Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #22 – Mark Waid, Writer; Dan Mora, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Mark Waid has periodically returned to his most famous work, the future DCU masterpiece Kingdom Come with Alex Ross—but he’s never quite addressed the elephant in the room of the series’ main villain Magog. Geoff Johns worked with a more sympathetic version of the character years back, playing him off a new villain known as Gog—but neither of those characters really made a larger impact in the DCU. Now, Waid is rewriting history by returning to these archetypes to create what might be the definitive versions. David, formerly known as Boy Thunder, has become a twisted version of himself in thrall to Gog, a single-minded deity who seems to rule his world with an iron fist and keep the other heroes of the world under his thumb. While Superman and Batman try to get through to their former protege, they fail and are thrown into the catacombs by their own doppelgangers.
And it turns out, that’s exactly where they want to be. Because they’re not the only prisoners there who are seeking for answers, and one has been there for a very long time—and not only knows how Gog got his powers, but where he comes from. It’s a tragic tale that casts Gog not as a monster, but a person who tried to do the right thing eons ago and suffered horribly for it. That pain has curdled into hatred, and now he’s just as monstrous as the enemy he fights. This issue also asks some very interesting questions about David and his origins, and gives some surprising layers to the Superman and Batman of the Kingdom Come world. This series excels when it’s balancing compelling character work with old-school action, so it’s no surprise that Waid returning to his roots on this classic Elseworlds is resulting in what might be the best arc of the whole series so far.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
