World's Finest (Volume 1) with a cover date of November, 1971.
Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "The Secret of the Captive Cavemen"
This story is reprinted from World's Finest #138.
When an alien being is spotted in Gotham City, Batman and Robin attempt to capture it. When the alien finds that his Z-Beam weapon doesn't effect humans he rushes into the Gotham Library to learn why. There Batman and Robin overhear the alien tell it's superiors that their weapons cannot effect modern man. Before the two heroes can capture the alien he swallows a pill and dies and his comrades in a ship outside breach the time barrier to escape. Seeing a history book opened to the time of pre-historic man, Batman and Robin deduce that he aliens have traveled back in time to try and conquer the human race in the past. Calling Clark Kent at the Daily Planet to tell them of this plot, Clark tells them that he will meet them in the past. Batman and Robin then use Carter Nichols' time machine to travel to the stone age in the hopes of thwarting the alien invasion of the past.
They all arrive in the past before the aliens do and after saving a tribe of cavemen from a sabretooth tiger, Batman, Robin and Superman disguise themselves as cavemen and wait for the aliens to arrive. When the aliens arrive their Z-Rays work at making the early humans their slaves. The three heroes pretend to be enslaved as well so that they can learn of the alien plot. They have the cavemen mine for a rare metal called Drakkium, an ore that -- unrefined -- is harmful to the aliens. The aliens intend to use the unrefined ore to take over kill the leadership of their race and then refine the ore, which ironically is deadly to humans, and use it to wipe humanity off the face of the Earth and take over the planet.
Batman, Robin, and Superman then free the cavemen and stage a revolt against the alien would-be dictatorship by incapacitating them with chunks of unrefined Drakkium The alien force unconscious, Superman, Batman and Robin then turn the insurgent force over to the alien authorities and launch the remaining unrefined Drakkium ore into space with an alien ship. With the threat over, Batman, Robin and Superman return to the present.
Appearing in Superman and Batman: "The Secret of the Captive Cavemen"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Aliens
- General Grote (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "The Creature That Was Exchanged for Superman"
This story is reprinted from World's Finest #118.
While on a charity drive for the Heart Fund, Batman, Robin and Superman spot a strange energy beam outside the city and decide to go and investigate. Superman decides to get up close since he is invulnerable, and finds himself teleported away, and in his place some strange creature has arrived. Concerned about this creature's sudden arrival, Batman and Robin attempt to rope it up, but it breaks free and begins to tunnel into the ground. Batman, spotting a boulder at the top of the hill it's boring into, comes up with an idea of how to attack the creature.
Meanwhile, Superman finds himself transported to the planet Xeron by an alien named Vathgar. Vathgar explains that he transported the creature to Earth, but one drawback to the device was that the transported creature has to swap places with something at its destination. Not wanting Superman, the aliens attack him but the Man of Steel proves impervious to their weapons. However when he uses his heat vision he finds that it freezes things instead of melting them, and his flying powers are wonky when he gives Vathgar chase and the alien manages to get away. Flying to a nearby city, he sees a runaway vehicle and attempts to save people by using his super-breath and is shocked to find that he has flame breath instead. When the people of Xeron attack him, Superman convinces them to stop to compare notes. He learns that Vathgar is a criminal on this world and that he had captured two Skrans, and the inter-temporal transport device for some unknown purpose. Superman agrees to track down Vathgar to learn his purpose.
While back on Earth, the Skran sent there comes out of its tunnel and no matter what Batman and Robin attempt to do to stop it, some impenetrable force keeps them from stopping the creature. While back on Xeron, Superman tracks down Vathgar and learns that he sent the Skran to Earth because there is an element there that is rare on Xeron that makes the Skran invincible and he intended to use the creatures to overthrow the government and take over his world. Superman is forced to battle the Skran that Vathgar has and realizes that extreme cold renders the creature harmless when he uses his freeze vision on the creature.
Back on Earth, the military fires all their artillery at the Skarn there causing it to split in two. One of the creatures passes through the returning teleportation beam, returning Superman to Earth as well. Superman flies off and comes back with a large chunk of ice to drop on the Skarn to render it harmless. With the beast quelled, the heroes bring it off to the Gotham Zoo to resume the remainder of its docile life.
Appearing in Superman and Batman: "The Creature That Was Exchanged for Superman"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Vathgar (Single appearance)
- Skrans (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Xeronians (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Earth
- Planet Xeron (Single appearance)
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "Riddle of the Four Planets!"
This story is reprinted from World's Finest #130.
While outside doing yard work Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson spot an alien star-fish creature fly through the air and land nearby. Changing into Batman and Robin, the Dynamic Duo go to investigate the creature and find that it is firmly fastened to the ground. Just then an alien ship lands and they are confronted by the alien beings piloting the ship. They explain that the creature is a Zelaphod that they accidentally unleashed on their world. They also explain that the creature grows in strength and size and gains the ability to fire explosive bursts of energy by sapping minerals deep below the surface of a planet and is seemingly indestructible. When Superman arrives, they find that it is no idle claim either as the creature proves impervious to Superman's strength and x-ray vision. The alien tells them of an old poem that itemizes ingredients to a chemical compound that can help them defeat the monster.
Telling them the title of the poem -- Sauk -- contains the first letters in the names of different planets that supposedly have the key ingredients. With this information, they alert Commissioner Gordon of the creature and fly off to the various worlds to collect the ingredients they need.
Superman travels to the planet Sinzar to find "sand from the beach of a waterless sea", and upon freeing a trapped archeologist finds exactly what the poem is talking about: a dried out beach in front of an ancient city buried underground. On Antella, Superman seeks out "moss from a barking tree", which he finds on that worlds "forbidden forest" region after destroying hallucination inducing plants and finding that the poem verse is not quite literal: He finds the moss in a tree that is defended by a small dog-like creature.
While elsewhere in the universe Batman and Robin arrive with the travelling band of aliens to the planet Unxor. There they agree to put on an acrobatics show when the alien cast comes down with space measles. After putting on the show, the aliens gladly tell them where to find "Ears that hear the music of the morning knell" which turn out to ear-shaped plants that are around giant singing boulders. When traveling to the planet Karos to collect a "tuft of hair from the mystic Krell" they have to battle a giant reptilian creature - a Krell. Although they are overpowered Superman arrives and lends them a helping hand by taking a tuft of hair from the creature. In the aftermath of the battle, Batman notes that a strange gem is shining energy on a hole in the ground shaped like the Zelaphod creature and deduces that it is the source that makes the creatures a threat to the universe.
Destroying the gem to prevent anymore Zelaphod threats in the future, Batman, Robin and Superman return to Earth with the mixture of items and use it to destroy the Zelaphod that is threatening Gotham City.
Appearing in Superman and Batman: "Riddle of the Four Planets!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Zelaphod (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Indal (Single appearance)
- Yagor (Single appearance)
- Shbao (Single appearance)
- Forpo (Single appearance)
- Thrikor (Single appearance)
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Synopsis for Superman and Batman: "The Mirror Batman"
This story is reprinted from World's Finest #121.
Spotting some crooks breaking into an antique shop, Batman and Robin spring into action. During the fight one of the crooks gets the drop on Batman, knocking him over the head with a suit of armor. As he staggers, Batman throws a hidden switch on an antique mirror and to Robin's surprise, the Dark Knight passes right through its surface. When Robin tries to go after him, he finds the mirror solid again. Needing Superman's help, Robin flees the scene immediately, leaving one of the crooks to report back to his boss what happened.
When Superman receives Robin's call, he comes to Gotham City and he is taken to the antique shop. When trying to figure out how to cross through the mirror, suddenly a warped mirror image of Batman comes out. This "Mirror Batman" is disorientated and goes on a rampage, sending Superman and Robin out to stop him. By the time they knock Batman out and return to the antique shop, they find that the mirror has been stolen. Finding mud on the ground while using his telescopic vision, Superman uses his detective skills to locate the part of the city the crooks are holed up in.
Crashing their hideout, they capture the crooks and recover the mirror. Finding the switch, the three heroes enter the mirror and find themselves all distorted and Batman's sanity restored. They are confronted by a creature who claims responsibility for making Batman go on his rampage. Superman easily defeats the creature and learns that his world is subjugated by the tyrannical Xanu. Superman agrees to free them from Xanu in exchange for Batman being restored to normal. Despite the fact that Xanu's castle is protected by an army of robots, Superman easily defeats them and turns Xanu over to the creature he met earlier.
Staying true to his word, the creature cures Batman and the three heroes return to their own world where Superman smashes the mirror so nobody can accidentally use it again.
Appearing in Superman and Batman: "The Mirror Batman"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Xanu (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Mirror Dimension (Single appearance)
Items:
- Mirror Portal (Single appearance)
Vehicles:
See Also