NOW I'm Interested
I think this is definitely on the better side of the Zero Month covers, not stellar, but not boring. Supergirl and Robin's capes both look great and there's some nice balance, though Supergirl's basically got Gumby-Legs.
The interior art is very hit or miss. Overall I think it's nice and stylistic, much more dynamic and interesting than George Perez's interior art on the 'present day' stories in the present day issue; but facial expressions are only good about half the time, though generally when they're good they're GREAT. There's also a LOT of nice panel layouts, nothing godlike, but very smooth and dynamic. There's two artists, despite what the cover says, and this time there's no story distinction on when they switch out, and it's hard to tell when one ends and the other begins. Wes Craig emulates Kevin Maguire too closely, and drops into 'uncanny valley,' where his style is REALLY similar... but so close without being the same that it's just 'off,' and most of the time you can't tell if one artist was having a bad day or the other was having a good one and it's just really inconsistent.
HOWEVER, I have to say that this is hands down the best issue of Worlds' Finest thus far, and the first one to be genuinely compelling in any regard. For four issues, I've struggled to grow any kind of interest or attachment to the two headlining characters. Their struggles have been so generic and pointless, and even their interactions seem a little dull and wooden. But this issue feels so much more like the one this spins out of, Earth 2. Of course this one is SET on Earth 2, so maybe that helps.
For starters, there's some focus put on Earth 2's Superman and Batman; showing us a completely different dynamic based on the different circumstances. Here, Superman suffered the death of his love interest, and Batman married his and had a daughter. There's still a lot of core aspects intact, but we're treated to a Superman who demands perfection, and a more sensitive and vaguely more relaxed Batman. This of course, in turn, creates a wildly different Supergirl and Robin.
Supergirl could've used some more spotlight, this issue had a LOT more focus on Robin, and how Supergirl entered HER life, but in the long run that was okay because it's Robin's story that brought out emotions. I was completely caught off guard when a moment hit and I cried a bit when Catwoman died. Granted, I was playing Journey (the game, not the band) for a few hours before I read this so I was probably more in tune with powerful emotions; but I REALLY didn't expect this from the series that for four issues has failed to make me interested in either of these characters.
In Conclusion: 4/5
WOW, what a whammy! I was ready to write this series off as a 'Huntress/Power Girl Fanclub Exclusionary' series, but this one gripped me right by the heartstrings. Unfortunately, it makes me want the series to be more about Robin and Supergirl while they were in Earth 2, but starting with #5 I'm MUCH more ready to start genuinely enjoying this series. I wanted to go up to at least a 4.5 for touching my emotions, but the art was too schizophrenic for me to score it that high.
