708 WORLD’S GREATEST SUPERHEROES, THE
half-Batman appearance was introduced in issue #142, while the Adult Legion would
make an appearance in issue #172. Th ese Superman/Batman adventures would help
defi ne the characters for an innocent Silver Age audience.
Th e late 1960s and early 1970s saw attempts to reposition characters to be more
aligned with the socio-cultural changes of the times. At the same time, however, the
superhero genre was infl uenced by the pop culture camp style of the Adam West Bat-
man television series. Wo r l d ’s F i n e s t refl ects this confl ict by on one hand spotlighting
covers by Neal Adams (issues #199 and #200) and on the other hand, featuring a
Metamorpho run from issues #217–20.
In the mid 1970s up until its cancellation in 1986 Batman/Superman team-ups
would continue for the majority of the run. Like many other series during this time,
100-page specials and 80-page anthologies would be featured in Wo r l d ’s F i n e s t as it
picked up the load from the “Canceled Comic Cavalcade” implosion of the late 1970s.
Anthologized adventures in these 80-page editions featured Green Arrow, Hawkman,
Shazam (the Marvel Family), Zatanna, Challengers of the Unknown, Black Lightning,
Creeper, Vigilante, and Deadman.
By 1983, the series settled into the standard 24-page Superman/Batman adventures
until its cancellation at the dawn of the post- Crisis on Infi nite Earths era.
D. R. Hammontree
WORLD’S GREATEST SUPERHEROES, THE. Th e World’s Greatest Superheroes is a hard-
cover graphic novel published by DC in 2005 collecting a series of works created by
Alex Ross and Paul Dini from 1998 to 2003 about various DC superheroes. Ross con-
ceived of the project while working on Kingdom Come , and the six oversized works that
comprise Th e World’s Greatest Super-Heroes — Superman: Peace on Earth , Batman : Wa r
on Crime , Shazam!: Power of Hope , Wonder Woman : Spirit of Truth , JLA : Secret Origins ,
and JLA: Liberty and Justice —all feature the Ross’s characteristic paintings with dia-
logue and narrative supplied by Dini.
Th e fi rst selection in the collection is Superman: Peace on Earth , originally published
in 1998 and featuring a story about Superman combating world hunger. Superman
decides throughout the course of the story that with his incredible powers and the
resources of the United States, he could ensure that the entire population of Earth
would be fed for one day. His mission, however, ends in failure as he encounters distrust
from other countries who see him as a spokesperson for an American agenda, or who
feel his benevolence is a threat to their power structure. Ultimately, Superman learns
that his greatest power is to inspire the people around him to do good for their com-
munities, and that the only viable solution to the world’s problems is through education
and cooperation.
Th e humanistic theme established in Superman: Peace on Earth is echoed throughout
the other fi ve works collected in Th e World’s Greatest Superheroes , and more often than
not the heroes in these stories fail in their overt missions, requiring them to change their
approach to ultimately succeed. Th us, Batman: War on Crime , published in 1999, forces
