DC Comics Presents #59 (1983)
written by Keith Giffen (story) & Paul Levitz (dialogue)
art by Keith Giffen & Kurt Shaffenberger
This is a Superman versus Ambush Bug story.
For those unfamiliar with him, Ambush Bug was basically the DC 80s equivalent to Deadpool… so this is a purposefully tongue-in-cheek story.
At this point Ambush Bug doesn’t break the fourth wall much, so the Deadpool parallel is more due to his insanity and teleportation powers than anything else.
He’s had the great idea of pestering Superman right when he was time traveling, so they both end up in the 30th century.
Supes was actually headed for the 40th century. He could just go back to the 20th century, drop Ambush Bug there, and then go on to his mission… but he decides to drop him with the Legion.
The Legion of Substitute Heroes, that is! Notice that, unlike the Legion, Superman seems to have the utmost respect for the Subs.
Also, thanks for saving me the trouble of explaining Ambush Bug. His teleportation powers will become so secondary to his fourth world breaking habits that sometimes I forget he does that.
Don’t worry, Infectious Lass, just wait a few years and you’ll get some respect.
Porcupine Pete… not so much.
Superman is already done with the 40th century… we never learn what his mission was, by the way.
And as I said, he REALLY respects the Subs!
Whethere it’s deserved or not is… debatable.
Some fans of the Substitute Heroes might be disappointed in Giffen playing them 100% for laughs. And while I agree that the Subs don’t really deserve all the crap they receive… this is hilarious!
How can you not laugh at Stone Boy’s attempt to capture Ambush Bug?
Ambush Bug can become tiresome rather quickly, but Superman is great at playing the straight man after decades of experience with Mr. Mxyzptlk.
Yeah, Ambush Bug works great when he has someone to bounce off against, but alone he falls flat.
When I said everyone shows up, I meant it. Antennae Lad works with the Subs now!!!
Meanwhile:
Time to call the auxiliary members of the Substitute Heroes. Yes, there is a bottom layer AFTER these guys!!!
Yeah as much as the Subs can be bad at their job… I can see why they wouldn’t accept Double Header as a member.
No wonder Superman moves to work on the case alone.
Meanwhile:
Time for Infectious Lass to shine!
Superman manages to get rid of Ambush Bug in the only way possible: with comedy.
And so we end with Superman taking the time to celebrate victory with the Subs.
Legion significance: 0/10
It even points out that its position in continuity is dubious.
Silver Age-ness: 10/10
Come on, tell me you don’t see this happening in a Mxyzptlk story.
Does it stand the test of time? 8/10
This is going to depend on two things: if you find Giffen’s style of comedy funny, and if you don’t take the Subs too seriously. I had a lot of fun on this, but comedy being subjective this might miss the mark for some readers.
I’m not a huge Ambush Bug fan, but his fourth wall breaking stories are great. This one doesn’t have that aspect and he’s kind of a lesser version of Impossible Man… he’s by far the weakest part of the story.
We are legion
22 active Legionnaires
8 reserve members
1 honorary member (Rond Vidar)
41 people have been members
That was FUNNY
As a one-shot thing, this was funny. Unfortunately, it set a precedent for presenting the Subs as bumbling chumps, resulting in numerous not-so-funny stories.
In my head canon, this takes place while the Legion is busy with the LSV’s plot to steal Orando, which explains why the Science Police were so adamant about the LSH getting back to Earth immediately.
Yeah things got a little too far with the Subs down the line.
That’s an unusual look for Superman. Schaffenberger’s inks over Giffen’s pencils make Superman resemble C.C. Beck’s Captain Marvel, especially when he’s in profile.
I like how the Subs took in more Legion rejects! They probably did the 30th Century a huge service by doing so, since other rejects tended to join the Legion of Supervillains – imagine how terrifying Infectious Lass could be with training and motivated by malice.
The story is dedicated to Joe Shuster, so I guess his style was the template, but Supes does come across more like Captain Marvel.
Schuster’s Superman was as squinty as Captain Marvel. Superman really isn’t as good of a character with pupils.
Giffen’s humor comics are one of my favorite things. I would love to see a revival of The Heckler.