This Comic Is Good - World's Finest #168 - The Composite Superman, People!!
Speaking of covers that do not do the interior comic justice (as I just was, in regards to the Guardians of the Galaxy's first appearance), here is World's Finest #168, depicting the rather surreal experience of Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent and Dick Grayson getting pounded on by Batman, Superman and Robin!
The problem is, that scene does not even remotely occur in the actual comic.
The villain of the piece DOES split into three separate beings, and DID have shape-shifting powers, so the scene in the comic COULD have occured - it just didn't come close to ACTUALLY occuring.
In any event, that is not a big deal, as this issue's villain was the coolest of cool, the Composite Superman!!!
Look at how cool he looks!
Some bad guy from another planet wants revenge on Superman and Batman for putting his dad into jail, so he recreates the accident that first gave Superman Museum janitor Joe Meach all the powers of the Legion of Superheroes in World's Finest #142, which he used to make himself the Composite Superman!!!
In this issue, the Composite Superman basically just toys with our heroes. It is a surprisingly dark story by Cary Bates, as Superman and Batman really have no answer against a guy with the powers of the entire Legion of Superheroes (by the by, do you know how it happened? Apparantly, the Legion gave Superman statues of each of the members, but rather than just giving him STATUES, they decided to make minature duplicates of each member, COMPLETE with powers! Smart move there, Brainiac 5!).
Cary Bates does a good job depicting the action, as the World's Finest team repeatedly gets their behinds handed to them, with the Composite Superman actually in the midst of killing Batman and Superman when his powers began to fade. It is at this time that the evil alien shows up, wanting to do the final touch himself.
However, once he is no longer the Composite Superman, Joe Meach is no longer a villain, so he leaps in front of the heroes to take the deadly ray gun blast meant for them - thus saving their lives, but forfeiting his.
A well-told tale.
There is also a Robotman reprint as the backup. It was no great shakes.
But overall, World's Finest #168 was a good comic.
The problem is, that scene does not even remotely occur in the actual comic.
The villain of the piece DOES split into three separate beings, and DID have shape-shifting powers, so the scene in the comic COULD have occured - it just didn't come close to ACTUALLY occuring.
In any event, that is not a big deal, as this issue's villain was the coolest of cool, the Composite Superman!!!
Look at how cool he looks!
Some bad guy from another planet wants revenge on Superman and Batman for putting his dad into jail, so he recreates the accident that first gave Superman Museum janitor Joe Meach all the powers of the Legion of Superheroes in World's Finest #142, which he used to make himself the Composite Superman!!!
In this issue, the Composite Superman basically just toys with our heroes. It is a surprisingly dark story by Cary Bates, as Superman and Batman really have no answer against a guy with the powers of the entire Legion of Superheroes (by the by, do you know how it happened? Apparantly, the Legion gave Superman statues of each of the members, but rather than just giving him STATUES, they decided to make minature duplicates of each member, COMPLETE with powers! Smart move there, Brainiac 5!).
Cary Bates does a good job depicting the action, as the World's Finest team repeatedly gets their behinds handed to them, with the Composite Superman actually in the midst of killing Batman and Superman when his powers began to fade. It is at this time that the evil alien shows up, wanting to do the final touch himself.
However, once he is no longer the Composite Superman, Joe Meach is no longer a villain, so he leaps in front of the heroes to take the deadly ray gun blast meant for them - thus saving their lives, but forfeiting his.
A well-told tale.
There is also a Robotman reprint as the backup. It was no great shakes.
But overall, World's Finest #168 was a good comic.
posted by Brian Cronin at 5/31/2005 05:10:00 PM
4 Comments:
The Composite Superman always gives me a little stiffy.
Somehow i managed to miss all the great Marvel comics as I was growing up, know any good websites to get reprints? I'm not planning on starting a collection, I just want to read the stories as they were printed, undiluted by endless retelling by my comic-mad friends.
They really need to bring this guy back in Superman/Batman. But, y'know, not crappily written by Loeb.
Ship, I believe this issue was reprinted in Superteam Family #5, from 1976.
You should be able to find that one cheap.
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