Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #54: Justice League Baseball

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #54, written by Mark Waid, drawn by Bruno Frenda, colored by Luis Guerrero, and lettered by Steve Wands, takes a step back to participate in a game of America’s favorite pastime. It’s that brief stretch of summer when baseball feels like the only sport that matters, so naturally Mark Waid has decided that Superman, Batman, and various heroes need to play for the fate of humanity on the line… in Hell. If that sounds ridiculous, it is. It’s also a whole lot of fun.

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #54 feels like Space Jam meets Field of Dreams, with a healthy dose of the Silver Age silliness thrown in. The premise is over-the-top, but Waid commits to it completely while still feeling like something written in 2026. What could easily be dismissed as a filler issue instead becomes another reminder of why this series works so well: even when the story is deliberately silly, there is always something worth reading.

Bruno Frenda does an excellent job making baseball exciting in this medium. Considering how much of the issue revolves around a game, that’s really no small task. Many find watching the sport to be boring, so this was a big swing (pun intended). The action is energetic and easy to follow, with Frenda finding plenty of ways to make the game feel larger than life. Luis Guerrero’s colors add clarity to the near-nonstop action while balancing the fact that the game is being played in Hell. Waid also finds room for a surprisingly sentimental emotional beat amid all the demonic baseball madness. It’s a small moment, but it’s important and works.

There is something wonderfully nostalgic about the entire issue. The premise could easily have been pulled from a Silver Age Superman story, and that’s part of its charm. Waid understands that superhero comics don’t always need to be grim or complicated. Sometimes Batman and Superman just need to play baseball in Hell.