Review– ‘Batman/Superman: World’s Finest’ #20 Returns To Kingdom Come
by Tony Thornley
Kingdom Come is one of the most famous stories in DC Comics’ long and storied history. In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20, one of the original creators returns to that dark world.
Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, and Steve Wands take our heroes into the multiverse to meet one of their darkest reflections.
Barry Allen has found Superman’s lost protege, Boy Thunder. He’s found a home on Earth-22, a much darker and bleaker version of Earth-1. Superman promised to find him, and with Batman at his side, he intends to fulfill that promise. Unfortunately, they don’t understand the darkness that awaits them on Earth-22…
There’s a lot to be said about Waid’s Kingdom Come. It’s frankly one of the greatest stories in DC’s pantheon, and serves as both condemnation and deconstruction of some of the worst tropes in comics. But that’s not what Waid is gunning for here. This story is meant to further Waid’s origin of Magog, the anti-hero who served as one of the primary antagonists of Kingdom Come.
This issue doesn’t get very far into it, beyond getting Bruce and Clark to Earth-22. However, the darkness at the edges of this story are enough to start to add layers to the larger story. David also makes a full return here, now as Thunderman, and his slide into darkness has continued, making his inevitable change into Magog even more obvious. It’s obviously the first chapter of the story, but it’s still satisfying as such.
Mora’s art continues to be simply gorgeous. One of the most impressive moments is how he shifts his style ever so slightly to mimic Alex Ross’s painted world of Earth-22. It’s still distinctly in Mora’s style, but he is able to evoke Ross’s versions of Superman and Batman, making the duo stand out against their Earth-1 counterparts. His design for Thunderman is great too, with a very 90’s style costume (going along with the idea that Magog was an embodiment of the excesses of the 1990’s).
Bonvillain’s colors continue to compliment Mora’s line art so well. She uses bright colors in the Earth-1 scenes, but on Earth-22, she switches to more earthy and cold tones. It instantly sets the feel for the rest of the issue, as well as accomplishing the same Mora does with his lines by evoking Ross.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20 is available now from DC Comics.
Overview
This issue is a gorgeous tour through the multiverse. It stands on its own, but also is clearly required reading for Kingdom Come fans. I’m excited to see what the creative team does with such a rich concept.
