Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #42: All Fun and Games

Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #42 – written by Mark Waid, with art by Adrián Gutiérrez, coloring by Matt Herms, and lettered by Steve Wands – continues the current arc, which finds the World’s Finest on Bizzaro World. Waid is clearly having a blast with this issue. In fact, everyone on the creative team seems to be. Letterer Steve Wands does an excellent job balancing the unique style of the inhabitants of Bizarro World with Batman, Superman, and Robin’s regular lettering style. On top of that, the plague affecting the planet causes rational thought, so characters like Bizarro and Batzarro speak in a combination of the two styles. With the help of Bizarro Lex, who might just be the highlight of the issue, the World’s Finest learn that an alien from a race that explores planets has unleashed a “cure” on the planet. 

Gutiérrez and Herms knock it out of the park and deliver such a fantastic look at Bizarro World. This issue’s art and colors highlight what makes this series so good: a mix of Silver Age fun but unmistakably sharp and modern. Packed with plenty of gags like octagon-shaped tires and square bubble gum bubbles, there are also some seriously incredible and disturbing visuals like Bizarro Brainiac, called Brainzarro. Much like series contributor Dan Mora, Gutiérrez finds a perfect balance between horror and fun, and Herms seems tapped into this as well. While the fight with Brainzarro is brief, it is phenomenal and another highlight of the issue. By the end of the issue, the World’s Finest know what is happening, but unfortunately, they do not have a solution.