Worlds’ Finest (2012) #17

Your Own Worst Enemy

Worlds’ Finest #17
Cover Date: January 2014
Released: 13th November 2014

  • Writers: Paul Levitz
  • Pencilers: R.B. Silva / Scott McDaniel
  • Inker: Joe Weems / Ryan Winn
  • Colourists: Jason Wright
  • Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
  • Editors: Eddie Berganza / Mike Cotton / Anthony Marques

Kara’s powers are on the blink so obviously the first thing you try and do is get ink, something shared by all Kara’s it seems! But alas, for her, it seems that she’s still just as invulnerable as before. Helena seems to be a little revealed, and Kara tries to suggest she’s a little prudish, before Helena reveals a Bat and Cat tattoos, though I don’t believe that the woman with X-ray vision has never noticed this before, she’s just being polite!

We then cut to a shuttle launch, that apparently Karen Starr has paid for, space tourism was in vogue back in the early ’10s, she strips off to her Pee Gee costume, “amusingly” the astronaut think she wants to join the 22,000 mile high club (35,000 km high just doesn’t sound as good)! Instead she leaves the ship to get a dose of Solar radiation, in a grougious full page spread. We’ll ignore the fact that apparently the entire of NASA ground control just found out Pee Gee’s secret identity, though to be fair Karen Starrs reputation isn’t at it best right now.

Huntress in the meanwhile is trying to track down the villains they chased last issue, using those good old family detective skills. She tracked the down to an (illegal?) dance club for the rich and famous down on the docks. It’s racked with an explosion, and we get to see that people are definitely killed in the blast, Helena is more concerned about the fleeing firebug, chasing them over a nearby bridge, and finally catching the woman.

As they do Pee Gee gets an overdose of solar radiation, so chooses to burn it off by crashing through the atmosphere. Meanwhile the villain has shook off Huntress and is using her shadow limbs to scatter innocent bystanders and cop, about to kill on of them before Huntress shatters her shadow claws with one of her crossbow bolts.

Just them Pee Gee literally comes crashing into the scene, crashing into the water as a fireball. Huntress somehow knowing that this burning shape is Pee Gee dives into the water to save her friend. We end with Pee Gee glowing with energy, her powers apparently out of control!

This is enjoyable enough story, but the balance for once seems to be off, we get more of Pee Gee’s story and that means Huntress’s part is a little choppy. It goes from Helena tackling the villian down and apparently having her under control, to the villains escaping to harass civilians. And with this time her apparently killed people, though this might be an artists / writer miscommunication, Huntress is putting lives at risk to save her near invulnerable friend. NOt the worse, but a totally solid issue.