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

Batman/Superman: World's Finest

by Mark Waid, Travis Moore (Artist), Tamra Bonvillain (Colorist)

Join the World’s Finest duo, Batman and Superman, as they adventure throughout the DC Universe, facing down threats of all shapes and sizes – assuming they can put their personal differences aside when tempers start to flair!

Step aside Bats and Supes, it’s time for The Joker and Lex to get their due! See the World’s Finest Villains explore their origin story and their unholy alliance in addition to the usual heroics of Batman and Superman! All this plus Bat-Mite and Doom-Mite, setting the stage for the next era of World’s Finest epics!

Collects: Batman/Superman: World's Finest #18-19, #25; Batman/Superman: World's Finest 2024 Annual #1

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

176 pages, Hardcover

First published February 25, 2025

About the author

Mark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America.

Reviews

[Jim Ef · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Kamiab Ghorbanpour · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Machiavelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

this version of how Batman/ Superman met was fun.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

“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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Andrew Robertson · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Mar · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Ali Haji · Rating 2 out of 5]

تقزيره

[PedroFN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.25

[Belfry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.25 stars

[Adam Witt · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Ilan Preskovsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

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).

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 in 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 to) - 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.

[Clint · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Mora only draws the last 8 or so pages of this, plus the covers, and the scattershot issues collected here aren’t interesting enough otherwise to consistently hold my interest with their (mostly) mediocre art. The only two decent issues here are the opening ones about Batman and Superman first teaming up to stop a Kryptonian-addled Riddler; it’s particularly cute to see Batman solving the riddles for Superman. Beyond those, there’s a dreadful Annual issue that has no Waid or Mora or Batman or Superman (seems like you’d put at least one of the four core elements of the series in it!) followed by an interminable issue with a Luther/Joker team-up and then a bunch of -Mites tormenting Batman and Superman. It’s the sort of superhero comic that makes me reconsider reading superhero comics.

This series seems to have lost what initially made it worth reading and I think I’m probably done with it.

[Rick Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Nevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just realized that I forgot to log this when I finished the comics months ago. It was so inconsequential that I didn't even notice I'd read a volume until now. This is several 3-star stories presented in such a jumbled mess that I have to drop another star.
We have a two-issue story that tells a very slight version of Batman and Superman's first meeting. It's especially weak given that this was published alongside Waid's 6-issue Teen Titans origin story. The one-issue Joker/Luther "teamup" was just as inconsequential, but it was fun because I didn't feel I should expect more. Then it has the Annual with side stories that don't feature Superman or Batman AND aren't written by Waid, except for the one that's a prequel to the next volume and should have been included there!

[Reece · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.