Wednesday, June 13, 2007

World's Finest Comics #168

World's Finest Comics #168 (On Sale: June 13, 1967) has a cover by Curt Swan and George Klein. Strange that the Composite Superman is not featured or even mentioned on the cover.

Inside we have the cover story "The Return of the Composite Superman" by Cary Bates, Curt Swan and George Klein. Xan, the son of a space criminal, travels to Earth to avenge his father who died in space prison after being captured by Superman and Batman. Xan duplicates the accident that turned Joe Meach into the Composite Superman by causing artificial lightning to strike a group of Legion statuettes in the Superman Museum. Joe once again becomes the Composite Superman with all the powers of the Legion.

Meach then attacks the World's Finest team. Superman manages to escape and follow clues in the Museum. He learns how his foe got his powers and who he really is. Batman also makes the deduction, but is captured along with Robin.

Superman consults briefly with the Adult Legion of Super-Heroes then returns to the present where he destroys the Legion statuettes. He then confronts Joe, but loses. This was reprinted in Super-Team Family #6.

The book has a Robotman back-up story, "The Testing of Robotman" by Jerry Coleman and Frank Bolle, which is reprinted from Detective Comics #176.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

No comments: