WORLD’S FINEST COMICS 707
NYC comic convention, artist Gil Kane spoke of how witzend represented the future
of comic book art.
During the early 1970s Wood worked sporadically for Marvel and DC Comics. In
1972 Wood began writing and drawing the sexy strips Cannon and Sally Forth for a
servicemen’s magazine. He also contributed x-rated stories and illustrations to por-
nographic magazines. When it seemed his future was past, in 1978 he produced the
Wizard King with artwork as fi ne as any of his career.
Suff ering from a number of debilitating ailments including the loss of vision in one
eye due to numerous strokes, Wood took his own life in 1981 at the age of 53. Th e pro-
digious amount of his published work is staggering.
Selected Bibliography: Starger, Steve, and J. David Spurlock. Wally’s World: Th e Bril-
liant Life and Tragic Death of Wally Wood, the World’s 2nd Best Comic Book Artist.
Lakewood, NJ: Vanguard Productions, 2006.
Jeff McLaughlin
WORLD’S FINEST COMICS. A series published by National/ DC Comics from 1941 to
#323 ( January 1986) featuring Superman and Batman stories and team-ups. Th e title
“World’s Finest” was originally derived from World’s Fair comics published by National/
DC during the 1939–40 New York World’s fair. Th e series itself (initially titled Wo r l d ’s
Best Comics with issue #1) began as Wo r l d ’s F i n e s t with #2 in the summer of 1941. Like
many anthology series of the day, each 96-page magazine featured a variety of super-
hero stories. Superman and Batman appeared in separate adventures in its Golden Age
run. Th e series also anthologized the adventures of numerous other characters, includ-
ing Sandman , Johnny Th under, Hop Harrigan, TNT, Crimson Avenger, Star Spangled
Kid, Aquaman , and Green Arrow. In the Golden Age, the series almost exclusively
featured characters who had fi rst appeared in other anthologies.
Th e series survived the post-war downturn of the superhero genre by featuring
Superman and Batman together rather than in separate adventures. Th ese team-ups
began in July–August 1954 with issue #71 and would continue to highlight the two
most popular characters in the DC Comics line throughout the Silver Age (argued
to begin with issue #84). Th ese Superman/Batman adventures (also featuring Robin)
would also see the team up of various villains, such as the fi rst Lex Luthor and Joker
paring in issue #88.
Even with the emphasis of the series as a Superman/Batman vehicle, Wo r l d ’s F i n e s t
would, on occasion, get back to its roots as an anthology series at times featuring Green
Arrow, Tommy Tomorrow (issues #102–24, 1959–60), and Aquaman (beginning with
issue #125) along with the standard Superman/Batman adventures (usually written by
Dick Sprang until issue #135).
Some Silver Age Wo r l d ’s F i n e s t stories would also cross over with Legion of
Super-Heroes characters (at that point featured in Adventure Comics ). Th e Composite
Superman, an android villain with the powers of the Legion with a half-Superman,
