Friday Night Fights--Houdini Style!!

It's Friday Night Fights time, Slay Cadets, and that means fun!!

Now, usually I stick the "please vote message" at the end of the fight. But numbers have been dwindling on Friday Night Fights of late, and we really, really want to get those numbers back of there. So Spacebooger is having a side-contest to help attract new participants.

And yeah, there's a gift certificate involved, but man, it's not about the money. It's about the fun. One of the reasons I started this blog is because I wanted to participate in the Fights every week. It's fun to show off your love for comics, and for audacious fight sequences.

So when you go to vote for the winner each week, don't just vote--leave a comment in the forum discussing the why of your vote. If you participate all 12 weeks of voting, you're entered into a contest to win 20 bucks.

And don't be shy--if you're a regular here, you've probably got some comic books, and maybe have access to a scanner. Do your own Fight, and join in the the fun!!

OK, now on to the show. One of the lame yet endearing things about team-up mags are the incredible contortions they went through to have the hero and the guest star meet, fight, bust up the bad guys, and part on reasonable terms in 22 pages. A lot of work for a (usually) a one-off story.

Such is the case in DC Comics Presents #12 (1979), by Steve Englehart, Rick Buckler and Dick Giordano. Through a series of events too stupid to repeat here, Mister Miracle has learned of an Intergang plot to kill Superman...but is "hypnotically blocked" from revealing that plot in any way.

So, for reasons that made sense only to Englehart and Scott Free, Miracle figures that the only way to help Superman is to trick him into a pay-per-view fight in Las Vegas. Sigh...

Anyway, the New God goes about this by setting himself up as the "New Hero Of Metropolis." Superman, in an odd bit of characterization, is really jealous of the attention Mister M is receiving, and even admits this to Jimmy! So Kal-El meets up with Miracle and politely suggests that he go find some other town to hero in. Miracle refuses, so Supes promptly challenges Mister Miracle to a fight, and agrees when Miracle ups the stakes to a TV fight "with all the hoopla money can buy."

I told you it didn't make any sense.

A week later, in the desert outside Vegas, Mister Miracle gets in the first punch:

And it's on:







Until Superman goes completely bananas:



KA-BOOM indeed.

Now, it turns out that Mister Miracle lost this fight on purpose (so he says) so that Superman wouldn't notice when the New God made a mountain range disappear (don't ask) so that Superman would follow the wrong mountain range back to Vegas and get lost (again, don't ask) and Miracle could bust up Intergang and their super-science gizmo before they could fry Superman (really, asking is contra-indicated here).

Yeah, it's silly, and dumb, and Superman is pretty well of character here, if you ask me. This issue demonstrates why most of DC Comics Presents is best taken only under guidance from a physician or a licensed comics blogger.

But then again, it's preferable to JMS' Broody Superman.

Now go vote. And do a fight.