Super Friends 3

SuperFriends Comicbook Series

The SuperFriends, Vol. 2 #3

February 1977

“The Cosmic Hit Man?”

(17 pages)

Writers

E. Nelson Bridwell

Pencilers

Ramona Fradon

Inkers

Bob Smith

Colorer

Jerry Serpe

Letterer

Ben Oda

Editors

Denny O’Neil

Publisher

Jenette Kahn

Previous Issue

SuperFriends, #2

Next Issue

SuperFriends, #4

Scene depicted is from last panel of story #2.

The Cosmic Hit Man?

An alien scientist, Doctor Indrom destroys over 100 super-villains to transfer their power to an android who defeats all the heroes of the Earth, except the SuperFriends.

The story starts with Wonder Woman and Aquaman battling a villain from a Desert world, known as Spectrum. Once he is captured by the Lasso of Truth, he suddenly disappears. Batman, Robin and Superman defeat another villain known as the Anti-man. He also disappears. These two villains appear in Dr. Indrom's labs, in cells that withstand their particular powers. There are dozens of captured villains and Indrom's plan is to kill them all by disintegrating their atoms and have them re-formed into one Robotic creature known as the World Beater. Dr. Indrom gives World Beater a test to go to Earth and defeat all the heroes there. World Beater uses a false signal to gather the JLA at their Satellite HQ and he enters through the teleporter. He claims to have beaten the The Freedom Fighters, Plastic Man, most of the Teen Titans, and the Blackhawks before he arrived. Green Arrow jumps in and is rebuked, followed by Green Lantern and the Flash. As World Beater is defeating Elongated Man and Black Canary, the Atom in his reduced form, is able to sneak by and signal the SuperFriends. He warns them not to come up to the Satellite. After they learn how GL was defeated, they realized this monster has the powers of the villains they fought. Atom is caught while he is still on the monitor screen and before the SuperFriends can prepare World Beater appears at the Hall of Justice.

The SuperFriends try to stop him with a simultaneous assault. Wonder Woman tells Wendy and Marvin to get away because her mother had a vision that they were the only ones able to stop this threat. So they go to formulate a plan as World Beater freezes Aquaman, shocks the dynamic due, stop Superman with a blast of Anti-Man's power and turns Wonder Woman's lasso against her. At this time Wonder Dog is a decoy and he trips up World Beater. Then Wendy and Marvin arrive in 'knight armor' (from the Hall of Justice Trophy Room). World Beater, thinking they are other heroes, uses Spectrum's X-rays to scan the armor.

This is exactly what the duo wanted. Marvin figured that if World Beater had the powers of the villains, he must have their weakness too; which included Anti-Man's vulnerability to X-Rays. He was right and World Beater was knocked out by the x-rays. The kids then revived the heroes with Green Lantern's Power Ring and Wonder Woman used her lasso to heal Green Lantern.

Superman then tells the kids, that medals are not enough to express gratitude for Wendy and Marvin saving the Earth. Marvin said Wonder Dog would settle for a T-bone steak and with that the story concludes.

Featured Characters

• SuperFriends Team Members:
  • Aquaman
  • Batman
  • Robin
  • Superman
  • Wonder Woman
  • Green Lantern
  • Hawkman
  • Flash
• Justice League Team Members:
  • Atom (previous appearance Limited Collectors' Edition #C-41; appears next in issue #6)
  • Green Arrow (previous appearance Limited Collectors' Edition #C-41; appearance next #7, #8, #9)
  • Elongated Man (previous appearance Limited Collectors' Edition #C-41; appears next in issue #7)
  • Black Canary (previous appearance Limited Collectors' Edition #C-41; appears next in issue #8)
  • Plastic Man - Mentioned Only (appears next in issue #43)

Supporting Characters

• Wendy Harris
• Marvin White
• Wonderdog
• Queen Hippolyte (in cameo flashback)

Mentioned Only

• The Blackhawks
• The Freedom Fighters
• The Teen Titans and Speedy

Mentioned In the Super Fans Section

• Eddie Rickenbacker
• Jor-El
• Lara
• Jonathan Kent
• Martha Kent
• Hippolyte
• Aphrodite
• Athene
• Mercury
• Tom Curry
• Atlanna Curry
• Doctor Thomas Wayne
• Martha Wayne
• Joe Chill
• Philip Wayne
• John Grayson
• Mary Grayson

Villains

First Appearance:

• World Beater (next appears in issue #46)

Only Appearance:

• Doctor Indrom
• Spectrum - Light Bursts From Infra-Red Aura (dies in this story)
• Anti-Man - Anti-Energy Blasts (dies in this story)
• Thunderhead - Storm Maker (dies in this story)
• Powerhouse's - Incredible Strength (dies in this story)
• Traveler's - Teleportation (dies in this story)
• Apparition - Able to Pass through walls (dies in this story)
• Turncoat's - Disguises (dies in this story)
• Ultra-Light's - Speed (dies in this story)
• Firelord (dies in this story)
• Sub-Zero (dies in this story)
• Bombshell (dies in this story)

Locations

• Gotham City
• New York (mentioned only)
• Justice League Satellite

Notes

• In the letters column of this issue, we learn why Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman and Robin took on the job of training young people at the Hall of Justice. It is simply because these five heroes "were all trained from childhood for their own crime-busting careers."

Story Images

References

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