Random Happenstance

We saw "Thou Shalt Have No Other Batman Before Me!" on Monday, but surprisingly the second feature of World's Finest #255 was just as long! "Nothing But a Man" Written by Elliot S! Maggin, pencils by Trevor von Eeden, inks by Vince Colletta.

The outgoing mayor of Star City, the wheelchair-bound Jack Major; wants Oliver Queen to succeed him. That's maybe the least of the endorsements Ollie's gotten, like Congresswoman Barbara Gordon, Green Lantern, and bags of cash from Bruce Wayne! His opponent seems a well-meaning but easily led shrub, and his handlers push for Ollie to appear on stage at an event, with Green Arrow: Ollie wasn't officially believed to be the archer, but a lot of people had noticed the resemblance. Ollie's campaign manager, Dinah, makes a quick call to Carol Ferris, to get Green Lantern to appear as Green Arrow. Later, Clark Kent announces live for WGBS, as most of the League turns out to stump for Ollie: Supergirl obligingly sits down to duck the word balloons. 

Aquaman makes an announcement that as far as they knew, Ollie was unaware of their endorsements; and election day Ollie votes early but still goes out to see voters. He is then abducted and taken before mobster Thaddeus Cable, who tells Ollie he's going to own him, just like he owned Jack Major. Ollie scoffs, but Cable has...transcripts? Did he get a deal on a stenographer? Still, Ollie recognizes Major's phrases and wording, and is convinced it's legit. He offers a deal, not just to look the other way, but to be an active partner..."when hell freezes over!" Ollie throws some doodad into the fuse box, then switches in the dark. He also gaslights the mobsters a bit: did Ollie change in three seconds, or did Green Arrow get him out the window? Maybe Ollie should take a page from Matt Murdock's book and get a "I'm not Green Arrow" t-shirt.

GA takes the transcripts, which include "the records of every operation since nineteen freaking fifty-five!" Cable calls out the hit order for Ollie and Major, and they try to whack them that night at campaign headquarters...with GA, GL, Black Canary, and Superman in the building. Actually, Supes doesn't even tag in, Ollie had slipped him a tip about the transcripts going to the D.A. Ollie maybe goes too rough on one of the hitters, but is interrupted by Major, who has a massive coronary and dies; before Ollie can confront or forgive him. 

Ollie was possibly losing a close race, and makes a bit of a concession speech before the shootout. Later, Clark Kent calls Ollie, who was exhausted and out, but Dinah answers. Clark thinks Ollie may have actually won the election...but through the mob's fix? And Dinah tells Clark to bury it: after fighting the mob like that, she feels he was safer as Green Arrow than Ollie Queen...and doesn't want him to fall into the same trap Major did. Huh?  A bit of a muddle at the end, there.

I feel like the intention may have been to show how hard it is to buck the political machine; but I also don't buy it since Supergirl's endorsement alone probably should've carried him? DC's heroes were usually more beloved than Marvel's; their word should've carried more weight.