain will not be on the book for the foreseeable future, so this also reads as an excellent sendoff for the two artists. Their work has been nothing short of outstanding thus far but this issue easily is a 10 out of 10 for art and coloring. With a new arc on the way with a new artist, there is a lot to look forward to. The end of this issue hints at Wonder Woman appearing in the next arc, and one can’t go wrong with Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman written by Mark Waid.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #29: Magic and Mites
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10
