Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25 marks a milestone for one of the most consistent titles at DC Comics. Mark Waid and company have done an excellent job at modernizing the DC Universe while making Batman/Superman: World’s Finest being its own thing. Now with for its 25th issue Mark Waid is going to be switching up the leads of World’s Finest. The new leads for this milestone issue will be none other than Lex Luthor and Joker. Will Batman and Superman’s greatest enemies prove they should takeover the World’s Finest title full-time? Let’s find out with Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Mark Waid (Joker-Luthor: World’s Vilest and Impossible – Prologue)
Artist: Steve Pugh (Joker-Luthor: World’s Vilest); Dan Mora (Impossible – Prologue)
Colorist: Adriano Lucas (Joker-Luthor: World’s Vilest); Tamra Bonvillain (Impossible – Prologue)
Letterer: Steve Wands (Joker-Luthor: World’s Vilest and Impossible – Prologue)
SOLICITATION
“WITNESS THE FIRST MEETING BETWEEN THE JOKER AND LEX LUTHOR! Join Batman and Superman as the World’s Finest team celebrates 25 issues of World’s Finest! This oversized special issue takes our heroes around the DCU and beyond—with a special lead story that will at last showcase the first meeting between The Joker and Lex Luthor. The World’s Finest villains form an unholy alliance and will send chills down the spines of the DCU Heroes forevermore! PLUS: Spinning out of the events of the World’s Finest Annual, Doom-Mite strikes and points the way to the next World’s Finest epic!” – DC Comics
REVIEW
As we’ve seen with Batman and Superman teaming up over the years opposites can certainly become best friends. By being opposites, they have been able to tackle things others can’t and make each other better. While this may be true for Batman and Superman that isn’t the case for every opposite force. That is shown with the Joker and Lex Luthor team-up that headlines Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25.
We’ve seen plenty of times of Joker and Lex Luthor teaming up in the past to take on Batma and Superman. Waid understood this and went on a bit different direction for Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25. Rather than just teaming up to take down Batman and Superman, this time around Lex Luthor recruits Joker for an even bigger job. The job obviously ties into their ultimate goals of beating Batman and Superman.
Through this job that involves going into the Rock of Eternity, we see why Lex Luthor and Joker can never work together. These two are opposites in the worst way possible not just for the world but for themselves. There is no balancing out each other’s weaknesses or fault. Lex and Joker represent order and chaos in a way will forever oppose.
It’s in them being opposites that Waid and Steve Pugh find the chemistry of this pair. Lex’s overconfidence that he can control Joker so he can get what he wants already started things terribly. Lex own overconfidence was his weakness as he truly didn’t understand the chaotic force that Joker was.
This is exemplified when Lex and Joker each did their monologue of why they wanted to take down Superman and Batman, respectively. While both have their own villainous purposes the motives cannot be anymore different. The way Waid has Lex communicate his vision was done so in a way for Joker to see Batman in the monologue. What Lex said came down to maintaining the status quo of the world that Superman was disrupting with his God-like presence. Joker would of course be seen as a waste.
This all played in well into the goal of this team was to obtain the Heart of Eternium. Pugh does an excellent job at giving a sense of adventure through the different locations that are quickly visited by Lex and Joker. There was momentum created so that when we saw Lex and Joker each use the power of the Heart of Eternium we see who they are reflected. For Lex this was maybe his biggest nightmare as Joker showed how he is someone to fear the most, even above Lex’s hatred for Superman. This ultimately made Lex decide that stopping Joker was more important than taking out Superman as he originally planned.
The back-up story by Waid and Dan Mora does a good job at setting up what appears to be a Crisis that has hit the Fifth dimension. Mister Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite holding what appears to be the dead body of Green Lantern’s Fifth Dimension counterpart. It was a short but effective story that sets the foundation for the next arc in this series.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25 delivers on a story that proves why Lex Luthor and Joker are to be known as World’s Vilest. Their pairing is one that shows why having chemistry is not always a good thing. The type of chemistry Lex and Joker share is one where you know that this pairing is doomed to fail, as it does in this story. That led to great examination of Batman and Superman’s greatest villains while setting the foundation of the next big story arc of this series.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
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