Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #14 // Review
Bruce Wayne didn’t kill Simon Stagg. Superman knows that Bruce Wayne didn’t kill him. Clark Kent doesn’t, though. And if reliable informants are going to come forward and suggest that Wayne IS the killer, he’s going to have to report it. This is the difficulty that opens Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #14. Writer Mark Waid continues a story that is brought to the page by artist Dan Mora and colorist Tamra Bonvillain. Waid weaves an interesting story that only slightly shifts some of the traditional characterizations of two of the longer-lived superheroes in comic book history.
Bruce is upset. Understandably so. On top of everything else, the article has caused him to seem more suspicious. Which is going to complicate his investigation into the true killer of Stagg. Superman IS working with a detective, though--a guy who calls himself Robin when he’s wearing a mask. Meanwhile, there’s kind of a lot that a guy as resourceful as Bruce Wayne could do to investigate the death. Bruce hasn’t entirely ruled out the possibility of the killer being Metamorpho. Clark knows better. Who could it have been, though? Batman, Robin, and Superman are all on the case.
Waid does a good job of balancing the mystery with interpersonal development between the characters and quite a bit of psychological insight into who they are. Rarely has it become this clear that there’s a sophisticated intricacy in the interplay between the two heroes in question. Waid clearly differentiates between the personalities and ideals of Clark and Bruce with an elegantly rendered rapport. And though that could easily be the center of the story, Waid’s also actually developing a very good mystery that seems to be really engaging in its own right as well. It’s a sharp and clever script.
Mora hits the page with the more aggressive end of the action with a bracing percussion. There’s a form and grace to fighting that feels fluid and kinetic. The drama is also quite compelling as Wayne investigates around the edges from the comfort of his mansion while Superman and Robin are forced to do the heavy lifting on the field investigations. Bonvillain grants the adventure an immersive, atmospheric style that amplifies the weight of the mystery. Waid’s story feels sleekly dark and well thought-out in action pages that are impressively composed.
Once things are really going, the novelty is going to wear off. Bruce Wayne has been accused of murder, and there is something uniquely interesting about that. It’s not going to last too much longer, though. Things will begin to turn a corner as Waid’s story reaches its climax. If everything has been lined up right, it just might be some kind of satisfying end, but it’s difficult to tell, and it already feels as though the action in the foreground might overpower everything else once the story reaches its big conclusion.
