In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2024 Annual, readers are presented with four comic stories that have very little to do with the current title’s overarching story.
Title: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2024 Annual
Writers: Mark Waid, Cullen Bunn, Dennis Culver, Stephanie Williams & Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Edwin Galmon, Travis Mercer, Rosi Kampe & Jorge Fornes
Colors: Lee Loughridge, Andrew Dalhouse & Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Steve Wands
Main Cover: Dan Mora
Variant Covers: John Giang, Jamal Campbell, Gerald Parel & Mark Spears
Release Date: January 30, 2024
Please Note: This comic book review may contain spoilers
Story #1: IMPeriled
Writer: Mark Waid & Cullen Bunn
Artist: Edwin Galmon
Colors: Lee Loughridge (pages 8-10)
Letters: Steve Wands
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2024 Annual opens in the fifth dimension during a monthly meeting of the “Just-Us League.” Mr. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite are calling all of the other impish Justice Leaguers to order. It doesn’t go well, and when the two finally get the Impeople to pay attention, they confuse order with restaurant order. Shortly after, the meeting turns to chaos as each imp, dressed as their fan-favorite heroes, battle each other over who’s the best.
As the battle rages, a frustrated Mr. Mxyzptlk mutters to himself about why he brought all of the impeople together. There’s strength in numbers, he reminds himself, calling attention to the “dark storm” that’s brewing. It’s all in vain, as none of the imps, not even Bat-Mite, can hear Mxyzptlk.
The Black Canary imp ends the fight with a mighty scream, and it’s then that the other imps can finally learn what’s going on. But it’s too late. Green-Mite, an imp fashioned after Hal Jordan, is hit with an arrow. He topples over, just as an “Injust-Us League” arrives. The hero imps are attacked by imps fashioned after Joker, Grodd, Sinestro, Lobo, Starro, and others. Mxyzptlk opens a dimensional portal just as Bat-Mite is asking what is going on. This is what Mxyzptlk has been trying to warn them all about, but it’s too late. They need to bail now.
Mr. Mxyzptlk flees while many of the other impeople lie defeated, surrounded by flames and destruction. A strange, cloaked figure is surrounded by the arch-villain imps, and it knows where Mxyzptlk has run off to. This cloaked figure, too, shall enter the earthly realm. An end note tells readers that this story will continue in Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #25.
Considering that this is a fifth dimensional tale, the cutesy nature and silliness of the opening story is fitting. The art starts very light on the first page or so, with simple, yet clean lines, big eyes, and diminutive imp designs that feel not too far off from Dustin Nguyen’s Lil’ Gotham or something in Skottie Young’s wheelhouse. Artist Edwin Galmon brings in some heavy visuals once the fight gets going, taking these adorable designs and putting them through the ringer. For fans of this style of art, what starts as bubbly and fun becomes a surprisingly kinetic action romp. From an art standpoint, it only gets increasingly more enthralling as it goes, and once the villain-obsessed impeople arrive, fire, brimstone, and (possibly) death subvert the disarming charm. It’s hard to see the big, bright, beautiful eyes of the imps and not feel some sort of tenderness as the villainous impeople lay waste to them.
Batman / Superman: World’s Finest 2024 Annual variant by John Giang
Story #2: The Ties That Bind
Writer: Dennis Culver
Artist: Travis Mercer
Colors: Andrew Dalhouse
Letters: Steve Wands
This second story picks up on the Newmazo murder plot as seen in Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #17. Right after saying goodbye to Superman and Batman, Metamorpho is summoned by Simon Stagg for a mission to Markovia. After a volcanic eruption on the island, an ancient Roman temple is discovered that is believed to hold the fabled “Hammer of Vulcan.”
Metamorpho springs to action, as he is uniquely qualified to withstand the poisonous gasses, heat, and other environmental threats. Before readers get to the action, we’re treated to a quick origin of Rex Mason, the man behind the “metamorphing.” It’s revealed that he’s the son of a famous archaeologist, Montana Mason, who is clearly designed after Indiana Jones. Whereas Montana did it for the history and archaeology, Rex was more interested in finding his fortune, which caused a rift between father and son.
After the quick summary, Metamorpho finds that some of the traps in this hidden temple have already been set off. Someone else is down here, and upon finding a gargantuan diving suit, a battle quickly follows between Metamorpho and this metal monstrosity. After a brief bout, Metamorpho finds out that it’s his father in that suit. Montana is here to claim the hammer for the greater good, not letting it fall into the hands of men like Simon Stagg.
After a brief lecture, it’s revealed that Metamorpho let his father take the hammer off panel, coming back to Simon Stagg empty-handed. Simon storms off, but Metamorpho stands with his love, Sapphire Stagg. She’s the main reason Rex hangs around.
Metamorpho is one of those oddball characters who has been getting a lot of love lately. Much of this probably has to do with Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s excellent murder-mystery story in past issues of World’s Finest, but readers can probably expect more stories as we get closer to the release of James Gunn’s Superman Legacy film, which includes Anthony Carrigan playing Metamorpho among the cast. While I, as a fan of this character, appreciate him popping up in comic books, this story just… exists. The emotional beats and story framework are all there, but it’s heavily truncated, moving through the plot points and beats without readers having a chance to digest, reflect, and feel what’s going on. The panel or two after we get an introduction to Montana Mason — BOOM! There he is. It’s probably not Dennis Culver’s fault, as this must have been an editorial mandate to temper page count in this annual issue, but it’s disappointing nonetheless.
The art is also a bit of a letdown, particularly Metamorpho’s design. There are too many lines, too much texture added to this classic hero’s body. It makes Metamorpho feel out of place and lessens the congenial nature of the character. For what it’s worth, the paneling is easy-to-follow and does its best to work within the confines of such a busy story compacted in so few pages. It’s just the design of Metamorpho — he doesn’t work for me.
Batman / Superman: World’s Finest 2024 Annual variant by Jamal Campbell
Story #3: Sting like a Bee
Writer: Stephanie Williams
Artist: Rosie Kampe
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Steve Wands
Teen Titans member Bumblebee (Karen Beecher) gets wind of shoddy work and products from local company Bucklin that could potentially be harming residents in her community. She sneaks into one of their factories and discovers that they’re working on a secret surveillance project to spy on residents. They’ve also put together some potentially harmful products that could start fires. Bumblebee turns this information over to the media, and justice is served.
This story serves to introduce new readers to Bumblebee while simultaneously offering a bite-sized adventure for fans of the character. It hits all the right notes, is nicely paced, and is beautifully colored by Jordie Bellaire. There aren’t enough pages allotted to really get a feel for the characters, but Stephanie Williams, Rosi Kampe, and Jordie Bellaire make great use of the space they’re given. This is the kind of quick, short story readers want to see in an anthology book like this.
Story #4: Time Check
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Jorge Fornes
Colors: Lee Loughridge,
Letters: Steve Wands
In this final story, the Challengers of the Unknown are tasked with investigating a secret facility. Though they do not know how, these adventurers died in a plane crash and found themselves alive. Together, they’re a team capable of investigating the unknown and assisting wherever they can. It’s hard to understand what happens in this tale.
The theme of time, of being trapped in a loop, is prevalent as these heroes die and are seemingly reborn. With the psychedelic monster art, it feels as though they’re doomed to relive a mortifying scenario again and again, wondering if they should have taken that vacation instead of doing Batman’s dirty work.
Readers’ mileage may vary on this last one. For some, it might strike an emotional chord with the yearning for escape, understanding, and friendship. For others, there may be no reaction, as this story is over as quickly as it starts. The art, however, is phenomenal and easily the best penciling and coloring for this issue. Part of that is because the art team really gets to explore trippy, interdimensional madness, and they do so with a pop of color and a retro-futuristic style that makes one want to dive into 60s era scifi.
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.
