Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #13 – Mark Waid, Writer; Dan Mora, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This series has been full of surprises. It kicked off with an epic cosmic adventure that introduced the Devil Nezha, then dovetailed into a tragedy of a second arc that had surprising ties to Kingdom Come. After a brief detour into hilariously awkward romantic comedy, we’re back with… a murder mystery! After a prelude hinting at a wacky adventure that we’ll never see, Batman and Superman get word that Simon Stagg has been murdered via poison. Stagg is a corrupt industrialist and a longtime rival of Bruce Wayne’s, but he’s also the father of Sapphire Stagg—and the employer of Rex Mason, aka Metamorpho. Dan Mora gives us a very memorable recap of Metamorpho’s origin, full with all the body horror you’d expect, as the elemental hero becomes murder suspect #1 in the death of the man who ruined his life. But Metamorpho is a friend and would never kill anyone… right?
This series has done a great job not only fleshing out the bond between the two title characters, but their relationships with their sidekicks and friends. Bruce and Dick have some hilarious banter about Gotham’s other billionaires, but the surprising subplot involves Jimmy Olsen. The cub reporter has a major chance to get his first byline and will do anything to break the case—including interviewing Sapphire and dealing with her brutish caveman bodyguard Java. Waid does a great job of fusing the tension of the story with some fun humor, and combining the strangeness of Metamorpho’s world with the more grounded mystery plotline. But it’s rare to truly surprise me in comics anymore, and the creative team managed to pull it off with an excellent last-page reveal that threw everything for a loop. This story has been done before, but never exactly like this, and kudos to the creative team for keeping this book fresh.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
