I'm up way too early this morning, and have a busy--but hopefully fun!--day ahead of me. So, trying to clear the brain fog by grabbing a quick book: from 1977,
Super Friends #5, "Telethon Treachery!" Written by E. Nelson Bridwell, pencils by Ramona Fradon, inks by Bob Smith.
I remember
telethons, but have never willingly watched so much as five minutes of one. (Feel like I've sat through more than a few pledge drives, though!) I don't have a lot of tolerence for variety acts, but the Super Friends have a good batch for the "annual
Justice League Super-Thon!" (I swear "Justice League" and "Super Friends" were basically used interchangeably on that show and comic!) They drop a few names you should recognize, like Kathy Kane, Scott Free, and Zatanna; and even one caller that throws in $75 grand towards the "
heart fund," Anthony Stark! (That's about $367,000 today; you could do better, Tony.) Batman has to get off the phones for a bit, to go home and make his own call, chipping in $100K as Bruce Wayne; then getting sucked into watching part of the telethon with Alfred.
But, today's bad guy, Greenback, then puts his plan into place: kidnapping the top pledgers to hold for ransom, starting with Bruce Wayne. Alfred calls in the Super Friends, who send...Robin, Aquaman, Wendy, Marvin, and Wonderdog. How much would Bruce have had to pledge to get Wonder Woman? Well, he will anyway, since the first batch take care of Greenback's goons but are then stunned by his compressed-air coin-launcher. I kinda feel like anything that could throw a quarter hard enough to knock you out, would also embed it in your skull, but okay. Greenback chains everyone up in his hideout's basement, with Aquaman chained to a load-bearing support: if he broke free, he'd bring the house down on them...I don't think that place was up to code. Wonderdog takes a note back to Superman and Wonder Woman, who have to rescue everyone; and Supes brings Batman's cape and cowl so he can be the one to bring down Greenback. Which isn't a bad villain name, is it? Maybe a little dated, but so are telethons, I suppose.
The Jerry Lewis telethons were before my time, or at least their heyday certainly was although I probably caught one or two during his last years of doing them before he kicked it, but never bothered to sit down & watch the entire thing. Same for the PBS fundraisers. Oh I'd watch the shows they were pimping out but never tossed any sheckles their way. Bad thing to admit I know, but who amongst us has actually pledged any money to your local PBS affiliate?
ReplyDeleteFor a name like Greenback you'd be expecting some stereotypical Texas oil tycoon-looking type like that old Outsiders villain or something.
Not a bad costume for that time period I guess, but you could probably modernize it a bit if you wanted.
Solid point about those coins being embedded in someone's skull. Well at least Robin's, because Aquaman's thick skin might, MIGHT protect him from that if bullets just bounce of his skin. Then again, maybe not.
How unironically hysterical is it that Batman says money doesn't always let you do anything when you want when that's basically his main superpower.
I can hear Betty White from that Simpsons episode, "If you watch even one second of PBS and don't contribute, you are a thief. A common thief!"
ReplyDeleteMan, Super Friends was a lot better than it had business being. Really glad they reprinted the series a few years back- there were some serious holes in my collection. It just shows just how much DC was firing on all cylinders in the late 70's/early 80's.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm a common thief then?
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