Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #47: And Then There Were Four

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #47, written by Mark Waid, with art by Adrián Gutiérrez, inks by Vicente Cifuentes, colors by Tamra Bonvillain, and letters by Steve Wands, continues to be one of the most fun series on shelves today. While this issue raises the stakes slightly, with the Lex/Joker fusion revealing the World’s Finest’s secret identities,  it never loses sight of what makes the book work so well. The Lex Luthor and Joker pairing and fusion is so much fun. Waid wasted no time leaning into the chaos of this combination in previous issues, and their wildly opposing philosophies absolutely clash in this issue. After three issues, the World’s Finest must figure out how to stop their archnemeses, but not without a little help from their friends.

One of the standouts of this issue is Gutiérrez’s pencils, supported by Cifuentes’s inks and Bonvillain’s spectacular coloring. Gutiérrez absolutely nails the physicality and personality of the major players of this issue, capturing the essence of Dan Mora’s earlier issues while feeling unique to his own style. Tamra Bonvillain once again delivers stellar colors that give the issue a vibrant, exciting energy. There are plenty of memorable moments in this issue, from a heartwarming interaction with Lois Lane to appearances from other Justice League members. However, the real star of the issue is its climax, which feels like a solid conclusion to this arc but leaves the door open for something exciting down the road. Waid always has something up his sleeve.