Review — Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #17 — Critical Failure

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #17 variant cover, via DC Comics.

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #17 — Mark Waid, Writer; Dan Mora, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist

Ray — 9/10

Ray: This has been the most action-packed arc of the run, pitting Batman, Superman, and Metamorpho against an army of deadly robots controlled by the hive-mind of Newmazo. A conspiracy dating back to the earliest days of the DCU has turned just about every artificial intelligence in the DCU against its creators — something that feels all too relevant these days — and created a new robotic enemy that can take Superman’s powers for his own. As the issue opens, Newmazo is easily handling the Justice League, even including two Kryptonians and a magic guardian, and the sinister Dr. T.O. Morrow is uncharacteristically pessimistic — saying that there is no hope for victory, because Newmazo is programmed to take anything thrown at him and throw it back at his attackers. Which is where the last trick comes into play — as the heroes can’t beat him, but maybe their robots can.

Last ditch effort. Via DC Comics.
One of Mark Waid’s biggest strengths as a writer has always been his deep, deep understanding of DC Comics lore, and I doubt anyone else could pull this many robotic heroes and allies out of a hat at a moment’s notice. Of course, most of them aren’t powerful enough to defeat Newmazo, just make a dent in him — which is why the final surprise guest star of the issue makes such a big impact. The first two-thirds of the issue are basically one long no-holds-barred battle, and it’s impressive that this is so interesting. Then, once the dust settles, Waid manages to neatly tie up all the loose ends from an arc that began as a deceptive murder mystery and transformed into something completely different but no less engaging. I don’t think this arc was quite on the level of the first two arcs, but it’s a fun old-school adventure that sets up potential future adventures with some great visuals along the way.

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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.