World’s Finest Comics #216
Published and © by DC, February-March 1973
Title: “Little Town With a Big Secret!”
Synopsis: On a motorcycle road trip out west, the Super Sons stumble across a small town with a dark secret.
Writer: Bob Haney
Penciler: Dick Dillin
Inker: Murphy Anderson
Review: This bizarre mashup of ’50s sci-fi-movie tropes, superheroics and “On the Road” adventure is an improvement over the previous issue – but that’s not saying much (see review). Bob Haney does mine some pathos out of this dark story, but his trademark wackadoodle story logic and painful attempts at hipster dialogue undermine any real impact. The writer is trying hard but that effort only amplifies the very generation gap he’s trying to bridge. The art, by veterans Dick Dillin and Murphy Anderson, is solid but also lacks the youthful spark this series needs to reach its desired target audience.
Grade: C
Second opinion: “Suspenseful and intriguing, the tale is one of Haney’s best.” – William Schoell, “Superheroic: The Bronze Age of Comics Volume 2,” 2022
Cool factor: The spawn from Orion.
Not-so-cool factor: The spawn from Metropolis and Gotham.
Notable: Also contains a one page text feature on the “Not So Secret Lives” of artists Dick Dillon and Murphy Anderson.
Collector’s note: According to MyComicShop.com, there is a Mark Jewelers variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “I’m perishing for a hamburger and lonely for the look in a chick’s eyes when she sees the muscles ripping under my T-shirt!” – Bruce Wayne Jr., playboy in training
Editor’s note: This review was written March 30, 2026.
