The Boy Wonder, lookin’ sharp…
OK, I’ll say this again: I’ve for the longest time wanted a Batman and Robin title that takes place in the early years but with a modern sensibility. I’m not talking Batman-is-emotionally-constipated-and-borderline-cruel, I’m talking the Caped Crusaders, the Dynamic Duo, the Masked Manhunters. Y’know, fun. But modern.
The closest thing we have right now — and it’s pretty darn close — is Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s Batman/Superman: World’s Finest. Well, you mighta heard that the series is getting a Teen Titans spinoff miniseries, featuring the original line-up (plus Bumblebee) in their actual teen years.
The latest issue
World’s Finest: Teen Titans #1 is due July 11 and it features your typical raft of variant covers for this sort of thing. And, no knock on the others, which are also first-rate, but the one that caught my eye the most is Doc Shaner’s Robin character cover.
Dig this — along with the solicitation that was released Friday by DC:
Shaner
WORLD’S FINEST: TEEN TITANS #1
Written by MARK WAID
Art by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Cover by CHRIS SAMNEE
Variant covers by EVAN “DOC” SHANER and JIM CHEUNG
1:25 variant cover by W. SCOTT FORBES
1:50 variant cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
1:100 variant cover by CHRIS SAMNEE
Blank sketch variant cover
Special foil variant cover by JIM CHEUNG ($5.99 US)
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE: July 11, 2023
Spinning out of the pages of the runaway hit Batman/Superman: World’s Finest comes a modern retelling of the early adventures of the original Teen Titans!
Led by Robin, the Boy Wonder, a new super-team has burst onto the scene—meet the Teen Titans, DC’s grooviest group filled with super-teens with super-problems. When they’re not fighting alongside their Justice League mentors, they’re managing their image and cultivating the rabid fan base that helps them save the world… as, all the while, a danger from the shadows intends to tear these friends apart before they ever reach the big time.
Before they were the Titans of the DCU, they were the Teen Titans, and you won’t want to miss this fresh take on their origins from the legendary talents of Mark Waid and Emanuela Lupacchino!
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A few thoughts:
— If Robin the Boy Wonder existed in 2023, this is what he’d look like. I’m not sure who designed the suit (Mora?), which has been seen in WF, but it works, preserving pretty much all the classic elements except the shorty pants. (Robin actually wears those too in World’s Finest.)
— Please Mark, give us a Dynamic Duo spinoff. Samnee on art. Gimme a ring. I got ideas. (I’m kidding. Except not really!)
— Here are the other covers released so far:
Main cover by Chris Samnee, also one of the modern greats
Samnee B&W variant
Emanuela Lupacchino variant
W. Scott Forbes variant
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MORE News From DC
— Cliff Chiang Channels JOSE LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ’s DC Style Guide For New WORLD’S FINEST Cover. Click here.
— STARTING OVER: DC to Re-Release BATMAN GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS Volume 1. Click here.
April 21, 2023
The Teen Titans are on the go!
April 21, 2023
I’m so stoked for this! World’s Finest is my favorite comic right now, but a WIDE margin. So classically styled, but very fresh and not at all stodgy. Waid and Mora have distilled a magic formula to appeal to both old fans and new. Can’t wait for more! And I do believe Mora designed the modernized Robin costume, which I love. We need an action figure, McFarlane! Heck, a whole line based on the WF series!
April 21, 2023
The original Hawk and Dove makes more sense than Bubblebee.
April 21, 2023
“Who Killed Simon Stagg?” Get out the phone book! Seriously, thanks for these glimpses! The World’s Finest reminds me of the 70s when Metamorpho was a v=backup feature in Action Comics (I think!) Love the Robin pic! Love the outfit!