Batman/Superman: World's Finest, Vol. 5: Secret Origins

Batman/Superman: World's Finest (2022)

by Mark Waid, Travis Moore (illustrator)

Batman und Superman sind nicht nur die berühmtesten Helden der Welt, sondern auch beste Freunde, und als solche erleben sie viele gemeinsame Abenteuer. Doch diesmal bekommen sie es nicht nur mit bekannten Widersachern wie Poison Ivy, Metallo und dem Pinguin zu tun, sondern vor allem mit einem neuen finsteren Gegner – dem Teufel Nezha, gegen dessen höllische Magie die Kräfte des Manns aus Stahl völlig nutzlos sind. Gut, dass die beiden Superfreunde Unterstützung erhalten – von Robin und Supergirl und der legendären Doom Patrol! Dennoch … wie es scheint, muss sich einer der Helden opfern, um den Teufel Nezha endgültig zu besiegen!

Für Fans und Neuleser – die neue, actiongeladene Serie mit den beiden größten Helden des DC-Universums, inszeniert vom vielfach preisgekrönten Autor Mark Waid (KINGDOM COME, JLA) und Top-Zeichner Dan Mora (BATMAN – DETECTIVE COMICS).

Dieser erste Band führt direkt zu einer DER kommenden Batman-Storys.

Storys: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest (2022) 1–6

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Superman

152 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2025

About the author

Mark Waid is an American comic book writer widely known for shaping modern superhero storytelling through influential runs on major characters at both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Raised in Alabama, he developed an early fascination with comic books, particularly classic stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, whose imaginative scope and sense of legacy would later inform his own writing. He first entered the comics industry during the mid 1980s as an editor and writer for the fan magazine Amazing Heroes, before publishing his first professional comic story in Action Comics. Soon afterward he joined DC Comics as an editor, contributing to numerous titles and helping shape projects across the company. After leaving editorial work to focus on writing, Waid gained widespread recognition with his long run on The Flash, where he expanded the mythology of the character and co-created the youthful speedster Impulse. His reputation grew further with the celebrated graphic novel Kingdom Come, created with artist Alex Ross, which imagined a future DC Universe shaped by generational conflict among superheroes. Over the years he has written many prominent series, including Captain America, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Superman: Birthright, bringing a balance of optimism, character depth, and respect for comic book history to each project. Waid has also collaborated with notable artists and writers on major ensemble titles such as Justice League and Avengers, while contributing ideas that helped clarify complex continuity within shared superhero universes. Beyond mainstream superhero work, he has supported creator owned projects and experimental publishing models, including the acclaimed series Irredeemable and Incorruptible, which explored moral ambiguity within the superhero genre. He later took on editorial leadership roles at Boom Studios, guiding creative direction while continuing to write extensively. In subsequent years he expanded his involvement in publishing and digital storytelling, helping launch online comics initiatives and advocating for new distribution methods for creators. His work has earned numerous industry awards, including Eisner and Harvey honors, reflecting both critical acclaim and enduring popularity among readers. Throughout his career Waid has remained a passionate student of comic book history, drawing on decades of storytelling tradition while continually encouraging innovation within the medium. His influence extends across generations of readers and creators, and his stories continue to shape the evolving language of superhero comics around the world today through enduring characters imaginative narratives and thoughtful reinventions of familiar myths within popular culture and modern graphic storytelling traditions.

Reviews

[Jim Ef]

6.5/10
Here we have a volume that can be divided in two smaller volumes. The first part being issues 18 & 19, these two issues are everything you know and love about the series. It's about Batman's and Superman's first meeting and the first case they work together. Fun and interesting.

Then we have the second half of the book. Issue 24 is good. Same idea with #18-19 but with Joker and Lex. It's fine but not as entertaining. In the end we have the annual, which i didn't mind reading by itself ( i am reading the series in individual issues ) but it's only here because it had to go somewhere i guess.

This is the weakest volume so far, but only because it's not really a normal volume.

[Khurram]

This book was a bit too chaotic for me. Also, it had a (decent stories) a lot of characters I did not particularly care about.

The main story, a decent bordering on good retelling of Superman and Batman's first team up or origin story. They must deal with the manipulations of the Riddler, who might be manipulated himself. I would give this four stars.

The World's Finest Annual, stars Metamorpho trying to handle some family business. Teen Titans (I am guessing new heroine, I know nothing about her), Bee, I guess, having her first adventure. Then, a story called Time Check. Again, there are a bunch of characters I don't know about. As a whole, I would give this three stars.

The World's Finest #25 starts with a team up with the old school Lex and Joker. Then, a story of chaos staring the 5th Dimension Imp. I was not partially impressed with either of these stories. Two stars.

This book probably had the least appearances of both Batman or Superman, considering it is their book that is poor for me. The book finishes with a varient covers gallery.

[Paul]

OK, for starters, this volume gets points docked for reprinting two of the same issues that had already been collected in the previous volume (issues 18 and 19, in case you’re keeping score).

Of the stuff that’s new to this volume, we have the annual and the giant-sized issue 25.

The annual is a bit of a hotchpotch of various different stories, featuring a bunch of characters from DC’s stable… none of whom, however, are Batman and Superman. As the titular pair are featured prominently on the cover of the annual, I’d call this false advertising (more points docked).

Issue 25 features two stories: the first being a Joker/Lex Luthor team-up (which ends about as badly as you’d expect) and the second being a short prologue to the next World’s Finest story-arc.

All in all, a bit of a mixed bag. I give it 3.25 stars with a New Year’s Day wish that the next volume of World’s Finest returns to form.

[Jason]

5
Waid is gold. Every time. Very fun and engaging. And I'd say both character and plot driven. A master.

[Kamiab Ghorbanpour]

Abe Lincoln fights a T-Rex and then Superman punches him in the face.

[Machiavelli]

World’s Finest: Secret Origins felt like a detour from the strong momentum the series had been building. While the idea of spotlighting various character origins sounds great on paper, the execution here felt more like a scattered collection than a unified story.

There are a few fun and charming moments, especially for longtime DC fans, but the issue lacks the narrative drive and cohesion that’s made the rest of the run so compelling. It’s a bit underwhelming by comparison. Not sure I’d call it a decent read, and for sure not essential.

[Anna Quilter]

A bunch of stories that don't really tell...

this version of how Batman/ Superman met was fun.

[Dakota Morgan]

Secret Origins holds a grab-bag of goofy stories in Mark Waid's Batman/Superman universe, but they almost all satisfy, with plenty of humor, pathos, and action.

We first see Batman and Superman's original team-up, where they work together to figure out why citizens are disappearing. Then, a World's Vilest issue with a Lex Luthor/Joker team-up. Supremely silly, but Waid nails the characterizations. Finally, a visit to the "-mite" universe, where something big and bad is coming - and is promised to soon arrive in Batman and Superman's universe too (clearly setup for the next volume).

The "-mite" stuff is dumb silly, but I have to admit I'm intrigued with how Waid is attempting to make it serious silly. Mixed in with the above issues are a few non-Waid pieces about side characters that are fine and forgettable.

[J]

This book has been great up until now but I really felt like this arc was just a placeholder. The newly updated version of how Superman and Batman met is uninspiring, and add to that mediocre tales of Metamorpho, Karen Beecher (seriously, yet another Black girl genius), and a weird Joker/Lex Luthor team up rounding out this volume.

Oh yes, there is a nice Challengers of the Unknown story that wasn't great but better than most of the rest. Overall, the art is decent, especially the Travis Moore work on the lead story.

The book ends with a cliffhanger for the next arc. Hoping it's better than this one.

[Luke Thomas]

It had its moments, just very weak compared to Waid’s work on the rest of the series. The annual was just a miss for me. The majority of the stories had nothing to do with the rest of the series. Issue 25 was excellent but that was the high point.

[Bill Riggs]

Entertaining but nothing groundbreaking here.

[Rory Wilding]

Did you ever want to know the story about how Batman and Superman meet? Well, there has already been a bunch of versions of that story across multiple media, including a whole movie that we don't need to talk about. It seems that Mark Waid had his own idea about how these two iconic superheroes met one another, as explored in two issues of World's Finest.

With a number of bank heists conducted by the Riddler taking place in Gotham, this attracts the attention of Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent, who recognises the Kryptonian language that is used in the riddles left behind. As he flies into Gotham as Superman to investigate, Clark first meets the Batman who has a history with the Riddler and thus an alliance is formed that will later defined their Super-Friendship.

Usually, when it comes to the first pairing between Superman and Batman, there is a bit of a conflict between the two, based on their own idea of justice. By the time these two meet here, they are pretty much on the same page, so there isn't much of a character arc, even when things take a personal turn when Alfred is vanished, along with other random people. If anything, the storyline, which is drawn by guest artist Travis Moore, is a solid update with Waid once again remixing elements from the Silver Age, if not quite as successfully as he did in previous arcs.

Next up, we have the 2024 Annual #1, comprising of three short stories, none of which written by Waid, though they all tie in with the World's Finest side of the DC universe. Starting with a Metamorpho story by Dennis Culver and Travis Mercer, then a Bumblebee story by Stephanie Williams and Rosi Kämpe, and finally a Challengers of the Unknown story by Christopher Cantwell and Jorge Fornés. There isn't much to say about this anthology, which is only worth reading if you're a World's Finest completionist, as well as admiring the amazingly trippy visuals by Fornés.

Stepping away from the adventures of our titular heroes, issue #25 explores the team-up between their arch-nemeses. Drawn by Steve Pugh, Lex Luthor, along with the Joker, follows a map to a mysterious yet powerful treasure. This is perhaps the best issue of this volume as not only does it allow these two unlikely characters going through set-pieces set within the magic world of Shazam, but also how much their personality stands out, especially how they feel towards Superman and Batman.

Ending with a prologue that sets up the next big arc with Waid reuniting with regular artist Dan Mora, the overall feeling towards this volume is that it feels more like a placeholder, though still enjoyable.

[Ewan Austin]

This is a really hard book to rate... Because it kinda flat out lies to you...

I'll just rip the band-aid off here and say that only half of this book is actually a "Batman/Superman World's Finest" story... And even then it's a stretch.

So the two stories we have are kinda a shared duology: We have an adventure depicting Batman and Superman's first meeting, and an adventure depicting The Joker and Lex Luthor's first meeting.

Both of these stories are excellent! Some of the best stuff to come out of this series! I particularly REALLY enjoyed the one with Luthor and Joker. The Joker is a very Silver Age-esc take on him, so it was right up my alley.

There's also a short epilogue focusing on Bat-Mite and Mr Mxyzptlk which is setting up the next story in the series, which is pretty good.

But... My biggest gripe with this book... Is the pacing is completely demolished by forcing in these stories that have nothing to do with the World's Finest duo. They're not bad... In fact I enjoyed both of them (I'm always down for more Metamorpho, The Bumblebee one was quaint and fun, and the art in Yhe Challengers of the Unknown one was stunning! Felt very 1940s!). But they're just not why I'm here. And they just feel like unwelcome backdoor pilots thrown in for padding... Which, considering The Challengers of the Unknown has recently started an ongoing, I certainly believe is the case!

So... Yeah... This book is in no way bad. In fact, if it only had the "Secret Origins" stories and the Bat-Mite prelude I'd probably give it a full five stars. However, the fact that a good third of this book is just completely unrelated stuff I didn't ask for just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I would've much preferred a third story about Robin's first meeting with Superman or something...

It's not a case of "skip this". Definitely read it if you're enjoying this run, or if you want a story about Bruce and Clark's first meeting. However, definitely check your expectations at the door... Because the actual book refuses to do it.

[Justin Partridge]

“I can finish a book without finishing a sentence. What am I?

“A prisoner”…

No one appreciates my jokes.”

This gets an extra ⭐️ for featuring my beloved Challengers of the Unknown (written by Cantwell no less!), Magpie, and Jax-Ur. Very fun that Waid has been so into Jax-Ur lately.

But yeah! Fun, very pretty stuff once more. But I think this might be the slightest volume yet, with only really 3 full issues of material collected here, plus the Annual, which is really more about the Lex & Joker of it all (which did rule). But it’s just…

I’ve complained about this before but I think modern single collections are just too damn slight usually. And this even has a weird ordering because it’s a two-parter that happens earlier in the actual print run (I think at #18-19? Maybe? I would have to check and I’m lazy rn) so the inclusion of the Annual AND the random kick off issue to the NEXT arc, siiiighgghhhhhhhhh it just totally ruins the momentum and cohesive arcing the whole series has had up until now.

And that sucks! Because the issues themselves are pretty good! Waid gets the old school vibe in the two-parter, it’s awesome that Metamorpho is like the third lead of this whole series in general. The artwork and cover collections just continue to be incredible. Idk. It sucks to be rating this one so low for production junk when I really have been having a lot of fun with this series.

[Chris]

Basically an interlude between major stories.  We get to see how this version of Batman and Superman met, refreshingly it doesn't involve them fighting.

There are several other stand-alone issues focusing on other characters that didn't interest me so much.  Travis Moore's art was pretty though.

[Belfry]

Actual rating: 4.25 stars

[Adam Witt]

There is not a flaw to be found in these stories.

[Emmett Spain]

Fun, fine, forgettable—like much of this run, for me.

[Ali Haji]

تقزيره

[Mar]

This volume had some great moments, but overall, I feel like it's lacking the good things from the first couple of volumes.

[Andrew Robertson]

Some of the stories were interesting; the rest were just filler. The only really good story was the origin story with Batman and Superman's first mission together. All the rest ranged from interesting to awful.

[Aidan]

It pains me to say this is a soft 4. The lack of Moras art is obviously a big downside to me as it is the main thing that drew me to this series. But with one more Mora volume after this i thought i should read this one.
The secret origins story is a standout and definitely does the heavy lifting for this volume. The art (while not Mora) is beautiful and captures that silver age feel while still feeling alive and fresh. The storyline also feels like something that would be right at home in a silver age comic.
Unfortunately the one off stories that follow are not great. They're origin stories meant to draw you to read their own series and they did not grab me whatsoever.
Im so excited to get back to Moras art in the next (and what will be my last) volume as seeing it at my LCS is what drew me to start this series in the first place!

[Pamela]

The Batman/Superman “how did they meet?” story has been done many times and the story here is pretty good with them working together to decipher a Riddler riddle in kryptonian.

That story on its own was a 4/5 but then the middle of the collection is all filler…

• a random story about Metamorpho being in love and trying to help his girlfriend’s rich dad (and finding his [Indiana Jones-ish] dad in the process??) 2/5
• Teen Titan Bumblebee in her pre-TT days, not a bad story but I did wonder how her evidence will be allowed in court 😅 3/5
• a story about some people - not even sure who they were - sent to do a job by Batman and they die but they don’t…? I don’t even know what that was. 1/5
• Mxyzptlk tries to warn his friends - Bat-Mite & others in the Just-Us league - about something bad coming but they start arguing about who the best hero is, and get attacked by the Villain mites 3.5/5

A story about Lex Luthor using The Joker to read a map of sorts that leads to treasure that drives people who read it insane (ie. why he needs Joker to do it) - this one wasn’t bad, but a bit short on story. I liked seeing the two of them work together and the part when Joker shaves his hair off was pretty funny. 3.5/5

And the last story is the Batman/Superman (and Robin) half of the Mxyzptlk story where weird things start happening suddenly, like the robot Dino and huge Abe Lincoln coming to life in the Batcave. This was off to an interesting start but then just ends on a cliffhanger! 3/5

On the whole it’s a 20/30 so 3.33/5 which seems accurate for how I felt about it.

[Rick Ray]

Collecting issues #18-19, 25 and the 2024 Annual from Mark Waid's Batman/Superman: World's Finest run, this volume is a bit haphazard and unfocused. The first two issues lend this volume's name, Secret Origins, as it tells a story set during Batman's and Superman's first encounter with each other. Superman recognizes that a Riddler clue utilizes a Kryptonian script, and so he ends up working with Batman to solve the mystery. When it turns out that a long banished Kryptonian is behind the Riddler, Batman must work with Superman to end the threat. The annual itself collects several short Batman/Superman stories, most being forgettable. The final issue features a Lex and Joker team up that goes wrong quickly, and a second B-story about the Fifth Dimension which I guess was kind of cute but also irrelevant to the main story.

I'd hazard to say this volume could be skipped entirely since it's pretty much all filler.

[Langston Lardi]

From looking at other reviews it seems we can all agree this is the weakest of the series thus far. While none of the stories are bad, they are not as solid. I believe most of my issues with this volume comes from the pacing, this book is mainly little stories that have you bouncing all over the place rather than one solid narrative, and like I said none of the stories are bad per say, it’s just the lack of cohesiveness really does hurt this volume. We get to see Batman and Supes first outing together and it’s a pretty neat little origin, but nothing to write home about. Then we get to see bats and supes again at the end setting up the next volume, which I’ll admit does seem interesting. The majority of the volume is side stories of characters we’ve seen before such as metamorpho and the challengers and even a little team up of Joker and Luthor. Overall an okay read.

[Alex Sarll]

Two issues at least conform to the title; I've no idea how Batman and Superman were shown to have first teamed up in earlier continuities, but the Riddler leaving riddles in Kryptonian makes sense as a start, even if it feels a little underpowered. The Joker/Luthor team-up, which you'd think would have made more sense in that slot, barely features the heroes at all. And the rest of the volume is a grab-bag of shorts from pretty much anyone, about pretty much anyone, where the best I can say is that the Challengers one felt like a passable attempt at imitation Grant Morrison. It all concludes with a story about the imps of the fifth dimension which amused me when it was making cracks about Hawkman's backstory, but blatantly belongs in the subsequent volume it sets up. I always thought this series was a little overpraised, but it definitely started out better than this.

[Alex Johnston]

Probably the best volume of the series thus far - my guess is this is a series that works better as single issues than in collected editions. The Luthor/Joker issue is probably the single highlight of the entire run (which to be fair, doesn't have to bear the weight of an ongoing storyline, but still!). Feels like a series that struggles trying to find a balance between the single issue storyline bad guy punching team ups its based on and the expectation of all modern comics to have an ongoing plot - if it were up to me I would say just ditch the ongoing plot and have every issue be a one-off team up story, or every 2 or 3 issues if you want something a little more substantial - but no ongoing storylines to follow throughout the comic! This thing shines in its short form work and this volume has the most examples of that thus far.

[Reece]

What an absolute letdown of a book. Only really having 2 issues dedicated to the titular Secret Origin, which is the first meeting of Batman and Superman. The rest of this volume is dedicated to nonsensical shorts set in the world of World's Finest. It's all just a setup for the next volume instead of containing a story in its own right.

It's not the first time we've seen this, but I suppose the twist is that Superman has been at it for a fair while, while this Bruce had only been Batman for 1 year at the time of their meeting. Personally, I prefer the origin of Superman: American Alien, where Batman is established in his career when Clark Kent starts out.

I'm getting a bit worried this series is starting to spiral down the drain.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

After the previous two stellar collections, this one is a bit of a letdown as it's basically filler. Fun filler, but filler nonetheless. It's basically divided into three sections. The first and best is the latest telling of Batman and Superman's first meeting that doesn't do too much to stand out from other versions of the same tale, but nice to see a nod to Byrne's Man of Steel mini, and the Travis Moore art is really nice. The third section does the same thing as the first but this time focused on Luthor and Joker and, again, it's very enjoyable with typically strong expressive art from Steve Pugh. Plus, the Mxy/ Bat-mite bonus story is probably the main highlight here, which is especially good news as it clearly sets up the next major arc.

The middle section, though, is pretty weird. It collects the 2024 annual and not only is most of it not written by Mark Waid, it focuses on Metamorpho, Bumblebee and Challengers of the Unknown for some reason. I'm always down for a Metamorpho story and Jourge Fornos made the Challengers story a must read, but I went in not caring much about Bumblebee and I left feeling much the same. It's a mixed bag, in short, but my main issue with the annual is just the complete randomness of these three short stories that have nothing to do with one another and very little to do with the main series.

So, all in all a decent enough read, but it's by far the weakest entry in this otherwise excellent series (not including the very below-par Batman vs Robin spinoff mini).

[Shivesh]

Promising start, since I always enjoy early-career stories for Clark and Bruce. This volume revisits how Superman and Batman actually first met and became friends, with the Riddler's calculating schemes pushing the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader together despite their preconceived notions of one another. The core premise is solid, and seeing the two of them respectfully forge a partnership has real charm.

Unfortunately, the rest of the volume feels like filler stitched together from other corners of the DC line. There's a backup featuring Lex Luthor and the Joker meeting for the first time, with Lex trying to weaponize the Joker's madness to hunt down a dangerous magical artifact — fun in theory, but it doesn't add much to Batman and Superman's story, which is supposedly the point of the book. The annual is the weakest link, pulling in a grab bag of other DC characters with barely any Batman or Superman presence at all, despite both being front and center on the cover. Just weird and was a quick jump through for me.

It's not a bad read, exactly, just a noticeably lesser one. This doesn't hit the same heights as Mark Waid's usual work on the series — the man is normally so reliably strong on both character and plot that a dip like this stands out more than it would from a lesser writer. It reads more like table-setting for the next arc than a satisfying volume on its own.