Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #9 – Mark Waid, Writer; Dan Mora, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The strange tale of Boy Thunder continues to unfold, as the young hero from a doomed parallel earth continues to make his impact on the DCU. Set in the past during the era of the original Teen Titans, it follows David as he teams up with different DC heroes and tries to find his own rhythm—but it’s clear that the trauma of his world hasn’t left him by any stretch. In an opening segment, he helps Batman defeat the insane Ratcatcher—but his first encounter with a villain who has no problem killing civilians clearly rattles him, and Batman sees he’s not ready for Gotham-level intensity. A battle against pirates with the Teen Titans causes different issues—as Roy Harper seems to take joy in riling up the younger boy and encouraging his worst instincts. It doesn’t take long before he gets angry enough to unleash his powers on a villain—potentially confirming Superman’s worst fears.
Both Superman and Batman have strict no-killing rules, but they come across it different ways. Superman, in a lecture to David, tries to make a point about punching down—but he accidentally triggers David’s trauma, and a shocking secret comes out. This series has done a great job of showing us how raw and painful losing an entire world would be—something that’s only occasionally covered with Supergirl. But while David seems to be making progress, a much bigger problem is looming—in the form of an alliance between Joker and The Key, as the two twisted villains get ahold of a power that allows them to cause total chaos in Gotham. It’s a massive catastrophe reminiscent of a recent movie—as well as a feint that leads to a scary cliffhanger that threatens to make everything worse. I still have a lot of questions about this book’s continuity, but it’s delivering great stories.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
