Subtly, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest Vol. 5: Secret Origins teases upcoming stories both in this series and in writer Mark Waid’s others, which is really all I need from the book. Enjoyable as World’s Finest has been, at its “worst” the past-set title has been continuity-light stories of Superman and Batman teaming up with Metamorpho, for instance, or the debacle of the Kingdom Come stories that ultimately went nowhere. Better is when Waid uses this out-of-time series as prologue for the present, as when World’s Finest Vol. 1 lead into Lazarus Planet and here, with nods to events about to develop elsewhere.

That enhances a book that’s even more out of the main than even World’s Finest is usually out of the main. Secret Origins refers to a mishmash of stories; set even earlier than World’s Finest’s usual, we’ve got Waid’s own rendition of Batman and Superman’s first meeting, an almost Batman-and-Superman-less first meeting of Lex Luthor and the Joker, and then short stories by other writers of World’s Finest-adjacent characters. Though the Waid-written stories are good, the book would feel inessential — filling pages to fill pages — were it not for “Origin of the World’s Finest Team: Phantom Riddles”' ties, again, to other developments, and also for the two prologues to World’s Finest’s next story, “IMPossible.”

Even as I write that, though, I see the flaw. If “IMPosssible” ends up with as little resonance as Batman/Superman: World’s Finest Vol. 4: Return to Kingdom Come did, then even if Secret Origins leads in to IMPossible, does that matter? Maybe not. But I’d rather see forward action for World’s Finest than not, so for the moment that’s all that matters.

[Review contains spoilers]

If you’re writing an iteration of DC Comics' Superman/Batman team-up title, I guess you’ve got to take your shot and write the “first-ever” Batman/Superman team-up. I get the attraction. But also, as woozy as DC continuity is (soon to be ironed out by Waid himself), I am surprised Waid decided to reimagine the story entirely, instead of, for instance, Joe Kelly’s Superman/Batman Annual 2006, which itself retold an original “first meeting,” Superman #76 from 1952.

With Kelly’s approach, billed itself as a “re-imaginary story,” one can squint and say, maybe it happened the old way or maybe it happened the new way, it’s all in the telling. Again, if anyone should really re-imagine this story, it’s Waid, but it does feel mildly arrogant to brick over instead of building up. It's hardly coincidental that Waid includes Magpie here, villain of John Byrne’s first meeting of Superman and Batman in 1986’s Man of Steel #3, but I don’t see necessarily how one might shoehorn that into this if they were so inclined.

“Phantom Riddles” is fun, I should say — Superman hanging out with Jim Gordon, the dual identity reveals, Alfred’s presence, the moment Batman realizes Superman was also orphaned, Travis Moore drawing Superman’s spit-curl and a mod Batman cowl, even the animated Superman-inspired Jax-Ur. But imagining Waid’s one chance to write the definitive meeting of Batman and Superman (least till the next time), things like the identity reveal are rather similar to versions we’ve seen before, and too the Jax-Ur riff is less exciting than it is derivative, an excuse not to make this book the creators' own.

I equally liked the double-cross in “Luthor-Joker: World’s Vilest,” making the reader flip back a couple pages to note where it happens, and Steve Pugh draws a wonderfully weird big-headed monster guarding what turns out to be the Rock of Eternity. But kind of in the manner of Waid’s World’s Finest stories, there’s promise here that doesn’t manifest given the constraints of time and page. Waid sends Lex Luthor and the Joker to the Rock of Eternity, riding there on the techno-magic subway car that Billy Batson rode (or will later ride?) and Waid essentially makes nothing of it — no Billy, no Shazam, no Black Adam, nothing to pay off from the DC’s most villainous visiting a major DC location.

The shorts in the included annual are Metamorpho by Dennis Culver, Bumblebee by Stephanie Williams, and the Challengers of the Unknown by Christopher Cantwell and Jorge Fornes. Though it’s not clear how Cantwell’s relates to his upcoming Challengers miniseries, I appreciate at least the continuity of writer (and adore Fornes' art). The others I was less enamored with and couldn’t say they added much, the Metamorpho story hitting all the usual Metamorpho notes and the Bumblebee story both far-fetched and clumsy.

That both the Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2024 Annual and issue #25 contained lead-ins to the next volume’s “IMPossible” storyline makes me optimistic for it, if the amount of ink spilled is commensurate with how much faith the creative team has in the story. Going from the annual, I’ve no idea if we’re already supposed to know why/how Mr. Mxyzptlk is a member of this Fifth Dimensional Justice League or etc., but it’s a breath of fresh air to have artist Dan Mora back on this title and drawing the yellow-symbol Batman again, so for the moment I’m excited.

Again, the chance for Mark Waid to rewrite the World’s Finest first meeting in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest Vol. 5: Secret Origins, and then using it basically as a prologue to his guest-stint in Action Comics: Phantoms (before his ongoing Action run started) feels small to me, a big opportunity without much gain. But I’d think worse of Secret Origins if that tie wasn’t here, so something is I guess better than nothing.

[Includes original and variant covers]