World's Finest Team

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caption = The World's Finest Team (DC Comics). Art by Jim Aparo and George Tuska.
Team_name = The World's Finest Team
publisher = DC Comics
debut = "World's Finest Comics" #244 (1977)
(as a team)"World's Finest Comics" #250 (1978)
creators = Gerry Conway (script)
Jim Aparo (pencils)
members = Superman (Clark Kent), The Batman (Bruce Wayne), Wonder Woman (Yeoman Diana Prince), Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), The Black Canary (Dinah Lance)
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alliances = Justice League, Justice Society
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powers = see individual entries for details

The World's Finest Team was a fictional DC Comics team of superheroes who first appeared in the DC Comics Dollar format series with issue #244, 1977, created by Gerry Conway and George Tuska. The team consisted of the silver-age versions of Superman, Batman, Green Arrow and Black Canary, and The New, original Wonder Woman of Earth-Two. [World's Finest Comics #250, 1978]

Prior to the events of Infinite Crisis, Matt Wagner re-invented the origin of the first meeting between Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman in the DC Comics limited series: Trinity in 2003. [Batman Superman Wonder Woman Trinity #1 (June 18 2003)] Combined, these three heroes are the 'trinity' of The World's Finest Team and also referred as The World's Finest Trinity. The story takes place before the formation of The Justice League. [Batman Superman Wonder Woman Trinity trade paperback (2005)]

The Dollar Comic Format

In 1978 World's Finest Comics was among the few to be distributed as a "Dollar Comic". Jeanette Kahn, the president and publisher of DC Comics announced in a 1977 letter column that in the time of the comics' golden age there were comics that were 64 pages long and sold for 10 cents. Over time the comics reduced the number of pages till they were 32 pages for the same price. Eventually the 32 page comic books raised in price, 12 cents to 15 to 20 to 25 and then to 30 cents. [World's Finest Comics #244, 1977] As predicted Jeanette said in the future the prices would raise again due to inflation and the cost of living. The decision to introduce 80 pages of story at $1 was to relive those glory days and feature more all-new stories and art, by combining 4 comics for the price of 3. And what better way than by having the World’s Finest Comics magazine feature the finest DC Comics characters.

The characters

Beginning with issue #244, World's Finest Comics introduced a one page blurb: "To a select few, the word super-hero is aptly applied, a few fantastic individuals have attained world-wide fame as heroes beyond all imaginings, persons such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow and Black Canary, separately, they are among the finest, but here, together, they are the World's Finest." [World's Finest Comics #246, 1977] A rotating guest hero was added to the World's Finest roster, but not officially as a team member. The roster included The Vigilante (#244 - 248), The Creeper (#249 - 252) and the Wonder Woman of Earth-One (#251 - 252). [World’s Finest Comics #244 to 252, 1977 - 1978] The last official 80 page Dollar Comic of World's Finest Comics was #252. The Dollar Comic stayed, but the page count dropped to 64 pages, as Jeanette predicted. The new format had no ads, but the Wonder Woman feature moved from World's Finest Comics to Adventure Comics #459 to help launch the new DC Dollar Comic format similar to World's Finest Comics. The entire run with the World's Finest Team was World's Finest Comics #244 to 252.

Specific entries of the current versions of these heroes can be found in their individual entries. Notably the Wonder Woman of Earth-Two is not the same character as the Earth-Two Wonder Woman in The World's Finest Team. This version of Wonder Woman is a hybrid of The Golden Age Wonder Woman and The Television series Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter (1975 - 1979). Characters who appeared in these Wonder Woman stories such as General Blankenship, Suzy and a dark haired Steve Trevor are based on the TV versions and not the original golden age Wonder Woman.

History

In World's Finest Comics #250, the World's Finest Team are officially united: "For the first time in history Superman, The Batman, Green Arrow and the Black Canary join forces with the new, original Wonder Woman in the cataclysmic epic that could only appear here, in the star-studded pages of the 250th issue of World’s Finest Comics. Join these mighty champions of justice as they pit there fantastic powers against the cunning of Agent Axis and The Ravager of Time in a desperate mission to save reality." [World’s Finest Comics #250, 1978]

Synopsis

The Reality War (World's Finest Comics #250, April 1978)After completing an out of space emergency mission Superman and The Batman return to Earth and encounter The Ravenger, a being who is able to manipulate time by bringing World War Two into the present. Discovering that The Justice League no longer exist, Superman and Batman search the civilian identities of each hero in the hope to find answers. Batman discovers that in the revised time period, the heroes never gained their powers and abilities.

Desperately Superman and The Batman search everywhere and eventually arrive at Paradise Island and encounter Princess Diana who never became Wonder Woman. The Heroes explain the situation and Diana believes the heroes. She explains to the heroes that as immortals, the Amazons understand the flow of time in a way inexplicable to man and escorts them to her mother, Queen Hippolyte.

Hippolyte uses the magic sphere of Athena to visually explain that time has broken due to the appearance of The Ravenger, a being that can transport back and forth through time like a pendulum, merging past and present and eventually causing all reality to cease to exist. Hippolyte explains that the heroes will need to go back in time to August 13th, 1942 to prevent the threat caused by the following four people; The Ravenger, the man who can disrupt time; Wonder Woman, an Amazon who is and is not her daughter Diana; and the true crux of the disaster, Green Arrow and The Black Canary. Even though Superman and The Batman managed to remember most of the Justice League members including Wonder Woman, they do not remember the existence of Green Arrow or Black Canary. Superman uses his time travel abilities to transport the two heroes.

Before all this occurred, Black Canary confides in Green Arrow her feelings to mourn after the death of her husband Larry. She explains that she desires to return to Earth Two, her birthplace, to adjust among her friends and places she misses. Green Arrow supports her decision and they both journey to the Justice League Headquarters to use the Transmatter Machine, the device to travel from Earth-One to Earth-Two. Hawkman, who is currently on monitor duty, explains that the device is unstable due to a battle with Professor Phineas Potter and needs to be repaired. Green Arrow ignores the warnings and uses the machine to transport himself and black Canary to Earth-Two. Hawkman pleads to not use the device, but like ripples in a pond from a tossed stone, all objects and people struck nearest to the wave vanish and cease to exist. Each hero loses their powers as if they never existed, returning to their civilian life. Only four heroes escape the fate, green Arrow and Black Canary and Superman and the Batman who are in outer space at the time.

Green Arrow and Black Canary find that the journey to Earth-Two is taking longer than normal. On Earth-Two in 1942, Wonder Woman, flying in her invisible plane suddenly flies into a rift in the sky causing a collision with Green Arrow and Black Canary, in which the three are propelled into the void and emerge on Earth-One during World War Two on August the 13th, 1942. Analyzing the situation the heroes question how to return to their proper times and places, but are interrupted by army officials.

Birth of The Ravenger

Nazis have been after Professor Ronsom, who had invented a chronal transponder, to use the device to attack the Germans and Japanese in the past to prevent World War two. A Nazi agent, Agent Axis manages to shoot down Professor Ronsom. Dying, he asks Wonder Woman to use the device on his body to place him into a time stasis to save his life. She does so, but instead Professor Ronsom becomes The Ravenger and attacks the army officers and burns the Lincoln Memorial near by. Wonder Woman lassos the Ravenger, but he disappears.

Reports of the Ravenger appearing and causing destruction all over the country are noted in news reports. Superman and The Batman arrive from the future and offer their help. Batman explains that the Ravenger is damaging all time by bringing a chunk of the previous era with him like a pendulum swing from 1942 to 1978. The task seems hopeless, as the Library of Congress is attacked, the World's Finest Team intercept, Superman uses his strength to subdue The ravager but upon contact ages to an old man, weak for a few minutes. Wonder Woman who is immune to the ravages of age, finds that her strength causes the creature no pain. Green Arrow unleashes a blast arrow which does nothing. Agent Axis emerges from behind the scene and using an electro-magnetic neutralizer harness subdues the Ravenger in which both disappear.

The World's Finest Team travel to a Nazi Headquarter in Bavaria to encounter Axis Agent. During the battle, Axis Agent tries to destroy the chronal transponder in fear that the device would be used against the Nazi forces. During the course of the action time stops and the small group of people including the World's Finest Team are in the centre of the chronal explosion. Superman identifies that the belt needs to be activated two inches from the Ravagers body to start the flow of time. Green Arrow times the device in 10 seconds and succeeds. Reality is restored and the heroes are returned to their proper time and place with no memory of the entire ordeal. Only Queen Hippolyte, Green Arrow and Black Canary have the knowledge about the reality war. [World's Finest Comics #250, 1978]

Heroes:

Superman (Kal-El, Clark Kent)The Batman (Bruce Wayne)Wonder Woman (Princess Diana, Diana Prince)Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)The Black Canary (Dinah Lance)

Guest stars:

The Vigilante (Greg Saunders), The Creeper (Jack Ryder), Wonder Woman (Earth-One), Hawkman (Katar Hol), Hawkgirl (Shayera Hol), J'onn Jo'nzz (The Martian Manhunter), General Blankenship, Steve Trevor, Suzy, Yeoman Smith, Justice League, Flash II (Barry Allen), Aquaman (Arthur Curry), Ram Drood, Stuff, Stuff Jr., Atom II (Ray Palmer), Mademoiselle Marie, Sgt. Rock, Phantom Stranger, Krell, Alfred, Superman (Earth-Two), Speedy, Steve Howard

Villains:

Rainbow Archer, Mad Bombardier,Ludwig on Schmeer, Baltaz, Man-Bear, The Falcon, Iron Claw, Kor-El, Wulf, Dummy, Baron Blitzkrieg, Parasite, The Lurkers, Hellgrammite, Dr. Psycho, Monster, Abe Keeler, The Ravager, Professor Phineas Potter, Agent Axis, Mr. Devlin, Vertigo, Boss Dyke, Disrupter, Poison Ivy, Whisperer, The Stinger

References

World's Finest Comics #244 - #252, published by DC Comics (1977 to 1978)

Batman Superman Wonder Woman Trinity #1 - 3, published by DC Comics (2003)