World's Finest Comics is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled World's Best Comics for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael E. Uslan has speculated that this was because DC received a cease and desist letter from Better Publications, Inc., who had been publishing a comic book entitled Best Comics since November 1939.[1] Virtually every issue featured DC's two leading superheroes, Superman and Batman, with the earliest issues also featuring Batman's sidekick, Robin.
The idea for World's Best Comics #1 originated from the identically formatted 1940 New York World's Fair Comics featuring Superman, Batman, and Robin with 96 pages and a cardboard cover.[2][3] The year before there was a similar 1939 New York World's Fair Comics featuring Superman but without Batman and Robin because Bob Kane and Bill Finger had not yet created them.
The series was initially a 96-page quarterly anthology, featuring various DC characters – always including Superman and Batman – in separate stories.[4] Comics historian Les Daniels noted that "pairing Superman and Batman made sense financially, since the two were DC's most popular heroes".[5] When superheroes fell out of vogue in the early 1950s, DC shortened the size of the publication to that of the rest of its output, leaving only enough space for one story; this led to Superman and Batman appearing in the same story together starting with World's Finest Comics #71 (July 1954).[6] The title often depicted Batman gaining superpowers as a way to avoid having him be overshadowed by Superman.[7]Lex Luthor and the Joker first joined forces in issue #88 (June 1957).[8] A new supervillain, the Composite Superman, was introduced in #142 (June 1964).[9] The story "The Clash of Cape and Cowl", by writer Edmond Hamilton and artist Curt Swan, in World's Finest Comics #153 (Nov. 1965) is the source of an Internet meme in which Batman slaps Robin.[10] Noted Batman artist Neal Adams first drew the character in an interior story in "The Superman-Batman Revenge Squads" in issue #175 (May 1968).[11]
The series reverted to Superman and Batman team-ups after issue #214, initially with a unique twist, featuring the children they might one day have: Superman Jr. and Batman Jr. These characters, billed as the Super-Sons, were co-created by writer Bob Haney and artist Dick Dillin in issue #215 (January 1973).[28] Super-Sons stories alternated with tales of the original Superman and Batman through issue #263, with issues #215–216, 221–222, 224, 228, 230, 231, 233, 238, 242, and 263 featuring the sons.[29] Haney frequently disregarded continuity by scripting stories which contradicted DC's canon or by writing major heroes in an out-of-character fashion.[30] He introduced Batman's older brother, Thomas Wayne Jr., in World's Finest Comics #223 (May–June 1974). This story was used as a basis for a plot detail in the "Court of Owls" story arc in 2012.[31] Issues #223 (May–June 1974) to #228 (March–April 1975) of the series were in the 100 Page Super Spectacular format.[32]
With issue #244 (April–May 1977), World's Finest Comics became one of the first 80-page Dollar Comics.[33] It featured the Superman and Batman team with back-up features. The number of pages was reduced from 80 to 64 starting with issue #253 (October-November 1978) and reduced to 48 pages with issue #266 (December 1980 – January 1981) which lasted until issue #282 (August 1982).
Issue #250 (April–May 1978) combined Superman and Batman with the Green Arrow, the Black Canary, and Wonder Woman into the World's Finest Team in a 56-page story.[35] Writer Roy Thomas wrote a book-length story for issue #271 (September 1981) which pieced together all the "first meetings" of Superman and Batman.[36] This issue did not have any backup features. The Hawkman story "Drive Me to the Moon!" in #272 (October 1981) featured Hawkgirl changing her title to Hawkwoman.[37] As of issue #283 (September 1982), the series reverted to a standard format title again featuring only Superman and Batman team-ups, which continued until the series' cancellation with issue #323 (January 1986). The series reached issue #300 in February 1984. This double-sized anniversary issue was a "jam" featuring a story by writers David Anthony Kraft, Mike W. Barr, and Marv Wolfman with art by Ross Andru, Mark Texeira, Sal Amendola, and George Pérez.[38][39]David Mazzucchelli, the artist of the "Batman: Year One" story arc in 1987, first drew Batman in a backup story in World's Finest Comics #302 (April 1984).[40] Issue #314 (April 1985) was the last Pre-Crisis issue and the first Crisis on Infinite Earths appearances of the Monitor and (Lyla) the Harbinger.[41] The series ended with issue #323 (January 1986) by writer Joey Cavalieri and artist José Delbo.[42]
Titles
A number of World's Finest titles have since appeared:
A three-issue miniseries in 1990 by Dave Gibbons, Steve Rude and Karl Kesel.[43] In the series, Superman and Batman battle their archenemies Lex Luthor and the Joker, and for that, they temporary exchange their places in their home cities, thus, Superman goes to Gotham City, and Batman goes to Metropolis.
A 10-issue miniseries in 1999 written by Karl Kesel[44] and illustrated by Dave Taylor. This series explored the Post-Crisis history of the two with each of the 10 issues taking place one year after the other.
William Morrow and Company released a World's Finest novel in 2009, titled Enemies and Allies by novelist Kevin J. Anderson. The story is about the first meeting between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel during the Cold War.[45]
While not released under the name World's Finest, the series Superman/Batman fulfilled much the same function as its predecessor. It was published from 2003 to 2011.
A new monthly team-up series titled Batman/Superman was launched in 2013.[46]
A new ongoing series with a similar name but a differently-placed apostrophe, Worlds' Finest, began in May 2012. It starred Power Girl and the Huntress.[47][48] In this incarnation, the two are natives of Earth-2, where they used the codenames Supergirl and Robin, respectively.[49] With issue #29 the series began to feature the Superman and Batman of Earth 2 as the main characters.
Batwoman: World's Finest – in October 2012, the Batwoman title's third storyline featured Batwoman fighting alongside Wonder Woman in a five-issue story arc.
Batgirl: World's Finest - in March 2017, the first Annual of Batgirl (vol. 5) saw Batgirl team with Supergirl for a special mission.
Batman/Superman: World's Finest – an ongoing series released in March 2022, with Mark Waid writing and Dan Mora serving as illustrator.[50]
Batman #272, 311, 313–314, 318, 321, 336–337, 353; Batman '66: The Lost Episode #1, Batman Confidential #26-28, Batman Family #3, Batman: Gotham Knights #10, DC Comics Presents #31, 41; DC Special Series #21, Detective Comics #454, 458–459, 483, 487; The Best of the Brave and the Bold #1-6, The Brave and the Bold #164, 171; The Joker #4, The Untold Legend of the Batman #1-3, World's Finest Comics #244, 255, 258
"World's Finest" is the 16th, 17th and 18th episodes of the second season of Superman: The Animated Series, and the 29th, 30th and 31st of the overall series. Originally, this three-parter aired back-to-back as a movie event on October 4, 1997. The episode depicts the first meeting of Batman and Superman in the DCAU, when Batman comes to Metropolis in pursuit of the Joker, who has offered to kill Superman for Lex Luthor in exchange for a million dollars, with Bruce Wayne also forming a brief relationship with Lois Lane, Superman's love interest and a brief business partnership with Luthor which comes to an end at the end of the three-part episode. Superman finds himself out of his depth when matched against the Joker's cunning and unpredictability, while Batman has trouble with the resources Luthor provides the Joker with. Both heroes must agree to overcome their differences in order to put a stop to the Joker and Luthor. In 2002, The Batman Superman Movie was released on DVD. This was the three episodes from the "World's Finest" story arc of Season 2 of Superman: The Animated Series (1997) combined into a feature-length film.
The eighteenth episode of the first season of Supergirl is titled "Worlds Finest". The episode is a crossover with The Flash and features a team-up of the title characters of both series. Kara Danvers gains a new ally when the lightning-fast superhero The Flash suddenly appears from an alternate universe and helps Kara battle Siobhan, aka Silver Banshee, and Livewire in exchange for her help in finding a way to return him home.
Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1. Lois is an award-winning journalist for the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet and the primary love interest of the superhero Superman and his alter ego, Clark Kent. In DC continuity, she is also his wife and the mother of their son, Jon Kent, the newest Superboy in the DC Universe.
Action Comics is an American comic book/magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publications and as National Periodical Publications, before taking on its current name of DC Comics. Its original incarnation ran from 1938 to 2011 and stands as one of the longest-running comic books with consecutively numbered issues. The second volume of Action Comics beginning with issue #1 ran from 2011 to 2016. Action Comics returned to its original numbering beginning with issue #957.
Elliot S. Maggin, also spelled Elliot S! Maggin, is an American writer of comic books, film, television, and novels. He was a main writer for DC Comics during the Bronze and early Modern ages of comics in the 1970s and 1980s. He is particularly associated with the character of Superman.
The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in All Star Comics #3, making it the first team of superheroes in comic books. Its original members were Doctor Fate, Hourman, the Spectre, Sandman, Atom, the Flash, Green Lantern and Hawkman.
Julius "Julie" Schwartz was an American comic book editor, and a science fiction agent. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various times he was primary editor over the company's flagship superheroes, Superman and Batman.
Leonard Norman Wein was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men. Additionally, he was the editor for writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons' influential DC miniseries Watchmen.
The Super-Sons are a pair of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The characters were created by Bob Haney and Dick Dillin and first appeared in World's Finest Comics #215. The characters were featured in stories about the sons of Superman and Batman.
Paul Levitz is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002 to 2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn and managing editor Dick Giordano, Levitz was responsible for hiring such writers as Marv Wolfman and Alan Moore, artists such as George Pérez, Keith Giffen, and John Byrne, and editor Karen Berger, who contributed to the 1980s revitalization of the company's line of comic book heroes.
Earth-One is a name given to two fictional universes that have appeared in American comic book stories published by DC Comics. The first Earth-One was given its name in Justice League of America #21, after The Flash #123 explained how Golden Age (Earth-Two) versions of characters such as the Flash could appear in stories with their Silver Age counterparts. This Earth-One continuity included the DC Silver Age heroes, including the Justice League of America.
Earth-Two is a setting for stories appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in The Flash #123 (1961), Earth-Two was created to explain differences between the original Golden Age and then-current Silver Age versions of characters such as the Flash, and how the current (Earth-One) versions could appear in stories alongside earlier versions of the same character concepts. Earth-Two includes DC Golden Age heroes, including the Justice Society of America, whose careers began at the dawn of World War II, concurrently with their first appearances in comics. Earth-Two, along with the four other surviving Earths of the DC Multiverse, were merged into one in the 1985 miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. However, following the events of Infinite Crisis, the Multiverse was reborn, although the subsequent Earth-Two was not the same as its pre-Crisis equivalent.
Superman/Batman is a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular superheroes: Superman and Batman. Superman/Batman premiered in August 2003, an update of the previous series, World's Finest Comics (1941–1986), in which Superman and Batman regularly joined forces.
Karl Kesel is an American comics writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics. He is a member of Periscope Studio and is best known for his collaborations with fellow artist Tom Grummett on The Adventures of Superman, Superboy, and Section Zero, as well as the first Harley Quinn comic title.
Murphy C. Anderson Jr. was an American comics artist, known as one of the premier inkers of his era, who worked for companies such as DC Comics for over fifty years, starting in the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. He worked on such characters as Hawkman, Batgirl, Zatanna, the Spectre, and Superman, as well as on the Buck Rogers daily syndicated newspaper comic strip. Anderson also contributed for many years to PS, the preventive maintenance comics magazine of the U.S. Army.
Richard Allen Dillin was an American comics artist best known for a 12-year run as the penciler of the DC Comics superhero-team series Justice League of America. He drew 115 issues from 1968 until his death in 1980.
José Luis García López is a Spanish-Argentine comics artist who works in the United States, particularly in a long-running relationship with DC Comics. In addition to his storytelling art, he has been responsible for producing the official reference art for characters in the DC Comics Style Guide, as used in licensed merchandise.
Cary Bates is an American comic book, animation, television and film writer. He is best known for his work on The Flash, Superman, Superboy, the Legion of Superheroes and Captain Atom. Bates is the longest-serving Superman writer, at twenty years.
Supergirl is the name of seven comic book series published by DC Comics, featuring various characters of the same name. The majority of the titles feature Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El.
Robert Gilbert Haney, Jr. was an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. He co-created the Teen Titans as well as characters such as Metamorpho, Eclipso, Cain, and the Super-Sons.
José Delbo was an Argentine comics artist. He was best known for his work on Wonder Woman for DC Comics and The Transformers for Marvel Comics.
↑ Wallace, Daniel (2010). "1940s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p.36. ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9. With ninety-six packed pages and DC's three biggest stars sharing the cover, World's Best Comics promised a galaxy of stories for the low price of 15 cents...The new ongoing title, renamed World's Finest Comics with issue #2, featured heavy-hitters Superman and Batman.
↑ Irvine, Alex "1950s" in Dolan, p. 73: "Although the covers of World's Finest Comics had teased co-appearances of Batman and Superman for years, the first joint adventure of the two in the comic occurred in issue #71...written by Alvin Schwartz, pencilled by Curt Swan, and inked by Stan Kaye".
↑ Manning, Matthew K. (2014). "1950s". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p.57. ISBN978-1465424563. It became challenging for writers and artists to tell a story without one hero overshadowing the other. A common gimmick was for Batman to swap powers with Superman, something he did for the first time in issue #77.
↑ Manning "1950s" in Dougall, p. 63: "This story, written by Edmond Hamilton and illustrated by Dick Sprang, would be the first time these two notorious villains joined forces, a tradition that would continue into the modern era".
↑ Forbeck, Matt "1960s" in Dougall, p. 84: "In this tale from Edmond Hamilton and Curt Swan, an angry janitor received the powers of the entire Legion of Super-Heroes".
↑ McAvennie, Michael "1960s" in Dolan, p. 129: "1968 was the year when Neal Adams and Batman's fates became forever intertwined...Adams tackled his first interior with Batman on Leo Dorfman's script for 'The Superman-Batman Revenge Squads' story in World's Finest Comics #175".
↑ Kingman, Jim (August 2013). "Men of Steel: Superman and Julius Schwartz in World's Finest Comics and DC Comics Presents". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (#66): 51–53.
↑ O'Neil, Dennis(w),Dillin, Dick(p),Giella, Joe(i)."...And So My World Begins!"World's Finest Comics,no.212(June 1972).
↑ Maggin, Elliot S!(w),Dillin, Dick(p),Giella, Joe(i)."Peril in a Very Small Place!"World's Finest Comics,no.213(August–September 1972).
↑ Skeates, Steve and O'Neil, Dennis(w),Dillin, Dick(p),Giella, Joe(i)."A Beast Stalks the Badlands"World's Finest Comics,no.214(October–November 1972).
↑ Coates, John (1999). "Art Index". The Art of Nick Cardy. Coates Publishing. pp.172–173. ISBN1-887591-22-2.
↑ Stroud, Bryan (May 2013). "Metamorpho in Action Comics". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (#64): 22–27.
↑ McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 157: "Scribe Bob Haney and artist Dick Dillin introduced the DC Universe to an alternate timeline starring the World's Finest offspring in January's World's Finest Comics #215".
↑ Eury, Michael (August 2013). "The Batman of Earth-B: The Caped Crusader's Bravest and Boldest Writer, Bob Haney". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (#66): 2–5.
↑ Manning "1970s" in Dougall, p. 116: "It was revealed that Bruce Wayne had an older brother in this mostly forgotten piece of Batman lore that inspired the recent 'Court of Owls' storyline".
↑ Eury, Michael (July 2015). "A Look at DC's Super Specs". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (#81): 29–30.
↑ Romero, Max (July 2012). "I'll Buy That For a Dollar! DC Comics' Dollar Comics". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (#57): 39–41.
1 2 Kingman, Jim (May 2013). "The Ballad of Ollie and Dinah". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (#64): 10–21.
↑ Rozakis, Bob(w),Saviuk, Alex(p),Rodriguez, Rodin(i)."Drive Me to the Moon!"World's Finest Comics,no.272(October 1981).
↑ Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 206: "In the tradition of DC's anniversary editions, World's Finest Comics #300 was an extra-length issue contributed to by a variety of comic book talent. Written by David Anthony Kraft, Mike W. Barr, and Marv Wolfman, and illustrated by Ross Andru, Mark Texeira, Sal Amendola, and George Pérez".
↑ Wiggins, Randall C. (December 2013). "World's Finest Comics #300: An Epic in the Making". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (#69): 64–67.
↑ Manning "1980s" in Dougall, p. 150: "A rare early example of Mazzucchelli's Batman before his ground-breaking 'Batman: Year One' story in February 1987, this tale featured Superman and Batman doing something quite out of the ordinary for the duo: having a drink at a local bar".
↑ Manning "1980s" in Dougall, p. 160: "Writer Joey Cavalieri and penciller José Delbo saw the heroes off in style as they faced the new menace of the mystical villain Nightwolf".
↑ Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 246: "Writer Dave Gibbons and artist Steve Rude presented a three-issue miniseries...that proved the World's Finest team of Superman and Batman was still relevant".
↑ Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 289: ""Batman and Superman reunited in April [1999] in the ten-issue limited series World's Finest...The series was written by Karl Kesel".
Publications are listed alphabetically by published titles. Storylines are listed in publication order. Compiled without respect for canon or "current" continuity.
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