The World’s Finest monthly series may be DC Comics’ most consistently weird comic book. Nominally centered around Superman, Batman, and Robin, the comic spins strange retro stories straight from the Silver Age. Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #35 is no exception, centering around a zombie apocalypse in Atlantis.
Written by Mark Waid, with art by Adrián Gutiérrez, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #35 opens on the twin cities of Poseidonis and Tritonis. A strange plague has gripped Tritonis, turning the merfolk of that city into flesh-devouring monsters. While the victims are not dead, their behavior is identical to that of the zombies in many horror movies. However, Aquaman is not on hand to defend the city with his queen, Mera, who puts out a call to action. This is because he is on the surface, enjoying a baseball game with Superman and Robin.
The first six pages of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #35 may be viewed below.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #35 shows the complexity of Aquaman
For many years, Aquaman was treated as a joke. His abilities in the Superfriends cartoons seemed rather pathetic compared to the plethora of powers enjoyed by Superman. Even Batman’s martial arts mastery and detective skills seemed more useful than breathing underwater and talking to fish. However, this ignored certain key facts about Aquaman, which this issue unveils.
Chief among these is that Aquaman’s powers go far beyond his “aqua-telepathy.” He is far stronger, faster, and more durable than the average human, as befits someone capable of surviving the pressures of the ocean floor. His telepathic abilities also extend beyond sea-life, as he can alter the basic motor functions of humanoids.
Aquaman also enjoys considerable political and mystic power as the King of Atlantis. While not a magician, he commands one of the most magically capable countries in the DC Universe and has access to ancient Atlantean artifacts. With Atlantis governing all oceans, he also effectively rules 70% of the Earth. However, as Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #35 shows, he still sees himself as Arthur Curry. For all his power as a hero and politician, he feels trapped between the surface world and Atlantis and not really part of either world.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #35 arrives in comic shops everywhere on January 15, 2025.
