Okay, I'm not as sure about this one as I was about the obscurity of that Superman power, but I like using the superlatives.
Still, though: purple hat and cloak over top of his regular Bat-duds? Travis Morgan goatee? If this isn't the most half-assed of the Dark Knight's disguises then it's as least in the top five.
Shorty's hectic, mile-a-minute lifestyle finally catches up with him, leading to laffs:
Three things:
1. Shorty's friend showed a remarkable amount of patience. Followed by a well-executed revenge, of course.
2. Wearing a bow tie on a fishing trip is probably a warning sign of some kind.
3. I think that that fish might be a Nerf product.
- From Detective Comics no. 138
Superman is investigating a strange rash of disappearing objects and discovers that they were all made from steel produced in a certain factory. Sensibly, he goes there to check things out.
The next logical step, of course, is for Superman to examine the molecular structure of the steel to see if anything hinky is going on. Now, I have to assume that someone on the creative team either just plain had a neat idea or felt sorry leaving the rumpled old factory owner out of the action, because instead of just showing us what Superman sees in a POV panel, they had him make this startling revelation:
AND THEN IT WORKS!
Oh how I wish that this was something that ever came up again (not that I've read every Superman comic extant, but I have to assume I would have heard of it by now otherwise). I can only imagine panel after panel of Lois Lane or Jimmy Olsen staring at Superman's eyes through magnifying glasses, or Lois trying to take pictures of Clark's eyeballs to see if he was using vision-based powers while pretending to cower in fear. Ah, well. A man can dream.
From World's Finest Comics No. 48.
You may or may not know the story of World's Finest Comics, so here it is: Originally an anthology book in the fine tradition of Action or Adventure or Detective, World's Finest featured the solo adventures of both Superman and Batman. Accordingly, every cover featured the two, plus Robin, engaged in some kind of wholesome activity, like sledding or playing baseball or shooting Nazis.
See? The scamps are such big fans of one another it just warms your heart. The three appeared on covers together for literally dozens of issues before they ever met up in the course of the story, after which such team-ups became the main thrust of the book. That, however, is unimportant when compared to just how many odd situations were represented in those covers. Case in point:
I just can't stop looking at this cover, my friends. I mean, I know that it's no unusual thing for any of these characters to help out a citizen in a time of trouble, but... these dudes are pretty clearly hitting on the above ladies, right? And Superman in particular... I don't want to sully the Man of Steel's image, but I reckon he might be angling to break in his new Fortress of No Strings Attached.
In any case: one of the greatest covers of all time.
Varsity Vic!
I was going to say something about this being about the only sport that I've ever seen Varsity Vic participate in, despite his name, but then I looked it up, and it turns out that though the most common use of 'varsity' is in regard to sports teams and other competitive arms of universities and colleges, it can also refer to those institutions in general. So Vic can be varsity simply by virtue of being a college student.
Of course, that revelation is now throwing me for a loop, because I always thought that Vic was in high school. I guess that all of the jalopy-riding and eccentric hat-wearing of the majority of his cartoons makes a bit more sense in that light.
As for the comic itself, I have but one thing to say: that girl has admirable levels of self-esteem.
- from Lois Lane No 23
Once again we see the phenomenon of the terrible joke as cultural record. I'm sure that somewhere a Reader's Digest editor is compiling a page of "Internet Chuckles" or "It Could Only Happen Online" anecdotes, and just as certain that, had mass media existed in the Stone age there would have been a humorous feature called "Fire Follies."
Note how in those early days of television humanity had not yet evolved the complex television-sharing diplomacy that any multi-child, single TV family must possess in order to survive - truly a dark and primitive time.
- from Detective Comics no. 249
Living Between Wednesdays is a place for people who love comic books and superheroes.
