Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #9: Learning Moments

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #9 is easily my favorite issue of the series. For one, the art is absolutely fantastic, and two, there are some nice interactions between Boy Thunder and new mentors, including Robin. I’ve been waiting for more of the Titans in this series, and I’m not disappointed. Batman and Superman both take Boy Thunder out on their own and we see some great teaching moments. Boy Thunder is carrying a lot of guilt and confides to Superman that he is the reason his parents are dead. His parents had built a rocket big enough for the three of them, but David was just a kid and damaged the rocket while playing in it. His parents never got the chance to rebuild it. Unfortunately, a lot of times guilt turns to anger, and Boy Thunder is taking his anger out in the wrong places.

Tamra Bonvillain and Dan Mora are so fantastic at coloring and art duties respectively. Mora’s art feels right at home drawing these characters. He knocks it out of the park with every character. Bonvillain’s colors are gorgeous and make great use of greens, blues, and purples. The opening of the issue takes place in the sewers as Batman and Boy Thunder take down Ratcatcher. The use of magenta and dark blues is gorgeous. The contrast of the bright yellows and reds of the onomatopoeia and other sound effects provided by the talented Steve Wands is such a great touch. 

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest has done a good job of balancing the nostalgia of the lighthearted Batman and Superman adventures from the 70s and 80s and still feeling fresh a new. Mora’s art style and Bonvillain’s use of color just feel classic with modern sensibilities. Having this series take place sometime in the past gives Waid the perfect amount of room to play with. Waid’s Batman vs. Robin has been enjoyable but feels out of place with the rest of the current books. World’s Finest doesn’t require readers or Waid to be completely tuned in to what’s happening. We don’t really know what happens to Boy Thunder, so there is suspense there, but I’m enjoying the low stakes of the series. We know that the world isn’t going to end or that there will be status quo changes. As far as we know, Joker’s plan is just regular Joker shenanigans. That being said, I hope Superman and Batman find a way to get Boy Thunder back home and undo his planet dying. He deserves a happy ending.