Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #36
Scheduled to arrive in stores: February 19, 2025
Cover date: April 2025
“20,000 Leagues” – Part Two
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Adrian Gutierrez
Cover: Dan Mora
Variant Covers: Tom Reilly; Adrian Gutierrez and Matt Herms; Fernando Pasarin, Oclair Albert and Arif Prianto; Chris Rosa
Reviewed by: Tony Parker
A plague has divided the seas by two, and the Floronic Man is to blame. Batman attempts to stop the confident villain, but Woodrue isn’t as easy to beat as he thinks. Thanks to his abilities underwater, he can move from body to body. Batman informs Superman, but the Man of Steel is a little occupied, trapped by Ronal’s magic. Deciding not to waste any time waiting, Batman and Robin swim as fast as they can to inform King Aquaman of their plight.
However, he is still occupied with his citizens’ revolts. Deciding to find Superman instead, Batman and Robin leave him to his problem. While Batman explains to Robin Woodrue’s origin, Arthur attempts to calm his citizens and rally them with bravery and courage. But news spreads fast of Ronal’s invasion. Now what, for the King of the Sea?
Defense, a last stand. He calls on his people to trust him for now, and if he fails, to dispose of him. If he is to fall, it is with honor.
Meanwhile, Lori comes to free Superman, but the magic is too strong. She tells him that she needs him to stop Ronal, but Clark can tell that Lori still has feelings for him, however tempered. Using his brains and heat vision, he destroys the anchor points of his chains, then asks Batman to help break said cuffs. They have work to do.
Just before the two sides can wage war, Aquaman and Superman attempt to de-escalate the situation, explain that The Floronic Man is behind it all. Aquaman and Mera beseech Superman to leave them, lest the people lose their respect for their king. Clark begrudgingly accepts, and reconvenes with Lori, telling her that he’s sent Batman and Robin with a plan to stop Woodrue.
Batman confronts him and asks why he’s done this? Simple: He desires dominance over Atlantis, and what better way than to sow discord as well as plague? Plus, the unique magical vegetation of the sea powers him up tenfold. While the war wages, Superman pains from standing by the side. Lori comforts him, clearly implying her latent desires for his heart.
Robin finds Woodrue to be, well, insane, and Batman reassures him he has the situation under control: He has called in Alec Holland, the Swamp Thing, protector of the green.
But Woodrue’s new powers allow him to possess the hero, and while all this happens, Ronal madly attacks Arthur as a last gasp with his army defeated, and Superman and Lori kiss unexpectedly…
To Be Continued…
Story – 5: I’m continually amazed by how gripping this story has been. I’m not saying it’s a masterpiece of theme, but it is definitely an engaging story, of a king trying to hold onto his respect, of a powerful man eclipsed by more powerful people, of a monster embodying the worst of greed, of two former lovers briefly reunited but doomed by the narrative. It feels EPIC, like superhero stories should feel, and if that isn’t high praise, I don’t know what is. Mark Waid has delivered another must read arc.Art – 5: And he couldn’t do it without Adrian Gutierrez, whose art is as striking as it is poetic. The man can make the scariest heat vision panels in ages transition to a practically ethereal and soothing looking Superman surrounded by petals. Not to mention the almost uncanny and otherworldly underwater designs (special mention goes to Batman and Robin’s eyes while behind the scuba gear, Floronic Man’s jester-like (in both light and scary ways) features and Ronal’s pure wage. The sea looks like a different world in this book, like the annals of space, and I could spend days looking at it in awe.Cover Art – 5: The detail, the visuals, it’s striking and almost terrifying.
Variant Cover Art – 3: A decent if a little average cover.Variant Cover Art – 5: The Batman fan inside me is dead.
Variant Cover Art – 1: Batman’s barely doing anything, Superman looks weird, this is oddly terrible and looks unprofessional.Variant Cover Art – 3: Return of Hush marketing, decent. Nothing that amazing.
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