Frantically fleeing for his life from a horde of pale, zombie-like Supermen, the time-displaced Dick Grayson suddenly finds himself on a world he doesn’t fully understand. Unsure of how he got there or the whereabouts of Batman and Superman, Robin finds himself with more questions than answers. Unfortunately, on an Earth where up is down, left is right, and red is green, the only thing you can be certain of is that danger lurks inside every upside-down house. Will Robin be able to reunite with the missing World’s Finest? Or is he destined to meet his demise at the hands of these Bizarro Supermen?
“Not now, okay?” Jeez!”
DC Comics
Picking up shortly after the events of the last issue, we find our time-displaced Robin running from a swarm of creatures with glowing red eyes. Seeking refuge in the closest upside-down house, Dick Grayson nervously flicks on his torch only to discover the horror lurking inside. In the darkness, Bizarro versions of Superman, Lois, and what appears to be a baby Lex Luthor wait to strike.
Mark Waid’s Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 gleefully tosses the reader into the deep end of the swimming pool without the safety of a flotation device. And, honestly, I am completely here for it. By structuring the narrative in this way, Waid drops the reader directly into the action without any unnecessary exposition. As a result, the reader is completely invested in figuring out the lay of the land. The reader vicariously experiences the hero’s tension and confusion as Robin pieces together what is going on. As a result, it is easy to become completely engaged in the narrative.
Adrián Gutiérrez’s artwork beautifully complements Waid’s script as he perfectly captures the horror-inspired tone of the opening sequence. By paying homage to certain horror movie visual tropes, Gutiérrez effectively sets the stage for this issue while capturing the reader’s attention. Specifically, I love the panels depicting Robin hiding below a window as the Bizarro Supermen pound on the panes from the outside.
“Boy, I really hope you have time to tell me the rest of your plan before we’re torn to shreds.”
DC Comics
In a move sure to inspire bladder spasms in his enemies, Batman gets the drop on The Boy Wonder, interrupting Robin’s run-in with the Bizarro villains and providing a moment of comedic relief from the horror-infused introduction. Waid also gets a lot of mileage out of using this time-displaced Dick Grayson as the reader’s voice. In this moment, Robin curses out loud in surprise with us before realizing it’s Batman. The Caped Crusader attempts to use this as a teachable moment regarding situational awareness before the reader and Robin shout out, “Not now, okay?” Jeez!” Having been on both ends of this type of conversation, I appreciate the amount of levity Waid injects into Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 using these moments.
It is from this point on that the Dynamic Duo reunites with Superman, and the issue switches gears from horror to Silver Age-inspired sci-fi action. Waid expertly weaves this arc’s mystery throughout their escape as our heroes discover a plague making its way through Bizarro World. In this moment, we discover that a plague is turning the villains human on the inside, resulting in a war against perfection from those unaffected. It is the promise of this mystery that has me clamoring for the next issue.
One of the things that I love most about Waid’s work with Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 is how he has created this shorthand between the titular heroes. They operate just like co-workers who have been on the same team for years. Their coded talk regarding a solution for escaping the Bizarro Supermen initially leaves more questions than answers. As a result, Waid continues to perfectly use the time-displaced Robin as the readers’ voice when he exclaims, “What ray? For the last time, what am I looking at here?” It is only once we see Superman hunting for Kryptonite to use in conjunction with the Duplicator Ray to change the Kryptonite from green to blue that everything makes sense. Waid’s subtle dialogue and perfect use of the time-displaced Robin truly make this issue stand out.
“Oh! Oh, I get it! Batman, activate the Ray!”
DC Comics
Gutiérrez’s artwork perfectly captures the Silver Age-inspired sci-fi action of the latter half of this issue. Superman’s actions are cinematic as her swoops in to save the Dynamic Duo. I love the sequence where Superman uses a lamppost as a makeshift baseball bat to smash a large piece of green Kryptonite into orbit. Gutiérrez’s artwork and panel work give a sense of big-screen cinematics for a cool popcorn munching moment. Additionally, Adrián does an excellent job conveying Robin’s acrobatics in the smaller moments with the use of shadowed figures. The creator’s work illustrates his adaptability in capturing the movements of each character.
However, I would be remiss if I did not mention Matt Herms’ use of colors that wonderfully complement Gutiérrez’s artwork. Together, they perfectly capture the tone of each sequence. Herms’ colors and the use of dots in color do a wonderful job evoking the Silver Age stories that inspired Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41.
Despite my love for being dropped into the action, I would be hard pressed not to recognize that as the first installment of “Bizarro World Tour,” Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 is not exactly new reader friendly. If you haven’t been following along with the series, you might wonder why Dick Grayson is Robin in this issue. Additionally, you might be curious as to why he has no knowledge of this Bizarro or Bizarro World. However, current readers will find a lot to enjoy about this issue.
Teeming with frantic horror and sci-fi action, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 is a Silver Age-inspired feast. Mark Waid’s script is top-notch as we rapidly bounce from one plot point to the next in an attempt to figure out what is going on with the time-displaced Robin. Waid’s use of Robin as the reader’s voice is perfect, as we are dropped into the action with so many questions. Additionally, Gutiérrez’s artwork perfectly captures the cinematic actions of the Man of Steel as he plows through the hordes of Bizarro Supermen. Matt Herms’ colors wonderfully complement Gutiérrez’s artwork as they do a wonderful job evoking the Silver Age stories that inspired this issue. Unfortunately, the first issue of “Bizarro World Tour” is not exactly new reader friendly. However, current readers will find a lot to love about this issue.
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