I picked these up at Zia Comics, probably to avoid spending $40 on another trade paperback. I also went to Coas Bookstore and got a Zatana trade paperback. I lent it out to friend, who thought it looked interesting, before I got a chance to read it.
The Savage Sword of Conan #14
I reviewed Issue #5 (3-17-25) previously. This series is a 96-page black and white magazine printed on pulp paper with no ads for $7. On that level, this is the best deal you can get on a new comic book. Once again, it was a great cover that drew me in. Whatever they’re paying their cover artists is worth it.
Inside, the lead story features really good detailed line work with excellent shading and use of solid blacks. Storywise, Conan and some compatriots stumble into a lost city that seems like paradise, but is actually a trap run by monsters. Conan figures it out and ends up in a fight with the monsters that sets off a cataclysmic series of events. Conan and a handful of survivors get away as the city is destroyed behind them. He tells them, “Come with me if you want to live.” I kid you not.
I feel like I’ve read variations on this story several times before. If I looked back on some of my Conan books, I wonder if I’d find this exact story in one of them. It’s good for what it is, but it’s a pretty simple, derivative story. It does add to Conan’s personal story, as he does receive healing in the city, which restores full use of his hands and feet after his crucifixion. I wonder about the people he rescued. They’re merchants, whom Conan’s raiders pillaged before he ended up in the lost city.
There’s a backup solo story about the pirate queen, Belit. Her and her crew find an island with a temple. There’s a large gem inside it, but her men are killed when they try to enter. The trap is not triggered by women, however. Belit grabs the gem and encounters a “goddess” that attempts to possess her. Belit fights it off and kills the creature. Belit gets the gem and is convinced that she must be a “goddess,” too. Her crew now worships her. This feels like a supervillain origin story. The artwork is only okay, especially compared to the main feature.
There’s also a one-page text story that’s pretty good, along with a couple of pinups. Overall, this isn’t terribly satisfying, but for the price, you get your money’s worth in action.
World’s Finest #48
I mentioned this comic to a co-worker and she immediately thought I was talking about chocolate. There’s school fund-raising company named World Finest Chocolate that floats around the business every so often. (Having tasted several of their chocolate bars, their name may be accurate. I can’t name a better one off the top of my head.) I keep assuming everyone has the comic book background I do.
I’m not sure what DC is calling this, but it’s another trip into the “World’s Finest” universe, which features classic Batman and Superman. You can tell they’re “classic,” because they’ve got their underwear on the outside. Also, these comics are supposed to be fun, which the mainline DC comics aren’t. I’ve read this title before (8-23-23). I also read a Justice League Unlimited trade from this universe (10-23-25), which I was more ambivalent on. (It would probably be smarter if they pared down the number of heroes, especially the essentially duplicated superheroes.)
These two issues I picked up introduce Earth-3. This is the evil universe where Superman and Batman and other superheroes are bad guys. Earth-3 was created quite a while back in 1964 with their evil Justice League, the Crime Syndicate. I know this concept has been hackneyed to death in our current day, so there’s no real shock factor to this comic.
The unnecessary two-page text intro also tells you up front that on Earth-3, evil always triumphs. (So, it’s just like the real world.) This is how this concept worked in 1964, too. It explains why the Justice League couldn’t beat the Crime Syndicate there. This brings up interesting metaphysical and practical questions about their society, which are not answered here.
Excellent series artist, Dan Mora, only does the covers on these issues, not the interiors. Marcus To’s rougher style might be better suited for this story on an evil earth, anyway. The issue starts with young, evil Bruce Wayne having his parents killed to get the inheritance. Next, Ultraman (evil Superman) is senselessly terrorizing the populace. This sets the stage well.
Though evil (we’re emphasizing it in this review), Ultraman and Owlman (evil Batman) are still best friends. (You can tell they’re evil because they’re not wearing their underwear on the outside.) They work together to shakedown the other super groups. Having rival evil super groups going after each other seems to be the only thing keeping them in check. In negotiations with the Doom Patrol while running down a lead, they offer the weapons of Flash’s Rouge’s Gallery (hands still attached).
The two nearly meet their match against the Metal Men, but call in Superwoman (Lois Lane) for support. Finally, they find the secret that had been being kept from them and we get to see our titular heroes. I hope this gets explained in the next issue.
World’s Finest #49
Since both of these issues were available on the rack and were part of the same storyline, I got them both. As this title is coming up on an anniversary issue (#50), I was concerned I might have to come back for the next issue to get the ending of this story, but it actually finishes up here. On the cover, Batman has the yellow oval around his bat symbol, but doesn’t in the story. It’s an artistic difference between Mora and To, but usually there’s a style guide to standardize these details.
Here we get the backstory. While confronting Brainiac, Batman and Superman got sucked into another universe and Earth-3. The two are rescued by . . . the Riddler? Yes, in this universe, the bad guys are the good guys. Our heroes have figured out how this place works pretty quickly. (Maybe, too quickly. It feels like this story needed more issues.) Riddler introduces them to his team, who are mish-mash of various foes that part of the resistance on this world. This includes Catwoman (the Jim Balent version) and she’s still smitten with Batman.
At STAR Labs, Riddler goes to work on opening another dimensional rift, while the rest of the group holds off Ultraman, Owlman, and Superwoman. Batman and Superman get back through the rift and back home. The end. It’s not really any more complex than that.
This was rushed, maybe because the anniversary issue was coming up and they had other plans. They probably should have held off on this story until they could give it more space. It does at least provide a practical explanation why good doesn’t triumph on Earth-3. The sun there weakens Superman and there’s pretty much no winning against Ultraman without him. These two comics were harmless, but disappointing.
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