A BIRTHDAY SALUTE to artist Steve Rude… By JASON CZERNICH The 1990 World’s Finest miniseries by Dave Gibbons and Steve Rude — the latter of whom is celebrating his 69th birthday — caught me by total surprise when I saw it on the shelves of Same Bat Channel Comics (formerly Moondance Comics) at the Hampshire Mall in Hadley, Massachusetts, in June of that year. What a treat it was to see! I had no idea it was coming out—especially as Batman had just guested in the Superman titles weeks before in the now-classic “Dark Knight Over Metropolis” arc. I was blown away by both the story and the art and eagerly awaited each issue. To this day, I am flabbergasted that DC Comics has never given this series the oversize Absolute Edition treatment — because here are 13 REASONS this three-issue mini is the ultimate Batman/Superman team-up: — Dave Gibbons’ Writing. Gibbons is not just the incredible artist of Watchmen—he’s also a great writer. His plotting and dialogue are easily on par with many of the great superhero writers of his generation. He’s adept at crafting in-character interpretations of Batman, Superman, Joker, and Luthor, along with their supporting cast members, while coming up with an engaging plot. He even weaves in the theme of orphans to show both pathos and resilience when the story calls for it. Need further proof of Gibbons’ scripting talents? Check out the first Batman vs. Predator miniseries from 1991, or his 2004 Vertigo graphic novel, The Originals. — Steve Rude’s Art. Aside from a pin-up in Batman #400, this was my first exposure to Rude’s art. Wow! Rude — born Dec. 31, 1956 — could handle both the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight perfectly while visually depicting them as opposites in the very same image. He knew how to stage crowded scenes in which everyone portrayed had a distinct look, feel, and action. He even provided gorgeous, painted front and back covers for each issue. — Steve Oliff’s Coloring. Computer coloring was still a new thing in 1990. What Oliff was doing in these pages—and in other DC titles such as Legends of the Dark Knight’s “Prey” story arc—was very impressive at the time. The flashback scenes from the first issue especially stood out thanks to Oliff’s visual effects. — It Perfectly...