World’s Finest #91 (1957)
by Edmond Hamilton & Dick Sprang
cover by Curt Swan
The Legion was introduced in 1958 in a Superboy story, but did you know that Superman already traveled 1,000 years into the future just the year before that?
We begin with a criminal so notorious that both Superman and Batman are looking for him.
(also: just how big is Clark Kent’s jacket here?)
Aaaand they are immediately ambushed. Man Kryptonite was already everywhere in 1957, only 8 years after it showed up in comic books.
Turns out it was the criminal himself that sent false tips about how to catch him, so… the world’s greatest detective, everybody!
You might think that the criminal capable of fooling Superman and Batman to this extent would be a genius. But he also doesn’t think about finding out their secret identities until AFTER he’s shoved them into those cages! If he wanted to know, couldn’t he just take off the masks!?
And nobody finds the heroes for the next ONE THOUSAND YEARS.
So the heroes are revived in 2957. By a scientist with a first name that begins with an L, so I can’t wait to find the initial of her last name.
This is one of those rare cases where Superman’s pre-Crisis powers hurt the story, because he SHOULD be able to get back to the present day without much effort.
Despite what he says, he HAS traveled through time with a “passenger” before.
Oh wait, nevermind, he can go back anyway. I’m sure glad we kept the suspense for LITERALLY one panel!
Okay, the second I read “Rohtul” I immediately thought “it’s probably Lex Luthor who also traveled to the future for some reason”…
…but nope! Superman thinks this may be a descendant of Luthor.
Because it’s the same name spelled backwards.
THAT’S NOT HOW NAMES WORK!!!
Unless… could this be the same universe of Batman #59? That story was set in 2050 and had a future descendant of Joker called Rokej, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Back to the story, Superman fails to capture Rohtul because he has to save a damaged building.
But that’s the least of his problems: the time machine has been stolen.
Also: Robin has not spoken a single word until now.
Since the heroes can’t go back home until they find the time machine, there’s some time for sightseeing. It’s due to the time machine being stolen, but it’s refreshing to see a time travel story where the characters are NOT in a rush!
Superman was 100% correct, by the way: Rohtul really IS a descendant of Luthor.
And he’s also bald because, you know, he’s evil.
Earth throws a parade for Superman and Batman, which is then interrupted by GIANT ROBOTS!!!
With the heroes busy handling the robots, Rohtul managed to steal weapons.
The greatest heroes in history, ladies and gentlemen.
I might agree with this guy, but I’m too distracted trying to figure out what he heck he’s wearing on his head.
Also, is it just me or his face looks more like it was drawn by Curt Swan rather than Dick Sprang?
Superman believes he can’t keep up with Rohtul because he doesn’t know any 30th century tricks, so he tries something familiar: fake news!
Also, “Kent Clark” and “Wayne Bruce”? What is it with stories set in the future and doing things backwards!?
I guess that in THIS 30th century, the secret identities of Superman and Batman were never discovered.
Thanks to this trick they discover that Rohtul’s hideout is on the Moon. And I guess just having Superman fly there is out of the question for some reason, because he decides to “disguise” a spaceship like a meteor.
Apparently in the next 1,000 years all humans will be unbelievably dumb.
Well, dumbER.
And so Rohtul is defeated and Lora is saved; she was kidnapped in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it panel.
If you figured out that she was the one to trap Superman in the 30th century about 2 pages into the story, congratulations, you have read a comic book before.
In this period the rules of time travel were still a little flexible, so Superman and Batman are able to change history: specifically, they erase their own story.
And I was SO sure we were going to find out Lora had an alliterative last name!
Historical significance: 0/10
I can’t fault this story for not acknowledging the Legion, considering it hasn’t been created yet.
Silver Age-ness: 01/01
Apparently everything in the future has to be backwards.
Does it stand the test of time? 0/10
The basic idea is fine… the hero is sent to the future, a girl tricks into staying… but everything would have to be rewritten. The mystery is laughable, the future is uninteresting, and the less said about Rohtul the better.
Did Robin actually do anything? No
You can BARELY tell he’s there. He has no dialogue for half the story!
Did Superman really need Batman? Not really, but the story does
If Batman wasn’t there, Superman could just go back immediately. Well he SHOULD be able regardless, but the story treats it like he can’t.
Wow, a LOT of suspension of disbelief (even more than usual) is required to accept this story. First of all, Superman, Batman and Robin are D-E-A-D when they are finally found in 2957. Superman stuck with a chunk of Kryptonite next to him for 1,000 years? DEAD. Batman and Robin stuck in airtight boxes barely large enough for them for 1,000 years? DEAD.
The second thing is them not being found for 1,000 years. The cops sent Batman to Stony Mountain. Wouldn’t that be where they started looking for him? And wouldn’t Harben be tempted to make some quick cash by selling his information to someone like Luthor or the Joker?
The only one even remotely addressed by the story is them not being found, since Harben blows up the entrance to the cave. As for the rest… yeah.
That was the beauty of silver age comics you had to suspend belief, they weren’t supposed to be taken seriously, as soon as you start disecting their reality you tarnish their heritage.