World's Finest Comics #215 (December-January, 1972/73)
"Saga of the Super Sons!"
Story - Bob Haney
Art - Dick Dillin & Henry Scarpelli
Cover Price: $0.20
Trying to wash the taste of post-Twin Peaks disappointment out of my mouth. Paging Doctor Haney...
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We open with one of those Silver-Age splashes showing us what's to come. In it, Superman and Batman stand before the open caskets of... Superman, Jr. and Batman, Jr.! We enter the actual story with Mr. and Mrs. Superman wondering what their son is up to... they haven't heard from him in quite some time. They make a call and find that he's working at what looks like a community center. A place where folks can get jobs, and get off drugs. Clark, Sr. gets on his case about not knowing what he's going to do with his life... and, I dunno... it looks to me like he's working and trying to make a difference. Anyhoo, their conversation devolves into an argument about Ma and Pa Superman not wanting their boy to follow in his father's footsteps.
The call is interrupted by... a motorcycle gang driving through the plate-glass window of the community center. Meet Satan's Shockers! Not sure why they're here... they just look like they wanna hassle our boy. After being grabbed by the collar, Clark, Jr. has enough and starts beating the hell out of the baddies. Clark, Sr. is still on the line... and can hear the whole thing go down.
Moments later, Superman arrives on the scene... not to lend a hand though, he's just there to lecture Clark, Jr. about fighting... and possibly showing these geeks that he's "a Superman". Clark, Jr. doesn't wanna hear it... and so, he runs away... er, right through a brick wall!
We shift scenes to the Wayne's penthouse in Gotham City where Alfred wakes Bruce, Jr. for lunch. He robes up, and heads to the terrace... and his parents start reading him the riot act. See where this is going? They're annoyed that he's out gallivanting all night acting like a playboy... just like his father (pretended to). Alfred turns on the midday news... and we see that Batman had himself a busy night.
Bruce, Sr. is shocked... because, he didn't do any Batmanning last night! Turns out Bruce, Jr. is donning the cape and cowl. Alfred confirms... by snitching, when he reveals that he found a Batman costume in Bruce, Jr.'s things. It's doubly-bad because it turns out Young Bruce didn't dot his I's or cross his T's... his bust the night before might result in a whopper of a lawsuit for Gotham. The Waynes' argue a bit... until Bruce, Jr. jumps off the roof.
A bit later we join the Juniors as they meet up... I wanna say they're in a nightclub. They excuse themselves to "the cobbles" so they can "rap". They both love and respect their fathers... but want to blaze their own trails. It's that damn generation gap maaaaan... keeps clobberin' 'em.
Turns out, this conversation is overheard by their Super Dads via a bug Papa Bat placed on his son. Wow, Bruce-the-Second really isn't a very good detective! The Powerful Pops try to figure out a way they can test their sons... to see if they're up to the task of superheroing. Batman suggests they set them loose in Sparta City (which seems like a DC analogue to San Francisco, that only appears in this one story)... Rocco Krugge is running the rackets in Sparta City, and he's losing his grip on the organization. He should be easy enough for the Super-Teens to topple.
Superman thinks that's a wonderful idea... but he'll do Batman one better by... ooooh boy, creating a second Sparta City for the boys to do their thing in, just in case things go sideways. Now, at this point I figured he was going to build a new city wholesale... and fill it with androids or something. I'd have an easier time believing that, honestly. What he actually plans to do is go to Sparta City... dive under water... grip a piece of Earth... and snap it like a damp towel, causing a ripple-effect that vibrates enough to slightly accelerate Sparta City, temporarily creating a duplicate city. Ya got all that? I think Bob Haney might be a secret genius... this is all way over my head.
While all of this is going on, we pop in to visit with mob-boss Rocco Krugge... who is laying in bed, dying. His son, Rocco, Jr. (hey, another Junior!) stands by... he's got a fella named Marek in his ear who tells him he needs to take charge of the organization. We get the impression that Rocco, Jr. would rather the Krugges just have normal lives.
A few days later the younger Bruce and Clark ride their motorbike into Sparta City, and they're pleased as punch that their Super Dads are finally allowing them to ply their trade. On the way in, they're hit in another Superman-enabled road-ribbon... which, we might assume sends them to the second Sparta City. Still with me?
Okay, so the teen-agers enter Sparta City... and boy oh boy, no sooner do they arrive, than they witness a high-speed gunfight. The boys suit up... while still on the motorcycle and spring into action.
They catch the creeps, tying them up and leaving them with a signed note... kinda like Spider-Man would do. We rejoin Rocco... who, hmm... it would appear has made a miraculous recovery! He orders Marek and Rocco, Jr. to take care of the Super Sons. Meanwhile, young Bruce and Clark have a pillow-fight.
Later on, we rejoin the boys as they ride their motorcycle. Suddenly, it starts making some strange noises... and so, Superman, Jr. throws Batman, Jr. into a nearby trash can... after which, the motorbike blows up! Looks like somebody booby-trapped their ride. All I can think is... wow, Batman, Jr. is a really bad detective!
It's here that we learn that Superman, Jr. can't be killed by an explosion... buuuut, he doesn't exactly shrug it off like his pop does either. It still stuns him for a bit... which takes us to our next scene. The Super Sons receive a call from Krugge, Jr. asking to meet under (not the) Golden Gate bridge... we'll call it the, uh... Silver Fence Bridge. Turns out, wouldn'cha know it... it was a trap!
Rocco, Jr. holds young Bats up at gunpoint... and before Superman II can swoop in for the rescue, he gets caught in an explosion. Whoops! They're really not good at this. Anyhoo, Rocco, Sr. arrives... they take Superman, Jr. to a construction site for a dam... and throw his bombarded bod into it... then bury him in cement. Wow, that's some old school thuggery!
Afterward, Rocco leaves blowing the Batboy's brains out to his son. It's kind of a test to see if he's "hard" enough to help control the family. Back in Metropolis and Gotham, the Super Dads wonder what their boys might be up to.
Finally, Superman decides to head to the duplicate Sparta City to check... and what he finds is, two dead Super Sons. Whoops! The boys are dead... and it's all his fault! I wonder how his unnamed wife might take the news. At least they don't have to worry about funeral costs... the kindly old (and healthy in this duplicate Burg) mob boss Krugge insists on paying for that.
That night, Mr. Krugge is visited by... g-g-g-ghosts of the Super Sons?! He's so freaked out that he drives to the graveyard to make sure they're actually dead. Turns out... the whole thing was a ruse, they just took pills to put them into suspended animation. It's funny the things we just "accept", right? This story is so far-out, that "suspended animation pills" come across as both quaint and believable.
Then the rest of the beans are spilled... Batman, Jr. called the dam engineers to free his Super Pal... on account of Rocco, Jr. deciding not to shoot him! Heyyy, Rocco, Jr.'s been a good guy all along! Then, Superman, Jr. kicks a box full of evidence over like a Rockette.
Knowing he's toast, Rocco, Sr. attempts to flee... but trips over his dead wife's headstone... which sets off his gun, killing him. Whoops. Rocco, Jr.'s all "ehh, no biggie".
The story ends with the Super Sons meeting up with their Super Dads... only, the fathers are in costume... and the boys are in their civvies. Let's hope nobody's around to watch this conversation, right? Anyhoo... they learn about the duplicate Sparta City dealie. We also learn that the night before Rocco, Sr. (the real one... in the real Sparta City) was found dead in the graveyard by his dead wife's headstone. Batman's all "How 'bout that?" and the teen-agers gleefully speed off on their... rebuilt (?) motorbike.
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Woof.
Okay, I'm of two minds here... first, the story is... hmm. It's become almost a cliche online to "have fun with" Bob Haney. His stories are almost always completely wacky... and his dialogue is often insane. This issue is no different, and I think I can safely say, this version of the Super Sons isn't for everyone. You need to be able to let the "wack" wash over you completely. If you can't dig silly stories that don't take themselves seriously... you're probably not going to like this.
On the other hand... regardless of the craziness, I still had a ton of fun both reading and writing about this story. At the end of the day, that's really all that should matter, right?
Now, that's not to say I didn't have a few problems with it. I mean, let's jump right into the "duplicate" Sparta City. I mean, what the heck was that all about? Like I said during the synopsis, I'd have had an easier time believing Superman could build an identical city brick by brick, and fill it with androids than what we get here. Haney goes all out trying to use "the science" to explain it... and, in a universe full of superheroes, I suppose it's not too far-fetched.
The Super Dads act like jerks here throughout. We open with Clark, Jr. working with addicts and the unemployed... and somehow that's not good enough for Clark, Sr.? I mean, isn't that like a best-case scenario for the son of Superman? Helping those in need... probably working for peanuts? So strange that Clark, Sr. would start lecturing him for that.
Jumping to the midpoint... Superman just saw what he believed to be his son's corpse... and all he's worried about is how he's going to tell the boy's unnamed/unfaced mother? I mean, dude... that's your son... in a frickin' casket! Ay yai yai.
I said it a few times during the synopsis... the Super Sons are pretty bad at superheroing. Batman, Jr. is a horrible detective... not knowing that he'd been bugged... or realizing that their motorbike had been tampered with. While on one hand that all stands out as proof positive that the Super Dads were right in not wanting them to don the duds... it's also kinda refreshing. If this were put out today, the Sons would prove to be far better than their dads... and probably spend half of each page being validated or self-validating. If you've read any Marvel comic (or Rebirth era Teen Titans) over the past couple of years, (a) I'm sorry, and (b) you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Let's stick with the motorbike being tampered with for a moment. If Krugge's gang was able to mess with their ride... then they most assuredly knew where they were hiding out. That said, they probably also know their secret identities... right? That's likely definitely me thinking far too hard... but, whattayagonnado?
Overall... despite my reservations, I still had a blast with this silly story, and think that any fans of the Silver Age... or silliness will also have a good time. Surprisingly, this is not yet available digitally... at least not as a single-issue. The Saga of the Super Sons trade collection, however, is! If you're like me and digital ain't your thing, print copies are also available.
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World's Finest Comics #242 (December, 1976)
"Town of the Timeless Killers"
Story - Bob Haney
Pencils - Ernie Chua
Inks - John Calnan
Colors - Jerry Serpe
Cover Price: $0.30
Have you ever, when digging through a buck 'n below bin, come across a relatively old book... which, for whatever reason, looks to be in better condition than a current release?
Happens to me from time to time, and it never fails to give me pause. It always feels like I've somehow come found a counterfeit copy, or a strange reprint... but, then you get to thinking, who would counterfeit just any issue? Today we're going to look at a book that came out over forty years ago, that I found recently found in a 75-cent bin... and has damn near the crispest cover in my collection. What better way to celebrate such a find than by pressing the book open so I can take pictures of the panels?
Let's hear it for DC putting jewelry ads (on thicker stock) in the middle of their books in the mid-70's!
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We open with Clark Kent... Jr. and Bruce Wayne... Jr. as they are off-roading in their ATV (that's All-Terrain Vehicle, if you're nasty... thanks Editor!), when Bruce sees a rock formation that looks like the eye of a needle... and so, he decides to "thread the needle" by driving through it. Unfortunately for them, it was a pretty steep fall on the other side... and boy howdy do they land hard in the valley below. Clark helps Bruce to his feet, and they realize they are in the ghost town known as Dry Gulch. Well, that's cool, Bruce "digs old western stuff", so they investigate... starting with the town's Boot Hill Cemetery, where the epitaphs on the headstones appear to be more contemporary than would be expected.
As Clark actually picks up one of the headstones for a better look (which will be important later), the Super Sons are approached by a knife wielding lunatic dressed in period-proper attire. The boys introduce themselves, thinking they'd perhaps just stumbled onto a movie set. Not so, Super Chums... this is Kid Bowie, and he means business! Bowie slashes Clark's arm with his knife... which actually cuts him! Young Clark feints at the first sight of his own blood, and so Bruce has to haul him away. Kid Bowie yells at them that they won't get away... but just stands there, rather than give chase.
As the boys flee, they run into a couple more characters. First, Jack Slade... an old cowboy, who when Bruce tells him that they are unarmed... decides to throw him a firearm, after all, Jack Slade ain't lookin' for an un-fair fight. Bruce continues to hoof it... and finds himself followed by a line of gunfire. These are a result of "Lever" Monroe, who also wants to kill our Super Pals. Bruce finally comes across an old water tower and places his powerless pal in it to attend to his wounds.
After nightfall, young Bruce decides to do some solo investigation. He silently escapes the water tower... and slinks toward the town line. Along the way, we see that the trio of killers are still in position. What a persistent bunch, eh? When Bruce arrives at the edge of town, he discovers that Dry Gulch exists... under a dome!
A bit later, Bruce returns to the water tower to check on his chum. He reveals to Clark that after realizing they were under a dome, he did some checking at the towns old newspaper office. In the records he learned that the force field appeared a century prior after something wacky happened at the lead mine. The villagers were all slaughtered by the same bad hombres who tried to "off" our boys earlier on. In the decades that followed, the world forgot that the town existed... and, here we are. The dome has a preserving effect on the killers, leaving them the same (physical) age they were when they entered.
Bruce mentions that the strange wacky (and recent) epitaphs on the headstones were a result of the killers taking out anyone who happened to wander by. Like any true psychopath, "Lever" Monroe actually chronicled all the killings as well. The fellas consider their next course of action... and decide to compare stories of how their fathers might handle a similar situation. Clark Jr. recalls a time where Superman ended a hostage crisis by melting the captor's pistol... too bad your powers are gone for the moment, kid. Bruce Jr. thinks of when Batman "accidentally" knocked a sniper off the roof of a building.
Before the comparison of how their pops would have handled this becomes an argument, the lads are interrupted by the sound of a woman yelling... it would appear that the town has yet another passerby. Bruce directs her to the safety of the water tower. She confirms that she is in the same situation as the fellas and introduces herself as Susie Wells.
The next morning the boys decide to put their plan into action. I hear you asking, "hey, what plan?". Well, we're about to find out. First Bruce, in full Bat-Regalia, challenges Kid Bowie to a knife fight. Now, Bowie is clearly the better, er... knifesman? knivesman? Knife-Man? Shanker? I dunno, he's more adept at wielding a knife. He would have sliced young Bruce to ribbons, if not for the fact that he was wearing a miner's blasting vest underneath his costume! Well, that's mighty convenient! Bowie hurts his hand attempting to slice 'n dice our man, leaving himself wide open to a judo throw!
Next up, Clark Jr. in his Super-suit, appears before Jack Slade and dares him to take his best shot... and he does! Turns out, however, that Slade was actually blasting on Super-- hey, what do we call Clark Jr. (or Bruce Jr.) in costume? They're not Batboy and Superboy, are they? Either way, Slade was blasting at Clark Jr.'s reflection!
He's shocked to find Supes (as young Bruce refers to him) standing behind him. Clark fires a few shots into the air... which is actually against the law in some Southwestern states, just sayin'... and Slade faints.
The last baddie they gotta take out is that "rifle freak" Lever Whatshisface. Bruce dodges the rifle fire as he takes refuge in the saloon. He spots a deck of cards and has himself an idea. He emerges from the bar holding all thirteen spade-suited cards, and offers Lever a proposition. If he can shoot out each spade, the Super Sons will surrender... if he can't, he's gotta let them go.
Well, if Lever's nothing else he's an idi-- er, gambler, so he agrees to the terms. He proceeds to shoot each and every spade... and, ya know, emptying his rifle in the process. Young Bruce takes full advantage of this by walloping the baddie with a swinging kick. Where he's swinging from, I haven't the foggiest... but it gets the job done.
Bruce and Clark reconvene, and celebrate their apparent victory. They note that Susie is nowhere to be seen... and then notice two new graves have been readied on the Boot Hill... for Clark Kent Jr. and Bruce Wayne Jr. In an amazing shock (if you ignored the cover of the issue, of course) it turns out that "Susie" is actually Belle DuBois, the Bullwhip Queen... and the three bozos the boys just dropped were just her sidekicks!
Well, today isn't going to be Belle's day. Her bullwhip catches Clark by the wrist, however... it would appear that his superpowers have returned! He yanks her forward, sending her flying into a tree... where I have to assume she was fatally impaled on a branch. Now, how in the world did Supes' powers return? Did the dome dissipate? Was he faking it all along? Was the water in the tower full of helpful radiation? Well, no... his powers returned because... sigh... remember earlier when he was able to lift that tombstone without any trouble? I toldja that was going to be important... and here's how. That was the grave of one Mr. Hawkins, Dry Gulch's wealthiest citizen. So eccentric wealthy was he that he actually imported soil from his birthplace to be used for his grave. Standing on that imported soil made all the difference!
Next, using that grave as a springboard, Clark launches Bruce and a wagon-full of dead people out of the dome. I don't wanna think of the Super Sons actually digging up graves... but whattayagonnado? For safety's sake, Clark then fills the valley in with boulders... this way, no one else will ever wander across it... and, ya gotta figure, this bit didn't go all that well for Lever, Bowie, Belle and Slade. The issue ends with the lads showing a nearby Sheriff what they had found in Dry Gulch.
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It's hard to imagine that there was a time that this sort of book was published... unironically. I mean, it's so unabashedly "comic booky" that it's difficult for a jaded post-Crisis to 21st Century fan like me to consider. It's written in earnest, and isn't trying to make any sort of commentary about how silly comic books tend to be... it's just a fun adventure, and that's why it's so great.
It is sometimes a challenge for me to take off my "contemporary" comics hat and just enjoy something. Today a book like this would simply be a writer showing us how dumb and silly comics used to be... ya know, back when they were more fun, had a far larger readership and were more affordable. Ahem.
With that bit of pith out of the way, let's discuss the story. Here we've got Clark Jr. and Bruce Jr. riding their ATV across the American Southwest. Why? That doesn't matter... it facilitates the story, so it'll do. As a former "urban-explorer" myself, this kind of thing speaks to me... I can remember times me and my friends would trek through the woods, and happen upon a strange clearing... or an abandoned shed, or a backpack... it was always so exciting and even a bit terrifying depending on the situation.
I love the idea of young Bruce and Clark finding themselves in a Ghost Town... and just kinda exploring it. If I had a single complaint it would be that we didn't get enough of them just checking things out before the baddies appeared. Build a little bit of suspense before letting that other shoe drop.
The situation with the dome/force field... was fine. It allowed for Clark and Bruce to have to outsmart their pursuers rather than depend on the Teen of Steel's super-powers. Even if the ways in which they "outsmarted" the bad guys was a bit wonky. I mean, Batboy found a blast vest... that's pretty much "problem solved", right?
Superteen and the mirror... well, ya gotta wonder how long that took to set up. I'm assuming they swiped the mirror from the Saloon or something... and as far as we can tell Slade has been standing in the same spot for the entire night... so how could he have missed Clark dragging a 10' x 6' sheet of reflective glass into the road? Hell, couldn't they have just used the mirror to blind the baddie? Overthinking it, thy name is Me.
Now, I often get on the case of contemporary comics for spoiling things on the cover... and it's only fair I do the same thing here. I mean, Belle DuBois doesn't reveal herself until what, the third-to-last page? Seems kinda silly to put that on the cover, doesn't it? As soon as "Susie Wells" shows up, ya gotta figure a lotta folks' "antennas" perked up.
Now can't cover a book like this without mentioning the man himself, Bob Haney. Ho-lee cow, I just adore his "hip language". So much fun, and (at least for me) adds a whole 'nother layer of joy to reading something of this vintage. The art here is great as well, Ernie Chua does a great job of making Bruce and Clark appear to be not as young as boys, while at the same time not so grown to be adults. It's really a perfect late adolescent look for the pair... even when in costume/under the cowl. It would be cool if they didn't have the same costumes as their Superdads, though to be fair, Clark Jr.'s cape does appear to be shorter than Superman's.
Overall, the Super Sons are a ton of fun. This issue appears as part of the Superman/Batman: Saga of the Super Sons trade paperback collection, which is also available digitally. It's well worth checking out.
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