World's Finest #171 is an issue of the series World's Finest (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1967. It was published on September 12, 1967.
Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "The Executioner's List"
Victor Stark, a Korean War traitor who escaped execution by accident, comes back to try to murder the members of his firing squad, and their commander, Perry White. In his vendetta, Stark accidentally attacks Superman, Batman and Robin, leading the heroes to believe that someone is trying to kill the close friends of Batman, Robin and Superman. The heroes start investigating the case and they save the lives of the true victims, before finally capturing Stark and learning his true motives.
Appearing in Superman and Batman: "The Executioner's List"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Perry White (Flashback and main story)
- Alfred
Antagonists:
- Victor Stark (Flashback and main story)(Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Gotham City Police Department
- Lois Lane (Cameo)
- "Swifty" Sloane (Flashback and main story)(Single appearance)
- Mark Dolan (Flashback and main story)(Single appearance)
- Chauncey Belmont (Flashback and main story)(Single appearance)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Batcave
- Gotham City Hospital
- Metropolis
- Fortress of Solitude
- Dover Military Academy
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Superboy: "The Secret of Kryptonite!"
This story is reprinted from Superman #136.
All is gathered in Smallville to to celebrate Superman's Earthday - the day which Superman, as a baby, arrived on Earth from doomed Krypton. The mayor wants Professor Halley to be the guest of honor, Halley panics telling the mayor that Superman hates him more than Luthor himself and flees the scene. Later, when Superman arrives, they reenact the destruction of Krypton. This gets Superman to reflect on how he learned of his weakness to Kryptonite and how this secret was exposed to the world, and how hard he tried to keep it a secret.
Yeas previously, as Superboy, Clark became aware of his weakness to Kryptonite when Pa Kent brought a small piece of the element home one day. Sometime later, before the opening of the Smallville Planetarium, Superboy was weakened by Kryptonite that was among a collection of different minerals being wheeled by a clerk. This clerk notices it, and decides to use it for his own criminal gain, and steals all the meteor samples before Superboy could replace it with a painted lead rock. The crooks then try to see which rock effects Superboy, by trying to expose them to him one at a time. They first use Melybdenum, and Superboy feigns weakness to it, but has to blow his ruse when Lana Lang got into trouble.
Tracking the crooks to their hideout, he fills the home with smoke from a near by smokestack, and uses the confusion to replace the Kryptonite chunk with a fake. He then enters the room and fools the criminals by showing that he's "immune" to all the samples.
Later that day at the first ever Earthday, the mayor has scientist Mel Evans, a leading expert on the planet Krypton, present Superboy with a gift: A Kryptonite meteor that he had recovered, unaware that this is Superboy's Achilles heel, leading to the news getting out about Superboy's weakness. Superboy would later destroy the Krytonite by dropping it in a volcano.
Finishing his recollection, Superman spots Professor Halley, and recognizes him for who he really is: Mel Evans. When Superman reveals his true identity, the Man of Steel lets him know that he doesn't begrudge Evans for his accidentally revealing to the world that he is vulnerable to Kryptonite, and asks him to join Superman in the festivities.
Appearing in Superboy: "The Secret of Kryptonite!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also