BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLDS FINEST #52 (DC COMICS)
Batman and Superman realize quickly they’re not the world’s finest in Skartaris.
The pair (along with Robin) have found themselves in a lost land. Travis Morgan aka the Warlord is in the midst of a brutal war with The Tyrannosorcerer! If that doesn’t complicate matters enough, Superman has been captured by the evil tyrant!
BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #52 by Mark Waid, Adrián Gutiérrez. Vicente Cifuentes, Luis Guerrero & Steve Wands (DC COMICS) continues its’ wild new story!
Let’s take a closer look at what unfolds now.
BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #52 by Mark Waid, Adrián Gutiérrez. Vicente Cifuentes, Luis Guerrero & Steve Wands (DC COMICS)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
Waid keeps events exciting with this latest chapter. Putting the Finest in an element completely out of their comfort zone is always a treat. Warlord’s decree of events begins to craft great friction with Batman. One of the strongest pieces of this series is how Batman actually treats Superman as his “best friend”. His frustration of his capture leads him to take direct action. It’s a human moment fans can appreciate as the story grows.
Readers get a fair dose of character moments as well. Robin’s interaction with Warlord’s crew proves light-hearted and simple in delivery. Tyrannosorcerer’s torture of Superman immediately establishes the larger picture. The writing shows the desperation to win his face-off with Warlord. Pacing picks up in this area once Batman attempts a rescue. Waid counters the moment with Warlord’s breakdown of the magical place they reside in. It ultimately comes together for the close. Showcasing how Tyrannosorcerer’s schemes take over, readers can sense how fast victory is slipping form Warlord. This becomes even greater on the closing page. The final page screams more words than any dialogue can! Excellent cliffhanger to leave this chapter with.
READ LAST ISSUE’S REVIEW!
Gutiérrez & the art team open with a quick recap of how Tyrannosorcerer came to be. This leads to a bold two page spread of how dangerous he has become. Tensions rise as Warlord and Batman squabble about how to get Superman back. Panels show the rising frustration taking hold. It leads into a more dire picture of events. Superman’s helplessness to the magical attack he encounters makes some noise. It teases more trouble as events go to a more calming state.
Robin’s interactions with Warlord’s faction clash as one would expect. It provides a pivoting point to set up Batman’s rescue. The action takes hold as Batman strikes with a near full page. It is met with a wild full page response. As events come back to Warlord, the art shows a pair of full page looks at the magical land of Skartaris. It proves to be the calm before the storm as a two page spread kickstarts the evil onslaught. Pacing moves quick as the fight spins out of control. It crashes into a strong full page image to conclude this round on. If anyone is sleeping on what Gutiérrez is bringing to this series, they need to fix that quick!
FINAL GRADE: 8.6
Batman’s attempt to rescue Superman leads into a dark direction as Skartarisexplodes into combat! Waid constructs a very engaging build with the writing. Gutiérrez & the team take the art up to new heights. The definition of superhero storytelling is found in these pages!
Let me know your thoughts on BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #52 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
