''World's Finest Comics'' was an

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

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 Michael E. Uslan (; born June 2, 1951) is an American lawyer and film producer. Uslan has also dabbled in writing and teaching, he is known for being the first instructor to teach an accredited course on comic book folklore at any university. E ...

has speculated that this was because DC received a

cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...

letter from Better Publications, Inc., who had been publishing a comic book entitled ''Best Comics'' since November 1939. Virtually every issue featured DC's two leading

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

es,

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

and

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

, with the earliest issues also featuring Batman's sidekick,

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...

Publication history

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. The year before there was a similar 1939 '' New York World's Fair Comics'' featuring Superman but without Batman and Robin because Bill Finger and Bob Kane had not yet created them. The series was initially a 96-page quarterly

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

, featuring various DC characters – always including Superman and Batman – in separate stories. Comics historian Les Daniels noted that "pairing Superman and Batman made sense financially, since the two were DC's most popular heroes". 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). The title often depicted Batman gaining superpowers as a way to avoid having him be overshadowed by Superman. Lex Luthor and the Joker first joined forces in issue #88 (June 1957). A new supervillain, the

Composite Superman The Composite Superman is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Superman and Batman. The character first appeared in ''World's Finest Comics'' #142 (June 1964) and was created by Edmond Hamilton and Curt Swan. Fictional character biography Joseph ...

, was introduced in #142 (June 1964). The story "The Clash of Cape and Cowl", by writer Edmond Hamilton and artist

Curt Swan Douglas Curtis Swan (February 17, 1920 – June 17, 1996) was an American comics artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans call the Bronze Age of Comic Books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 195 ...

, in ''World's Finest Comics'' #153 (Nov. 1965) is the source of an

Internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

in which Batman slaps Robin. Noted Batman artist Neal Adams first drew the character in an interior story in "The Superman-Batman Revenge Squads" in issue #175 (May 1968). The title briefly featured Superman teaming with heroes other than Batman in the early 1970s beginning with issue #198 (November 1970). That issue featured the first part of a two-issue team-up with the Flash. Other characters to appear in the next two years included

, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, the Teen Titans, Doctor Fate,

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...

, the Martian Manhunter, the Atom, and the Vigilante.

Nick Cardy Nicholas Viscardi (October 20, 1920 – November 3, 2013), known professionally as Nick Cardy and Nick Cardi, was an American comics artist best known for his DC Comics work on Aquaman, the Teen Titans and other major characters. Cardy was induct ...

was the cover artist for ''World's Finest Comics'' for issues #212–228. Metamorpho was the backup feature in issues #218–220 and #229 after the character had a brief run as the backup in '' Action Comics''. 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 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 (January 1973). The character ...

, were co-created by writer Bob Haney and artist

Dick Dillin Richard Allen Dillin (December 17, 1928 – March 1, 1980)Richard Dillin
at the United States

continuity by scripting stories which contradicted DC's canon or by writing major heroes in an out-of-character fashion. 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 The Court of Owls is a criminal organization and secret society appearing in DC Comics continuity as adversaries of the superhero Batman. The Court is described as an organization of the wealthiest and most influential citizens of the city of Got ...

" story arc in 2012. Issues #223 (May–June 1974) to #228 (March–April 1975) of the series were in the 100 Page Super Spectacular format. With issue #244 (April–May 1977), ''World's Finest Comics'' became one of the first 80-page

Dollar Comics Dollar Comics was a line of DC Comics comic book publications issued from 1977 to 1983 and revived in 2019. The 1977-1983 line included the titles ''The Superman Family'', ''House of Mystery'', ''G.I. Combat'', ''World's Finest Comics'', '' Batman F ...

. It featured the Superman and Batman team with back-up features. The number of pages was reduced from 80 to 64 starting with issue #252 (August–September 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 The World's Finest Team was a fictional DC Comics superhero team who first appeared in the DC Comics Dollar Comics format series in ''World's Finest Comics'' #244 (May 1977), created by Gerry Conway, with art by Jim Aparo and George Tuska. The tea ...

in a 56-page story. Writer

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...

wrote a book-length story for issue #271 (September 1981) which pieced together all the "first meetings" of Superman and Batman. 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. 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 Mike W. Barr (born May 30, 1952) is an American writer of comic books, mystery novels, and science fiction novels. Barr has written for every one of the first four incarnations of ''Star Trek: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek ...

, and Marv Wolfman with art by

Ross Andru Ross Andru (; born Rostislav Androuchkevitch, June 15, 1927 – November 9, 1993) Part 1: Animation: We Leave the Army", p. 21. In 1948, Andru's first professional work as a comic strip illustrator was drawing layouts for the ''Tarzan (comics), T ...

, Mark Texeira, Sal Amendola, and George Pérez. 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). 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. The series ended with issue #323 (January 1986) by writer Joey Cavalieri and artist

José Delbo José Delbo (born December 9, 1933) is an Argentine comics artist. He is best known for his work on ''Wonder Woman'' for DC Comics and '' The Transformers'' for Marvel Comics. Career José Delbo became a professional comics artist at the age of 1 ...

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. 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 three-issue ''Legends of the World's Finest'' miniseries in 1994 by Walt Simonson and

Dan Brereton Daniel Alan Brereton (born November 22 San Francisco Bay Area) is an American writer and illustrator who has produced notable work in the comic book field. Biography Early life Dan Brereton attended the California College of the Arts and the Academ ...

. * A two-issue '' Superboy/

: World's Finest Three'' miniseries in 1996. *''Elseworld's Finest'' – a two-issue miniseries that reimagines Superman and Batman in a 1920s style pulp adventure. * '' World's Finest: Parts I-III'' (also known as ''The

Movie'') and ''Batman/Superman Adventures: World's Finest'', a 1997 three-part episode of '' Superman: The Animated Series'' and its comics adaptation, respectively. * '' Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl'', a one-shot in 1998. * '' Superman and Batman: World's Funnest'', featuring

Mr. Mxyzptlk Mister Mxyzptlk (, ), sometimes called Mxy, is a character who appears in DC Comics' ''Superman'' comic books. He is usually presented as a trickster in the classical mythological sense. Mxyzptlk possesses reality-warping powers with which he enj ...

and

Bat-Mite Bat-Mite is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Bat-Mite is an imp similar to the Superman villain Mister Mxyzptlk. Depicted as a small, childlike man in an ill-fitting Batman costume, Bat-Mite possesse ...

. * A 10-issue miniseries in 1999 written by Karl Kesel 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 Kevin James Anderson (born March 27, 1962) is an American science fiction author. He has written spin-off novels for ''Star Wars'', ''StarCraft'', ''Titan A.E.'' and ''The X-Files literature#Novels, The X-Files'', and with Brian Herbert is the ...

. The story is about the first meeting between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. * A four-issue ''World's Finest'' miniseries written by Sterling Gates was published in late 2009 and early 2010. In the series, Superman has relocated to

New Krypton "New Krypton" is a 2008–09 comic book story arc featuring character Superman, published by American company DC Comics; it was written by Geoff Johns, James Robinson and Sterling Gates, with art by Gary Frank, Alex Ross, Renato Guedes, Jamal ...

and Batman (Bruce Wayne) is presumed dead. Thus, it falls to various members of the Superman and Batman families to battle a threat posed by the Toyboy,

Mr. Freeze Mr. Freeze is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Dave Wood, Sheldon Moldoff and Bob Kane, and first appeared in '' Batman'' #121 in February 1959 as the ice-based criminal Mr. ...

, the

Penguin Penguins (order (biology), order List of Sphenisciformes by population, Sphenisciformes , family (biology), family Spheniscidae ) are a group of Water bird, aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: on ...

and the

Kryptonite Man Kalibak Kalibak () is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the eldest son of Darkseid, half-brother of Orion and Grayven, and an enemy of Superman and the Justice League. Created by Jack Kirby, being debute ...

. Protagonists include Superman Family members Nightwing (Chris Kent), the

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

and Supergirl, along with Batman Family members the Red Robin (Tim Drake), Robin (Damian Wayne), the

Oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

and Batgirl (Stephanie Brown). Superman and Batman (Dick Grayson) appear in the final issue. * 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 ''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 ...

'' was launched in 2013. * A new ongoing series with a similar name but a differently-placed apostrophe, ''

Worlds' Finest ''Worlds' Finest'' is a comic book published by DC Comics, a reimagining of the classic ''World's Finest Comics'', with a similar name but a differently-placed apostrophe. It was launched in May 2012 with a July 2012 cover date. The series was p ...

'', began in May 2012. It starred Power Girl and the Huntress. In this incarnation, the two are natives of Earth-2, where they used the codenames Supergirl and Robin, respectively. 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 Batwoman is a name used by several characters of DC Comics, both in mainstream continuity and Elseworlds. The best known Batwomen are Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Kathy Kane and Kate Kane. History * The first Batwoman (Kathy Kane), Batwoman, Kathy Ka ...

'' 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 Batgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. Although the character Betty Kane was introduced into publication in ...

team with Supergirl for a special mission. * ''Batman/Superman: World's Finest'' – In December 2021, it was announced that a new ongoing series would begin publication in March 2022, with

Mark Waid Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', ''Fantastic Four'' and '' Dar ...

writing and Dan Mora serving as illustrator.

Collected editions

In other media

* "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 The DC Animated Universe (DCAU; also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans referring to the creators and producers Bruce Timm and Paul Dini respectively) is a shared universe consisting primarily of superhero-based animated televisi ...

, when

comes to Metropolis in pursuit of the Joker, who has offered to kill

for Lex Luthor. 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. * In 2004, a fan trailer for a ''World's Finest'' movie was released. * In the 2009 direct-to-video

animated film Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

'' Superman/Batman: Public Enemies'' (an adaptation of "The World's Finest", the opening story arc of ''Superman/Batman''), the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight team up to prevent a meteoroid from striking Earth and to take down Lex Luthor, who has been elected President of the United States and has framed Superman for murder.

cast members

Kevin Conroy Kevin Conroy (November 30, 1955 – November 10, 2022) was an American actor. He appeared in a variety of stage performances, television series, and television films, but earned worldwide fame for his voice portrayal of the DC Comics superhero ...

, Tim Daly, Clancy Brown and

C. C. H. Pounder Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder (born December 25, 1952) is a Guyanese-American actress. She has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in ''The X-Files'', '' ER'', ''The Shield'', and ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agenc ...

reprised their respective roles as Batman, Superman, Luthor and Amanda Waller. Additionally, Allison Mack ( Chloe Sullivan from the television series ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

'') voiced the role of Power Girl. * In 2010, a sequel was released titled '' Superman/Batman: Apocalypse'' which is an adaptation of Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner's second story arc, "The Supergirl from Krypton".

cast members

, Tim Daly, Susan Eisenberg, and Edward Asner reprised their respective roles as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and

Granny Goodness Granny Goodness is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. Granny Goodness made her live-action debut in the final two seasons of ''Smallville'', and she was portrayed by Nancy Amelia Bell and Christine Willes. Granny Goodness made her ...

. Additionally,

Summer Glau Summer Lyn Glau (; born July 24, 1981) is an American actress best known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy television series: as River Tam in ''Firefly'' (2002) and its continuation film '' Serenity'' (2005), as Tess Doerner in ''Th ...

voiced the role of Supergirl and Andre Braugher portrayed

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby to serve as the primary antagonist of his "Fourth World (comics), Fourth World" metaseries, and was firs ...

. * The eighteenth episode of the first season of Supergirl is titled "

Worlds Finest "Worlds Finest" is the eighteenth episode of the first season of the American superhero television series '' Supergirl''. It aired on CBS on March 28, 2016. The episode's teleplay was written by Andrew Kreisberg and Michael Grassi, and directed ...

". The episode is a crossover with ''

The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...

'' and features a team-up of the title characters of both series.

Kara Danvers Kara Danvers, also known as Kara Zor-El on her homeworld, is a fictional character in the Arrowverse franchise, mainly the television series ''Supergirl''. Created by executive producers Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler and Andrew Kreisberg, the charac ...

gains a new ally when the lightning-fast superhero

suddenly appears from an alternate universe and helps Kara battle Siobhan, aka

Silver Banshee Silver Banshee is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as an opponent of Superman. In television, she has been portrayed by Odessa Rae in ''Smallville (TV series), Smallville'' and Italia Ricci in the Arrowvers ...

, and

Livewire Livewire(s), Live Wire(s), The Live Wire or Live Wired may refer to: * Live wire (electricity), a wire with a flow of electrical current Computers * Livewire (networking), a digital audio networking technology * LiveWire Professional, computer ...

in exchange for her help in finding a way to return him home.

References

External links