Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2025 Annual #1
Scheduled to arrive in stores: April 30, 2025
Cover date: June 2025
Cover: Dan Mora
Variant Covers: Clayton Henry & Ulises Arreola, Salvador Larroca & Pasquale Ferrara, Laura Braga
Reviewed by: Tony Parker
“We Are Yesterday” – Chapter Three: “Certain Doom”
Writer: Mark Waid and Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Dan McDaid
After Part 2, which occurred in Justice League Unlimited #6 (all you really need to know is that Grodd has disposed of his mole in the Justice League and is now filling us in on what happened in this World’s Finest part of the timeline), we return to the past, when the Justice League tangled with The Legion of Doom…
In the Hall of Doom (an HQ crafted in less than two days by Gorilla Grodd), the simian sociopath with a younger body but a mind of the future has gathered what he considers the ideal version of the Legion of Doom, made up of Captain Cold (The Flash), Cheetah (Wonder Woman), Sinestro (Green Lantern), Black Manta (Aquaman), Joker and Scarecrow (Batman), and most pressing to us, Lex Luthor and Bizarro (Superman’s great enemies). He declares a new era for the Legion of Doom, headed by him. He starts off by insulting the group (who hate him enough as it is), before explaining that they are all failures… For now. For he holds knowledge of the future, knowledge that will allow world domination and the destruction of their greatest foes. He also shows them a half truth: That they are all reduced to nothing by the banding of all the heroes of the world.
Grodd’s plan is simple: They travel to the future, skip all this pointless prattle, and with his knowledge of what’s to come, they take over the Watchtower and reign supreme.
But first, they have to fight the heroes of this time.
Meanwhile, Superman, Batman and Robin are busy stopping Moon-Man, when they hear of three separate but connected cases: Distress calls from The Flash, The Atom and Professor Nicholl’s, whom all own or protect time travel devices. With no Wonder Woman or Supergirl to call on, the world’s finest send out different teams: Superman to help Flash out in Central City, Batman and Robin to go to Nicholl’s lab, and Plastic Man to help out The Atom.
At the Flash Museum in Central City, Lex, Bizarro and Captain Cold attempt to overload the Cosmic Treadmill (though they don’t get why Grodd wants that), when the Man of Steel and the Fastest Man Alive arrive to stop them. Of course, they do, but that’s all part of Grodd’s plan. He has a contingency: Pythoness, who Grodd seems oddly invested in protecting.
Meanwhile, in Nicholl’s lab, Joker and Scarecrow have flooded the lab with fear toxin, and are also asked to drain the tachyons out of a time travel device, much to their confusion. The Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder arrive soon, of course, and despite fear toxin and Joker’s wildcard nature, they manage to hold themselves very well.
And, at Professor Hyatt’s lab, Sinestro, Cheetah and Black Manta have to deal with the unpredictable force that is Plastic Man. He handles them well, but soon gets overwhelmed when Manta activates the magnet to tear him to shreds. Thankfully, Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, arrives just in time to save him, only to get sucker punched by Sinestro, the group running away with their time travel device.
Back at Nicholl’s lab, Scarecrow shoots Robin with the time ray, sending him back in time, to before the death of his parents, while Grodd’s smart thinking helps Lex, Cold and Bizarro to use the treadmill to temporarily freeze Superman and Flash. Back at the lair, Lex points out the heroes will remember this and just wait for them in the future, but Grodd’s contingency is perfect: Pythoness uses a spell to convince the heroes it was all just Cheetah (who’s left behind to take the fall), as the rest of the Legion travel to the future to get their plan going.
While The Trinity address what Cheetah “did” and what happened to Robin, we skip to the future to see Robin has arrived at the watchtower, and now he and Nightwing exist at the same time…
To Be Continued (in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39)!
Story – 4: This was a really fun story, full of battles and twists and interesting concepts (especially Robin sent forward in time)! There’s not much in way of depth here, but this arc isn’t trying to be that, it’s really just “Hey, so let’s do a really big Grodd story” and that’s it, so it’s more of an enjoy the ride type deal.
What I quite enjoyed about this issue was how it balanced all of its cast well. Everyone gets a moment to shine: Superman and Flash bossing their villains (though, personally, we could have had more with Clark), Batman’s grief at losing Robin, Robin’s classic sense of humor, Lex and Grodd’s rivalry, the seeming hint of care Grodd had for Pythoness, Joker and Scarecrow’s sadism, Plastic Man just being himself. It feels like an episode of Justice League Action, so I really appreciated it.
It’s also intriguing to see how the past and future heroes will collide, as I believe we only have 2-3 parts left. I suppose we shall see soon! Regardless, this has been an enjoyable arc so far, and I hope the momentum keeps on going!Art – 4: The art isn’t amazing, but a few moments really capture how sinister these villains are. Joker, Scarecrow, Lex and Grodd all have really excellent shots that capture a twisted sense of evil that’s almost bone chilling, and Batman’s grief was touching and affecting. I also like this Grodd design, he comes across like a mix of Kerchak from Tarzan and a wrinkly brained alien from Mars Attacks.
“That’s the Way of the World”
Writer: Morgan Hampton
Artist: Clayton Henry
When John Stewart was a child, living in the west side of Detroit, he wasn’t much like the hero he is today. Braces to support his legs, stutters to dismantle his words, he often needed his sister to fight his battles. He dreamed of rebuilding the city, but how could he when he was so helpless?
Then, his sister died. No matter of construction could repair his broken heart.
But that just made him try harder. He worked hard, worked so hard he lost his braces and his stutter.
But he didn’t gain anything. Not even the praise of his father filled the empty halls of his lost heart. Now, all he could do was destroy instead of create.
But then, one day, while back home and seeing his city get torn apart by politicians, John gets attacked by a manhunter, and chooses to fight it alongside Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern. Turns out, John had been selected to be a lantern, but he thought it would just be another army-esque tour. After a pep talk from Hal, though, he finally chooses to run towards his problems…
As a Green Lantern.
Story – 4: I quite liked this version of an origin for John Stewart! In just a few pages, we gain a lot of sympathy for him, and his motivations feel different enough from other heroes to not ring hollow. Sure, we have some familiar beats (a tragic death, fear of the call), but it’s still effective, and proves why John has become to many the ideal Green Lantern. A serviceable origin!
Art – 3: Nice, but nothing too striking.Cover Art – 3: Inaccurate, as many covers of this run are, but you can’t deny the coolness aspect of all those villains popping up, led by Lex Luthor himself.Variant Cover Art – 3: John has his own story here (which I am about to review), so this is a fitting cover, but the poses are a little lacklustre.
Variant Cover Art – 5: When I was a boy, there were three stories that REALLY got me into the wider DC universe: The Lords of Luck (a Brave and the Bold arc from the late 2000’s), Justice by Alex Ross, and the Superman/Batman stories of Jeph Loeb. This cover reminds me of the middle one, with its realistic art and sinister undertones. The DC Villains can often come across as silly, but at their best, they can feel like the nine circles of hell Dante journeyed through.
Variant Cover Art – 2: Great concept, but all the faces are too stupid to enjoy.
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