Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2025 Annual #1 review

Annuals come in various shapes and sizes. They may be all reprints, as in the Silver Age. Or one-off stories featuring special creative teams – remember that time Mongul messed up Superman’s birthday? Or part of a linewide crossover, a la Atlantis Attacks or Armageddon 2000. Occasionally they’re the conclusion of a big storyline in the regular series, such as The Judas Contract. The ones that always bring lower expectations are those that are just another issue, but bigger – Marvel went through a stage of doing this with their summer annuals.

And that’s what this comic is – a double-sized issue in the middle of an ongoing storyline. But, World’s Finest is one of the best superhero comics around, and it’s crossing over with Justice League Unlimited, another of DC’s top books. Not coincidentally, both are written by Mark Waid… usually. This annual is scripted and co-plotted by Christopher Cantwell, who’s been writing the excellent Challengers of the Unknown mini-series.

And it’s very, very good.

That’s also due to the art by Dan McDaid. Let’s go into the detail…

The ongoing story is ‘We are yesterday’ and it’s taking place in two time periods – the past of World’s Finest and the present of JLU. Bridging the two periods is classic villains Super Gorilla Grodd, who wants to use the original Legion of Doom to take down the modern League. The scourge of Gorilla City shows Black Manta, the Joker, Lex Luthor, Captain Cold, Bizarro, Cheetah, Scarecrow and Sinestro why their future selves just won’t do.

Grodd travelled to his past via the sadly manipulated Air Wave. To return, he needs tachyon energy, and so sends his villains out in trios to grab it from the Atom’s pal Professor Hyatt, inventor of the Time Pool; Batman’s chum Professor Nichols, who has developed his hypnotic time travel hacks into a ray gun; and Flash Barry Allen, who regularly breaks free of his own time via the Cosmic Treadmill. Of course, where villains tread, heroes follow.

Luthor isn’t great at taking orders. There’s also dissension in the ranks from the Scarecrow

And while Sinestro, Black Manta and Cheetah are toeing the line, they’re not having an easy time of it, Superman and Batman having called in an old associate.

Via a first-rate narration, Cantwell shows how compelling a well-written Grodd can be, laying down plans that should work, but not properly compensating for the fact that he’s trying to dominate a pack of alphas.

Mind, he does have a secret wild card, a sorceress named Pythoness whose spellcasting makes Zatanna sound like Barack Obama.

As for the regular dialogue, that sizzles too, as seen with this bit of business Cantwell and Waid come up with involving a Boy Wonder keen to show how capable he is.

That is so unfair! But Robin does look set to get his moment as this chapter wraps.

There’s a scrappy energy to McDaid’s storytelling that suits this instalment, the pages pulse with power as the bad guys fight the good guys and moan at Grodd. An occasional strain of goofiness adds to the fun. The only thing I don’t like with the art is the weird tweak to Captain Cold’s look… maybe someone else changed it before McDaid, but it’s messing with a classic. I do, though, like that the writers remind us that while he’s no Luthor, Len Snart has some science nous.

Another thing that made me smile was the appearance of an obscure Silver Age antagonist, fitting very nicely into a book whose overall vibe is Bronze Age DC Special.

The modelling of colour artist John Kalisz makes everything that little bit more 3D. And Steve Wands shows once more what an effective letterer he is, drawing out the drama throughout.

All in all, part three of ‘We are yesterday’ is a terrific read, and I wish it had taken up all the story pages. As it is we also get a look at John Stewart’s pre-Green Lantern days; more than that, it changes his origin, adding previously unrevealed obstacles for him to overcome. Morgan Hampton’s story, contrasting the strong character he became with the weak boy he was, is decent enough, but unnecessary.

Clayton Henry’s art is lovely, I especially like the Darwyn Cooke feel to Hal, and there’s a fantastic sequence showing John growing from meek child to confident man. Neeraj Menon is a new name to me, but their colours are cracking – they’ve probably been working outside of DC for decades. As for the letters, it’s that man Wands again.

The title of the strip is ‘That’s the way of the world’ – anyone?

I don’t even know what the story is doing in here. Will all of DC’s annuals this year contain an origin? I’d rather rather have full-length stories and a dedicated Secret Origins special.

World’s Finest alumnus and current Justice league Unlimited artist Dan Mora continues his streak of criminally fine covers.

Overall, Waid, Cantwell, McDaid and friends have produced a fabulous read that’s well worth your money. Give it a go.