S For Science!! (Or, Himmler Has Need Of Your Brain!!)

Warning: this post will frequently mention the phrase "Himmler has need of your brain." Please try not to be too frightened.

Yesterday, we spent a lot of time dealing with DC Comics Presents #69 (1984), wherein Perry White and the Blackhawks (and that ought to be the name of a band!) stopped Hitler's plan to stage and win a secret Nazi Olympics, but Perry got captured and the Nazis used the Klingon mind-sifter machine to erase his memory of the incident.

Man, the History Channel must have been too busy making shows about Ice Road Truckers to get around to covering this one, eh?

Superman had journeyed back in time to 1940 (or 1941--the story is very confused...) to see all of this. But he was missing in action through most of the White/Blackhawks business. So what was he busy doing?

Well, still in his civvies, he gets captured in the outskirts of Berlin:

And he gets a most curious cellmate:

Wait for it...

WTF?? How did Albert freakin' Einstein end up a prisoner in 1940 (or 1941) Germany? Let's listen...

Plot a course for England, land in Germany?? That's some "confused with directions," Albert!!

By the way, "Himmler has need of your brain" is perhaps the most perfect thing ever said in a comic, and if my blog weren't already named Slay Monstrobot Of The Deep, that dang well might be my title. Himmler Has Need Of Your Brain!!

Of course, the reason that Himmler has need of Albert's brain is that he has none of his own:


So, just to be clear--you have Albert Einstein in your grasp, and you put him to work...making a hypothetical super-soldier serum?? This is Professor Einstein, not Professor Reinstein!! Wouldn't you think you'd put Einstein to work on, you know, Germany's nuclear program?!? Oh, Himmler, no wonder you dopes lost the war...

Clark decides that it's time to escape, so he pulls a fake-Barry-Allen:



But how will Superman explain his costume??

Acccck. S for Science?!? Really?? And Einstein bought it??

Of course, the deeper question is, since Kal-El's strength really is a "birthright," a result of his Kryptonian biology...does that mean that Einstein would not approve of Superman??? Food for thought, Mark Evanier. Hmmm...

Well, Einstein and Superman escape:

But how will Superman keep this quiet??

Let's take a closer look at Julie's footnote:

I can just hear the U.S. brass: "Albert Einstein claims that he's invented a super-super soldier formula that would help us win the war. But he's just a dyslexic daydreamer, so we'd best ignore him."

Apparently, this story took place on Earth-Stupid...

But, Himmler has need of your brain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!