Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #35 – Mark Waid, Writer; Adrian Gutierrez, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: One of the most entertaining parts of this series has been the way it’s expanded its focus to far beyond the world of its two main heroes. This issue takes Batman, Superman, and Robin underwater with Aquaman to deal with a plague – and a potential war. We’re delving into some very old lore related to Atlantis, back when it was divided between two separate cities – Poseidonis and Tritonis. The latter is ruled by Aquaman, with much consternation among full-blooded residents, while the other is a city of mermaids. And for those who know Superman lore, they know what that means. But the crisis is a seeming zombie plague that’s affecting the residents of Tritonis, turning them into rage-blinded attackers if it doesn’t kill them outright. Superman is able to figure out that it’s a fungal infection, but nothing else – and the time to figure it out before things explode is running out.
Sure enough, Superman reunites with his ex-girlfriend Lori Lemaris, who’s happy to see him – but her husband, the king of Tritonis, is definitely not. This warlike ruler has already begun spreading rhetoric blaming Aquaman’s kingdom for the plague and planning a counter-attack. Aquaman doesn’t have time to prepare for war, as his appearance at the throne is met with massive protests demanding he step down and let someone more dedicated to the kingdom’s affairs take over. Things continue to spiral out of control, and that’s before we find out who the main villain is – a character I never expected to see in an Aquaman-centric story, but one that actually makes a lot of sense. That’s a perfect example of what makes Mark Waid’s writing so enjoyable – he’s so full of deep cuts when it comes to DC lore that he can mix and match them and never run out of stories.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
