Next month‘s Detective Comics #1050 will debut a new backup feature by writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora, reteaming the World’s Finest team of Superman and Batman. Now DC Comics has announced a new World’s Finest series spinning out of those backup stories. The series is written by Waid, illustrated by Mora, and colored by Tamra Bonvillain. No letterer was named in the announcement. The debut of the series will be accompanied by an array of variant covers from artists including Mora, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, & Alex Sinclair; Evan “Doc” Shaner; Stanley “Artgerm” Lau; Lee Weeks & Brad Anderson; Jason Fabok & Anderson; and two complementary covers by Chip Zdarsky.
Here’s how DC describes Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1:
In the not-too-distant past, Superman’s powers are super-charged from a devastating chemical attack by the villain Metallo … and the only ally that the ultra-powerful Man of Tomorrow can turn to in this turbulent hour is Gotham’s own dark vengeance: the Batman. A nearly fatal burst of power drives Bruce Wayne to his own extreme measures to help his friend … enlisting none other than the Doom Patrol for aid.
World’s Finest is the first collaboration between Waid and Mora, and the first major DC Comics project for Waid since 2008, when the writer helmed a relaunch of The Brave and the Bold and a brief return stint on The Flash. Since last year’s regime change at the publisher Waid has written short stories for several anthology one-shots.
The choice to set the series in “the not-too-distant past” frees it from having to tie in with current goings-on in the DCU, and an old-school-looking Robin on Mora’s first cover is hopefully a sign that the series will offer standalone, classic-style stories, which is something I’ve personally been wanting for a long time. Time will tell, I suppose.
Check out all the variants for Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1, including Zdarsky and Shaner’s meme-inspired covers, below. The issue arrives in stores in March of 2022.