80-Page Thursdays: World's Finest Comics #245!

I always keep an eye out for old World's Finest Comics, since I've been trying to find one I only vaguely remember from when I was like six or so. It was a bigger issue, maybe 80 or 100 pages; and I'm pretty sure it had Vigilante, but I'm not positive. Maybe it was today's issue, maybe not: World's Finest Comics #245, with stories by Bob Haney, Gerry Conway, and Bill Kunkel; art by Curt Swan, Michael Netzer, and Gray Morrow.

The opening story, "Today Mars, Tomorrow the Universe!" touches base with the Martian Manhunter; who visits Hawkman and Hawkwoman, and nearly gets assassinated by a Superman robot with a bomb in it. J'onn has been trying to track down whoever killed R'es Eda on Mars II, and R'es's dying words make it sound like his killer was a member of the Justice League. The Superman robot was sent by N'or Cott, chief of the Martian military; and as Superman and Batman join the investigation, Batman wonders why N'or was trying to kill J'onn instead of bringing him back to Mars II.

Superman and J'onn discover R'es faked his death, to get J'onn out of the way on a wild goose chase, so he could take over. R'es intends to take the Martian army to attack an alien city; but Batman discovers N'or, infected with germs from the city. Honestly, the Martians are like the Kryptonians: every time you meet one not related to J'onn or Superman, they're a total dick.

Next, Green Arrow faces the Man Bear, which reminds me...of a completely inappropriate joke, for some reason.

Black Canary follows up on the same case, namely whoever made that Man Bear thing. Then, a Vigilante story with a surprisingly high body count, and a WWII-era Wonder Woman story.

Darn, that Vigilante one doesn't seem like the one I remember; but I don't think he was in a ton of World's Finest issues.

This issue also comes with a Neal Adams cover, so pretty solid.