a world without men… except for superman and batman

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Batman, Bob Haney, DC Comics, dick dillin, saga of the super sons, super sons, Superman, world without men, Worlds Finest

Alright. This issue of World’s Finest is so incredibly whacked out that we almost lack words to describe it. Perhaps psychoanalysis would better suit this issue than description. You’ve got juvenile versions of Superman and Batman. Yeah, yeah, they’re sons of Supes and Bats… Whatever. Like that makes any sense. Who are their moms?

Then you have this dream-like story about a town filled with women who are NOT happy to see the boys, a giant one-eyed monster on a tower (dear lord, my Freud is aching), a scene where the guys get naked and put on each other’s clothes… You can blame it on author Bob Haney if you want, but maybe this comic book isn’t even real and you are just dreaming about it.

In which case, you need serious psychotherapy.

First, go schedule your appointment, then come back and take a peek inside these pages we photographed before listing this beast on eBay. What? You need your own copy printed on the corpses of trees where endangered owls used to make babies? Well, don’t let us stop you. Buy World’s Finest #233; DC Comics, 1975. It is also reprinted in the collection Saga of the Super Sons 2007 trade paperback.

World’s Finest #147: The New Terrific Team!

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Batman, Curt Swan, Jimmy Olsen, New Terrific Team, Robin, Superman, Worlds Finest, Worlds Finest 147

1965: You could call it the Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am age of comics. In the brief sixteen pages of the cover story from World’s Finest #147, we experience an exploding tower of rocket fuel, giant mutant eagles, a car wreck, an invasion by giant robotic water beetles, a trip to another planet, telepathic aliens, and one %@$#-ing insane science experiment.

Whoa! No wonder I loved reading this as a kid. That, plus lots of youth rebellion. Yes! World’s Finest #147 was one of the treasures I discovered in Gramma’s garage of comic book utopia. It left a lasting impression on me. I share it with you today in all its rampaging Silver Age glory!

The story is called “The New Terrific Team!” Superman and Batman get put in their place when teenage sidekicks Robin and Jimmy Olsen decide to strike out on their own. But are the boys’ heroic deeds driven by a more sinister menace? Find out!

Collector’s Guide: From World’s Finest #147; DC Comics, 1965.

These Photos Prove that I, too, Came from the Planet Krypton!

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Batman, Bruce-El, Curt Swan, destruction of Krypton, Krypton, Superman, World's Finest 146, Worlds Finest

In World’s Finest #146, Batman takes part in ‘five minutes of silence’ observed by Superman and every other surviving Kryptonian on the anniversay of Krypton’s destruction. The silent ceremony triggers a memory in Batman — a memory he could not possibly have unless he, too, was from Krypton! The ensuing drama and its resolution tug at my heart strings every time I read it.

Every so often, my local comic shop puts some well-worn silver age comics in the $5 bargain box. “Affordable Silver Age” says the sign. Okay — I’ll bite! Last time, I found this copy of World’s Finest #146. True, the science is completely goofy, and the writing aims at a younger audience. But, this is one of those gems I read as a youngster in the amazing comic book stash in Gramma’s garage. If I haven’t bored you with that memoir before, jump over to my other favorite issue of World’s Finest: World’s Finest #147.

Even if you’re not a big Silver Age fan, I encourage you to check out this story. You might never think of Krypton in the same way again!

Collector’s Guide:
– From World’s Finest #146; DC Comics, 1964.
– Reprinted in Superman in the Sixties TPB.

Script by Edmond Hamilton, pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Sheldon Moldoff. This issue also includes a Superboy story.