Descrizione
SUPERMAN
prima delle due antologie estive brossurate in formato tascabile . questa non ha numerazione ed è considerata il n. ZERO , uscito come supplemento a SUPERMAN SELEZIONE N. 9 nel giugno 1979
contiene 9 storie con protagonisti : SUPERMAN – BATMAN – SUPERBOY – FLASH – LANTERNA VERDE – BATGIRL (2 storie però sono INCOMPLETE a causa del congenito difetto di fabbrica dell’ albo)
CONDIZIONI : BUONISSIME, DI RESA, COPIA FALLATA CON ERRORE TIPOGRAFICO, AL POSTO DELLA SEZIONE DI PAGINE DA 67 A 82 COMPRESE E’ STATA RIPETUTA UNA SECONDA VOLTA QUELLA DA 51 A 66
PELLICOLE DI STAMPA ) DELLA MAGGIOR PARTE DEI NUMERI DI BATMAN E
SUPERMAN, DIRETTAMENTE ATTINTE E PROVIENIENTI DALLO SVUOTAMENTO DELLA
REDAZIONE E DEL MAGAZZINO CENISIO DI VIA JACOPO DELLA QUERCIA, ALL’
EPOCA IN CUI LA CASA EDITRICE CHIUSE I BATTENTI.
PER INFO :
endrucomics@yahoo.it
347 48 34 999
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Lois Lane
Other Characters:
- Dr.Vandt
- Christina Delbart
Locations:
Synopsis
Superman safeguards his identity from a prying scientist by adopting a
new secret identity, that of Chris Delbart, a Wall Street stockbroker.
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Van-Zee
- Dev-Re
Villains:
- a Zirkonian Cat
Other Characters:
- Morgan Edge
- US President Gerald Ford
- USSR President Leonid Brezhnev
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Middle East
- United Nations Headquarters , NYC
- Fortress of Solitude , Arctic
- Kandor
- White House, Washington D.C.
Synopsis
To save Kandor from civil war, Superman has agreed to become its
king, and live in the bottle city. But, inexplicably, Superman
repeatedly emerges in the outer world and acts irresponsibly, and the
Kandorians ask Batman to kill the Man of Steel.
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Lex Luthor
- Kryptonite Kid (flashback only)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis
Lex Luthor takes over Smallville in Superboy’s
absence. Superboy is weakened in the town of green-skinned people, but
he eventually learns that Luthor has sent a satellite into space that
screens out the sun’s yellow rays from Earth, thus weakening him. He
destroys the satellite, returns Smallville and its citizens to normal,
and easily defeats Luthor.
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Toyman (Jack Nimball) (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mr. Barton
Locations:
Synopsis
Clark Kent
is shooting a commercial at the airport when a criminal similar to the
Toyman shrinks and steals a 707. The new Toyman is able to escape by
using exploding bubble gum animals to threaten the town below, forcing
Superman to abandon the chase to protect the residents.
Within a few days, a nuclear submarine and a solar-powered train
are stolen as this new Toyman intends to ransom off the stolen vehicles
for $100 million. The newscast catches the attention of the original
Toyman, who decides to defend his reputation.
The new Toyman’s next target is the world’s fastest car but his
plot is foiled by the original, who threatens his younger counterpart
into joining forces with him.
The two Toymen steal a satellite rocket and return to the forest
where the new Toyman has been hiding what he has stolen but the young
upstart turns on Schott, attempting to suffocate him with poisonous
cotton candy.
Meanwhile, a shrunken Superman is revealed to have stowed away on
the rocket. After returning to normal size, Superman dribbles the new
Toyman into unconsciousness and frees Schott with his heat vision. It is
revealed that Schott was actually working with Superman to take down
the new Toyman.
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis
Signalman returns to Gotham City to commit grand robberies, battle
Batman, and place his foe within a deathtrap–the Bat-Signal itself.
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
Other Characters:
- Gregory Reed
- Morgan Edge
- Steve Lombard
- Lois Lane
- Perry White
- Jimmy Olsen
Locations:
- Metropolis
Synopsis
Superman emerges from the “grave” transformed into a double for Terra-Man, and everyone from his Justice League friends to the brother of the alien killed by the real Terra-Man wants revenge on him.
Featured Characters:
- Superman
Supporting Characters:
- Lois Lane
Villains:
Locations:
- Metropolis
- Tulville
Synopsis
One evening, Clark Kent and Lois Lane were walking down a crowded
Metropolis sidewalk when a scream suddenly filled the air, “The
Prankster! He’s struck again!” Turning to face the commotion Kent looked
intently through the crowd and suddenly his shirt flew open exposing
the familiar blue and red costume of Superman, “You won’t get away with
it this time, Prankster!” Kent yelled. Lois Lane looked at Kent in
amazement. Why was Kent publicly revealing his identity?
The answer goes back a week earlier, in the Daily Planet offices.
Lois had just received a telephone call from Jim Wright telling her
that he could not play the lead role in the News Association’s annual
play. Getting up from her desk, Lois sauntered over to Kent’s desk and
coyly asked, “Clark, There’s no time for a substitute. You want to play
Superman?” Kent was a bit stunned but reluctantly agreed after Lois
badgered him for a while.
Later that day, Kent arrived for his first rehearsal and costume fitting
at the Rox Theater. Emerging from the dressing room, he stood awkwardly
in a costume that hung loosely from his shoulders. “We picked Jim
Wright because he was big and husky but we’ll have to cut the costume
down for you,” laughed Lois. One of the other reporters came up and
stared at Kent. “At least your face is somewhat like Superman,” he said.
Kent thought he was fortunate to have used some make-up in the dressing
room to make sure that he didn’t look too much like Superman.
The News Association play was based on an adventure Superman had with
the Prankster, and suddenly a short man dressed to look like the
Prankster popped around the corner. Seeing Kent being hoisted up on a
wire guide to practicing his “flying” the small, round actor chuckled,
“It won’t be hard to keep laughing like the real Prankster when Kent
flies down a wire in that suit.”
As rehearsal progressed, Kent practiced his flying and capturing the
Prankster. Then, on another set, Kent almost made a horrible mistake
lifting a real piano rather than the paper mache prop. Once the
rehearsal was complete the director pulled Kent aside. “Well Kent, you
weren’t too bad. The part’s yours… permanently.”
Outside the theater, the real Prankster read the advertisements on the
marquee. “I ought to sue for libel,” he grumbled out loud. Then he
noticed that Clark Kent was playing the title role. “He’ll find it a
troublesome role. Yes indeed— I’ll see to that!” promised the
Prankster, and that was proven at the next rehearsal. Kent was in
costume ready to go through a scene when he noticed that the theatre was
filled with “hard-looking characters” sitting in the audience. Lois
tried to calm him down by telling him that they were probably just
people who wandered in off the street to watch, but using his x-ray
vision he saw that these “patrons” have tomatoes and rocks in their
pockets.
As soon as Kent appeared as Superman on stage, the thugs began throwing
the objects at him. Quickly speeding off the stage, Superman remembered
that this theatre had a large revolving stage and he spun the sets so
quickly that it actually blew the rocks and vegetables right back in the
thugs’ faces. Hearing a commotion, Lois came running out. “Those
hoodlums are running! And only the real Superman could’ve spun the stage
so fast,” she thought. But moments later, they heard a moan and found
Clark wrapped in the gears and belts of the mechanism that spins the
stage. “It’s a miracle you weren’t hurt,” said one of the stagehands,
dusting Kent off. Still, thought Lois, it was funny that Kent tripped
into the mechanism and got it working.
At the Prankster’s hideout, the mood is anything but jolly. “Get out you
malodorous idiots-boobs-nitwits! Stopped by a near-sighted, fifth rate
imitation of Superman. I’ll handle this personally at the first
opportunity.” Picking up a copy of the Daily Planet, he read the
front-page headline that announced that the play would begin a tryout in
Tullville tomorrow. “I know Tullville,” chuckled the Prankster, quickly
planning his next catastrophe. “A little wooden bridge leads into that
swampy town. Very swampy indeed. Enough to swamp the whole cast.”
The next day, the Prankster waited beneath the bridge leading to
Tullville to witness his handiwork. He has cut out part of the supports
of the wooden bridge and when the bus carrying the troupe passed that
section of planking it gave way and fell, to the gleeful laughter of the
Prankster. In an effort to save the troupe, Kent, who was in costume,
leaped from the window of the bus carrying Lois Lane with him. On his
way past, he grabbed a rope that had been sitting on the top of the bus,
then fell over one of the bridge’s support beams carrying Lois with
him. Their momentum appeared to take them beneath the bus then back up
again forming a loop around the bus. Hanging from the beam, Lois and
Clark appeared saved by a tangle of rope.
Once the bus was safely supported beneath the bridge, Superman watched
the Prankster creep along the edge of the bridge to view the aftermath.
Superman used his heat vision to burn away a support beam, sending the
Prankster headfirst into the swamp. Back at his hideout, the Prankster
was furious because he had become a laughing stock to his men. “So, my
name’s mud, eh?” He grumbled. “I’ll stand Metropolis on its ear.”
The next evening was the gala Metropolis premier of the play, attracting
a throng of first-nighters. Backstage, Lois told Clark not to worry
since she doubted that the Prankster will try anything this night.
“There’s a special police detail outside all the entrances.”
Suddenly the actor who plays the Prankster popped his head into the
dressing room. “There’s your cue, Kent. Off with the glasses and lets
get going.” The next minute Kent was hoisted up to his place on a thin
wire, but when the Prankster reappeared, Lois realized that he was
holding a real tommygun. “Of course, Nothing like realism to liven up a
role,” laughed the Prankster who put his finger on the trigger and began
shooting. Hanging by a wire, Kent realized that was the real Prankster
and he was firing real bullets. Taking careful aim, the Prankster shot
at a specific rope causing a new set to fall to the stage, telling the
audience that this was a stick up and they should to remain in their
seats. From behind the screen, the Prankster’s henchmen arrive with
their, guns drawn.
Realizing he needed to act quickly, but not wanting to give away his
secret identity, Superman twisted, breaking the support wire. He fell to
the stage hitting a loose board so powerfully that it catapulted a prop
barrel up and over the Prankster’s head. Seeing this, his thugs moved
toward Superman who leaped through a set head first, simultaneously
flipping a bullet casing into the fuse box, shorting out the current and
shutting off the house lights. Moving quickly, Superman painted a giant
image of himself, then used an iron clothes rack to fashion a prison
cell. When the lights came up, a new set appeared on stage, one with the
painted image of Superman flying the Prankster away. The Prankster and
his thugs stared at the set. “What’s that?” yelled the Prankster. “It’s
not in the script!” With the crooks distracted, Superman dropped the
cell on them. “A good actor can always ad-lib in an emergency,” laughed
Superman.
As the dust settled, Lois came running in. “This time you can’t get out
of it, Superman. All those accidents fooled me before. But now I know
Clark is the real Superman. Because if you’re not Clark, where is he?”
On cue, a voice from the rafters pleaded, “Help! Get me down.” There
stuck in the rafters was… Clark Kent. “Guess he got caught on one of
these rope pulleys when the last drops were raised,” said Superman who
flew up to retrieve him. Kent then asked Superman to carry him out to
the alley so he can change his ripped suit trousers. Lois just shook her
head. “Oh dear. I was wrong about Clark again.” But, unknown to Lois,
she wasn’t wrong. Superman had used the cardboard cutout of Kent from
the front of the theater to make her think Clark was stuck in the
rafters, and his ventriloquism to cry for help to deceive Lois.
The next day, the Planet told a very different story as the headline
read, “Audience cheers new ending of News Association play.” “Some
people think it was all part of the act,” laughed Lois. “Well,” said
Kent, “The Prankster’s act was so good he’s certain to have a long run
at the state prison.”
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Alfred Pennyworth
- Jason Burr (apparently killed by Melissa McNeil’s corpse mind-controlled by Kobra) (Apparent Death)
Villains:
Other Characters:
- Melissa McNeil (Appears only as a corpse)
Locations:
Synopsis
Batman thwarts an attempted theft of a letter from a post office, but
the two thieves escape via an anti-gravity ray. The letter is addressed
to Bruce Wayne and comes from Jason Burr, who asks for the help of
Wayne’s friend, the Batman, and explains that the letter will only reach
Wayne in the event of Burr’s death. Burr explains the origin of his
evil twin brother Kobra, who is the master of a cobra-worshiping cult
which seeks to rule the world. Kobra, who feels what his brother feels
(and vice versa) through “physical telepathy,” has recently kidnapped
Burr’s beloved, Melissa McNeil. The letter also mentions Kobra’s
“raising the dead.” Accordingly, Batman and Alfred travel by Batjet to
the Swiss Alps, to investigate Ra’s Al Ghul’s Lazarus Pit, which may be
Kobra’s tool. Once there, Batman fights his way past cobra-cultists, but
is finally snared and is handcuffed with Burr to a device which is
slowly lowering them into the Lazarus Pit. Kobra, who confronts them
with the zombie-like Melissa McNeil, reveals to them that he has
modified the Lazarus Pit so that it kills, but instantly restores its
victims to life as his slaves, as he has already done with Melissa.
Through the Pit, he hopes to convert the leaders of the world to his
pawns. A “neural neutralizer” temporarily is canceling the physical
telepathy between him and Burr. Batman breaks himself and Burr free of
the device, captures Kobra, and uses him to have himself, Burr, and
Melissa freed from the cultists. But Kobra has Melissa stab Burr to
death, and escapes Batman via an anti-gravity beam. Batman vows that the
Justice League will smash Kobra’s empire, and that he himself will
bring Kobra to justice.
Notes
- As it is explained in this issue’s editorial the Batman vs. Kobra story was planned for Kobra #8, but the series was cancelled before the story was plotted. The story was reworked into this issue’s The Dead on Arrival Conspiracy.
Featured Characters:
Villains:
- M.A.Z.E.
- Mr. J
Other Characters:
Locations:
Synopsis
Traveling to the Fortress of Solitude,
Superman and Batman have come to put a new trophy there from their last
mission: The Golden Eye. Collected during their case against Effron the
Sorcerer. There Batman tells Superman
that he has to return to Gotham City to help Senator Cleary with a
solar disintegrator project. In hearing this it reminds Superman that he
will be traveling to cover a story in Washington D.C. for the Daily
Planet. Batman suggests that while Superman is there that he visit an
old friend: Barbara Gordon, who is a Senator in Washington.
Arriving in Washington, he calls up Barbara Gordon and asks for
her help in getting into the Emperor of Ethiopia’s reception at the
White House, an request that Barbara accepts on the account that Clark
is a friend of Bruce Wayne.
While at the White House, Clark happens upon Senator Cleary and
blurts out what he knows about the solar disintegrator, before Barbara
rushes him out of the room. Later that night after saying goodnight to
Barbara, Clark is confronted and pretends to be knocked out by some men
wanting to know what Clark knows about the solar disintegrator. He is
taken to a man named Mr. J who wants to know the secrets and locks Clark
up in a cell until he can divulge that information. Not wanting to
reveal his identity he decides to wait for the ideal time to change into
Superman and break himself out.
The next day Clark’s disappearance is reported in the news,
prompting Barbara to take her Batgirl identity out of retirement in
order to search for him. She manages to track down Mr. J’s hide out, and
provide the distraction necessary for Clark to change into Superman to
stop Mr. J and his goons, then uses his super speed to convince Batgirl
that Mr. J is really an unconscious Clark Kent that needs medical
attention. He then flies Mr. J off to the FBI then appears at the
hospital as Clark Kent just as Barbara Gordon arrives there to check on
his condition.
Later, returning to the Fortress of Solitude with Batman,
Superman deduces that he probably blurted out what he knew about the
solar disintegrator because they had somehow accidentally triggered the
Golden Eye. Going to check to make sure it is deactivated, they are
shocked to find that somehow, the device has been stolen.
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