In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25, Joker and Lex Luthor team up to find a secret, mystical device that either one could use to rule the world.
Title: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25 – Joker-Luthor: World’s Vilest
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Steve Pugh
Colors: Adriano Lucas
Letters: Steve Wands
Main Cover: Dan Mora
Variant Covers: Jamal Campbell, Dave Johnson, Joelle Jones, Jordie Bellaire, Alvaro Martinez Bueno, Dustin Nguyen, Stevan Subic & Christian Ward
Release Date: March 19, 2024
Please Note: This comic book review may contain spoilers
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25 opens on Gotham City, years ago, as Batman and Superman team up to stop the Joker. While Batman breaks in to nab Joker, Superman inhales Joker’s toxic gas and breathes it out into space.
At Arkham Asylum, the two heroes drop off Joker in the care of a doctor, but the minute they turn their backs, the doctor takes off his mask to reveal that it’s secretly Lex Luthor in disguise. To harken back to earlier times, artist Steve Pugh models Batman and Superman after their 50s and 60s era designs, and for Lex Luthor, he adds more hanging skin around the neck to convey that this is Lex before he transferred bodies. It’s a nice little nod for DC fans who have been around for a while.
In Metropolis, Lex Luthor shows Joker a century-old manuscript that was found in the hands of an unidentified suicide. All attempts to decipher it have driven the archaeologist to insanity. As a modicum of control, Lex has an explosive collar planted around Joker’s neck. He then switches into his classic purple and green power suit, which delights Joker to no end! In turn, Joker runs to the bathroom and shaves his head, so the two of them can be twins! It’s a fun sequence, playing out like a DC-themed version of The Odd Couple.
While Dan Mora has been a fan-favorite artist on this title, Pugh is definitely bringing a classic style that feels at home with the more mystery-forward vibe of this tale. After Joker gets suited up and “given a toupee,” the two hit the streets and find the first clue. It looks like one of those Shazam-style lightning bolts, leading the twisted pair into a strange, mystical subway station.
From there, they see a bizarre train, which they ride. It’s this surreal train ride that allows Colorist Adriano Lucas to shine. Paired with Pugh, the two deliver a wild pattern of colors and shapes that feels akin to Jack Kirby’s work on classic Doctor Strange comics.
Lex Luthor and Joker swap reasons why they hate their respective heroes, and when Joker yarns about breaking Batman’s mundanity, Lex makes a comment about Joker being merely a murderer. Joker explodes in rage, and it’s in the next few panels that Pugh and Lucas deliver some of the most beautiful, rage-filled, Joker-ific panels in this book. It’s creative, fun, and perfectly in sync with the Clown Prince of Crime, who ends his rant with dismissal.
Eventually, Joker and Lex enter into some sort of dimensional rift, opening odd doors that lead to Jonah Hex’s time and Zatarro. When they find the right door, they see the Heart of Eternium, which is carved from the Rock of Eternity. It makes real longings of the past, present, and future. Before Lex and Joker can possess it, they are beset upon by a strange, toothy monster that guards it.
Lex is about to get eaten when Joker zaps the beast with a colorful umbrella he got from The Penguin. Lex grabs the heart, feels its power, and is blasted away from it by Joker. Joker grabs it, and Lex threatens to use the explosive collar. However, Joker had long deactivated it, having coerced one of Lex’s employees to remove it out of fear of death.
As Joker holds the Heart of Eternium, such horrors and noises erupt from within him, but what the readers see is the horror on Lex’s face. In this aspect, the creative team chose restraint, likely because nothing that could be shown would amount to enough “terror” that would provoke Lex to do what he did next. Lex lashes out at Joker, and when the two begin to tussle, Lex uses his glove to shock the heart — destroying it.
With his last act, Lex’s hand on the heart sent Joker back to Arkham. In the story’s end, Lex watches Superman fly by, quietly knowing that it was he who saved the world this time.
While there’s nothing surprising or unique in this origin of Joker and Lex Luthor’s relationship, the art is vivid, wild, and incredible. It truly is a jaw-dropping and vibrant book that harkens back to a bombastic style not seen in decades. It’s like candy for the eyes, and much of that is due to Pugh, Lucas, and Letterer Steve Wands.
“Joker, I’m Lex Luthor…” (Images courtesy of DC Comics)
Title: Impossible — Prologue
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Dan Mora
Colors: Tamra Bonvillain
Letters: Steve Wands
In the backup, Superman is in his menagerie in the Fortress of Solitude when some kind of portal opens up and sucks him in. In the Batcave, Batman is working on an antidote to Scarecrow’s latest fear gas when something wonks up the Batcomputer. The robot T-rex comes to life and is battled by Abraham Lincoln, who climbs out of the giant penny. Before Batman and Robin (Dick Grayson) can act, Superman and all of his aliens fall into the Batcave.
The three heroes battle all sorts of shenanigans when they realize who really is the cause of this — Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk. These dimensional imps appear, but all of the hijinks weren’t them. It was caused by the “wave of chaos” they rode in on as they flee from the evil dimensional imps (seen in Batman / Superman: World’s Finest 2024 Annual).
It’s a warning, and as Bat-Mite cradles the body of an impish Lantern, Batman, Superman, and Robin realize the true gravity of what is about to happen.
It’s a fun follow-up on the brief setup readers saw in the annual a few issues back. However, this is just another tease, not really advancing the story so much as reminding readers that this is some kind of big storyline or event in the works.
It’s cute, but that’s about it.
Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with an advanced copy of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
