Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Travis Moore, Tamra Bonvillain, Steve Wands, Dan Mora
Publisher: DC Comics
Price:$3.99
Release Date: October 17th, 2023
The return of Boy Thunder! To find and save Superman’s former protégé, the World’s Finest duo bridges the dimensional gulf between their world and an Earth with a jaded Superman, a broken Batman, and a war-hungry Wonder Woman—the world of Kingdom Come! Let’s dive into Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20 by Mark Waid and see how this thing kicks off!
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THE DISPATCH
Waid dives deep back into his old stories within Batman/ Superman: World’s Finest to reignite the sidekick of Superman: Boy Thunder. What seemed to be a throwaway story by Waid has resurfaced with some surprises, creativity, and tons of force. Batman/ Superman: World’s Finest #20 has fans take a trip to Earth-22 where we find an aged-up Boy Thunder who goes by Thunderman and what appears to be the Kingdom Come Universe. Luckily, we seem to be given that guidance on the cover and solicits because there are very few distinguishing clues that were helpful enough to place Earth-22 as the Kingdom Come Universe.
Other than the shocking cliffhanger, Batman/ Superman: World’s Finest #20 merely places Batman and Superman into this universe and gives readers the lay of the land. No real heavy action or in-depth story beats take shape this week. Plus, Waid is creating this story as if you’ve been following along to this point. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however, it’s just something to keep in mind.
Ultimately, the only bad aspect of the issue was “how” Batman and Superman made it to Earth-22. Waid takes a comic science approach with the Cosmic Treadmill that was a bit of a stretch… it works… and I can skim over it. But some die-hard Flash fans may find it a bit uncharacteristic and weird.
ART
Dan Mora and Tamra Bonvillain continue to illustrate a phenomenal Batman and Superman. They do a masterful job providing a dated look to the classic character with an updated veneer that really makes Batman/ Superman: World’s Finest #20 pop. Together, these two are a perfect fit for Waid’s storytelling and incorporate a tone that really draws the reader into the comic.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Batman/ Superman: World’s Finest #20 kicks off a new story arc that sends fans into Earth-22 via a little Flash magic. This issue is easy to pick up and Waid sets it up for anyone to take a look. However, things will make a bit more sense if you’ve been following along to this point. Overall, the excitement is a bit flat leaving this issue of Batman/ Superman: World’s Finest more uneventful than normal at least until the cliffhanger.
As for me, I’m still definitely all in! Waid has owned this series and continues to drive home some amazing stories. My feeling is that Batman/ Superman: World’s Finest #20 was merely foundational to set up the momentum for the remaining issues in the arc. The intrigue is there. And because of that, I think the energy will be revealed next month and beyond. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!