Batman & Superman: World's Finest (1999)

[The Laughing Fish]

Has anybody else read this this ten-part mini-series by Karl Kesel? I read it a couple of months ago. It chronicles the first ten years of Batman and Superman's relationship, when they weren't quite the best of friends at first. The tension began when their efforts to stop a serial killer inadvertently got a hostage and close friend of theirs – Dr. Harrison Grey - killed. Over time, the two agreed to work together once a year on the anniversary of their fallen friend, whether it may be to stop a disaster or to get to know each other personally.

I was quite happy with how this mini-series turned out. While fanboys prefer to see the two heroes engage in a pissing contest, Batman and Superman compare their differences in terms of their methods of crime-fighting, philosophy on life and son. A year after Dr. Grey's death, the two agree to spend half the night in Gotham and the other half of Metropolis to get an understanding of each other's approach. Superman knows his powers can frighten people, so he has to make sure that he doesn't cross certain boundaries to earn the public's trust, whereas Batman doesn't have that luxury so he needs to maintain an intimidating reputation to scare the criminal underworld. Both eventually came to understand each other, even if they still don't fully agree with the others' methods. My favourite scene is when they arrive in Gotham City as Superman looks on at the claustrophobic mess of the city's architecture. I can't help but feel Gotham's look here was inspired by Tim Burton's vision of the city, like in most Batman-related media.



Another part I enjoyed in this series includes Superman and Batman going to Smallville. Taking cues from important comic storylines, Superman, returning from his exile following his execution of General Zod and his henchmen (Superman #22), visits Batman who is pushing himself on duty every night following Batgirl's paralysis and Robin's murder (The Killing Joke and A Death in the Family). He takes Batman to Smallville and shows around the area, to point out that he's fighting for life itself. The two have a moral debate about how far they would take their crusade if they knew it could endanger those close to them, but both admit they wouldn't hesitate to kill a villain if it's between them or innocent people. A nice touch in the end of this sub-plot came when Superman and Batman aided a pregnant local woman giving birth right while the doctor suffers a heart attack, and Clark and Bruce visits the Kents for lunch. Much to Bruce's surprise, Clark reveals that the new mother around the neighbourhood named her newborn son Jason. There's a good chapter where Supes and Bats are forced to compete against each other because of a bet placed by Mister Mtzlkizplk and Bat-Mite, as the two imps engage in a fanboy contest about which hero is better. This series has a good blend between the darker comics and the good old Silver Age fun too.

The point about this story was that both heroes, as they themselves acknowledged, needed to trust each other and co-operate together in order to ensure that a death like Dr. Grey never happens again, and that trust builds as years pass by. The two settled their differences aside, and became the best allies they could possibly be.

Of course, ***SPOILER ALERT***

their guilt was really all for nothing because Dr. Grey was really alive: it was his personal bodyguard who Grey personally hired to be his impersonator who got killed instead. In a twisted turn of events, the bodyguard double-crossed Grey by trying to poison him to death in the hopes that he could take over his identity and live his rich lifestyle. It's outrageously stupid, I love it!

[thecolorsblend]

I rather enjoy it... which puts me (and I think you as well) in the lonely minority as this doesn't seem to be a very well-regarded miniseries for whatever reason.

[The Laughing Fish]

Yeah well I couldn't care any less about what the majority think. I bet you the biggest criticism would have to be that it's set in the Post-Crisis era because of the story arcs this series borrows. And I've noticed that if you put Superman and Post-Crisis together in the same sentence, lots of people tend to complain about it because it doesn't fit their "Godlike" view of the character. Because Superman can't have more affinity to his adopted home planet than his long extinct place of birth, can he?

Suffice to say, I did indeed enjoy the series. As I said, I like how Superman and Batman understood they have different approaches in upholding justice, but they learn to work together instead of trying to persuade each other to change. They understand that a certain set of ideals may work for somebody, but it may not work for someone else. Otherwise, they both would've been stubborn if they didn't come to terms with this, and their constant fighting would've been tiresome. Too bad nowadays that's all most people seem to care about, but Superman is usually painted as the villain. It has happened in Injustice: Gods Among Us and it looks like it'll happen again in Frank Miller's upcoming Dark Knight III. People need to give it a rest.

I for one like how the two don't immediately know much about each other straight away. For example, look at the incidents that took place in the fifth anniversary of Dr. Grey's death. While touching on the subject of the outlaw Thorn following a successful raid on Metropolis gangsters in Gotham, Batman admits to being surprised how somebody as "dark" as Thorn could come from a bright place like Metropolis, which Superman ponders how anything tragic could have happened to make her vengeful and asks Batman if something like that happened to him too. Of course, Batman halfheartedly answers and suggests he might tell him the story one day. It's little things like that make me appreciate the ongoing development of the two's friendship as it continues to build over time. Of course another example of the growing trust between the two was Batman counting on Superman's opinion of Batgirl's involvement in the case.