Superman and Batman first teamed up in these stories from comics' Silver Age, reprinted in one massive hardcover!

Witness Batman and Superman’s first encounter! Gathered for the first time in this singular, expansive collection: the classic stories that cemented their legacy as the medium’s finest team-up.

They had been fighting crime separately for years, but it wasn’t until the historic SUPERMAN #76 in 1952 that Superman, the Man of Steel, finally teamed up with Batman himself. That story proved so popular that the two quickly became the main feature in WORLD’S FINEST COMICS—and the greatest friendship in comics was born. Their adventures together would feature heroes and villains such as Robin, Batwoman, Lex Luthor, Bat-Mite, Mr. Mxyzptlk, and more alien threats than might seem possible.

Collects the classic story of their first meeting from SUPERMAN #76 and their super team-ups from WORLD’S FINEST #71-116. Also includes a foreword from veteran comics writer Mark Waid and an afterword by comics historian Jim Amash.

Edmond Hamilton came to comics from science fiction pulp magazines, for which he was the creator of grand space operas such as "The Star Kings" and classic short stories like the introspective "What's It Like Out There?" He created Captain Future for pulp editor Mort Weisinger in 1939 and, upon moving to DC Comics in 1941, Weisinger offered Hamilton work on comics scripts. Hamilton quickly became a major Superman writer. In addition, he wrote Tommy Tomorrow features for ACTION COMICS and classic stories for DC editor Julius Schwartz's science fiction comics.

In 1952, Hamilton teamed Superman and Batman in "The Mightiest Team in the World" (SUPERMAN #76), a story he conceived as a minor one-shot adventure. Editor Jack Schiff soon made the Superman-Batman team a regular feature in WORLD'S FINEST, where Hamilton wrote the majority of stories until 1966. In other Batman, Superman, and Legion of Super-Heroes stories, Hamilton introduced such memorable characters as Batwoman, the Composite Superman, Element Lad, and Dream Girl.

Hamilton retired from comics in 1966 and lived with his wife, Leigh Brackett (novelist and screenwriter whose credits include The Big Sleep and The Empire Strikes Back), until his death in 1977.