Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20: Return to Kingdom Come

With Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20, readers return to the world of Kingdom Come, the 1996 Elseworlds mini-series from Mark Waid and Alex Ross. While this world has been revisited before, mainly in 1999’s The Kingdom, which was a short-lived sequel to the original series, nothing has managed to capture the charm and critical praise of the original. Batman/Superman: World’s Finest is a great way to return to Kingdom Come without attempting to recreate what makes it a classic. So far this feels like something other than a sequel or a cash grab. Waid planted the seeds early on in the series by introducing Boy Thunder and was careful in its execution and payoff. 

Even though Waid is writing World’s Finest, much of it feels like a celebration of his work without self-admiration or ego-stroking. He is taking the things he loves about comics and his career and continuing to play with them. The opening of this issue features the Flash establishing the multiverse to the reader and also acknowledging that the Kingdom Come world doesn’t know about it but it also feels like a wink and nod to his work on The Flash, though this issue features Barry instead of Wally. Seeing the World’s Finest Clark and Bruce dining in Planet Krypton, the superhero-themed restaurant, is so much fun especially seeing Bruce comment on a dish named “The Creped Crusader” or the two wondering who Booster Gold is. While we don’t see much of the Kingdom Come Clark and Bruce, seeing the two in the restaurant together again is such a treat.

Dan Mora and Tamra Bonvillain are two of the finest artists working today. Mora was missed on the last few issues, though Travis Moore’s issues are always fantastic and Bonvillain retained the familiarity and tone with her stellar colors. The few issues off for Mora were worth it because this issue features some of his finest work on this series. Not only does he replicate some iconic imagery of various Elseworld books in the initial pages with the Flash, but he also brings readers to the world of Kingdom Come in a perfect balance between his style and the iconic designs from Alex Ross.