Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #50 // Review
It’s been exhausting. More than that it’s been dangerous. No one has sleeping. Anywhere on Earth. This isn’t exaggeration. This isn’t hyperbole. This is the DC Universe. So this is magic. And if Clark and Bruce are going to be able to solve the problem, they’re going to need the help of Zatanna. They’re going to need to go into the Dreamstone in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #50. Writer Mark Waid delves into an issue in the spirit of April Fool’s Day that’s brought to page and panel by artist Dan Mora and colorist Tamra Bonvillain. It’s a big 40-page celebration for the 50th issue of the series.
The moment they pull through into the dream realm, Clark is driving a Batmobile that’s a perfect copy of the old one from the 1960s TV show. Only it’s not a Batmobile. It’s a Supermanmobile. Things are only going to get weirder for the two of them from there. This isn’t dream tourism, though. The two heroes have work to do if anyone’s going to be able to get any sleep ever again. If they’re going to be able to do so, they’re going to have to confront each other long enough to be able to work together...
Waid allows two of the longest-running characters in narrative history to get to know each other a little bit better. One would have thought that...having spent as much time together as they had over the decades, there wouldn’t be a whole lot more for the two of them to learn. Waid makes the interaction seem enjoyable and believable while exploring elements of the characters’ histories that pay homage to a background that goes WAY further back than the past fifty issues. There’s real love here and Waid is bringing it to the page beautifully.
Mora finds a firm emotional grounding for the weirdness of the dream world. That’s really important. Otherwise, it’s just going to look like a weird and goofy fugue. And THAT would be fine if it weren’t for the fact that Waid is clearly exploring the deeper psychology between Bruce and Clark. Mora brings a rich emotional heart to the page that gives the weirdness a nice springboard to jump off of. Once again there’s a definite feel that Waid and Mora are working together every bit as well as Clark and Bruce. It’s a very sharply executed 50th issue.
There’s also a fun back-up story featuring Jimmy Olsan and Robin challenging Batgirl and Supergirl to a competition to find the world’s most legendary lost artifact. That’s a lot of fun as well. As celebratory first issues go, it’s quite cleverly-crafted. Waid doesn’t try to do anything big and unwieldy with it by taking it all in some dramatic, earth-moving new direction. Nor is he trying to sum-up the appeal of this enduring team-up in some big and comprehensive way that is certain to fail. He’s taking a look at the team-up and giving it a chance to breathe in a couple of fun stories.
