War is about to break out between two DC Universe Madeupistans. Superman and Batman are wondering how to calm things down.
So much for ‘pretend ghost’ – our heroes instantly find themselves in a place they’ve been previously, the Hell realm ruled by Neron. And they’re not the only heroes drafted in by the mystery spook.
The Prince of Lies proposes a high-stakes baseball game.
Superman reckons his team can win in a fair match. And it’s Blue Beetle at the bat.
So the good guys will play the demons – who include old Superman foe Skyhook – at their own game.
And it looks like they’re going to win – just so long as the designated Third Base Umpire tells the truth about the play. And who is the official in question?
Good luck heroes. And good luck Qurac and Bialya.
Writer Mark Waid has made a rather entertaining habit of giving us fun one-offs in between his World’s Finest serials. And here we have a strange sports story.
Speaking of which…
If you haven’t read this 1976 comic you’ve probably heard of it, it’s one of the nuttiest stories of the Bronze Age. Sportsmaster and the Huntress – Mr and Mrs Menace – kidnap some Justice League members and pals and blackmail them into playing a bunch of villains. As a non-sports-loving Brit I had no idea of the gameplay but did enjoy the character interaction.
Same here. In what has to be a homage to DC Super-Stars #10 Waid even gives us a scorecard… or something.
I thought baseball involved diamonds (no need to explain it to me!). Happily, unlike its inspiration, this comic doesn’t provide a page of text giving us the play-by-play.
It is fun seeing the likes of Bumblebee and GI Robot playing in the big leagues. And I like the implication that in the DCU wars can be caused by prayers from the denizens of Hell. The subplot with dead ball player Steet Wesley – such a specific name it’s presumably a nod to a real person – is nicely done.
I do wonder, though, why not just Superman and Batman but the larger Justice League – we visit the Watchtower a couple of times – are so convinced stopping a war is up to them. Where are the UN negotiators? Oprah Winfrey?
Waid’s story is solid fun, nothing amazing, and lacking the novelty of the original. There is a hint that the tale is going to have a twist as the heroes use the bad guys’ tactics against them – surely Neron is manipulating them to darken their souls? But no, we don’t go there. I suppose, if I could see that coming, maybe it was far too predictable.
The big takeaway from this issue is that a very promising artist makes his DC debut. Bruno Frenda’s storytelling is sharp, and he takes big swings and… er, I dunno how that metaphor should end. Frenda does a great job, with dynamic storytelling and an especially impressive spread showing the back and forth baseball action. A nice touch is that the heroes’ costumes show damage – that’s hellfire for you. Details such as windswept Neron and Black Lightning doing a ‘slide Charlie Brown, slide!’ are terrific. I hope we see more of Frenda soon.
Frenda falls on his feet in having Luis Guerrero as his colourist, the hell tones are perfectly sickly, the heroes pop. And Steve Wands letters with his usual style.
Add in a nicely bombastic Dan Mora cover and we have a nice package. What can I say but… GOAL!
Is that right?
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
Boy, do we disagree on most points. The artist was good. The plot was ridiculous. There was no tension to be had because even Waid wouldn’t have a nuclear war start. There was no real depth of character for even our stars. Every character could have been replaced with any other hero DC has ever published and as long as one is as cynical as Batman and one was as hopeful as Superman, absolutely nothing in the story would have changed.
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The plot was ridiculous, I disliked it more before my second read. Maybe a demon got to me.
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I’ve noticed with “World’s Finest” that often I’ll have a “meh” or negative reaction to an issue, only to appreciate it more/enjoy it more on the 2nd read thru. Not sure what that’s about. Maybe just read it too fast or I’m not in the right headspace. – Brian
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Glad it’s not just me!
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I mean, sure the plot’s ridiculous. But the book was fun through and through, and that’s what I look for from this book — especially from the one-shots!
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There’s definitely a place for good old-fashioned fun.
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I really liked this issue. It was ridiculous, but it was fun. I enjoyed all the demon cameos: Besides Neron, Etirigan, and Skyhook, I also spotted Belial (the “Commissioner”), The Demons Three, Lord Satanus (taking out Black Canary on a slide), and Scorcher from Hourman (tagging out Flash). I’m pretty sure I recognize others (the green pitcher, the slider tagged by Plastic Man, and the Yellow Demon getting in Diana’s face), but I can’t recall from exactly where.
My only issue is with continuity. I know World’s Finest has always played light and lose with DC history (ironic, given Waid recently wrote the book on it), but when exactly does this story take place? Neron wasn’t revealed to the world until Underworld Unleashed. Dominick didn’t become Freedom Beast until well after the modern age of heroes began, and this takes place either before Elasti-Girl died with the rest of the Doom Patrol or after she came back (which is a fairly recent development). Also, which Flash is on the team? Both Jay and Barry are shown, but Jay isn’t on the roster.
Finally, I agree this story should have been named “Strange Sports Stories” and not “The World’s Finest Team.” A missed opportunity. Not every issue has to hit it out of the stadium and this one was a fun day at the ballpark, even with a few errors during play (and that is the absolute limit of my sports metaphors).
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Wow, top demon spotting, Jeff! I’d love to know who the big fuzzy thing by Blue Beetle is, but I want them in my life.
The continuity is fascinating, my only attempt to No Prize it would be to claim the players were being collected from different times for… some reason.
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