Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #44: Second Chances

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #44 – written by Mark Waid and Mark Russell, with art by Lucas Meyer, colored by Rain Beredo, and lettered by Steve Wands – treats readers to somewhat of a second date between Robin and Supergirl, and despite being tied up the majority of the issue, this date went a lot better than the first. Writing duties are split between Mark Waid and Mark Russell, and while it isn’t clear who wrote what, the pair does an excellent job of blending the classic vibe World’s Finest has captured for 44 issues, while still feeling like a fresh take. This is a much-needed breather of an issue. It is as funny as it is feel-good, and that might be just what readers need right now.

Like Waid and Russell, Lucas Meyer and Rain Beredo are an excellent duo on this issue. The issue begins with some classic Batman and Superman action, but quickly shifts into the main plot. Meyer’s art with Beredo’s colors shows that they can handle large-scale action with a smaller and more humorous story without any whiplash for the reader. Balancing action with emotion-driven storytelling, in this case, a very awkward quasi-date, can be hard to do. However, Meyer and Beredo balance all of these elements extremely well. Steve Wands’ lettering does a lot of the heavy lifting as well. Supergirl and Robin have very different ways of doing things, even speaking, and Wands captures a lot of this with the lettering. This issue is packed with modern language and concepts like podcasts, but between the writing, art, and lettering, it feels like a classic issue.