Mild Mannered Reviews - Specials

Batman and Superman: World's Finest #5

Scheduled to arrive in stores: June 16, 1999

Writer: Karl Kesel
Penciller: Dave Taylor
Inker: Robert Campanella

"A Woman's Work"

Michael (George) O'Connor Reviewed by: Michael O'Connor



Six years ago...

In Gotham City, Batgirl interrupts two goons. She takes one of them out and is about to deal with the other when she runs into Superman who has the other crook captured.

Batgirl immediately treats Superman as if he's a god and tries not to get in his way, but upon seeing Superman's willingness to work together, she offers a team-up, noticing that the two goons that they have collared are part of a Metropolis gang called the 100.

Superman agrees, noting that she is nothing like Batman and they set off to find out why the 100 is in Gotham...

Elsewhere, the 100 gang meets up and begins to explain to some newcomers how they work. The newcomers immediately pick up on the fact that the gang has left Metropolis because of Superman and Thorn always ruining business. At this moment, Thorn enters and takes out most of the criminals until she's attacked from behind and sent unconscious.

Meanwhile, Batgirl introduces Superman to Commissioner Gordon and then guides the Man of Steel to the criminals' car where they find a rubbing of an address in the Industrial Sector inside the vehicle. Batgirl immediately suspects that Batman has beaten the two of them to the punch and tells Superman to hurry before Batman gets to have all the fun. Superman decides that his way is faster and picks up Batgirl as he flies off.

In the warehouse, Thorn breaks free from her bonds and the lights shut off as she runs. Immediately, the gang is taken down, except for the leader who attempts to get away in his car only to crash at the terrifying sight of the Batman who is in front of him.

Thorn and Batman are soon joined by Superman and Batgirl and the group discovers that the criminals' plan was to make it look as if Barbara Gordon was embezzling library funds in order to blackmail her father, the Commissioner and then have free reign in Gotham. The leader reveals that the fake Barbara Gordon is going to kill the bookkeeper as well.

Superman and Batgirl rush away.

The old bookkeeper answers his door only to see Barbara who is about to gun him down when Superman dives in front and Batgirl throws the criminal to the ground.

Later, Superman meets with Batman and reports that he believes that Batgirl will make a fine partner. Batman admits that he wanted to hear Superman's opinion and remarks how odd it is that he should be so similar to the Thorn while Superman should be so similar to Batgirl.

4Story - 4: A fairly entertaining story but there wasn't a lot of substance there and recounting the story in the summary above seemed fairly tedious for the reason that it just wasn't a very interesting or complex story. Really, it was the art and the dialogue, which pulled this issue off. I'm a little disappointed that none of the stories thus far have come back to issue #1. I was under the impression that Superman and Batman were going to find some sort of secret as to why the man that they let die panicked and killed himself. I figured there was some sort of underlying story or a sort of conspiracy mixed in. Oh well. Only time will tell...

4Art - 4: I thought that some of it looked great while other parts were fairly weak. Certainly the opening sequence with Superman and Batgirl talking was dynamite. Also, the last two pages were fantastic. Taylor really set up a good layout and filled it in well with the two-page discussion between Batman and Superman. The rest of the art bordered on mediocre. There really weren't any fantastic action sequences even though the page with Batman spreading his "wings" at the approaching vehicle was pretty cool. The other artist, Tom Morgan has a very different style from Taylor and it really shows in the issue. Morgan is all right but his art doesn't convey the power that Taylor's art can.

3Cover - 3: Take it or leave it. Nothing fantastic here.


Mild Mannered Reviews

1999

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic was on sale.

June 1999

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