Superman Vs. Shazam

Reprints All-New Special Edition #C-58, DC Comics Presents #33-34, 49, DC Comics Presents Annual #3
Written by Roy Thomas, Joey Cavalieri, Gerry Conway, Paul Kupperberg, Julius Schwartz and Gil Kane.
Penciled by Rich Buckler, Gil Kane.
Inked by Dick Giordano, John Calnan and Gil Kane.

Summary:
On Mars, a sorcerer known as Karmang The Evil lives a solitary existence. Thousands of years ago, he tried to discover the secret to immortality. His attempt made him immortal, but killed off everyone else on Mars. He hatches a plan to resurrect them. Karmang wants to force a collision between two planets, Earth-1 and Earth-S. This collision will generate enough energy to bring his fellow Martians back to life. 

Using his sorcery, he brings two super-villains to Mars: Black Adam, arch foe of Shazam (AKA, Captain Marvel) and Quarrmer, who recently battled Superman.

Karmang sends them to the Earths of their foes where they will activate a device called the space-time engine that will force each Earth towards the other. Quarrmer and Black Adam will also get Shazam and Superman to fight each other so they're too distracted to save their home planets from destruction.

Superman is surprised when Captaian Marvel shows up in Metropolis and challenges him to a fight. The fight is brief, but before Shazam flies off, he zaps Superman with a judgement ray. This causes the Man Of Steel to lose all judgement and sends him into a berserker rage, focused on nothing but fighting Shazam. We learn that "Shazam" was really Black Adam in disguise as the villain activates a "space-time engine" and leaves it in Metropolis.

Superman's cousin Supergirl witnesses this and is concerned. She has never seen Kal-El in such a rage and wonders why the two heroes want to kill each other. Supergirl follows her cousin as he pursues Captain Marvel.

In the New York City of Earth-S, Captain Marvel is attacked by Superman. A fight similar to the one on Earth-1 ensues, with Shazam being blasted with a judgement ray. "Superman" was actually Quarrmer masquerading as the Man Of Tomorrow and he activates the space-time engine that will propel Earth-S towards our planet. Captain Marvel is out for blood and heads for Earth-1.

Mary Marvel, sister of Captain Marvel, wonders what's happened to make Shazam so enraged and follows him to Earth-1.

Captain Marvel and Superman engage in one the greatest brawls any Earth has ever seen. They punch and throw each other across the United States, from Niagara Falls to the Grand Canyon.

Supergirl and Mary guess that impostors must have caused Superman and Shazam to fight each other. They deduce that Black Adam and Quarrmer must be the culprits. This leads them to Mars where Mary Marvel and Supergirl go after Karmang.

Earth's time is running out, the heroes have only two hours before Earth-S and Earth-1 will collide and be destroyed.  Can the heroes come to their senses and stop fighting each other in time to thwart Karmang's plot and save two Earths?

Sometime later, Clark Kent is working at the Daily Planet when he hears trouble and rushes off to change into Superman. Clark is shocked to find that he's wearing the red and gold costume of Captain Marvel! He uses a passageway to Earth-S to visit Shazam and finds that the World's Mightest Mortal is wearing a Superman costume!

The heroes learn that it's the work of Superman's mischievous enemy, Mister Mxyzptlk, the imp from the fifth dimension. In addition to causing the costume-switch, Mxyzptlk has cast a spell which traps Superman on Earth-S.

But Mxyzptlk isn't working alone. He's teamed up with Shazam's old foe Mr. Mind, the worm-like alien genius, as well as the super-strong, barbaric King Kull, another adversary of Captain Marvel. Kull states that he plans to kill every human bein on Earth. His strength has been increased by Mr. Mind, making King Kull deadlier than ever.

If Shazam and the Man Of Steel want to triumph over their enemies, they'll need the help of Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Junior and...last but not least Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny!

Subsequently, when Superman saves an ancient Egyptian temple from an explosion, he unwittingly releases Black Adam into the world. The villain attacks New York City and declares himself the new ruler of Earth. Superman battles Black Adam, but after a brief exchange, the Man Of Steel makes a tactical retreat.  

Their fight is observed by a young man named Billy Batson. On Earth-S, his counterpart is the alter ego of Captain Marvel. But on Earth-1, Billy is just a normal kid and Shazam only exists as a comic book character. He confronts Black Adam and even shouts "Shazam" in vain hopes he will turn in to Captain Marvel. Black Adam laughs at the boy.

Black Adam seems more powerful than ever. Superman finds a way to get Shazam to Earth, knowing it will take their combined power to stop Captain Marvel's deadliest foe. But young Billy Batson will also prove to be a valuable asset in their battle.

Finally, Captain Marvel's foe Dr. Thaddeus Bodog Sivana attacks Metropolis in a giant robot.  Superman is able to stop the robot, but Sivana escapes.

When the villain returns to Earth-S, he cooks up his deadliest scheme yet. Sivana creates a device that will give him the powers of Shazam.

The device works and Dr. Sivana becomes Captain Sivana! In addition to his scientific genius, Sivana is now one of the most powerful beings who ever lived.

Shazam will need to enlist the assistance of the Marvel Family and the Supermans of two Earths if he wants to defeat Captain Sivana!

Review:
The material reprinted in Superman Vs. Shazam is exciting and should appeal to fans of both characters.  It also features scripts and art from some of the greatest comic book talents of all time.

Story:
The plot of the first story, written by Gerry Conway, is a bit thin, but it's lots of fun. It basically consists of "two extremely powerful heroes fight each other." But that's okay, and I thought that Mary Marvel and Supergirl were written well in the story.

Conway and Roy Thomas co-wrote the two-part tale from DC Comics Presents 33-34 and it's another good story. Mxyzptlk has long been one of my favorite DC villains (I even had his Mego doll when I was a kid!) and he's very entertaining in this tale. When Mxyzplk objects to Kull and Mr. Mind killing people, it's a good reminder that not all super-villains are bent on world domination and oppression.

I also appreciated the presence of Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny. Is he a bit silly? Sure, but adding a "funny animal" character helped lighten the mood in a story about characters trying to kill or conquer.

The final portion gives us a story credited to Roy Thomas, Gil Kane, Joey Cavalieri and legendary DC editor Julius Schwartz. Normally, when I see a story credited to four people, I expect the worst. Thankfully, that is not the case here. It's another great brawl issue, with Captain Sivana slugging it out with Shazam and the Supermans of Earth-1 and Earth-2.

It was published in DC Comics Presents Annual #3. Bronze Age annuals were often mediocre but this is a great story.

Art:
Rich Buckler penciled most of this book and his art is good throughout. The art in the first story features Buckler's pencils inked by Dick Giordano. They give us page after page of fantastic art. When Captain Marvel and Superman are under the influence of the judgement ray, Buckler and Giordano do a great job depicting the heroes as psychotic madmen. Their facial expressions are almost scary. Lots of great action and fight scenes by two of the Bronze Age's best artists.

Buckler and Giordano also provide the art on tale that features Mxyzptlk, Mr. Mind, and King Kull.  Buckler's style had changed quite a bit since the first story, but it still looks good. John Calnan embellished Buckler on the next reprinted story. It's not bad, but it's the weakest art in the book. Black Adam just doesn't look right when depicted by the Buckler/Calnan team. 

Comics legend Gil Kane penciled and inked the Sivana story. Kane is one of my favorite artists, but this is near the end of his career. Kane's work here is good, even if it looks a bit rougher than his best work. Of course, Kane was a master of odd perspectives and he doesn't disappoint in that regard.

How Does It Look?:

I found this scan, from All-New Special Edition #C-58 on the internet:

This is how it appears in the tpb:

J.A. Morris' rating:
Superman Vs. Shazam features two of the greatest heroes of all time fighting each other and teaming up against great villains and is recommended. Fans of Rich Buckler's art will especially enjoy this tpb. It's also a good way to introduce the uninitiated to the quirky and amusing world of Shazam.

.5

3 and a half Sals.

Adventures of Superman: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez

Reprints Superman #294, 301-302, 307-309 and 347 DC Comics Presents #1-4, 17, 20, 24, 31, and All-New Collector's Edition C-54 
Written by Martin Pasko, Gerry Conway, Elliot S. Maggin, David Michelinie and Len Wein.

Penciled by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.

Inked by Dick Giordano, Steve Mitchell, Dan Adkins, Joe Giella, Frank Springer and Bob Oskner.

Over 350 pages of Superman action, featuring art from one of the finest pencilers of the Bronze Age!  Highlights include:

    

Solomon Grundy, the super-stong zombie from Earth II has arrived in Metropolis. In addition to generally trashing the city, he's turning the urban sprawl into a swamp. Clark Kent is in the middle of delivering a newscast on WGBS TV when he learns of Grundy's assault. If he wants to change into Superman so he can stop Grundy, he'll have to be in two places at once.

Something strange is happening to Superman. After a night of sleep, he wakes up and has grown a foot taller! When the Man of Steel apprehends smugglers in Metropolis Harbor, his new height and weight nearly causes a tidal wave. Superman is now nine feet tall!

We learn it's the work of his arch foe Lex Luthor. He zapped Superman with a ray that "super-activated" his pituitary gland. Luthor believes this will cause Superman to grow more clumsy and destructive.

The new height also causes Superman's brain to become overtaxed. His brain remains the same size as his body grows taller. It also complicates Clark Kent's life, since he can't show up to work as a giant. If he wants to solve his growing problem, Superman will need help from physicist Ray Palmer, better known as the superhero called the Atom.

Subsequently, Superman attacks a vinyl chloride plant outside Metropolis. The plant is a major source of pollution and Superman decides to destroy it. It's a move that surprises everyone, since Superman normally operates within the law.  

While he's wrecking the plant, Superman is confronted by a superpowered mutant who calls himself the Protector. He has the ability to change his molecular structure at will. At one point, he turns himself into a diamond to defend himself from Superman's attack. Protector disappears and Superman departs to a mountain where he does some serious thinking about the state of the world.

We learn that the Man of Steel is deeply worried about the state of Earth. He thinks of how his home planet Krypton was destroyed and worries that pollution will destroy Earth in a similar manner. He decides that he will continue attacking sources of pollution on his adopted planet. Suddenly, his cousin Supergirl shows up and points out that he's breaking the laws he's sworn to uphold. She has some surprising news that will shake Superman to his core.

Decades earlier, during World War II in the Pacific theater, Superman interrupts an attack by a Japanese submarine. When he questions the sub's captain, Superman learns that the purpose of the sub attack was part of a plan to disrupt the United States' top secret Manhattan Project. Navy Admiral Nimitz orders Superman to report to the Secretary of War, who explains the Manhattan Project to Superman.

At the same time, Superman's Justice Society teammate Wonder Woman learns about the Manhattan Project. She investigates the Project in the guise of her alter ego, Army Intelligence Officer Yeoman Diana Prince. The Amazon discovers it's a top secret program dedicated to building an atomic bomb. Wonder Woman is very disturbed by this prospect.  

She returns home to Paradise Island to seek counsel from her mother Hippolyta. She fears that the U.S. will build an atomic bomb and use it. Wonder Woman believes such a weapon would "unleash demons more terrible than those freed by Pandora!" Hippolyta says that after they discuss the issue, Diana's course of action should be clear.

On an island in the Pacific, a Nazi supersoldier named Baron Blitzkrieg meets with a Japanese samurai warrior called Sumo. The samurai has been brought in to interrogate an American scientist about the Manhattan Project. Sumo simply looks into the man's eyes and forces him to divulge information.

He tells Sumo and Blitzkrieg where they will find components to build an atomic bomb. The two axis villains then plan to attack the United States.

Back in the states, Wonder Woman learns that the Manhattan Project is being conducted at the University Of Chicago. She attacks the university and goes on a rampage. Her activities attract the attention of Superman. She explains that she must prevent the bomb from being built for the sake of the world. The Man Of Steel intervenes and a battle of titans begins.  

Can the two heroes find some common ground in time to unite and stop Baron Blitzkrieg and Sumo? Or will Nazi Germany steal the plans for the Manhattan Project and build an atomic bomb?

Back in the "present' day (1978), members of two alien races beam Superman and the Flash up into space. The aliens' planets have been battling each other for so long that the cause of the conflict is "lost to history." They ask Flash and Superman to run and fly through time to prevent the conflict from ever starting.  

However, their journey through time will not be easy, since forces who want to continue the war have planted booby traps along the heroes' path. Plus, when Flash reaches the 25th century, he encounters his greatest foe: Professor Zoom, the Reverse-Flash!  

At the New York branch of S.T.A.R. Labs, Superman is assisting scientists in un-freezing the ice-based criminal known as Killer Frost. She is believed to be deceased, but when the Man of Steel hits her "corpse" with heat vision, she returns to life! Killer Frost uses her freezing powers to freeze Superman's brain, turning him into her servant.  

The only person who can free Superman and stop Killer Frost is her arch nemesis, Firestorm, the nuclear man!  

Lastly, the Sterling Circus sets up its tent in Gotham City. Dick Grayson, better known as Batman's partner Robin, recognizes his old friend Waldo the clown working at the circus. When Dick approaches Waldo, the clown doesn't respond or acknowledge him.

Grayson gets suspicious and changes into Robin to investigate the circus. He's hit with a mental attack and collapses. Robin discovers that Waldo and the other circus performers are under mind control. But it gets worse when Grayson discovers that Sterling Circus' strongman is none other than Superman! How can Robin defeat the mind-controller if he has Superman on his side?

Review:

The stories are a mixed bag, but the focus of this hardcover (as its title suggests) is one of the best artists of the Bronze Age.  

Story:

This is mostly a collection of one-part stories penned by six different writers

I enjoyed Gerry Conway's stories the most. The highlight of the book is the battle between Wonder Woman and Superman. It feels a lot like an episode of the Wonder Woman TV show (a hit show when the story was published), and that's a good thing.  

Most "hero vs. hero" fights of the Bronze Age (and Silver Age, for that matter) were usually based on a misunderstanding. In this case, Superman and Wonder Woman are friends and teammates who have very different opinions on the atomic bomb and decide to settle their arguments with a brawl. It's a very refreshing change of pace.  

It should also be noted that when it comes to slugging it out, Wonder Woman is shown to be a worthy opponent for the Man Of Tomorrow. 

Baron Blitzkrieg is also a great antagonist for a story that takes place during WWII. 

Conway also writes historical figures like Albert Einstein, Adm. Chester Nimitz, and Secretary of War Henry Stinson into the story. I have a degree in history, so I appreciated their inclusion.

Conway also wrote the story that features Superman's fight with Protector and the Superman/Firestorm team-up. The latter tale marked the return of Firestorm to comics, which is fitting, since Conway co-created the character.  

Martin Pasko wrote a good two-part time-travel team-up tale where Superman teams with Flash. I'm a big fan of good time-travel stories and Pasko added a short fight between the heroes and Professor Zoom, who is one of my favorite Bronze Age villains.

That story also features a brief meeting between Superman and his younger self when he fought crime as Superboy in the 30th century. They shouldn't exist in the same world at the same time, so they crash into each other, which sends them back to their rightful times.

I don't think the other stories featured in this book are bad, but they can be a bit silly at times. For instance, Solomon Grundy attacks Metropolis during Clark Kent's evening newscast. So Superman hypnotizes Steve Lombard and disguises Lombard as Clark Kent, so that "Clark" can be in two places at once. It's harmless, but it also seems silly and feels like something that belongs in the Silver Age.

About half the stories reprinted here originally ran in DC Comics Presents. This was a B-level team-up series (sort of DC's version of Marvel Team-Up) that usually featured tales that were done in one issue. It was a fun enough series (I occasionally bought issues), but don't expect to read anything too groundbreaking.   

Art:

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez was one of the greatest pencilers of the 1970s and 80s. For years, he drew images of DC characters used in licensed products like t-shirts or lunch boxes. His art in this book always looks good in these stories and occasionally looks fantastic. 

As good as Garcia-Lopez was, sometimes I feel like his art is watered down by inkers. In the early stories reprinted in this book, I get the impression Vince Colletta, Bob Oksner, Frank Springer and Dan Adkins are trying to make Garcia-Lopez' art conform to the "traditional" look of Superman. 

But even with inkers who weren't the best fit, Garcia-Lopez' talents still shine through. He does some great stuff with layouts and unusual angles, such as this two-page spread from the Wonder Woman/Superman fight:

The only downside to that story is that it was originally published in the tabloid-sized All-New Collector's Edition #C-54. In this hardcover, it's reprinted in the size of standard Bronze Age comics.  It still looks great, but loses a little something in the process. 

In some of the later stories, Garcia-Lopez inks his own work and it's a major improvement. Here are some pages that he inked, that were originally published in DC Comics Presents #24:

Garcia-Lopez also served as both inker and penciler on the scan below:

The last story reprinted in the book features inks from Dick Giordano. He was one of the best inkers of his era and he does a nice job enhancing Garcia-Lopez' pencils without overpowering them. The story features Robin teaming with Superman. Here's a scan that features Garcia-Lopez embellished by Giordano:  

Excellent art from two great Bronze Age talents.  

How Does It Look?:

Here's a scan I found on the net, taken from All-New Collector's Edition #C-54:

This is how the same pages appear in Adventures Of Superman:Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez:

Remember, this story was originally printed on tabloid-sized newsprint, so the original version shows some wear and tear.  But I don't see any weird recoloring in the reprint version.

Adventures Of Superman: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez contains some fun stories that feature one of the greatest superheroes of all time with some great art. But the criticisms I mentioned prevent me from giving it a higher rating. Fans of Garcia-Lopez should definitely seek out this book. 

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 Sals.

Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali: Deluxe Edition

Reprints All-New Collectors' Edition #c-56
Written by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams.
Penciled by Neal Adams.
Inked by Dick Giordano, Terry Austin and Steve Mitchell.


Muhammad Ali, Heavyweight Champion of the World, is in Metropolis, training for his next title bout. Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, reporters for WGBS News, find Ali and ask him for an interview. He agrees, telling Lois she's "prettier than Cosell."

Suddenly, an alien arrives. When Lois tries to interview him, the alien shoves her. Ali responds by punching him. The alien says he is Emperor Rat'Lar of the Scrubb. Rat'Lar has observed Earth and says its people are the most "warlike and savage" in the galaxy.

The Scrubb know that Ali is Earth's champion, so Rat'Lar proposes a fight between Muhammad and a Scrubb fighter. Ali doesn't really have a choice, since Rat'Lar has stationed a hundred warships in Earth's orbit. When Superman grabs Rat'Lar, the alien retaliates by launching missiles at St. Louis.  Thankfully, Superman is able to stop the missiles.

Superman says that alien threats are more up his alley and he should fight the Scrubb champion. Ali believes it should be him, since he was born on Earth.  Since they can't agree who will fight the Scrubb, Rat'Lar demands that Superman and Muhammad must fight each other for the right to face his champion. The alien says he can arrange for their fight to take place under a red sun, which will take away Superman's powers. Rat'Lar gives them 24 hours to prepare.

Ali is taken to Superman's Fortress Of Solitude, so "The Greatest" can give the Man Of Steel a crash-course in boxing.  Thankfully, Superman creates a boxing ring around a Kryptonian Continuum Disruptor. This means their training can take place outside the realm of normal time, giving Superman months to train.

The training session is a learning experience for Superman.  He learns that there's more to the so-called "Sweet Science" than punching.

When it's time for the fight, it's no contest. Even with months to train, Superman is no match for Muhammad Ali without his powers.

The champ pummels the superhero, knocking him out.

Thus, Ali will serve as champion and fight to save Earth.

Rat'Lar introduces Ali to his opponent, a giant named Hun'Ya. Rat'Lar says Hun'Ya was created in a Scrubb laboratory to be the perfect warrior.  How can even Ali expect to defeat such a foe?  

Ali and Superman are introduced to Hun'Ya!

If Ali can't "whup" Hun'Ya, Rat'Lar will destroy Earth!

Can Ali out-box a seemingly unbeatable opponent? Will Earth be destroyed? Even if Ali wins, can Rat'Lar be trusted to spare Earth?

Review:
This is a great one-shot story. Like many children of the 70s, I was a big fan of Muhammad Ali. He was the most famous person on Earth and the closest thing we had to a real-live superhero. I owned the Muhammad Ali doll and I cried when he lost his championship to Leon Spinks. So I've been a fan of this story for a long time. It's written, penciled and inked by some of the greatest comic book talents of the Bronze Age.

Story:
This story is the definition of fun. The original credits for the story say "Script based on an original story by: Denny O'Neil; Adapted by Neal Adams," so I'm guessing it's mostly scripted by Adams. In any event, it's a great tale with good dialogue from all the characters. The script captures Ali's public persona very well. The champ is always confident that he'll beat any opponent thrown at him, no matter the odds. Adams even gives us some of Ali's Ringside Poetry. There's a great scene where Ali says a Scrubb spaceship looks like "a cross between Star Wars, Lost In Space and a pregnant blender," which made me laugh.

Superman and Ali prepare to face off in the ring.

Superman is also well-written. He's shown as a hero who will do anything to save his adopted home planet. His interactions with Ali are also enjoyable. Rat'Lar is a great antagonist for the good guys.

Readers who are unfamiliar with Bronze Age Superman stories may be surprised to see Clark, Lois and Jimmy working as broadcast journalists working for WGBS, rather than as newspaper reporters. During the 1970s, this was the status quo in Superman comics.

Art:
Neal Adams is one of the finest illustrators I can think of and one of (if not) the greatest comic book artists of all time, and Dick Giordano does a nice job inking Adams. The art here is gorgeous from start to finish.

Jimmy Olsen serves as announcer for Ali & Superman's fight
and sportscaster Howard Cosell makes a cameo

Adams draws amazing likenesses of not just Ali, but also Ali's manager Herbert Muhammad and cornerman Bundini Brown.

Bundini Brown punches Scrubbs, Ali slugs it out with Hun'Ya.

In addition to fantastic renderings of Superman, Ali and the other characters, Adams fills this comic with lots of great looking aliens and futuristic structures.  Adams also gives us lots of cool demonstrations of Superman's powers.  And he has some unique ways of laying out panels in the book as well.  A good example can be found in the image below:

How Does It Look?:
This portion of the review may be somewhat controversial. Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali has been recolored with "modern" coloring. Here's a scan of an original page from All-New Collectors' Edition #c-56:

Beautiful work by Adams and Giordano.

This is how it looks in the reprint book:

For good measure, here's another page, from the original...

...and how it looks in the reprinted version:

I'm sorry, but it just looks and feels wrong to me. It's my understanding that the recoloring was done with instructions from Adams himself, but I still can't get behind that.  The "new" colors used here didn't exist in comic books published in the 1970s. It reminds me of George Lucas editing the Star Wars movies because they were made in the pre-CGI era. I also think the recoloring (especially the bottom panel of the above image) gives some of the art a muddied look.

Extras:
This book contains a new introduction from Adams where he discusses the process it took to create the book. DC Comics's longtime publisher Jeanette Kahn contributes an Afterword where she discusses DC's interactions with Ali and his management team.

The cover for All-New Collectors' Edition #c-56 featured likenesses of dozens of then-famous people. A key is included so that readers can figure out who's who in the cover drawing.  The book closes with eleven pages of Adams' preliminary sketches of Ali and Superman.

Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali: Deluxe Edition features an exciting story where the first superhero teams with one of the greatest and most famous athletes of all time. Adams' art is fantastic, but the weird recoloring makes an otherwise enjoyable book a lot less enjoyable. It's still recommended, but the recoloring means I can't give it a higher rating.

J.A. Morris' rating:

.5

2 and a half Sals.