Sunday, March 16, 2014

Beyond World's Finest



Beyond the end, we had more...but it was never the same. 

Just a few years after the final issue, Dave Gibbons and Steve Rude were the primary movers behind this fun mini-series.








And even though it didn't have the WORLD'S FINEST tag, there was this Batman/Superman magazine. While it's true that the versions of the character in modern DC continuity had little in common, this was a mag for younger kids.



And yet DC insisted on continually reteaming the WF team.




This was a good one!



Former inker from the original series, Karl Kesel, was the brains behind this 12 issue mini-series, each one of which explored teh Batman/Superman relationship at a different time in DC continuity. 
















They were even teamed against licensed properties!



And got their own logo!


Sometimes it was a tad ridiculous!


Other times quite cool indeed!


And even above the Superman/Batman team itself, the WORLD'S FINEST title survived!









Eventually, WF was brought back into regular (albeit "New 52") continuity, but with a twist. Instead of Superman and Batman, the stars of this current series are their female equivalents, Power Girl and Huntress.


So thanks so much to one and all for this long journey through the history of DC's WORLD'S FINEST! If you've enjoyed yourselves, please consider a donation. 

Saturday, March 15, 2014

World's Finest # 323, January, 1986


And in the end...

Look at all that gorgeous linework from Alfredo! They didn't pay him enough. 







Nice reveal!



Hey, look! It's the first time I ever heard of my buddy, Stephen DeStefano.


But the last time that Superman and Batman would hang out together for a long time. 





Well, there you have it! 323 issues over four and a half decades. Some of the best--and rarely the WORST--comic books DC ever published.

We'll be back tomorrow with a wrap-up.

Friday, March 14, 2014

World's Finest # 322, December, 1985



And now for something completely different. The writing was on the wall by this point so we get what amounts to a fill-in issue by Dwight Jon Zimmerman and Keith Giffen. It's interestingly laid out and well-told but suffers from the nightmarish failure of DC's experiments with flexographic printing at that time and, retroactively, from the knowledge that Giffen was cribbing much of his art from this period from a Spanish artist.








Thursday, March 13, 2014

World's Finest # 321, November, 1985



The ever-reliable Rich Buckler turns in a nifty Chronos cover and the regular team once again pulls off a good one.