Batman/Superman: World's Finest (2022-) #53

by Mark Waid, Adrián Gutiérrez (Artist)

The brutal battle between Batman and a magically amped Superman threatens the entire realm of Skartaris! How can Robin and Warlord hope to shut down a fight of such magnitude?

Genres: Comics, Batman, Dc Comics

Kindle Edition

Published July 15, 2026

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

[Gilbert Moreno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent ending to this odd story arc, story felt hard to follow at times, like it wasn’t a clean flow of events. Robin brings Batman & Superman out of their spell and defeat the dragon dude. They leave at the end on mutual terms with Morgan / Warlord, traveling back to the second they initially disappeared

[Raymond Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ending. Robin used everything he knew about Batman to bring him back, and it worked.

[Craig Schorling · Rating 3 out of 5]

While fun, this felt a little rushed. The action was well laid out and Robin used a lot of tools to come out victorious.

[Cybernex007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warlord: “I’m staring to feel like a supporting character in this story.”

While the storyline didn’t grasp me in every aspect along the way, that conclusion and the way Robin was allowed to show up here and be a true representative for his values sold it for me. As we jump into this issue we are in a pretty tough spot. Batman’s rescue mission to save Superman failed landing both or them under Tyrant Rex’s mind control. To make Superman more susceptible to the mind control, his powers have been stripped away be divided up among Tyrant Rex’s monsters. All while Tyrant Rex uses his forces to push forward to find the hidden Atlantean computer banks in Skartaris. Now Robin alongside Warlord and his allies are having to fight against super powered monsters and mind controlled and dropped out dinosaur bone batman and Superman. Machiste and Tara are knocked down pretty quickly, but fortunately are not killed as even under mind control the world’s finest convictions run that deep to not murder. Fortunately on the other side of this fight, Robin is able to work with Mariah to target the monster given super hearing and sonic voice, using a sonic amplifier to overload its sense to take it down…all while Morgan slashed down the monster with heat vision. Unfortunately in the midst of all of this one of Morgan’s allies are missing, as Shakira has been taken by Tyrant Rex and given the Princess Leia slave treatment.

Once the heroes regroup and take their wounded back to safety they devise a plan to pus towards the Atlantean computer complex and avoid anything in their way. Unfortunately it still puts them in line with the monster holding Superman’s speed and the one with his strength. But a well placed wire from Robin is able to knock down the speed and a well placed trap hole is able to send the strength one fluttering into the abyss as Robin grabs warlord at the last miner to swing away to safety. Mariah was injured during the fight, setting up Robin to get a cool sword while she hands back. But as they look towards their destination the realize they are too late, as Tyrant Rex’s forces are already here and he is already taking over the computer banks as he orders Superman and batman to find the exit to the surface world inside the complex. Robin and warlord are able to sneak in, allowing Robin to face Superman and Batman head on as he tries to get through to their minds. It doesn’t work and warlord is treating this as a dual to the death. The final monster with Superman’s powers also rushes towards them, this one should only have invulnerability which should be taken down by warlord’s magic sword…only to realize with enough time to dodge a laser blast that this monster has gained all of the other abilities after the previous monsters were defeated. Warlord can still take it as he decides to lead it away from Robin and the main fight.

Robin does his best to dodge attacks and hold his own, eventually getting pushed back to the edge or an abyss. Tyrant Rex gives him one final choice, join his conquering of the world and live under his rule or die. Robin rejects his rule and falls backwards off the ledge himself. This shocking action jolted batman and Superman from their trance, with batman immediately diving into the abyss after Robin to save him and grappling hook back to the surface.

Robin: “Sanctity of life trumps everything, Morgan. Bite me.”

As Superman rips off his bone armero to face Tyrant Rex, even without powers, Morgan is setting up a trap of his own as he lures the super powered monster to speed around the corner…only to impale itself right on the sword he setup horizontally. LOL. In that instant Shakira sees her chance to turn into a cat, freeing herself from the chains, to attack tyrant Rex all while Superman gets his powers returned back to him. Even so, a super punch to a Magic dino man still hurts the man of steel. Morgan approaches with his sword ready to execute Tyrant Rex, but it is Robin who grabs the hilt of the blade and stops him. Allowing Superman to freeze breath tyrant Rex. Morgan is pissed that Robin stopped him as these are his lands and his rules, but he owes Robin and will grant him this. As the issue comes to an end the group loads up, leaving Tyrant Rex behind in a secure facility so warlord can get a mystic to strip him of his magic. They also promise not to tell the Air Force about any of this, only mentioning that the plane which crashed and started all of this was destroyed. Robin isn’t quite ready to leave as he wanes to get to know Shakira a lot better, his own Catwoman lol. But batman snatched his cape and gets him inside the batwing as Superman follows the tachyon trail back out of Skartaris and to their time and world.

[Simeon Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn, guess this is the week of awesome kid sidekick showcase issues. Good way to close out this arc!