World's Finest #261 is an issue of the series World's Finest (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1980.
Synopsis for Superman & Batman: "Showdown at Gotham City"
The Penguin and Terra-Man team up to exploit an actor who has been hypnotized into believing himself to be the Wild West outlaw Butch Cassidy. Then they hypnotize Superman into thinking he is the Sundance Kid, and set him against Batman. The villains' plan backfires when the actor they hypnotized turns against them as he used to know the real Sundance Kid and he breaks Penguin's control over Superman, allowing the heroes to capture them and put and end to their criminal spree.
Appearing in Superman & Batman: "Showdown at Gotham City"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Victor Sport (Single appearance)
- Ronni (Single appearance)
- Butch Cassidy (Mentioned only)
- Donny Osmond (Mentioned only)
- Kid Curry (Mentioned only)
- Sundance Kid (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Green Arrow & Black Canary: "The Relativity of Auntie Gravity"
An old woman develops anti-gravity telekinetic powers after exposure to pollutants, calls herself Auntie Gravity, and leads her three nephews on a robbery spree in Star City. She resists Green Arrow's and Black Canary's attempts to capture her, and levitates City Hall into the air, with the mayor and city council inside. Her fee for restoring them unharmed: the entire city budget for the fiscal year. GA and Black Canary try another trap, but Auntie Gravity pulls Green Arrow telekinetically off the ground and starts him spinning like a top, until the force is so great he can no longer breathe.
Appearing in Green Arrow & Black Canary: "The Relativity of Auntie Gravity"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Auntie Gravity
- Clem
- Horace
- Todd
Other Characters:
- Harry
- Dora
- Bobby
- Freddy
- Mayor (In a photograph only)
- Albert Einstein (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Star City
- City Hall (Mentioned only)
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Black Lightning: "Return of the River Rat"
Appearing in Black Lightning: "Return of the River Rat"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Sonny Rabb (Behind the scenes)
- Captain Alton
- Jenkins
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Garfield High School (Mentioned only)
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Hawkman: "JLA Database Dossier: Hawkman"
Hawkman's origin.
Appearing in Hawkman: "JLA Database Dossier: Hawkman"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Manhawks
- Matter Master
- Gentleman Ghost
- Hyathis
- Kanjar Ro
- Byth (Mentioned only)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Mary Marvel: "The Case of the Runaway Sculpture"
Mary Marvel finds that burglars are trying to rob the Sandys Estate of some valuable art and furs and quickly learn that shooting at the World’s Mightiest Girl yields predictable results. Their purple-suited leader guns it in the van, abandoning the others and pushes a button to release a smoke-screen. Mary Marvel uses a puff of super-breath to push it away, but finds the truck… is missing! This is because the truck secretly has an anti-gravity button and is hiding out in a cloud. Mary Marvel soon frees the elderly Sandys couple and say that they only managed to get away with some silver plates and a “Nivan,” a highly realistic sitting sculpture made by the artist George Nivan. Mary Marvel is shocked to find in a picture of the sculpture and that it looks like the man in the purple suit! She checks in with a local art gallery owner about this “George Nivan” as Mary Bromfield and Nivan reveals herself to be… Georgia Sivana! That night, Mary watches for thugs to steal another “lifelike” Nivan statue, finding that Georgia Sivana is using a special gun that turns her goons into statues, then turns them back into people so they can rob houses of rich people. However, before she can call SHAZAM, Georgia blasts her with the beam, turning her into a plaster statue and rushes in to smash her with a sledgehammer! Mary finds she’s actually more coated in plaster and is able to move her tongue just enough to mutter SHAZAM without moving her lips, allowing her to become Mary Marvel once more. The sledgehammer stuns them and Georgia and her goons scarper quickly to escape her, but Mary Marvel just rips the control panel out of their van and tosses Georgia into the air, saying she’s going to jail where her evil father and brother are living for now. She swears she’ll return, as the Sivanas never give up. Later, Billy signs off saying he’d always put his money on Mary Marvel.
Appearing in Mary Marvel: "The Case of the Runaway Sculpture"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Billy Batson (Cameo)
Antagonists:
- Georgia Sivana as "George Nivan"
- Unnamed Art Thieves
Other Characters:
- Doctor Sivana (Mentioned only)
- Sivana, Jr. (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Bromfield Mansion
- The Sandys' Estate
- New York City
Items:
- Georgia Sivana's Plaster Statue Ray-Gun (Destroyed)
Vehicles:
- Georgia Sivana's Anti-Gravity Van (Destroyed)
Notes
- Final Black Lightning vignette. Black Lightning appears next in DC Comics Presents #16.
- Mary Marvel's story is reprinted in Shazam!: The World's Mightiest Mortal Vol. 3.
See Also