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Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
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TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Corked bat? Steroids? You decide.
Today's classic comics cover is from SUPERMAN #66 [September- October, 1950] and, as I've done in the past, I turn to the Grand Comics Database [www.comics.org] and Michael L. Fleisher's spiffy THE GREAT SUPERMAN BOOK [Warner Books; 1978] to bring you the facts on an issue I've never read and can't possibly afford to buy. Why do I torture thee and me this way?
SPOILERS AHEAD
"The Babe of Steel" is written by Bill Woolfolk with pencilled art by Wayne Boring and inks by Stan Kaye. The Fleisher report on this story says:
While fleeing from Superman in an air-filled balloon, the Prankster and his henchmen are forced to crash-land in the Florida Everglades, where, through a miraculous accident of circumstances, they stumble upon the fabled Fountain of Youth. Returning to Metropolis with a supply of the magic elixir, the villains begin using the substance to foment fiendish mischief and commit spectacular crimes, as when they transform Lois Lane into an infant and threaten to withhold the antidote to the magic water unless Superman keeps his distance, and when they attempt to rob the Merchant's Bank by having one of their number - also transformed into an infant by the elixir - crawl into the bank's vault through a narrow air duct.
Superman's efforts to apprehend the Prankster and his henchmen are severely hampered by the fact that the villains have succeeded, albeit inadvertently, in transforming him into an infant as well, making him, for a time, the laughingstock of Metropolis and forcing him to adopt new, sometimes somewhat embarrassing, crime-fighting strategies, as when he sets out to foil the robbery of the Merchant's Bank by disguising himself in baby clothes and having himself wheeled into the bank inside a baby carriage. Ultimately, however, through an elaborate ruse, the so-called Babe of Steel tricks the Prankster into revealing that the antidote to the Fountain of Youth's water is ordinary sugar, whereupon he restores himself - and Lois Lane - to adulthood and apprehends the villain and his henchmen.
Turning Superman and friends into babies seems to have been a favorite gimmick of editors in the 1950s and 1960s. It was done to the Legion of Super-Heroes twice that I can recall and I know there were several other Superman or Lois Lane stories that also used the bit. I hesitate to ask - because I suspect it's already out there - but has anyone ever come up with a list of these de-aging tales? It would be amusing and doubtless unsettling to know just how many there were.
I have heard of the second story in this issue and it knocked me for a loop when I first learned about it. Written by Woolfolk with pencilled art by Al Plastino and inks by Kaye, "The Last Days of Superman" is the original version of this classic:
Here's what Fleisher writes about Woolfolk's tale:
After Clark Kent has suffered a series of fainting spells and doctors have diagnosed his condition as Walker's disease, an incurable fatal illness, Superman decides to use what he believes are his last remaining days of life to carry out a series of gigantic super-tasks as his final legacy to mankind, including the stockpiling of vast amounts of coal and oil - and the construction of a gigantic solar-power plant - to meet mankind's energy needs in the year 2000 A.D. and the destruction of a barren planet in outer space that threatens to collide with Earth in the year 1987. Ultimately, however, having completed these tasks, Superman learns that he is not dying at all, but rather suffering from the debilitating effects of a tiny fragment of kryptonite that has become accidentally lodged in the camera of a Daily Planet cameraman, thereby weakening Clark Kent with its baleful radiations whenever he reports to work at the Planet. Indeed, once the offending kryptonite fragment has been disposed of, Kent is restored to perfect health.
In SUPERMAN #156 [October, 1962], "The Last Days of Superman" ran 25 pages instead of the original's 12. Writer Edmond Hamilton had more than extra pages going for him, though; he had the use of the expanded Superman universe of the Silver Age and the expressive art of Curt Swan (pencils) and George Klein (inks) and was able to take full advantage of both.
In the recycled story, Superman and Jimmy Olsen find a chest they erroneously believe contains the deadly-to-Kryptonians "Virus X." It's the kryptonite lodged in Jimmy's camera that is affecting Superman, but they think it's the incurable disease. When Superman becomes too weak to accomplish the super-tasks of this new version, he calls on Supergirl, Lori Lemaris, and the Legion of Super-Heroes to complete them for him.
Hamilton and Swan really go to town on the emotional scenes of Superman saying goodbye to Batman and Robin, thinking about all the women he's loved over the years, and writing his farewell message to mankind. If I had to pick just one favorite panel from all the Superman comics I've read, it would be the shot of the momentarily- in-"remission" Man of Steel using his heat-vision to carve his last public words on the surface of the moon.
During Superman's 50th anniversary, I used that quote - "Do good to others and every man can be a Superman" - on almost every occasion I was asked to speak to groups about the character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The line still says everything I really need to know about Superman.
Getting back to SUPERMAN #66:
My pal Alvin Schwartz wrote "The Machine That Played Cupid," the third and final Superman story in the issue. It was drawn by the Boring/Kaye team.
Fleisher's summary of the tale is brief:
Finney Floor is Lois Lane's high school sweetheart and the organizer of an exhibition of giant office machines. When Floor's exhibition is beset by vexing delays, Superman sees that it's ready on schedule, helps restore Floor's flagging self-confidence, and even reconciles Floor with his fiancee Minnie, who has become needlessly suspicious of Floor's interest in his former girlfriend, Lois Lane.
Giant office machines? I thought that sort of thing was the Batman's speciality.
Man! Every time I do one of these flashbacks I get more and more impatient for DC to get around to reprinting these stories in its ARCHIVES editions.
Let's crunch some numbers just for the heck of it.
The 34th edition of THE OFFICIAL OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE estimates that a near-mint condition copy of SUPERMAN #66 is worth $800. The 2nd edition of THE STANDARD CATALOG OF COMIC BOOKS has it at $450. A quick search of eBay found no recently complete or ongoing auctions for the issue. I guess it'll be a while before I get to meet Finney Floor.
Look for more flashbacks in future columns.
******
TONY POLLS
It's Tuesday and that means new TONY POLLS questions have been or will be posted today.
Joss Whedon has been signed to write and direct a WONDER WOMAN movie and fandom is abuzz with guesses/suggestions as to who will play the Amazing Amazon. This week, we have the first round of our own search in two polls, each featuring 18 actresses. The top 12 vote-getters of these polls will go on to the next round. Which of these ladies would you most like to see as Wonder Woman?
The National Cartoonist Society has announced its nominees for this year's Reuben Awards. We ask you to cast your votes in three categories:
Cartoonist of the Year
Comic Book
Newspaper Strip
Wait! There's more! We also ask you to vote on which comics and books you would most like to see reviewed here.
Get in on the fun by going to:
www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/poll
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. I'll be back soon with more stuff.
Tony Isabella
<< 03/21/2005 | 03/22/2005 | 03/23/2005 >>
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THE "TONY" SCALE
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
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