Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39 // Review
Batman is smiling. That’s weird enough, but it’s the reason why he’s smiling. He’s smiling because he’s seeing Robin for the first time in years. Before anything really has a chacne to be explained, Clark pops by in his red cape. He seems happy to see Robin, but wants to know...which one he is. Things are going to get complicated in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39. Writer Mark Waid continues a weirdly fun exploration of crazy time travel and awkward interactions in an issue that is sharply brought to page and panel by artist Clayton Henry and colorist Tamra Bonvillain.
There’s really no reason why Robin should be there...especially standing right next to Nightwing. They’re both the same person. They’re both Dick Grayson from different times. And so they’re both in kind of a state of confusion until the two of them shake hands and the one of them vanishes. Batman and Superman and Robin from the past are in the future that is our present while Batman and Superman and Nightwing from the present are in the past. So things are going to be kind of confusing. And they’re not likely to get a whole lot more comprehensible any time soon.
Time hopping can be a fun way to contrast different eras of a set of characters, but it’s been done a millin times before and it’s really, really difficult to do it in a way that’s going to seem at all fresh. In light of this, it’s kind of remarkable that Waid manages to make it feel as original as it does for the entire span of the issue. The mirroring of the three heroes being mixed-up is a clever switch that remains entertaining in a series of quickly-paced scenes that all feel remarkably enjoyable.
Henry and Bonvillain do much of the heavy lifting of making the issue seem appealing. There’s something crisp and iconic about contrasting the past and future with 3-4 of the most iconic heroes in DC comics. The action is handled quite well ,but Henry’s. real genius lies in carrying subtle, silent moments of drama on more than one occasion over the course of the issue, speechless panels carry an overwhelming impact on the page that wll outweighs some of the more heavy moments of dialogue that rush across the page in order to advance the plot.
One of the more intense moments in the issue DOES involve some pretty tightly-woven dialogue as Lois flies off, rifling through a few matters to Clark that illustrate just how totally different everything is in the present. So often a writer might want to show contemporary heroes a weird and bizarre future in which strange things have happened. It’s nice to see that switched-up as Batman, Superman and Robin are all quite suddenly shocked by everything that’s happened in the recent decades as Lois Lane/Superwoman flies off on business. It’s one of the more clever moments in a strikingly clever issue.
