Weird Science DC Comics: Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #14 Review

Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #14 takes a little while to get going, but when it does, hang on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen, because this issue goes into cameo overdrive. If you want a DC Comic that isn’t afraid to touch long-unvisited characters as part of a story where their presence makes sense, you’re in for a treat.

When last we left 2/3 of the DC Trinity, they were hunting for Metamorpho as the most likely suspect in Simon Stagg’s murder, capping off with a twist – Bruce Wayne under arrest for Stagg’s murder. Now, Metamorpho tears through his rogues’ gallery to find the villain who aided in his possible framing by Bruce Wayne. Meanwhile, Bruce receives an unexpected call from Oliver Queen, leading to a cascade of coincidences that unveils the mastermind behind Stagg’s death.

That’s right. Oliver appears, as well as Will Magnus, Amazo, the Metal Men, and several more. Based on the types of heroes and villains listed above, you can guess what’s going on, but if not, this issue uncovers one or two herrings Mark Waid snuck into the last issue.

That said, copious cameos do not a fun issue make, so does the issue live up to its potential? Again, Batman / Superman: World’s Finest #14 takes a few pages to get going with fairly bland dialog, but once the clues start flowing, the pacing kicks into overdrive. The dialog is solid, but the first few pages are strictly low-key banter that doesn’t contain much energy besides a few snippy comments passed between Bruce and Clark.

When the clues and action kick in, Dan Mora’s jaw-dropping art flexes mightily. You get Metamorpho putting out a village on fire, robotic faces screaming for help in a molten vat, Batman riding a Metamorpho hang-glider (it looks cooler than it sounds), and much more. Mora’s art delivery in this series is exquisite, and you get more wow moments in this single issue than most arcs in any DC title on the shelf today.