Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #35 is written by Mark Waid and published by DC. Artwork is by Adrián Gutiérrez, colours by Tamra Bonvillain and letters by Steve Wands. Main cover art (left) is by Dan Mora.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #35 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon ComiXology UK right here.
Synopsis
A distress call from Atlantis has brought Batman and Superman deep beneath the waves…and face to face with the king himself: Aquaman. But this man of two worlds harbors a secret, and it will be up to the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel to thwart a coup that threatens the peace of all undersea life! A new story arc begins as the World’s Finest travel under the sea with new ongoing series artist Adrián Gutiérrez!
Review
2025 starts off right with not only a brand new arc for Batman/Superman: World’s Finest but also officially Adrián Gutiérrez as the ongoing artist for the series, taking over from Dan Mora, who’s still on cover art. This arc takes Batman, Superman, and Robin to the treacherous depths of the ocean as they’re called to help alongside Aquaman as a plague spreads, affecting his people.
While Dan Mora will be missed for this series and his art will always be a staple for what World’s Finest represented, Adrián Gutiérrez fills that space well, bringing that sense of hope and the balance of the two characters perfectly to the screen. On the other hand, there are some noticeable issues, such as it can feel like there’s a lot going on in one panel, and it’s quite difficult to distinguish what actions are taking place.
If not for Tamra Bonvillain’s colours with their uses of red and blue, which clash so well together, I don’t think I would’ve appreciated the art as much this issue. With the bulk of this run seemingly taking place in the lost continents of Atlantis, colours such as these are needed for the change of scenery and to provide the oceanic atmosphere that comes with a story such as this.
It’s great to see that DC has entered a resurgence era with Aquaman, with his solo run having started just last month and now getting an arc within World’s Finest that focuses on him and his world. Mark Waid takes the time to talk about the cultural differences within the lost cities of Atlanta, Poseidonis, and Tritonis. That being said, the issue quickly falls into a trope that Aquaman seems to find himself in quite often as of late. The threat of a coup. With a plague affecting the people of Tritonis, they threaten to start a war with Poseidonis, and while that’s happening, Poseidonis is looking likely to overthrow Aquaman as they reject his human half (once again).
How do Batman and Superman exactly fit into this story? Besides Superman’s ex, Lori Lemaris, being of great importance to the story with her husband, King Ronal, wanting to start a war, they don’t have much else going for them in this first issue. For the most part, this strictly feels like an Aquaman story that’s featuring Batman and Superman instead of it being the other way around. It’s likely that this is to change within the next issue as we get the reveal of what’s truly behind this vicious plague that’s turning the people of Tritonis into zombie-like beings. A reveal that’s likely to make this story arc worth the read.
Verdict
This issue is overall a generic Aquaman story that we’ve seen plenty of times before and fails to really have Batman and Robin involved within the plot. Adrián Gutiérrez is a great change of pace from Dan Mora, with colours from Tamra Bonvillain that really capture the world of Atlantis. The final reveal might make this story arc worth the read, or maybe Waid’s time with World’s Finest is beginning to wear out.
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