Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #51 review

It’s Superman, Batman and Robin fighting dinosaurs and lizard men in the lost world of the Warlord!

I expect you’re sold. If not, I’ll mention there’s a story in here, too. Yes, it’s a slim one to explain why the World’s Finest heroes are in Skartaris, but it’s there. They’re looking for a missing airman.

If you’re familiar with writer/artist Mike Grell’s creation you’ll be wondering if said flyer is Travis Morgan, the man who went native in a hidden land and became the Warlord.

It’s not ‘a Superman thing’ today as Batman and Robin are needed to help the Man of Steel find the precise spot where the men vanished. Which they do, in the shape of a painful barrier where the sky turns black, tossing our heroes to the ground…unfamiliar ground.

As for the locals…

With Superman weakened by magic in the air, the Dynamic Duo need a hand. A hand with a sword.

And that’s about half the book. The action keeps on coming, beautifully drawn by Adrián Gutiérrez and coloured by Luis Guerrero, in big panels, splashes and spreads that have me wishing this was a Treasury Edition. Gutiérrez sells the scale of the monsters, but likewise uses angles to make Travis seem their equal. The scenery is superb too, with artist and colourist totally sympatico. Look at this three-panel sequence, as composition and colouring work together to shift the focus between foreground and background.

This kind of cleverness pops up again and again throughout the issue – keep an eye out, for example, at the colouring as a projectile hits Superman. And elsewhere, the Vertigo-style dolly-zoom as he uses his super-breath.

Words man Waid is on top form, making a very straightforward plotline sing. I’ve never been a fan of Skartaris/Savage Land-set stories, but the script pummels along nicely. I even enjoyed Morgan, thoroughly underwhelmed by his first meeting with superheroes.

And while Batman and Superman have their names in the title, Robin is the star, his quips coming keenly, his reactions delightfully melodramatic.

Setting the words down on paper is Steve Wands, and as ever he lays down the fonts with assurance.

Dan Mora seems to be doing something different on this cover, tweaking his usual style… going for a Walt Simonson-feel, maybe, that man is known for his dinosaurs. And I love that Mora uses every colour in existence.

World’s Finest #51 is huge fun – and I’m not just talking the dinosaurs.