World's Finest #161 is an issue of the series World's Finest (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1966. It was published on August 18, 1966.
Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "The Caveman From Krypton"
This story is reprinted from World's Finest #102.
When a strange meteor crashed on the outskirts of Metropolis, a farmer near the scene contacts the Metropolis Observatory. Two scientists arrive and are surprised to find it is a meteor containing a strange caveman from outer space. Checking for a heartbeat they are surprised to find that the being is still alive, and they decide to cage the caveman. The cage is spotted by Batman and Robin who are out on patrol in the Batplane and they decide to investigate. To Batman's surprise, when the creature revives it has super-strength and the ability to fly. It escapes and begins wreaking havoc, drawing the attention of Superman. As Superman attempts to clash with the creature, he is shocked to find that it has all the same powers he does, leaving him to believe that this caveman must have come from his home planet of Krypton.
After stopping a fire caused by the stone-aged Kryptonian, Superman meets up with Batman and Robin. He theorizes that millions of years ago the caveman must have been trapped in molten lava, and its gases upon cooling placed him into suspended animation. This fragment of volcanic rock was ejected from Krypton when it exploded years ago and was sent hurtling into space until it crashed on Earth today. Whatever the case is, the three heroes realize that the caveman will be nothing but trouble and begin hunting down the creature.
Learning of the caveman's existence, criminals Pete Waller and Jo-Jo Groff decide to capitalize. When Pete commits robberies dressed as the caveman, Batman, Robin and Superman are cautious to try and stop it. When the real caveman sees Waller in trouble and thinking it's one of its own, the Kryptonian caveman saves him and takes him back to his hideout. Jo-Jo and Pete then come up with a plan to deal with the three heroes.
Luring Batman, Robin and Superman into trying to contain the caveman, they easily get the drop on the Dynamic Duo, tying them up. While Superman and the caveman are battling it out, they toss a piece of Green Kryptonite in the hopes that it will eliminate both Superman and the caveman. Batman and Robin, however, manage to get out of their bonds by using the cigarette lighter of a nearby car and arrive just in time to kick away the chuck of Kryptonite. The caveman becomes friendly toward the three heroes and helps them capture the two crooks. However later, the creature suddenly drops dead. Superman surmises that the years of being exposed to cosmic rays and then his brief exposure to Kryptonite was what did the caveman in. Feeling sorry for the confused creature, the three heroes pay their respects to it by burying it in a region on Earth that Superman molded to resemble the era on Krypton that the caveman lived in.
Appearing in Superman and Batman: "The Caveman From Krypton"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Caveman of Krypton (Single appearance; dies)
- Pete Waller (Single appearance)
- Jo-Jo Groff (Single appearance)
Other Characters
- Barry (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "The Super-Foes from Planet X"
This story is reprinted from World's Finest #96.
Superman is flying over Metropolis when a voice calls out in his mind warning him that there is a Solar Sponge that is attacking Metropolis beach. When he arrives there he learns that Batman and Robin were also summoned by the same voice. They watch the Solar Sponge absorb sunlight and give off a great heat of such intensity it is fusing the sand on the beach into glass. Superman deduces that the best way to defeat it is by overloading it with energy, causing it to explode.
Next, they are warned of a storm-top (a spinning object that creates thunderstorms) that is spinning through the ocean. Batman and Robin come up with a solution to defeat this threat: Having Superman construct a ramp, Batman and Robin coat it with an oil slick with the Batplane. When the storm-top goes up the ramp it is launched at such a velocity that it flies out of Earth's atmosphere, ending its threat.
Their next threat is an insect creature called a Crawler. The size of a normal insect, it causes any who get near to it to shrink in size the nearer they are to it. Realizing the source of this creature's power comes from the vibrations coming from its antennae, they lure the creature into a cigar box and Superman tears off its antennae, causing them to return to their original sizes.
They are then called by the voice for help and follow it to a nearby cave where they find an alien creature being terrorized by a robot. As they attempt to approach the robot they are suddenly trapped in strange force-field barriers. Batman deduces that they are made out of x-rays and that lead will be able to penetrate them. Using one of his lead-lined gas capsules and a Batarang, Batman manages to knock the capsule across the room and hit the deactivation button freeing them. The alien that was in trouble then appears and explains to them that this was all a test. He explains that he comes from Planet X, a world where their society is so scientifically advanced that they have relied so heavily on machines to do everything for them that they have forgotten how to deal with dangers on their own.
Realizing this being a potential problem in the future, they decided to test Batman, Superman and Robin on various common threats on Planet X to see how they would improvise to deal with them. Satisfied with how the three heroes disarmed the threats, they thank them for their help and return to their world. As they depart, the three heroes feel glad that they were able to help.
Appearing in Superman and Batman: "The Super-Foes from Planet X"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Other Characters:
- Aliens from Planet X
Locations:
- Metropolis
- Metropolis Beach
- Barren Island
- Colossal Caverns
- Planet X
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "The Super-Batwoman"
This story is reprinted from World's Finest #90.
One day while on a walk through Metropolis, Clark Kent's super hearing picks up the prison escape siren. Changing into Superman, Clark rushes to the Metropolis prison to learn from the warden that Elton Craig has escaped from jail. He also learned the Craig had been bragging about hiding a super-power capsule.[1] With this realization, Superman rushes out to try and find Craig's hideout in the hopes of preventing the crook from regaining super-powers. Superman is not the only person who is out to find Craig either: When Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson hear the news, they speed off as Batman and Robin to find him as well, while elsewhere in Gotham City, Kathy Kane decides that despite Batman's orders she is going to come out of retirement and try to capture Craig herself as Batwoman.
When the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusaders find that Batwoman is also out looking for Craig, Batman reminds her how easy it was for him to learn her secret identity and warned her that a smart crook could do the same thing and sends her on her way. However, Batwoman's curiosity gets the better of her and she decides to investigate an old chemical factory near Craig's old hideout. Sure enough, she finds Craig there unearthing the last of his super-power capsules. Batwoman confronts the criminal and in order to prevent Craig from utilizing the pill, Batwoman does the only thing she can think of: swallow the pill herself.
Endowed with powers similar to that of Superman, she easily captures Elton and turns him over to the authorities. When she comes back, Batman, Robin and Superman warn her of the dangers of having super powers. Angry at being bossed around by these men, Batwoman attempts to see through Batman and Robin's masks with her x-ray vision but finds that the Dynamic Duo had prepared for this possibility and lined their masks with lead. Knowing that she has super powers for the next 24 hours, Batwoman vows that she will spend this time trying to learn the secret identities of the three heroes.
Superman, Batman and Robin all leave the scene and attempt to lose Batwoman through cunning. However, Batwoman manages to follow Batman and Robin back to what she thinks is the Batcave, tipping her off to what their secret identities are. She then follows Superman as he goes to stop an avalanche and dogs him in the hopes that he will switch back to his civilian guise. However, after a few hours of chase and knowing which block of Metropolis he left from, Batwoman goes to search there to learn who has been absent from their job for the last while. Superman follows her to the Daily Planet, where Perry, Lois and Clark Kent are all at their workplaces. This shocks Superman, however when Batwoman jumps out the window to fly to the next building she finds that her powers have faded and needs to be rescued by Superman. Superman spots "Clark Kent" outside and realizes that it's really Batman in disguise, covering for him.
Afterward, Batwoman agrees that she wasn't able to find out Superman's true identity but is convinced that she knows who Batman is. Superman rounds up Batwoman, Batman and Robin and takes them to the location of the supposed Batcave, and Superman points out that the mansion is owned by the Martin family from whom he got permission to build a replica of the Batcave to throw her off. Realizing that she's been tricked, Batwoman gives up and is about to retire as a super-hero when Batman tells her that she proved that she is cunning enough to continue to operate as Batwoman.
Appearing in Superman and Batman: "The Super-Batwoman"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Elton Craig
Other Characters:
- Metropolis Prison Warden
- Jor-El (Flashback only)
- Lara Lor-Van (Flashback only)
Locations:
- Krypton (Flashback only)
- Gotham City
- Metropolis
- Niagara Falls
Vehicles:
- Batcycle
- Batmobile
- Kryptonian Rocket (Flashback only)
Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "The Alien Who Doomed Robin"
This story is reprinted from World's Finest #110.
An alien criminal who steals buildings from various planets arrives on Earth for the purposes of stealing Earth structures for his collection. His arrival attracts the attention of Superman, Batman and Robin. While the heroes attempt to stop the creature, they find that its tentacle-like appendages are able to fire different elements such as fire.
Ultimately, the creature finds the heroes to be such a problem it activates one of its greatest powers: From the mirrored surface of its body appears the image of Robin, making it so that whatever injury is made to the creature is felt by the Boy Wonder. The heroes find this out the hard way when a punch Superman lands on the creature is felt by Robin. The Boy Wonder then passes out and the alien creature warns them of any more attempts to stop him.
While Batman brings Robin to a doctor and later to the Batcave to recover, Superman tries different ways to apprehend the alien without causing it harm, however, nothing he tries can stop the creature. When Robin suddenly snaps out of his coma briefly, Batman deduces a weakness in the creature that might allow them to break its link with Robin.
Batman tracks Superman down to the cave where the alien creature has made his temporary hideout and comes across the Man of Steel just as he learns the alien's reason for being on Earth. Batman tells Superman what he's learned: that exhaust fumes from burned gasoline can sever the link between the creature and Robin. Batman then backs the Batmobile into the cave serving as the creature's temporary hideout, and fills it with exhaust, thus severing the connection between the creature and Robin. Superman then knocks the creature out with a powerful blow and takes it back to its planet to be incarcerated.
When Superman returns, he has a gift for the recovering Robin: the alien's home shrunken down to size for Robin to keep as a souvenir.
Appearing in Superman and Batman: "The Alien Who Doomed Robin"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Unnamed Alien (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Batcave
- Gotham City Museum
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "The Menace of the Atom-Master"
This story is reprinted from World's Finest #101.
Both Metropolis and Gotham City are seemingly terrorized by Superman, Batman and Robin: With Superman letting loose a cage of wild animals into the streets, and Batman and Robin dropping TNT in the roads. In reality, all three heroes are in their civilian guises, when Clark Kent hears the news he changes into Superman and finds no trace of his impostor or the escaped animals but sees a massive traffic jam. Using his super speed he helps clear up traffic. In Gotham City, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson hear the news of their supposed attack and swing into action. They find no trace of the fake Batman and Robin or any damage but see that the panic has caused some sign workmen to drop part of the billboard they are constructing and stop it from tumbling on the crowd. After the disaster has been averted, Superman meets up with Batman and Robin so that they can puzzle over this mystery.
This turns out to be the work of a criminal scientist calling himself the Atom-Master, who is testing out his new device that creates lifelike illusions. Sure enough, as the crook tries out the device again, this time pitting Superman against a giant crab that is attacking a nearby dam and putting Batman and Robin on a high speed chase with a ghost sedan. With the test a success, Atom-Master begins to use his illusions to help his henchmen commit robberies to finance his master plan. While the crooks manage to escape with their loot thanks to the illusions, Batman and Robin recover a revolver that was dropped at the scene of the crime.
Taking the gun back to the Batcave, they vacuum out the dust and dirt inside it and are able to pinpoint the location of the Atom-Master's lair from the sample. Rushing there, Batman and Robin are immobilized with the Atom-Master's master weapon - a ray machine that can rearrange dust matter to make his illusions real - and are held at gun-point by his hired men, so that when Superman is powerless when his arrives with Batman and Robin hostage. Superman, however, is a lot faster than the crooks and uses his super speed to knock out the Atom-Master and uses his device to create the illusion of a dinosaur to scare his men. Freeing Batman and Robin from their paralysis, they easily round up the crooks and turn them over to the authorities.
Appearing in Superman and Batman: "The Menace of the Atom-Master"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Atom-Master (First appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "The Alien Superman"
This story is reprinted from World's Finest #105.
Clark Kent is asked by Perry White to cover a spectacular bank robbery happening in Gotham City which is in the process of being thwarted by Batman and Robin. Clark instead goes as Superman to lend a helping hand, and not only helps them stop criminals in a specially made armored car, but also prevents a strange meteor from falling into Gotham City. Batman and Robin take the meteor back to the Batcave as a trophy. After writing up the story, Clark is told that the bank is throwing a celebration thanking Batman, Robin and Superman for their aid in capturing the would-be bank robbers. On their way there, Superman suddenly feels strange and appears to suddenly spin a cocoon around himself.
As a crowd forms, Batman and Robin try to make sense of what just happened when they are confronted by a supposed expert on Krypton, who tells him that he has unearthed writings by Jor-El, Superman's father, that tells of some strange and unknown circumstance that cause Kryptonians to undergo strange transformations into even more alien beings with different powers. Unsure of what to expect, Batman and Robin arrange for a Kryptonite cage be brought into the area in case the new form of Superman proves to be a danger. However, when the new alien-Superman emerges from his cocoon, he easily pushes the Kryptonite cage with his mental powers and wanders away. Stopped by Batman and Robin, the Dynamic Duo realize this supposed new form of Superman has no memory of his past life. Accepting Batman and Robin's offer of friendship, the "Alien Superman" agrees to accompany them back to the Daily Planet's files to see if any of the stories about Superman there can restore the creatures memory.
This is actually a hoax, as in a nearby cavern, Superman is a prisoner, trapped by a chunk of Kryptonite stuck on his chest. He recalls that he was captured earlier and that an impostor is posing as him seeking to gain access to the Batcave, although he doesn't know why. While back at the Daily Planet, Batman and Robin try to refresh the "Alien Superman's" memories with photos and recollections of their previous team-ups, it helps to restore the creatures "memory". Just then Perry White bursts in and tells Batman and Robin that the Parade Amusement Center is being robbed. Before they go, they hunt up some paper for the "Alien Superman" to write down what he wants to tell them in case his memory fails him again. The "alien" then writes down that the meteor that came to Earth is the cause of the transformation and that they need to take him to the Batcave to destroy it. Then the "alien" suddenly forgets his "memories" and walks out of the Daily Planet.
When Batman and Robin return from their fight, they find that note and track down the "Alien Superman", and when they take him to the Batcave, Batman reveals that he knows it was a hoax and tries to punch out the "alien". The alien takes off it's mask revealing that it's really Superman in disguise. Superman tells Batman that he couldn't resist keeping up the joke and explains that he was captured, but managed to free himself by using his x-ray vision to get away from the Kryptonite. He then explains that he tracked down the impostor Superman and learned that he was hired by some men to put up this act. They know that the meteor plays some important role in it all and decide to do something to drive the conspirators behind this plot out into the open.
As it turns out the mastermind of this plot is an alien named Khalex, a criminal alien who has come to Earth to continue his criminal ways. He finds that on Earth he has super powers similar to Superman's, however when a strange meteor crashed in Metropolis it stripped him of his powers. He then allied with some Earthly criminals to take Superman prisoner and then hired an actor to trick Batman and Robin into destroying the meteor. When Khalex's powers return he believes that his plan is a success, however this is a trap set by Superman, Batman and Robin and when Khalex attempts to rob a bank, they use the meteor to strip him of his powers. Superman then takes Khalex back to his home planet to answer for his crimes. Superman then returns to Earth with a trophy for the Batcave: a photograph of the police chief of Khalex's native world.
Appearing in Superman and Batman: "The Alien Superman"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Khalex (Single appearance)
- Midge Martin (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Lex Luthor (Flashback only)
- Joker (Flashback only)
Locations:
Items:
- Batrope
- Green Kryptonite
- Galgolex (Single appearance)
- Utility Belt
Vehicles:
See Also
Links and References
- ↑ See World's Finest #87