Batman Adventures was one of Warner Brothers' TV triumphs during the 1990s, paying lip service to Tim Burton's features but really drawing inspiration from the comic book, certain anime conventions, and the Fleischer Superman series. It came as no surprise, therefore that Warner Brothers would adapt Superman to TV as an animated series, and that Batman and Superman would share a weekly TV show called The New Batman/Superman Adventures. The program was preceded by a TV-Movie called The World's Finest.
Paul Dini and the other creators of Warner Brothers' superhero cartoons never viewed the DC Comics continuity as gospel and freely changed details, simplifiying here and adding characters there. This is usually a blessing, given that DC decided to junk the old Superman canon and introduced a new continuity that alienated and confused many older Superman fans. The streamlined versions of Dini's Superman and Batman are actually quite elegant creations, allowing a fan to enjoy each distinct episode without following the comic book.
In the case of World's Finest, however, I'd have prefered if Warner Brothers stuck to the official DC comics version of how Superman and Batman met. It's a good story about overcoming suspicion, winning trust, and respecting individual differences. Batman, after all, is the only DC superhero who Superman trusts with his secret identity, and Superman eventually entrusts Batman with a kryptonite ring should Superman eventually fail to uphold Truth, Justice, and the American Way. In the TV version, Superman and Batman seem to have little trouble working out their professional relationship, yet mistrust each other as friends.
That said, the TV-Movie is a well-written if somewhat lightweight adventure. Lex Luthor and the Joker are quite the deadly team. The romantic subplot between Lois Lane and Bruce Wayne provides just enough tension to make Clark Kent a more interesting character than usual. It's also a treat to see Bruce flatly turn down Lex Corps' offer to create military weapons. At the same time, its very heartening to see that the Warners cartoons, unlike the live action franchises of both Batman and Superman, haven't lost their edge. Both series have maintained high standards of voice acting, writing, art, and direction and have grown more serious as time passes. Dini and company obviously respect the integrity of the DC comics characters and in World's Finest, as in their other work, the DC characters are treated with an integrity rarely found in adaptations of comic books. World's Finest, while not an earthshattering animated event, is a finer film than most of the live-action Superman and Batman sequels.
The only artistic problems lie in the graphics. Dini's Batman was originally designed as a retro-looking series, full of dark shadows and Art Deco lines, while Dini opted for a sunny palette for Superman. To include both characters in the same film, some alteration of the Batman style was necessary and, unfortunately, the style suffers. While Batman himself doesn't fare too badly, the Joker's new look is far too simplified; his trademark red lips are missing. Bruce Wayne's civilian look is different, too; I preferred the more casual playboy bachelor look.
It's a pity that there haven't been more teamups of Batman and Superman by Warner Brothers. World's Finest was also the name of a long-running DC comicbook that conatined Superman-Batman teamups. There are decades worth of World's Finest adventures that would be perfect for adaptation. World's Finest stories were usually short and apart from the regular DC continuity as well, which would make them easier to adapt. Even if Dini chose not to adapt existing World's Finest stories, there are still plenty of possibilities for future teamups - a showdown between Superman and Bane would be worth seeing as would an encounter between the Dark Knight and Darkseid. Maybe next time, the film will run longer than 66 minutes as well.
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