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| Superman and Batman: World's Funnest | |
|---|---|
 Cover art byBrian Bolland | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Format | One-shot |
| Genre | Superhero,humor |
| No. of issues | 1 |
| Main character(s) | Mr. Mxyzptlk Bat-Mite |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Evan Dorkin |
| Artist | Various |
Superman and Batman: World's Funnest is an American single-issueprestige formatcomic book published in 2000 byDC Comics.[1] Written byEvan Dorkin and illustrated by many artists, it is a parody of theWorld's Finest Comics pairing ofBatman andSuperman.[1][2]
It is anElseworlds tale and as such is not considered part of the main DCcanon/continuity. Despite the title,Batman andSuperman play only a small role in the story which stars insteadMr. Mxyzptlk andBat-Mite as the main protagonists. The book pokes fun at many comic book conventions and DC heroes from theGolden through to theModern Ages. Its setting is a multiverse similar to thePre-Crisis DCU but also includes references to other Elseworlds tales (Kingdom Come andBatman: The Dark Knight Returns), the modern DCU, theDCAU and even pays a visit toCrisis on Infinite Earths.
The story starts in typicalSilver Age comics seriesWorld's Finest-style withSuperman,Batman andRobin handing over thesupervillain team ofLex Luthor and theJoker to the authorities.Bat-Mite andMister Mxyzptlk appear simultaneously, the former to see his hero, Batman, in action, and the latter to torment Superman. As the two imps clash, Superman, Batman, Robin, Luthor, and the Joker are killed, as are all the other heroes who come to their aid (includingBatwoman,Bat-Girl andSupergirl, theJustice League of America, theLegion of Super-Pets, theLegion of Super-Heroes and theSpectre). Their fight eventually consumes the Earth, the universe and even thePhantom Zone.
As all of that reality has been destroyed, Bat-Mite flees toEarth-Two pursued by Mxyzptlk. Earth-Two is in turn destroyed. The rest of the book follows the formula of each new world they encounter being destroyed in the battle between the two imps, Bat-Mite fleeing and Mxyzptlk pursuing to another world/universe which is then destroyed. In the process they generally mock the characters/comics they encounter, often breaking thefourth wall and lampooning how seriously people "inside" comics take themselves, given the often unbelievable or silly circumstances they encounter.
Ultimately, having worked their way through to theKingdom Come universe, Mxyzptlk simply throws a "magic bomb" at Bat-Mite who deflects it back with the helmet ofKingdom Come'sFlash (the only thing that survived). Both are completely exhausted and begin to laugh, admitting that the whole thing has been a lot of fun. They reset reality to the Silver Age beginning, vowing to meet again "next Tuesday". The impression is given that the preceding events are a part of a common recreational activity among magical imps.
The worlds/characters they visit include:
Illustrators forSuperman and Batman: World's Funnest include: