Some spoilers below, you've been warned.
The Good
Why can't the WORLD'S FINEST series be more like what we saw in WORLD'S FINEST #0? What a fantastic issue and a great introduction into the world of EARTH 2 Huntress and Power Girl. Ever since we saw the release of the HUNTRESS mini last year by Paul Levitz we've been wondering what the deal was with Helena Wayne. What is her backstory? Who is she really? Levitz takes this opportunity to dive into unfamiliar territory, revealing the story behind the Huntress and how she came to be, and explaining how she once had a very loving family. I absolutely loved the scenes where Helena was being trained by her mother, they were really special and conveyed a lot of emotion -- and that's something I think Levitz did really fairly well in this issue. He was able to capture a lot of feeling in many of his panels, particularly when dealing with Helena's backstory. Most of the dialogue didn't feel at all forced -- the emotion felt real. Helena's reaction to one really brutal scene felt real and believable, making this an even more enjoyable read.
The Bad
The majority of the dialogue was really good, until you reach the last page and it just feels incredibly rushed and a little bit corny. Particularly that last line. I like the fact that it serves to wrap up the issue and gives this self contained story a conclusion, tying it into the rest of the series, but to me it still felt a little bit forced.
Some of the art (I can't tell if it was the colors) wasn't very flattering. The panels where Superman is speaking to Kara just looked very strange to me. I think, artistically, the only page that really stood out to me was the moment where Kara saves Huntress -- I thought that the expression on both girls faces, the shading -- all of it was done really well. I can't really say the same for the rest of the issue, however.
The Verdict
I love the idea that true friendship can be born out of really horrible circumstances and I would have liked to see more of that. If anything, this story could have extended into a three issue series rather than a focused, self-contained book. It would have made a great three issue arc. In the beginning of the book we get a true sense of who Helena is and where she comes from through her parents. Then, after tragedy hits, we rush into her first meeting with Kara. Rather than having the two characters rush into a friendship, I would have liked to see them get to know each other. The reality is, you don't just instantly become friends with someone, something like that takes a lithe bit more time. That's why I felt that this issue ended so abruptly when it could have been drawn out. The relationships could have been explored further.
So much could have been explored here. For instance, Helena lost her mom, how did that make her feel? I mean, that's a really big loss. And what is Bruce's justification for allowing Helena to continue fighting crime after seeing his wife die such a tragic death? Particularly when he seemed so against the idea initially.
We also get this great mention of Lois Lane and a moment where Kara reflects on the events that Helena has endured and draws a comparison -- she too, lost her "mother" in the death of Lois Lane, and their relationship is definitely something worth exploring.
I really felt that the stories that could come out of this issue are far more interesting than any story we have seen in this series so far. Honestly, these are the stories that fans of these characters really want to see. I would love to see more of this, and less of the fighting giant blog looking monsters off the coast of Japan. Just saying.