Batman/Superman: World's Finest #18 // Review
Years ago, there was a new psycho in Gotham City who left clues at the scene of his crimes. He'd robbed a bank and left some riddle in a code language no one understood. A mild-mannered reporter up the coast in Metropolis looked at the pictures of the code and knew what they were: Kryptonese. Clark goes to Gotham and meets a guy named Bruce in Batman/Superman: World's Finest #18. Writer Mark Waid envisions an early meeting between the two heroes that playfully tumbles through some of the mythology of both beloved heroes. The story is brought to the page and panel by artist Travis Moore and colorist Tamra Bonvillain.
When translated, it's a simple riddle. It's a bit cliche and overworked, but put it in a language from another planet, and there's a more profound mystery. Meanwhile, Batman and Superman work together for the first time as people disappear from Gotham City. Batman is early in his career, and he prefers to work alone. Superman prefers to work with allies. They're an odd couple of heroes, but they're up against something they need help handling. They'll work out their differences in time as they find themselves on the trail of the Riddler and his mysterious accomplice.
Waid has a lot of fun with subtle background hints at a contemporary era that would have been pre-Justice League. There's no Bat Signal yet. Batman doesn't have a sidekick. Commissioner Gordon knows of Superman, but they've never met. And yet...Batman already has a strong suspicion of who Superman might be--something that becomes apparent when Superman politely asks him who he is underneath the mask. Early meetings between the two legends have been echoing through comics for decades. Waid does an excellent job of hitting all the crucial points in the first encounter between Bruce and Clark.
Moore captures the spirit of a Silver Age-style first meeting between Batman and Superman that couldn't have happened more than a few years ago, which is disorienting for anyone familiar with the two characters who might be paying attention to details. Two heroes who seem to have known each other forever meet for the first time amidst modern cars and flatscreen computer monitors. It's strange. The action and drama hit the page with a respectable punch in an issue that clearly shows both men to be young and relatively inexperienced.
There are clues in the script that suggest that Batman has only been operating for about a year as the story opens. Clark Kent is only starting in his career as a reporter. Waid envisions a contemporary first meeting between the two legends. It's the opening of a fun two-part story that serves as a surprisingly fresh team-up, given how often the two characters have appeared together over the past century.
