Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #26 – Mark Waid, Writer; Dan Mora, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: It’s time for a new arc as Dan Mora returns to this title, and Mark Waid’s love for the strange and unique elements of the DCU is a perfect match for the subject of this arc—the imps of the fifth dimension. Mxy and Bat-Mite are easily Superman and Batman’s oddest frenemies, but their stories are usually among the most lighthearted in the titles. But not this time, as the infamous pranksters have made their way to this dimension not to play games but to warn the heroes. Something with all the powers of the 5th dimension but no sense of humor or mercy has emerged—already killing one of Mxy and Bat-Mite’s friends and sending them fleeing for refuge. Batman and Superman are naturally skeptical, but seeing these two scared gives them pause—and it’s not long before a new threat emerges, as villains like Sinestro and Kadabra start attacking, with new evil imp backup.
While this story is much more serious than the type they usually appear in, that doesn’t mean Waid and Mora don’t know how to have some fun. The sheer unpredictability they bring to every story is on full display, such as when they randomly decide to give Robin superpowers because it’ll up the power level (and he asked). Batman and Superman decide to split the two up and each take the other one’s usual annoyance, which leads to a tense working relationship between Batman and Mxy—and a surprisingly friendly one between Superman and the usually more good-natured Bat-Mite, who seems to have some odd hero worship of Batman in him. But things take a much darker turn when we see the mastermind behind all this, and it becomes clear just how powerful they are and how much damage they can do—especially once they get their hands on a new partner. Loving this arc so far.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
