Teen Titans #35

Teen Titans #35 (On Sale: July 15, 1971), has a  cover by Nick Cardy.

We begin with "Intruders of the Forbidden Crypt" by Bob Haney, George Tuska, and Nick Cardy. The Titans and Mr. Jupiter are in Italy to see the beginning of construction of Jupiter's newest laboratory. Lilith believes she is the reincarnation of Shakespeare's Juliet, and the son of Jupiter's enemy appears to be the reincarnation of Romeo. Together they begin to act out the drama from the play Romeo and Juliet. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 TPB (2007) and Teen Titans: The Bronze Age Omnibus HC (2017).

Next up is a solo Mal story, "A Titan Is Born" by Bob Haney, George Tuska, and Nick Cardy. While the rest of the team is in Italy, Mal minds the store at Mr. Jupiter's American base. A dimensional monitoring experiment goes awry, and the Titans' old enemy, the Gargoyle, is released from his banishment in Limbo. Mal manages to deduce the villain's true identity, though he is disguised as a scientific colleague of Mr. Jupiter's, and causes the computer monitor to reverse its error, returning Gargoyle to his exile in Limbo. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 TPB (2007) and Teen Titans: The Bronze Age Omnibus HC (2017).

Our first reprint is Aquaman and Aqualad in "The Doom Hunters" by Jack Miller and Ramona Fradon and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #139 (1964). After Aquaman and Aqualad refuse to place prize markers for an undersea treasure hunt in dangerous areas, Wally Welky, head of the Daredevils' Club, goes ahead with it on his own. Aquaman has to rescue one of the contestants from a whirlpool, thus indicating the need for he and Aqualad to look after the others. 

When Tom Blake, another member, almost dies from a deliberately-set trap, Aquaman lures Welky into revealing his intentions to murder Blake, his cousin, and thus gain Blake's uncle's wealth by inheritance. The heroes capture Welky and his confederates.

We end this issue with Green Arrow and Speedy in "Have Arrow – Will Travel" by Robert Bernstein and Lee Elias and reprinted from Adventure Comics #263 (1959). Green Arrow’s partner Speedy wants to buy a sailboat. To make money, he places an ad in the paper to perform odd jobs using archery. Many requests for his services come in and Speedy begins saving money for his boat.

Some crooks hire Speedy to test out manufactured targets. Using the holes left in the target, they are able to create an arrow identical to Speedy’s with a time bomb inside. They switch arrows with one of Speedy’s in hopes that it will explode and kill him. However, Speedy is tipped off to the fake arrow by the color of the arrowhead and is able to catch the crooks.

During his jobs, Speedy’s wallet was lost. Without his money Speedy can’t buy his boat, but he saves the life of a boat manufacturer who happily gives Speedy a boat as reward.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Green Lantern #85

Green Lantern #85 (On Sale: June 24, 1971), has a classic Green Lantern/Green Arrow cover by Neal Adams. If you saw this on the stands and did not buy multiple copies, you needed to check your pulse as you may have been dead.

We begin this issue with the classic Green Lantern/Green Arrow tale "Snowbirds Don't Fly" by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams. Oliver Queen is attacked by thugs on the street, and despite beating them soundly, he is surprised when he is shot in the shoulder with one of his own arrows. Finding no help from strangers, he crawls to a hospital and collapses before anyone offers him help.

After being treated, Ollie calls up his friend Hal Jordan to discuss the significance of the arrow. Ollie suggests that he had been neglecting his ward Speedy, and worries that he may have been captured. They follow Ollie's lead to a basement, where they find a withdrawing junkie begging for a fix from a Mr. Browden. Green Arrow and Green Lantern force their way into Browden's apartment, capturing him and the junkie.

Elsewhere, the same thugs who attacked Oliver earlier are waiting for their friend, the same junkie that was caught by the heroes, to return with their fix. Roy Harper (Speedy) appears to be with them. Suddenly, Green Lantern and Green Arrow burst through the ceiling and subdue the junkies. Oliver assumes that Roy is undercover, and tells him to sit the remainder of the mission out, while he takes out the dealers.

The junkies lead Green Lantern and Green Arrow to the dealers' hideout, but they turn on the duo in order to get their fixes as a reward. With the heroes subdued, the dealers forcibly intoxicate them with their drugs and plan to discredit them by calling the police. Fortunately, before the police can arrive, Roy shows up gets them to safety, with some effort.

Back at Arrow's tenement, Roy explains that without a father figure, someone might look for comfort in drugs. Despite this, Oliver is horrified to discover that Roy has become a junkie himself, while he and Green Lantern were traveling cross-country. This classic tale has been reprinted in Green Lantern/Green Arrow #5 (1984), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Vol. 2 TPB (1993), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection HC (2001), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 2 TPB (2004), Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 5 TPB (2011), Green Lantern/Green Arrow TPB (2012), Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow HC (2016), Green Arrow: A Celebration of 75 Years HC (2016), Green Lantern (Facsimile Edition) #85 (2020), and Green Lantern:80 Years of the Emerald Knight the Deluxe Edition HC (2020).

The backup is "The Strange Trial of Green Lantern" by John Broome, Gil Kane, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Green Lantern #11 (1962). After a series of uncharacteristic episodes in which Green Lantern had almost committed various crimes, he is brought before his fellow Green Lanterns for sentencing. The court of his peers is told of each incident: How Hal entered a bank, used his power ring to stun the tellers but left without taking any money; Hal almost bullied himself into not paying a $100 entry fee for a gallery; and finally how he procrastinated in saving a young man who had fallen out of a window. Deciding not to punish Hal because he had not actually done anything illegal, Hal demands that the other Green Lanterns punish him because he feels he has lost control. Putting it to a vote, they agree to do so, devest Hal of his Green Lantern emblem and power ring, seal him in a capsule, and launch it into space.

While traveling through the void, the capsule is suddenly transported to the Antimatter Universe and to the planet Qward, where Hal is brought before Sinestro. Sinestro explains that he escaped his imprisonment in his last encounter because he had a spare power ring hidden in the heel of his boot and manage to escape to Qward to plan an act of new revenge against the Green Lantern. He then explains he used a device to alter Green Lantern's personality so that he became selfish but couldn't push him into doing anything illegal.

Suddenly the other Green Lanterns arrive to save Hal, having suspected Sinestro's involvement they played into his hands. However, Sinestro traps them all in a room made of yellow material. Giving Hal back his power ring, he comes up with the idea of using it to pull chemicals out of the air and make an acid strong enough to melt through the walls. Freeing themselves, they easily capture Sinestro and subject him to his own machine. Imprisoning him with the device which would tell him over and over that he cannot escape.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Teen Titans #33

Teen Titans #33 (On Sale: March 18, 1971), has a cover by Nick Cardy.

This issue features "Less Than Human?" by Bob Haney, George Tuska, and Nick Cardy. Continuing from the last issue, Kid Flash and Mal remain trapped in an alternate timeline. The sorcerer Jupiterius has offered to help if the Titans can pass two tests, Kid Flash successfully passes the first. Mal then must overcome his own fears to pass the second. When he successfully completes the test, Jupiterius sends the Titans back in time to the moment they changed history.

Mal and Kid Flash once again face an attack by an angry caveman. This time, they don't accidentally kill him. The Titans are then returned to their own time period, but the caveman comes with them. The Titans cage the caveman, dubbed Gnarrk, the only word he speaks. The team then works tirelessly to civilize the caveman and teach him to trust and communicate.

Lilith forms a special bond with Gnarrk. During a trip into the city, Gnarrk becomes separated from the Titans. Lilith finds him and brings him back, but while on his own, Gnarrk witnessed a criminal deal involving a city councilman. The Titans then work with Gnarrk to ensure his testimony will stand up in court. Gnarrk successfully testifies, and the councilman is convicted. This is not a great issue of TT. The story is lame, really lame and the artwork by Tuska and Cardy is a step below the pure Cardy of recent issues. The removal of Dick Giordano as editor is really taking its toll.  Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 TPB (2007).

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Teen Titans #32

Teen Titans #32 (On Sale: January 19, 1971), has a nice cover by Nick Cardy.

The Teen Titans star in "A Mystical Realm, a World Gone Mad" by Steve Skeates and Nick Cardy. New editor Murray Boltinoff's attempt to add horror to the Titans was a huge mistake in my view. Mal is thrown back in time by an experiment conducted by Mr. Jupiter. Kid Flash uses the Cosmic Treadmill to rescue his teammate. While in the distant past, Mal encounters a tribe of neanderthals. One of the tribesmen attacks Mal. Kid Flash arrives in time to save his friend, but the caveman falls to his death. When Kid Flash and Mal try to return to their own time, they discover an alternate timeline.

Kid Flash hypothesizes that the timeline was created by the death of the caveman. The Titans seek help from a sorcerer who resembles Mr. Jupiter. Jupiterius puts the Titans through a test to earn his help. In the first test, Kid Flash must compete in archery against Trueshot, a doppelganger of Speedy. Kid Flash wins, but the test is not over. Continues next issue. This story was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 TPB (2007).

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

World's Finest Comics #197

World's Finest Comics #197 (On Sale: August 6, 1970) has a Superman/Batman cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.  This is the final issue of World's Finest to feature this team for a couple of years, well, as the regular team at least. Starting next issue, and I could never understand why they did not wait two months for issue #200 to do this, World's Finest will become Superman's Brave and the Bold. That is, starting next issue, they will team up Superman with another character, not just Batman.

This issue is a pile of reprints beginning with the Superman/Batman team in  "The Capture of Superman." This 13-page tale is by
Jerry Coleman, Jim Mooney and Sheldon Moldoff and is reprinted from World's Finest Comics #122. Batman and Robin are forced by an alien, Klor, to capture Superman for crimes committed on his world of Belvos. Superman feels betrayed by his friend, but Batman succeeds in making the capture.

Superman is returned to Belvos to stand trial. He is accused of causing destruction on the planet during a visit there. Superman does not recall ever having been to Belvos and claims he was searching for a strange asteroid at the time.

Klor is secretly behind the destruction. Having found special weapons, he disguised himself as Superman and caused the damage. He wants to get Superman out of the way so he can obtain treasure which will make him master of Belvos. However, the heroes realize that Klor had been to Earth before and was responsible for the crimes. They convince the Belvosian tribunal and capture Klor in the act of robbing a jeweler on Earth.

Next is another Superman/Batman tale, "The Feud Between Batman and Superman," an 18-pager by Edmond Hamilton, Curt Swan and George Klein. When Batman is accidentally shot while pursuing some crooks, he gets an inferiority complex. Superman tries to help Batman by staging a fake menace inside Kandor where he has no super powers. Batman discovers the hoax and becomes angry, challenging Superman to a duel. Batman wins, then storms off.

The fake menace turns out to be real, when Jhan-Ar, the brother of Superman's friend Thar-Ar, becomes a Metalloid. Superman is taken prisoner, forcing Batman and Robin to rescue him. They succeed and defeat Jhan-Ar. Batman's confidence is restored, so he resumes his crime fighting career. This is reprinted from World's Finest Comics #143.

That is followed by Green Arrow in "The Unmasked Archers." This six-page tale is by France Herron, Jack Kirby and Roz Kirby. Oliver Queen and Roy Harper awaken to find that the morning newspaper contains a story revealing their secret identities. Believing their careers are over, they stop a few crooks then return to police headquarters where they unmask in front of the police commissioner.

The commissioner doesn't believe Oliver is the real Green Arrow. When Oliver checks the other newspapers, he discovers that his morning paper was a fake. It was created as part of an initiation prank for his men's club. Oliver then proves to the commissioner that he is not Green Arrow using a specially prepared trick. This is reprinted from World's Finest Comics #98. Hmm, strange how they seem to be reprinting a lot of Jack Kirby this month.

We end with a final Superman/Batman team-up story,  "The Prison for Heroes" from World's Finest Comics #145. This 16-page tale is by Edmond Hamilton, Curt Swan and George Klein. An alien race contacts Batman and brings him to an alien world under the pretense of aiding a great emergency. When he arrives on the alien world, Batman is hypnotized by the aliens into becoming a cruel prison warden. His prisoners are the innocent heroes of many worlds.

Batman then tricks Superman into coming to the planet. The aliens use a filter to cause the sun's rays to become red, removing nearly all of Superman's powers. Superman then becomes a prisoner.

With his last remaining bit of super powers, Superman manages to restore the powers of some of the other prisoners. They break free, help Superman fake his powers, and overthrow Batman. Superman then puts Batman to work as a prisoner.

The aliens discover Superman's escape and return to the planet to investigate. They discover that Superman does not have his powers. However, Superman has helped Batman break the hypnosis. While the aliens are investigating Superman, Batman destroys the red sun filter with the aliens' own ship. Superman's powers are restored. He frees the wrongly imprisoned heroes and ends the aliens' plans to conquer the galaxy.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

Teen Titans #29

Teen Titans #29 (On Sale: July 16, 1970) has a cover by Nick Cardy.

 The book-length "Captives" is by Steve Skeates and Nick Cardy. Continuing from last issue, after Aqualad's failed encounter with Ocean Master, he is left for dead. Voting to forego their vow against using their powers and costumes for the duration of the present case, the Titans track down Aqualad in time to rescue him. 

Hawk and Dove pursue a lead on their own, returning to Sharon Tracy's apartment. When the thugs who had attacked Sharon earlier return. Dove recruits the other Titans to help out, but both Hawk and Dove are nevertheless captured by Ocean Master and held prisoner in his undersea headquarters. 

Hawk awakens in Ocean Master's hide-out, finding he and Dove are captives. Dove explains that Ocean Master is working with aliens. The brothers escape their bonds and start a fight with Ocean Master and his alien allies. The other Titans, who trail them to Ocean Master's hideaway,  help them overcome the invaders. 

The Titans agree to redon their costumes only in cases of extreme emergency, and Aqualad, reconciled with his teammates, returns to Atlantis. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 TPB.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Detective Comics #402

Detective Comics #402 (On Sale: June 30, 1970) has a great cover by Neal Adams.

The Man-Bat returns in "Man or Bat?" by Frank Robbins, Neal Adams and Dick Giordano. The story opens with some thugs pulling a heist at a biochemical lab. what they don't know is that hanging in the rafters above them lurks the tormented Kirk Langstrom, now even more bat than the last time we saw him in the classic Detective #400. He waits in an agitated state for them to crack the safe below so that he can get what he so desperately needs. But just when it seems the hour of his saving is at hand Batman appears to break up the heist. When the Man-Bat appears to join him in thwarting the crime, Batman calls him a friend, but when Man-Bat reveals that he needs something from the safe, something he has brought money to pay for, Batman tries to stop him.

When Batman tries to unmask Kirk he realizes that he is not wearing a mask, but is truly a transformed human. Still he tries to stop the Man-Bat, but is knocked unconscious in the scuffle and Kirk departs with the drug he came looking for.

When he awakens, Batman heads off for the museum when he first met the Man-Bat hoping there to find a clue to his identity. When he gets there he finds Francine Lee, Kirk's fiancée trying to gain entrance. Kirk was supposed to be at an exhibit in Chicago, but he never arrived there and Francine is worried that something may be wrong. Upstairs Kirk has concocted a formula he hopes will reverse his bizarre transformation, but when he is startled by Batman and Francine at his door he drops the serum and flees out the window.

Batman tells Francine that the strange creature who has just fled is her fiancée, Kirk Langstrom, and that when they barged in Batman saw him mouth her name. batman thinks he can recreate the dropped serum in the Batcave and heads off to find Kirk and hopefully a cure for this transformation.

He finds Kirk up on a cliff and when he comes for him Kirk leaps from the cliff in fear, but rather than dying in the fall, huge batwings appear from under his coat and his transformation complete he flies off into the night following the flight of a "brother" bat. He follows the bat to his home, which happens to be, the Batcave. Kirk reaches the inner recesses of the cave just as Batman returns. He is momentarily blinded by the lights as they come one but uses his bat sonar to find an exit. Only, Langstrom's exit is the Batmobile;s entrance and Batman leaps from the car to divert Kirk from hitting it head-on.

He latches on to the Man-Bat, telling him that he is there to help him, to create an antidote, but Kirk takes Batman on a ride to the heights of the Batcave only to drop him from there. Some light fixtures break his fall, but from the floor he sees Langstrom about to fly out the open Batcave entrance. Clicking a remote on his belt Batman closes the door and Kirk is knocked unconscious by the door. Batman then ponders what to do, should he attempt to cure Langstrom, even though his brain may have been permanently damaged by his transformation, or should he leave him alone in his cursed condition? "Merciful heaven--What an impossible decision to make! There can be only one answer...if he must die...let it be as the man he once was!"

Batman gets to work in a tale continued in Detective #407. "Man or Bat?" was reprinted in Batman from the 30s to the 70s HC, Man-Bat #1 and Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Vol. 2 HC.

The back-up story is Robin in "My Place in the Sun" by Mike Friedrich, Gil Kane and Vince Colletta. The story begins with Robin flying in on the Arrow Jet with Speedy all the way from Teen Titans #28. Dick shows Roy (Speedy) Harper around Hudson University. In the cafeteria a fight breaks out between some "punks" and a group called Project 70 who work with kids from a nearby juvenile detention farm. Dick changes into Robin to stop the fight. Robin goes after the big punk only to find out that it was the little kid Robin was trying to protect who started the fight.

Back in his room Dick is pissed at himself for jumping to conclusions without any evidence. That day Dick hears it all over campus, as Robin becomes the main topic of discussion. Some of the kids are for him, but many think he is just a vigilante and shouldn't be there. When he returns from shopping he finds Roy in his Speedy threads, heading off for a date with Wonder Girl.

After Roy leaves, Dick begins to question his role as Robin, but in the end he decides to keep the name and the costume. "...if I made a mistake once, I'm not gonna make it again! When I go out into that adult world, I want everyone to know that Robin is no longer a boy, but still a wonder!" Not a great story and certainly not great artwork.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Teen Titans #28

Teen Titans #28 (On Sale: May 12, 1970) has another great cover by Nick Cardy.

The book-length "Blindspot" is by Steve Skeates and Nick Cardy. Donna Troy's roommate, Sharon Tracy is out for a walk one night when she sees something she should not have and is shot at and chased by some men. She manages to lose them, but in doing so she also loses her purse with her ID. At around the same time Aqualad is looking for the Titans, having been unable to contact them for weeks. When the Titan's HQ is deserted, he heads for Donna's apartment, where Sharon mistakes him for the men who were shooting at her; the men who show up just after Aqualad.

A fight ensues and Aqualad takes care of business. When the bad guys scram, Sharon tells him what happened and how she saw something horrible, but she is unable to remember what it was. For her safety, Aqualad stashes Sharon at Titans headquarters and heads to Hudson University in search of Robin.

He finds him, fighting car thieves in an alley and joins in the fray. As they fight Aqualad tells Dick about fighting the thugs trying to harm Sharon and suddenly remembers that one of the men he fought in her apartment worked for Ocean Master. Now Aqualad needs the help of the Titans more than ever. Robin takes him to Mr. Jupiter's estate where the other Titans refuse to help. He tussles with the group, calling them chickens till Donna explains how they feel responsible for Dr. Swenson's death and how they vowed to never use their powers again.

He talks them into putting on their uniforms again and going to hear Sharon's story. They agree and Lilith goes into a trance and resurrects Sharon's missing memories. As Sharon walked though the park she saw three men talking and one of them shot another with a ray-gun that revealed the man's true form, that of a hideous alien. Aqualad asks for their help in finding the truth and stopping the killers coming after Sharon, but the team hesitates and Aqualad. Angry and alone,

Aqualad heads back to the park where Sharon was attacked in searching of clues. As he finds a paper with  scientific notations on it, he is assaulted by three men, one of whom is Ocean Master. A fight ensues and Aqualad is knocked out and tied to a tree where he will die in less than an hour without water. Continued next issue. This story was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 TPB.

This is followed by a one-page Tiny Titan gag strip by Pete Costanza.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

World's Finest Comics #188

World's Finest Comics #188 (On Sale: August 7, 1969) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

We begin with Superman and Batman in "The Super-Rivals" by Ed Hamilton, Dick Sprang and Stan Kaye and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #85. Princess Varina visits the United States and meets her heroes Superman and Batman. The heroes begin competing for Varina’s affection because if she elopes with Stefan, her royal guard, a commoner, she must abdicate. Abdication would lead to civil war in Balkania.

The heroes continue their pursuit of Varina, but when Pete Kaney’s gang try to steal the royal jewels, the heroes make Stefan appear to be a hero. Stefan’s notoriety allows him to safely marry the princess without risk of war pleasing not only the princess but Lois Lane and Vicki Vale as well.

Next is Superman and Batman in "The Super-Newspaper of Gotham City" also by Ed Hamilton, Dick Sprang and Stan Kaye and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #80. Lois Lane and Clark Kent are asked to work for the Gotham Gazette temporarily to save it from ruin. Bruce Wayne also joins the staff as a reporter to help track down a large crime ring. Bruce and Clark compete for stories, while working on breaking up the crime ring as Batman and Superman. They eventually track down the ring with Robin’s help and deliver the story to the Gazette. The newspaper increases in circulation due to the story and is saved from bankruptcy.

That is followed by Superman and Batman in "The Negative Superman" by France Herron, Jim Mooney and Sheldon Moldoff and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #126. Luthor uses a new device to cause Superman to split in a positive and negative half. The Negative Superman begins helping Luthor and other criminals. The real Superman is unable to stop his duplicate because of an energy field.

Batman and Robin assist the Man of Steel in combating the super-powered menace. Batman uses Kryptonite, but the mineral causes the Negative Superman to grow more powerful. When Superman collides with his negative half, the increased power of the Negative Superman breaks the energy field and allows them to merge back into one being.

Next is Green Arrow in "The World's Worst Archer" by Robert Bernstein and Lee Elias and reprinted from Adventure Comics #262. Roy Harper, a promising athlete and archer, wants to become Green Arrow’s partner. His guardian is Brave Bow, an Indian chief whose life was saved by Roy’s late father. Brave Bow has trained Roy to master the bow and arrow, but is now too old to care for Roy.

Green Arrow gives the boy a chance to prove himself at the Greenville Fair. Roy’s arrow misses the target horribly. Roy doesn’t give up and follows Green Arrow after some crooks. Roy uses Brave Bow’s lucky flint arrow to catch the criminals. Green Arrow misses the action and believes the crooks were caught by a lucky accident.

G.A. gives Roy another chance after Roy wins a track meet. Again the boy’s arrow goes wide of the target. Roy is disappointed, but again trails Green Arrow after some crooks. His flint arrow punctures the tire of the getaway car, but the shaft breaks off leaving no evidence that Roy was responsible. Roy finally gives up, but Green Arrow returns later to explain to Roy that his arrowhead was in the tire. The shots he missed were metal arrows which had become magnetized at the fair, causing them to go wide of the targets. Green Arrow gives Roy the nickname Speedy and takes him as a partner.

We end with Superman and Batman in "The Batman Nobody Remembered" by Bill Finger and Jim Mooney and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #136. Batman is forced to crash land the Batplane during a lightning storm. When he returns to Gotham City no one remembers him. He also discovers that certain things are different. Bruce Wayne is really Superman and lives with Robin and Alfred; Vicki Vale looks like Lois Lane; and the Joker is a TV comic.

Batman’s behavior causes Superman and Commissioner Gordon to think he is a criminal, so he is hunted. He eventually proves himself by helping Superman rescue Robin. After relating his story to Superman, the Man of Steel reasons that Batman has been on a parallel Earth. Then he sends Batman to his own dimension, where he belongs.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

World's Finest Comics #187

World's Finest Comics #187 (On Sale: July 24, 1969) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

We begin with Superman and Batman in "The Demon Sin" by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. The back-up strip is Green Arrow in "The Green Arrow's First Case" a reprint from Adventure Comics #256. This telling of Green Arrow's origin is by France Herron, Jack Kirby and Roz Kirby. Green Arrow and his partner Speedy learn of a scientific expedition bound for Starfish Island. G.A. is worried that the expedition will uncover his secret identity because the island was where he became Green Arrow. As the two archers fly to the island to intercept the expedition, G.A. tells Speedy the story of how he became Green Arrow.

One night, Oliver Queen fell overboard on a ship. He was unable to be rescued, so he swam to a nearby island. He made a home in a cavern on the island and fashioned a bow and arrow for hunting. At first his aim was poor, but long hours of practice paid off and he improved.

While fishing with his arrows, the fish would swim away after being hit, so Queen attached a vine to the arrow so that he could reel in his catch. This became his first trick arrow; a rope arrow. He soon created net and drill arrows, as well as a green leaf outfit for camouflage while hunting.

One evening Queen spotted a ship offshore. He swam to the ship to discover that the crew was mutinying. Using grease to cover the reflection of light on his white face, The masked Queen defeated the pirates and acted for the first time as Green Arrow.

Green Arrow kept a diary of events on the cavern wall. He is worried the expedition will find it and learn his secret identity. Using a fake-uranium arrow, G.A. scares off the expedition who believes there is radiation on the island. G.A. then destroys the diary so no one will learn his secret.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

World's Finest Comics #178

World's Finest Comics #178 (On Sale: July 25, 1968) has a cover by Neal Adams that I have always loved. First you have the unusual guest appearance by Green Arrow then you have Superman holding up this typical Curt Swan costume. I have just always loved this one.

"The Has-Been Superman" is by Cary Bates, Curt Swan and Jack Abel. In yet another imaginary story, Superman investigates a rip in space in which several probes have disappeared. He travels through the rift to another dimension and finds the missing probes inside a giant guard mechanism. He returns to Earth, but alien antiseptic from inside the machine permanently causes him to lose his powers.

Superman soon becomes bored since he has to give up his crime-fighting career. He decides to carry on without powers just like Batman and Green Arrow. He creates a new costume with a gimmicked cape and becomes Nova.

Batman receives an alert about a prowler on a movie studio lot. When he investigates he finds that the suspect is actually Superman engaging in training exercises. Batman wishes Superman luck, but doubts that he will succeed in his new crime-fighting identity. The former Man of Steel soon runs into his first gang of criminals and as Batman feared, he loses the fight and is captured.Superman investigates a rip in space in which several probes have disappeared. He travels through the rift to another dimension and finds the missing probes inside a giant guard mechanism. He returns to Earth, but alien antiseptic from inside the machine permanently causes him to lose his powers.

Superman soon becomes bored since he has to give up his crime-fighting career. He decides to carry on without powers just like Batman and Green Arrow. He creates a new costume with a gimmicked cape and becomes Nova.

Batman receives an alert about a prowler on a movie studio lot. When he investigates he finds that the suspect is actually Superman engaging in training exercises. Batman wishes Superman luck, but doubts that he will succeed in his new crime-fighting identity. The former Man of Steel soon runs into his first gang of criminals and as Batman feared, he loses the fight and is captured. Reprinted in DC Special Series #23.

The back-up is "Rip Van Superman," a Superman story from Superman #107 by Bill Finger, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye. Superman stops a runaway cyclotron, but he is put in a coma by the experience. He awakens one thousand years in the future to a world of supermen. The men of the future all have super powers and rely on robots.

A renegade scientist, Drago, takes control of the moon-prison and causing great tidal waves. All of the robots are also disabled. Superman inspires the citizens to take action and defeat Drago.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.