Slummin' With Red Tornado

As you've no doubt noticed, I've been stumbling across lots of DC stories lately that are set in "the ghetto."

Well, that synchronicity continues, as I pick up the very first Red Tornado solo story ever (!), and he ends up...

...visiting the slums of Gotham City!

Why?!? Just because, I guess!!

Well, Reddy escorts the old woman home, and protects her from 7 different muggings (I exaggerate), while writer JM Dematteis and artists Jose Delbo and Joe Giella emphasize to us just how squalid this particular neighborhood is:

Well, while trying to understand the concept of poor people, RT goes with the old woman to church:

Uh-oh...

O.M.G.

Jim Lee, Dan DiDio, Geoff Johns--you MUST revive this guy for the nu52. Please?

So, what's Mr. Kool's problem with a poor church?

Of course, Red Tornado puts a kibosh on this, and then we get a scene ripped off from Superman Grounded:

I kid...if this were Grounded, Tornado would at this point send a 10 year old to deliver a threatening message to our violent villain. Fortunately, Red Tornado is not that heroic.

But the old woman? Don't mess with her!

Wait--Mr. Kool is firing his thugs...because they couldn't take out a member of the Justice League? That's a pretty high bar for a numbers operator. "You couldn't take out The Flash? Fired!!" Dude, Luthor's not that strict!

But all's well that ends well:

Yeah, he's a GOOD thug who steals churches and beats up parishioners!! And he had a hard life!!

And we conclude:

Hey!! That's the Vision's shtick!! He's the android that gets to cry, not you!!


From Detective Comics #493 (1980)