World’s Finest #71 (1954)
by Alvin Schwartz & Curt Swan
cover by Win Mortimer
If you only look at the cover it’s nothing remarkable: Superman and Batman have shared the cover since the start of the series, despite never meeting within the comic itself.
But now World’s Finest becomes their team-up book.
In a rare case of continuity for this era, the story picks up after Superman #76. There’s no footnote or anything, but it’s still remarkable.
We begin with Batman and Robin trying to stop a couple of criminals on a helicopter, but the crooks manage to get away and reveal they have a piece of Kryptonite.
Which I remind you is a piece of a dead planet that exploded decades ago and was scattered throughout the universe, and as a result is apparently the most common substance on Earth.
Superman notices the Bat-Plane is going to crash, but as he changes into his costume he’s caught by Lois Lane. How does this keep happening to a guy who can change clothes in a nanosecond!?!?
Superman is surprising chill about it. Later in the Silver Age he’d already have a couple of plans on how to restore his secret identity.
But instead it’s Batman who comes up with a crazy scheme: now that Lois has discovered Superman’s secret identity, why not have her discover ANOTHER Superman identity?
Superman, I think you completely misunderstood the point of dressing up as Batman.
Superman thinks he’s got it easy. In fact he can practically sleep through the mission! Either that or he’s dying.
How does Batman fake being able to fly? He just hopes everyone is dumb enough NOT to notice he’s not flying at all.
“Superman” purposefully lets Lois see him change into Bruce Wayne… and in a surprising twist she doesn’t buy it for one second!
Now THAT is my Lois Lane!!!
And so Lois Lane springs her trap.
Wait… when did Bruce “spoke the command” on the lions? Not only it wasn’t shown on panel, but wouldn’t Lois hear him say it? Or are we supposed to believe the lions respond to whispers?
Then they have a date in a museum, where Lois tries the old scissors trick.
I have no trouble believing Batman is a master at sleight-of-hand, but COME ON, this is ridiculous!!!
Robin is WAY too excided about the scissors trick.
If the whole superhero business doesn’t work out for him, Superman has a guaranteed career in any moving company.
Wait wait wait. Lois didn’t notice that the van was made of cardboard AND was outsmarted by paper-maché copies of her own stuff!?!?
Are we sure the glasses trick is not working just because she’s blind!?
I don’t know guys, I wouldn’t pay much for a piece of Kryptonite. You can pick up truckloads of the stuff at any street in Metropolis.
And Superman is STILL inside with the Kryptonite! I know the effects of Kryptonite weren’t very well defined at the time, but surely it should’ve killed him by now!
Here’s a thought. Since the costume is indestructible in the Silver Age, why doesn’t Superman just give it to Batman or to any other superhero without powers? It’s not like Supes needs it himself, since he’s invulnerable without it.
Meanwhile Lois Lane finds the lair on her own, and for once SHE is the one to rescue Superman! Even though she doesn’t know it’s him, that’s cool!
She does discover Superman is beneath the mask… but she thinks it’s Clark because “Superman couldn’t be knocked out”. Even though she knows Kryptonite exists!!!
As far as Lois is concerned, there can only be two possible explanations:
A) Clark Kent is both Superman AND Batman
B) he’s neither
But if Superman is not Clark Kent he has to be Bruce Wayne, right?
And so we end with Lois understanding this was all a trick by Superman and vows to never care about his secret identity ever again.
Sounds legit.
Historical significance: 0/10
Outside of the kicking off the regular team-ups, nope.
Silver Age-ness: 3/10
All things considered this makes more sense than I expected.
Does it stand the test of time? 8/10
This was actually rather fun, if you account for the narrative standards of the time. Lois in particular is way smarter than she’ll be in her own series. The artwork is of special note: Curt Swan hasn’t fully developed his style yet, but this is great stuff. The Lois facial expressions are particularly great.
Did Superman really need Batman? Nah.
I’m sure he would’ve found some other way to convince Lois she was wrong about him being Clark, since he’ll do it about five million times on his own.
Batman didn’t even save him from Kryptonite, it was Lois!