Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: The World’s Finest, part six: Final Countdown
Written by: Jeph Loeb
Pencils by: Ed McGuinness
Inks by: Dexter Vines
Colors by: Dave Stewart
Letters by: Richard Starkings
Associate Editor: Tom Palmer Jr.
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Publisher: DC Comics
The first arc of DC’s mega-hit featuring the two forefathers and most recognizable super-heroes ever comes to close in a story that seems to put the final nail in the coffin of John Byrne’s 1986 revamp of the Superman franchise, but I’ll get to that later.
The story starts with another nod to pre-Byrne Superman in the form of a Composite Superman-Batman, but not in a way that veteran readers would remember.
Also, readers find out that strange brew that Lex Luthor has been injecting himself with is a blend of liquid Kryptonite (from Superman lore) and the hyper-steriod Venom (from Batman lore) further intertwining the lives of the Dark Knight and Man of Steel — a project started with the series’ first issue and revelation that long-time Superman villain Metallo‘s alter ego John Corben may have been the killer of Batman’s parents.
I’m not going to spoil this story for you as it is a seemingly solid end to the first arc, but I will say that readers will gain a greater appreciation for the heroism of Captain Atom, but will continue to scratch their heads about how this all fits in with his “current” stint with the humorous Super-Buddies franchise of Formerly Known as the Justice League infamy.
The tale also appears to foreshadow the upcoming Identity Crisis mega-crossover penned by uber-scribe Brad Meltzer and rendered by hot new-old artist Rags Morales.
After reading the issue readers will noticeably see that Lex Luthor is brought back to his pre-Byrne basics. ‘Nuff said – you decide if it’s the right move or not.
However, in the end, Jeph Loeb continues to deliver a powerful contrast of the two title heroes with Ed McGuinness drawing the most awe-inspring, powerful, and simply heroic Superman I have seen. Batman still looks a bit out of place in this issue — likely because it’s set predominantly on Superman’s turf, Metropolis.
Great art and a fun story mark the end of the first arc of one of DC’s hottest new-old franchises.
