Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #3: Back To Basics

I love books like Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #3. Life can get busy, so I can’t always keep up with all of the books I would like. World’s Finest gives me my monthly dose of Superman and Batman all in one package. Reminds me of being younger and picking up a random issue and being able to figure out what is going on rather quickly. Batman and Superman are the perfect characters for this because most readers have a basic understanding of those characters. I am excited for Dark Crisis, and Josh Williamson is doing an incredible job orchestrating it, but it can be jarring to go into a DC event. Skipping tie-in books can even leave you out of the loop, so I appreciate Mark Waid’s “back to basics” approach to this series. Waid’s return to these characters doesn’t need to be monumental because, frankly, every writer taking a stab at the characters is trying to do the same thing. 

There are three subplots going on: one follows Batman and Supes, another follows Supergirl and Robin, and the third follows the Doom Patrol. I felt that the issue read quite fast because of how it was broken up, but I find the subplots exciting and a blast to read. I could easily see the Doom Patrol or Supergirl and Robin getting their own series stemming from Batman/Superman: World’s Finest. I’m not sure if this is DC’s plan or if Mark Waid just wanted to include these characters, but I would read those books in a heartbeat, especially if the creative teams carry over. 

Dan Mora was born to draw these characters, especially Superman and Batman. This issue globe-trots, even time-trots, from a hallucinated Hell to Switzerland to China and then to Central City. We jump around a lot, and Tamra Bonvillain’s colors do an excellent job of keeping readers up to speed and showing readers where they are without explicitly being told. However, Aditya Bidikar’s lettering is superb and a lot of fun. I knew I was in for a fun issue with the opening line being, “Welcome to Hell, Batman.” Like Bonvillain’s coloring, Bidikar’s lettering keeps readers up to speed and does a lot of the heavy lifting interpreting tone and the different voices of the many characters. Overall, it is safe to say that this creative team is a great fit for a book titled World’s Finest.