World's Finest #75-80

World's Finest #75-80

Originally released in 1955

Written by Bill Finger (#75), Edmond Hamilton (#76-80)

Art by Curt Swan (#75-77), Dick Sprang (#78-80)

Wanting to read something on the lighter side today, I went back to the Silver Age World's Finest stories - they're usually a reliable source for zany hijinks.  No gorillas on the cover of these issues, unfortunately, but they're still as goofy as I expected.

It's funny that a lot of stories tend to start with descriptions like "what's this? Batman and Superman have become brontosauruses? To find out how this happened, we must go back a few days..."  I know that some comics of the era had the cover made first and then the story was written afterwards, and this seems like an extension of that mentality.

The primary focus of the stories are, naturally, Batman, Robin, and Superman, though some supporting characters like Lois Lane, Alfred, Perry White, and Commissioner Gordon make appearances.  It's a shame that Jimmy Olsen didn't show up in these issues, let alone get drawn into any of the shenanigans.

A lot of the plot involves nameless thugs hatching plots that the heroes need to foil, with various details (like a broken leg or Kryptonite radiation) making it more difficult for at least one of the good guys.  Also, sometimes, Batman or Superman sometimes just outright lie to the other, but purely for the good of whoever's being lied to. (they also lie to Lois Lane, which isn't for her own good)

There were some honestly touching moments in these books, though.  Batman comes across as being emotionally immature at times (scared that, after working with Superman, Robin won't want to work with him any more), but Robin makes it clear that his partnership with Batman means the world to him.  Roughly seventy years later, the two of them still have a close bond even as Dick grew into his own and became a beloved independent hero both in and out of universe.

Issue 79 goes full Silver Age, as a doctor in Gotham developed a way to make people actually travel in time through the power of hypnosis!  Of course, he uses this to investigate rumours of a magnetic mountain in Baghdad. (or, as the issue consistently spells it, Bagdad)  When Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson agree to investigate but don't return, Superman is called to travel through time and rescue them.

Also, for no apparent reason, Bruce and Dick decide to put on their costumes (which they had on them) while in Baghdad.  They might stick out like a sore thumb normally, but throwing in superhero costumes on top of that just seems silly.

This leads to Superman posing as a genie (or, as it's spelled in this issue, genii) to keep them from being executed.  This doesn't sit well with a well-connected man named Abdullah, who is secretly the leader of the Forty Thieves and will tell people that completely unprovoked and for no reason whatsoever.

Issue 80 has the Gotham Gazette at risk of going out of business due to low circulation.  Perry White started his career at that paper, so he gladly sends his two star reporters to try and save it.  The editor discovered some kind of criminal menace but is hospitalized due to overwork, so Bruce decides to work there as a reporter so he can find out what the editor learned.  Since neither Bruce or Clark can take on the editing job, Lois Lane becomes the acting editor and almost immediately starts throwing out phrases like "Great Caesar's Ghost!" that Perry would say.  She is hilarious and amazing in this role.

As Clark and Bruce submit articles of their own actions in their dual identities, the biggest threat to Lois's life comes in the form of cleaning a desk.  She'll find the note about the criminal that the former editor was investigating, and Clark knows Lois well enough that once she learns about it, she'll start digging into that criminal's location herself. This gives the heroes a stricter time limit than they expected to find the Mole. (who isn't a spy like I expected, but a gangster who uses tunnels in his crimes; he could also have been a giant mole person, but that doesn't seem to be what the series is going for)

These stories were a lot of fun.  For the most part, it doesn't take advantage of the shared universe setting or use any known villains from the rogues gallery of its protagonists, but it's the sort of light-hearted silliness that I was hoping for. (the inexplicable time travel through hypnotism was an added bonus)  Weirdly enough, it makes me wish that we got an episode of Adam West's Batman where Superman made an appearance; I'm assuming there would be legal issues preventing it, but that's the sort of style or tone that these issues have.