Batman/Superman: World’s Most interesting, written by prolific comedian author Mark Waid, with art work from the equally prolific Dan Mora, debuted in 2022, and has constructed up a sizeable fanbase since. Going down in DC’s previous, it’s meant to inform canonical tales that don’t overlap with the model’s present plotlines, whereas harkening again to the Silver Age of comics. This evaluate covers the primary 5 commerce paperbacks.

So, what’s the decision? On the entire, it’s fairly optimistic.

Quantity one, The Satan Nezha, is relatively indicative of the entire collection. With out spoilers: Batman and Superman understand one thing unusual is afoot when Poison Ivy ventures out of her standard turf in Gotham Metropolis to assault Metropolis, with the path main again to a strong new enemy referred to as Nezha. The titular satan is among the story’s strongest components: my favourite comedian villain in ages, he’s an immortal wizard warlord, constructing a military of supervillains and utilizing thoughts management to get superheroes and civilians to do his bidding. Certainly, Nezha appears like such a risk that his reign of terror might have been a crossover miniseries, which is what this quantity sometimes appears like. Not that that’s a nasty factor, essentially; it’s simply that there’s so much occurring. Along with Batman and Superman, we’ve obtained a time journey subplot with Robin and Supergirl, together with the Doom Patrol and a number of other different heroes and villains taking roles of various significance.

And that leads into my solely actual hangup: why, I puzzled, after ending the e book, was I no more enthusiastic a few story wherein there was hardly something I disliked about it? The reply got here all the way down to expectations: I had gone into the comedian anticipating to see Superman and Batman Deadly Weaponing it up, on middle stage virtually continually, and didn’t understand the supporting forged would take such a distinguished function.

That is pretty widespread all through the collection; the Teen Titans, the Steel Males, different members of the Justice League, and so forth usually seem as visitor stars, at instances making the collection extra of an ensemble piece than would appear apparent going into it. Whereas it’s often strongest when the main target is on our two headliners, I don’t suppose this may dampen readers’ enthusiasm, as long as they know what to anticipate. It’d assist to consider this as a collection of well-told superhero tales, versus one thing that revolves fully round Huge Blue and uh… Huge Bat?

Realizing I didn’t wish to let my inadvertently subverted expectations rob me of one thing I would get pleasure from, particularly because the first arc had been such an important yarn, I trusted my instincts and skim the second quantity, Unusual Customer, and the gamble paid off.

Most likely my favourite of those first 5 collections, Unusual Customer kicks off with a boy escaping a dying world, touchdown on Earth the place he begins to develop superb powers. If that sounds acquainted, effectively, Superman thinks so too, and the parallels along with his personal life lead him to take the brand new arrival, a child named David, below his wing. Sadly, David isn’t fully steady, and when the Joker will get concerned, issues take a tough left flip.

I wasn’t completely offered on this initially: I feared it will be like a kind of TV westerns from the Sixties, when an angsty visitor star seems on the ranch, causes all kinds of mischief, then rides away on the stagecoach on the finish, by no means to be talked about once more, however fortunately, David was built-in higher than that, and I quickly discovered myself sucked in. A bit leaner and meaner than its predecessor and using its characters’ superpowers in cool methods to make for artistic motion sequences, it is a nice journey that made me an unabashed fan of the collection.

Quantity three, Elementary, includes Metamorpho turning into the prime suspect in a homicide, and since I didn’t discover him a very compelling character, this one was a slight step down for me. Nonetheless, all was not misplaced: as Bats and Supes examine, undecided in the event that they’re going to finish up busting Metamorpho or clearing his title, issues escalate from a mere homicide thriller to a bona fide robotic apocalypse, and because the stakes raised dramatically, so did my enjoyment. It culminates in a really epic ultimate battle that pushed my emotions for this arc firmly into the optimistic.

Ebook 4, Return to Kingdom Come, is one other excessive level, revisiting the universe created by Waid in his acclaimed miniseries Kingdom Come. I’ve by no means learn Kingdom Come, beginning it as soon as however setting it apart after it didn’t click on. (Yeah, yeah, I do know. I’ll pause whilst you throw tomatoes.)

An absence of Kingdom Come data shouldn’t be an obstacle, nevertheless: it is a multiverse story, and that’s actually all it’s essential to know. As soon as once more, I’ll be cautious of spoilers, as a result of discussing the setup would give away the ending to Unusual Customer, to which this e book is a direct sequel. Suffice to say, Superman and Batman journey to a actuality a lot totally different than their very own, the place they run afoul of the spectacularly-helmeted Magog, who runs the place, and David is as soon as once more within the combine, and as soon as once more proving to be a wild card. I loved the tighter focus of this quantity, holding issues transferring briskly alongside because the “World’s Most interesting” rush to cease Magog from enacting a plan that can take issues to an entire new degree of yikes.

After which we get to the discordant be aware that’s quantity 5, Secret Origins. Its downside in the end stems from the truth that not like the earlier commerce paperbacks, which every gather a single storyline, it is a assortment of varied tales by a number of totally different writers and as often occurs in compilations, the standard is uneven. The primary story, a two-parter that offers the e book its title, depicting Batman and Superman’s first mission collectively, is a extremely fulfilling superheroic journey, earlier than issues take a nostril dive. We get one other brief story about, sigh, Metamorpho, one other in regards to the Challengers of the Unknown, who frankly I’d by no means heard of, and a 3rd depicting the primary journey of Bumblebee, one of many Teen Titans. Issues perk up with one other story in regards to the first assembly of Lux Luthor and the Joker, which ends in an sudden and satisfying approach. Lastly, the e book ends with the prologue of the following arc, involving the Imps of the Fifth Dimension. (If all that sounds a bit complicated, effectively, Waid clearly enjoys plumbing the depths of DC historical past for materials, and often it’s hunky dory, however from time to time it prevents these books from being fully new reader pleasant.)

I believe your enjoyment of this ultimate chapter will rely in your degree of tolerance for the Imps’ wacky antics, and the flip to pure comedy is jarring. And but, it kind of works, as occasions abruptly go from foolish to lethal severe, ending on a cliffhanger.

And to not fear: Secret Origins could have introduced down the common, however World’s Most interesting was quickly turning into considered one of my favourite ongoing comics, and I’m not going to surrender on it due to one clunker, particularly since future volumes look to return to extra easy storylines.

Particular point out ought to go to artist Dan Mora and colorist Tamra Bonvillain, whose art work is heat and colourful and nostalgic and easily excellent for these tales. (Another excuse Secret Origins doesn’t fairly take off is its use of varied totally different artists, and whereas the artwork is under no circumstances unhealthy, it throws off the vibe we’re used to.)

The underside line: World’s Most interesting is enjoyable, enjoyable, enjoyable and price a learn for anybody who considers themselves a superhero fan. I can’t wait to get again to it.