B-list villain Dr. Death holds Gotham – including Batman and Robin – hostage with a deadly allergen. A surprisingly weak 45th-anniversary outing for DC’s flagship Detective Comics. Creative talent includes Gerry Conway, Gene Colan, Klaus Janson and others.
READHephaestus attacks Wonder Woman with an emotion-fueled flame device he hopes will gain him favor with Ares, god of war. An oddly average comic by the team of Martin Pasko, José Delbo and Vince Colletta.
READReturning from an interstellar mission, Superman finds himself trapped on an Earth where everyone has changed sexes. This lightweight relic from Martin Pasko and Curt Swan isn’t bad, but it’s not very entertaining, either.
READDracula hooks up with his fourth cousin and their progeny would eventually terrorize coeds in New York City. Excellent Frank Thorne art can’t save this subpar one off from Gary Friedrich.
READWhen villains from different universes team up, Superman and Captain Marvel require an assist from the extended Marvel Family. Writer Roy Thomas is having a great deal of fun here – perhaps more so than some readers – and receives strong art support from Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano.
READAfter babysitting Wundarr, the Thing teams with Captain America and soon finds himself fighting the Badoon in the far-flung future. This Steve Gerber story is a bit of a mess, with solid-but-unspectacular art support from Sal Buscema and Frank Giacoia.
READAs Rom lies comatose in a laboratory, the Dire Wraiths decide to attack – with semi-sentient, thorny plants! Silly plot devices undermine this offering from the regular creative team of Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema.
READSpider-Ham and Captain Americat team to stop the Masked Marauder – and run afoul of Hulk-Bunny, too! This issue features a pair of funny-animal stories with bland writing and decent art. From Tom DeFalco, Mark Armstrong and Steve Mellor.
READRom and two human allies take refuge in a deserted house – a house possessed by an other-dimensional terror! This odd outing from the creative team of Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema offers more “What?!” than wonder.
READSuperman and Captain Marvel discover they’ve switched costumes and powers as part of a Mr. Mxyzptlk plot. Both the lead story – by the team of Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano – and backup feature would have been more at home in the Silver Age.
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