Cover Art from Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #46 - Written by Mark Waid, Art by Adrian Gutierrez, and Inks and Finishes by Adrian Gutierrez and Vicente Cifuentes. Cover Art by Dan Mora.
“See? Two Minds in One! Isn’t that better?”
Mark Waid’s run on Batman/Superman: World’s Finest has been nothing short of incredible since its inception 46 issues ago. It has consistently featured stellar art—originally from the great Dan Mora and now from Adrian Gutierrez—and each arc has left me hungry for the next.
Unfortunately, this issue left me slightly disappointed with where the current arc seems to be heading. That’s not to say I didn’t find great things here, and I want to highlight those as well; however, the cliffhanger ending didn’t quite land for me. With the wild character-fusion concept introduced last issue, I was hoping for a different direction from Waid. That being said, the nostalgic Silver Age feel is still flowing through this book, and there are some wonderful action sequences that give Gutierrez and the art team plenty of room to shine.
Spoiler alert is now in full effect; let’s get into it.
The Merger Takes Centerstage
Issue #46, titled The Merger: Part 2, opens moments after the explosive cliffhanger from Issue #45, where the Joker and Lex Luthor became one entity while Superman and Batman became intangible thanks to the explosion of the Joker’s Phantom Ray gun. That sentence can only happen in comics.
The issue begins with Hawkman (who gets a fantastic splash page all to himself) searching Midway City for Batman and Superman. He contacts the Justice League satellite, but it is to no avail, as the sensors cannot locate them due to their intangibility. We cut to Batman and Superman, who quickly realize that the only way for them to have any impact in the material world is to use “molecular cohesion”—which is fancy comic speak for saying they need to fuse together.
Hawkman finds the World’s Finest as they explain that the Joker and Luthor have merged into “one grotesque form.” Since the villains now possess the Absorbascon, they have “complete access to the combined knowledge of the entire human race.” The stakes have been drastically raised, the title card appears, and we’re off and running toward a collision course between ultimate good and ultimate evil.
The Ultimate Villainous Dynamic
The combination of Lex and the Joker inside one body is fantastic throughout the issue. It is great to see Mark Waid flex his writing muscles, showing the dichotomy of the two villains as each tries to take control of their new body to complete their own goals. It is also a brilliant creative choice to feature Luthor’s thoughts and spoken words in normal comic font, while the Joker’s are thinner and much more chaotic. It’s a small touch, but one that adds a nice layer of detail. These two are arguably the most famous villains in the DC Universe, and having them occupy the same body predictably leads to fun results.
Lex’s first thought is to rip the Joker and himself apart so he doesn't have to deal with a “criminally insane sociopath” running around inside his mind—and honestly, I can’t blame him. Imagine having someone as demented as the Joker trapped inside you? That’s not a fate I would wish on anyone. As expected, the Joker’s chaotic nature takes hold; before he allows Lex to use the Absorbascon for knowledge, he rips it off their combined head, claiming he has a much “sicker” use for it.
The Art Team Is Given Their Time To Shine
I want to highlight the art in this initial section where we see The Merger begin to enact its plans. The design, which I loved when it was introduced in the last issue, really works. I loved the way Gutierrez drew the psychic energy rippling around The Merger’s head and combined with the bright neon green colors of Vicente Cifuentes it makes for a really cool visual. There is also a really two panel sequence in this initial scene where Luthor is represented by the left side of the Merger’s face and Joker is represented by the right, which really worked for me also. The art in this book, since the beginning has always been a strength and it continues to be almost 50 issues in.
Superman and Batman have their work ahead of them if they’re going to stop this dastardly duo but first, they need to fuse together. While Hawkman begins the search for The Merger, Hal Jordan meets with Superman and Batman and helps them channel their willpower to combine themselves into SuperBat once again just like they did all the way back in issue #4. The fused form of Batman and Superman is one of the coolest designs in comics right now and I’ll die on that hill. The SuperBat splash panel that we get would be something I would get framed and hung on my wall and the massive flash of Green Lantern light that surrounds the World’s Finest amalgamated form just adds to the great piece of art. The collision between the two entities of good and evil is almost here but first… we get a look at what the Joker’s “sick” use for the Absorbascon actually is.
People all over the metro area begin to experience bouts of insanity. We see an airplane pilot take his plane into a nosedive, a gang enforcer murder an entire crew of drug runners, a construction worker attempt suicide, and a wife try to stab her husband. The Joker’s plan is simple: he wants to infect everyone’s mind with the same insane thoughts he experiences on a daily basis, wanting the whole city to “see the world as [he] does.”
SuperBat saves as many people as possible, eventually triangulating The Merger’s location by altering their vision to see the energy waves exploding out of the Absorbascon. This is easily one of the most "comic book-y" comics I’ve read this year, and this series shines when it fully embraces its Silver Age feel.
Once SuperBat locates The Merger, the battle is on; this sequence ranks among the best action scenes of the year. Lex and the Joker’s hideout is crushed after SuperBat throws a building-sized, will-powered Green Batarang, and the amalgamated beings begin their throwdown. The art team’s moment to shine is here, ensuring the reader can feel every Kryptonite blast, punch, and kick.
There’s a particularly brilliant scene during the fight where the two beings are silhouetted as they brawl in the middle of a rainstorm; that four-panel sequence is one of the coolest in the entire book. The Kryptonite blasts from The Merger are brilliantly rendered in a sickly lime green, and the lettering is a work of art in its own right, enhancing every major move. This was my personal favorite part of the book—just two super-powered beings going at it with everything they have across a cityscape in the middle of a storm. It’s peak comic book action: fists flying, powers exploding, and kinetically pleasing art.
A Disappointing Ending
Unfortunately, after this epic fight, the issue took a turn that didn’t resonate with me as much as it might have for others. The Merger uses their abilities to discover Superman and Batman’s true identities and begins broadcasting those thoughts to the entire world. My issue is that I’ve seen this storyline so many times throughout my years of reading; it feels a little played out. It seems like a bit of a letdown, and I have to admit I was more excited for the story at the end of the last issue than I am now.
Am I willing to give Mark Waid the benefit of the doubt and see if he can make this "loss of secret identity" trope interesting this time around? Absolutely. He’s more than earned that trust with his track record, but as it stands, I’m in "wait and see" mode. After such an explosive beginning to this arc, for it to pivot to this specific plot point is just a bit disappointing.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest continues to be one of DC’s best titles, and even if the ending of this issue wasn’t my cup of tea, I’m still intrigued to see what fresh spin Waid can put on it. With the landmark Issue #50 on the horizon, it will be interesting to see just where this all goes for the Son of Krypton and the Bat of Gotham.
Score: 7/10