It's not that long in the scheme of things, but seems like a lot of issues. From 1983,
World's Finest #295, "Daughters of the Moon" Plot by L.B. Kellog (probably Kellogg), script by David Anthony Kraft, pencils by Jerome Moore, inks by Frank McLaughlin.
We saw the last issue of the series,
#323, some time back; but the World's Finest team was having trouble before then; starting the
previous issue and with Batman telling the Justice League to blow in
Batman and the Outsiders #1. Still, Superman is there for his friend, as he lies dying at Cape Canaveral. Earlier, Batman had been brought in to investigate the destruction of two military satellites; with lead scientist Professor Nakamura, General Armstrong, and astronomer "Karl Hagen," a barely-veiled version of
Carl Sagan. Hagen is opposed to putting weapons in space, and seems the likely culprit; but that night as Batman examines the rocket, he is attacked by three costumed women: the Moondancers!
The ladies had a moon-shaped flyer, and a plethora of powers: Harvest Moon introduces herself while growing ten feet tall and tackling Bats; which in some stories I feel like he would somehow be prepared for, but not today. New Moon had a cold beam, but after the rocket is destroyed, Batman is laid low by a gas bomb tossed by Crescent Moon. Batman goes down hard, but as the Moondancers escape, they console themselves that their "advisor" wouldn't have given them lethal weapons. Or would he? Hagen explains to Superman, Batman had been hit with some kind of alien virus, and he could be dead before earth's scientists could figure it out. Remembering all his good times with his friend, Superman races to find a cure; while predictably, Gotham City goes completely off the rails without Batman there.
Superman discovers a new energy source in a comet, and races back to earth to use it in Batman's cure; while Armstrong is virtually drooling at the idea of getting it for military use. Batman is a little embarrassed to be saved by Superman, since things had been strained between them lately. Superman then heads to Gotham, to calm things down there; while the Moondancers are sent to steal the new energy source, under the notion of eliminating nuclear weapons worldwide. The groggy Batman is no match for the Moondancers, but joins Superman to go after them, and their advisor: it's
Scooby-Doo rules there. Still, the Moondancers had been working towards nuclear disarmament in good faith, and in somewhat of a change, this time it's Batman that lets them go!
I don't think all of the next two years plus this series had left were all about how Superman and Batman weren't that close anymore...man, I hope not.
2 comments:
I wonder how many people were reading this while eating a bowl of Kellogg’s cereal?
Speaking of LBK, I just know there’s a LBJ joke in there somewhere I’m just not old enough or smart enough to think of it.
Moondancers eh? They look like super-powered strippers, so of course Batman’s going to have a hard time with them, even with their totally nonsensical powers that absolutely do NOT match their names.
Also, I hate to agree with General Armstrong, but he’s right about how given the history of mankind, defense is needed…..defense from itself.
They resolved their differences pretty soon after this one- during the next storyline in fact. I think it had been less than six months since the whole falling out thing started anyway, so it was more about building things up for issue 300 than anything long-term. They were perfectly fine even up to the second to last issue of the series- it just gave them a good reason to end the book if they have another falling out.
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