DCU Spotlight Review: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #11

Overview: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #11, Batman, Superman, Robin, and Boy Thunder must stop the Key from opening up the multiverse. 

Synopsis (spoilers ahead): Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #11 begins thirty minutes ago; when Boy Thunder was still held captive by the Key, he was injected with a special serum. It’s a truth serum, and the Key presses Boy Thunder to remember where his special ship was hidden in the Fortress of Solitude. He asks Boy Thunder to track the flight path to the Fortress, promising to make Thunder forget when the Key has the information he needs. 

In the present, the Teen Titans, Superman, and Batman break up Boy Thunder’s beatdown on Joker. Batman takes Superman aside, telling him that even Clark can’t make Boy Thunder follow his shining example. Superman will have to take drastic measures to keep Thunder in line. Batman then leaves to track down the Key. Robin offers to go with Superman. 

At the Fortress of Solitude, Superman places Boy Thunder in a device that nullifies Thunder’s ability to absorb sunlight into energy. David will be a normal boy from now on, and Clark can then help him with his anger. Before Superman pulls the trigger, he stops, rethinking his plan and taking the blame. 

Just then, all of the animals in Superman’s menagerie are set loose. While Superman deals with the stampede, Robin and Boy Thunder set off to find the Key. Unfortunately, the Key brought friends — Bag O’ Bones, Acid Master, Dr. Phoenix, the Abominable Snowman, Ferlin Nyxly, and Zebra-Man. 

While Robin and Boy Thunder engage the other villains, the Key knocks Superman into his solar drain device, temporarily removing his powers. Boy Thunder blasts through the villains and meets the Key, who nullifies David with a “keyword” he instilled in David’s mind that causes paralysis. Key then pulls out a gun called the Master Key, which dematerializes all solid matter into scattered atoms. 

Before the Key can pull the trigger, Batman enters the fight. Batman uses a special touch he learned from Talia Al Ghul, which resets the nervous system. The Key falls to the ground, and Boy Thunder stands over him, readying to murder once more. Superman intervenes, telling Boy Thunder that he’s better than this. When David asks why he should believe Superman, Robin says, “Because Superman never lies.” 

The trouble isn’t over, though! The Key activated the ship before stopping Boy Thunder, and as the ship hums, Boy Thunder vibrates, too. Batman notes that Boy Thunder and the ship share a vibrational signature. Wherever one goes, the other follows.

The heroes try to turn the ship off, but they can’t. They try to radio Flash and Kid Flash to no avail. Boy Thunder accepts his fate and climbs into the ship. He tells the heroes that he had some great heroes and knows how to make friends and find a home. He thanks them before fading out of this reality.

Superman vows to find Boy Thunder, and Robin knows that at some point in the future, they’ll see David again. After all, Superman never lies.

In an epilogue, David opens the door to his ship and finds himself in a desolate world. A being called Gog tells David that he’s been waiting for the boy to arrive.

Analysis: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #11 wraps up the arc that introduced readers to Boy Thunder, better known to readers as Magog. It’s a beautifully drawn and colored finale, full of the fast-paced action we’ve come to expect from this series. Though it seems like Superman will take Boy Thunder’s powers away, this never comes to pass, and Thunder’s ultimate fate to become Magog comes to pass. If only Superman had listened to Batman, Kingdom Come would never happen. 

There’s a lot of heart in this finale. Superman questions himself when debating whether or not to rid David of his Boy Thunder powers. Ultimately he chooses the route of the boy scout, accepting all the blame and letting David free. When David is sent to a different dimension, Superman vows to find the boy. 

It’s in this issue’s final few pages where we learn that, though David has suffered from rage and anger issues throughout this arc, he did learn some positive lessons from both the Teen Titans and Batman and Superman. David learned how to make friends. He learned how to find a home and feel accepted. It’s a touching moment, and though we don’t see Superman express much, it probably resonates with him the most. Throughout this arc, Superman does everything he can to help the boy. While others warned that David was unstable and shouldn’t be a hero, Superman offered him the biggest opportunity.

The art in this issue is fantastic. Especially in those final moments, Mora expresses more shock, pain, fear, and loss in just a few quick facial expressions from Superman. It tells us everything we need to know about how he’s feeling and, in turn, everything we need to feel about this arc. It’s one of loss. It’s one of hoping to change the tide but not quite making it. Though Joker and the Key have been stopped, the cost was losing a child who could have been so much more to this universe. 

Tamra Bonvillain’s colors are bright, vivid, and delicately balance the zippy, zany fun of World’s Finest with these tender moments. It’s no easy feat, and the result is a visual display that continues to be one of the most appealing books on comic book stands. 

On one final note, that solar drain device gives off serious Superman II vibes. That’s probably the point, but it’s nice to see Christopher Reeves callbacks in a series that highlights the brighter and more fun tones of Silver Age comics. 

Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with a 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 Comixology through Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.