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March 1981 |
Batman and Superman fly to the Pentagon to meet General Rivers and the Ace Morgan and Prof Haley. Superman greets Prof. (They last met in JLA 144.) The Challs have, for several months, been on a secret mission. They've been hunting Dr. Charles Brock. He was kidnapped and taken to the Andes Mountains, and forced to create a gravity bomb, a terror weapon. |
Looking like an orange space station, it hangs over the North Pole, surrounded by a reverse-gravity field that repels anything. The "bomb" can disrupt gravity all over North America, and will unless blackmail is paid. The Challengers tried to destroy the bomb before it was launched, but failed. Red and Rocky were captured. Red is captive in the Andes. The computer figured Batman was the best bet to free him. Prof will accompany the Dark Knight. Ace and Superman will go after the gravity bomb. Ace notes they all survived a plane crash and live on borrowed time, but "we're not quite ready to cash in the chips." In the Andes, Prof leads Batman on a dive through twisted tunnels to enter the complex. |
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Batman goes on alone where "a human fly and trained acrobat" are needed. Batman climbs, but finds a sheer wall that stumps him. Over the North Pole, Ace jets around the gravity bomb while Superman flies straight at it - and bounces off the reverse-gravity field. Using his brain, Supes flits to his Fortress of Solitude and creates an "energy attractor" to generate an opposite magnetic field (or something). Flying rings around the hovering gravity bomb, Supes begins to stretch the field to its limits. In the Andes, Batman uses a laser-torch to cut into - what else? - an air duct. He pops up inside the diabolic machine and KOs a guard. |
Superman dives through the weakened field around the gravity bomb, breaks through a window, and finds Dr Brock and Rocky trussed up. Except Superman gets caught in a reverse-gravity field that pulls him in all directions. He's stuck. Batman finds Red in a cell and springs him. Red and Batman hook up and swing acrobatically through a window. "We'd make a great circus act, eh, Batman?" "Keep it quiet, Challenger." "Whew! Even Prof has more sense of humor." |
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At the command center, Batman decks guards in red berets. Red, "an expert in electronics", fiddles with machines to create feedback. The machine explodes. Batman yells. Red's blocked the only exit and destroyed the control panel so they can't help Superman (seen on screen). Superman, magnetically crucified, signals the circling Ace with heat vision flashed in Morse code. (Are they kidding?) Ace flies upside-down, Superman bounces his heat vision off the cockpit canopy, the beam bounces and severs Rocky's bonds. |
Free, Rocky tries to destroy the power pack to free Superman. Dr Brock thinks they need tools. Rocky returns, "Never say never, Doc. I'm a Challenger, remember? And telling a Challenger something can't be done... Unggg!.. is like waving a red flag!" Rocky rips off the power pack. Superman is free. He whisks Dr Brock and Rocky outside, then crashes through the gravity bomb. |
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In the Andes, Red and Batman descend steep slopes. Batman's as adept as Red, naturally. Back at the Pentagon, General Rivers thanks Superman and Batman. Where are the Challs? |
"I can't tell you that, Superman! They've already taken on another secret mission! But whatever that mission is... I'm sure they will be able to meet the challenge!"  |
Comments World's Finest is always a weak title. This story is the usual lame mishmash. It's hard enough for mortals to shine around super-talent. But in the unseen setup, after months of scouting and preparation, the Challs FAILED to stop the bad guys and got two members captured! Yeesh! |
The cover is overly dramatic. "Now the entire population of the Earth is being hurled off the planet!" And Superman and Batman are unconscious! Heavens! The only interesting note is the acknowledgement the Challs took on secret missions for Uncle Sam between series. Did they volunteer or get volunteered? Or did they need the money? Or permission to fly their jet without FAA approval? A lot of unanswered questions linger about this "secret mission" period... |