Metropolis--Den Of Iniquity And Moral Inversion!!

Elliot S! Maggin has some odd ideas about what was going on in Metropolis in the early 1980s..

Earlier this week we saw a story where Maggin told us that Morgan Edge held Bacchanalian cosplay orgies at his mansion.

Well, sure, that's how the rich live. But what do the simple folk of Metropolis do?!?

Wait...Luthorcon? Luthercon III?!?!?

Yup.

So, wait...Metropolis really has an annual convention celebrating Lex Luthor?? Remember, this was pre-Crisis, so it's old school Luthor, and everyone knows that he's a vile villain!!

And yet...

You're telling us that the good citizen's of Superman's own home city have an annual fete in honor of one of history's greatest monsters?

Yup.

That's kind of...well, wrong, isn't it?

But wait--there's more!! Like lots and lots of Lex Luthor cosplay!!

This is giving me uncomfortable feelings....

Yes, the crowd loves Luthor...and hates Superman!!

What the hell is going on here?!?!

Maybe you think it's all fun, but the biggest event at Luthercon is...

Yes, they stage the death of Superman.

No, really, they act out Lex Luthor killing Superman with kryptonite. And the crowd loves it.

What the hell is going on in Metropolis, Elliot S. Maggin?!?! What kind of den of iniquity and moral inversion have you created here?!?!?

FYI, Gregory Reed is the actor who looks just like Superman, and plays him on TV and movies. He was hurt in a car crash, and Superman agreed to fill in for him at the convention. So it's Superman pretending to be Gregory Reed playing Superman. And the real Lex Luthor knew this, and managed to swap the fake kryptonite for real kryptonite, as part of an overly elaborate plot to kill Kal-El and send Metropolis into another dimension. Which, judging from these stories, Metropolis kind of deserves...

From DC Comics Presents Annual #4 (1985)

Morgan Edge Is Earth-1's Hugh Hefner?!?!

Morgan Edge is throwing one hell of a shindig!

"Anything goes" parties? People don't want to be "caught" and embarrassed by what they're doing? Everyone wears costumes?!?

By Rao, Morgan Edge holds cosplay orgies at his mansion!

Plus...Spider-Man is there!!!! A trans-multiversal cosplay orgy!!

How could you let this happen, Comics Code?

BONUS: Jimmy Olsen hitting on a chick while wearing his Elastic Lad suit at a cosplay orgy is pretty creepy. Especially when it turns out that she is a distant descendant of his from the future (No, really!! She is!! COMICS!!)

From DC Comics Presents Annual #2 (1983)

Manic Monday Triple Overtime--Druid Problems!

Because some mornings...

...you need to see Joe Kubert draw the living hell out of Superman and the Demon fighting an evil druid!!

Selected highlights follow...

From DC Comics Presents #66 (1984)

What The Canon-Fodder Does When The Crisis Is Over!

So, let's say that you're a trio of characters who were created specifically for a big crossover event.

But now the event is over, and your lives seem kind of purposeless, and you're stranded on a world you never made.

In other words, you're canon-fodder without anything to do. So what do you do?

Well maybe, just maybe, you can go appear on Clark Kent's brand new talk show!

Wow--Pariah and Lady Quark AND Harbinger for your first show? Just think of the ratings!!

And so what brings them to Metropolis??

So...you're going around cataloging heroes? Essentially you're putting together the new post-Crisis Who's Who? That's your grand mission?!? You can't fight crime or help the helpless? You're just researching your ur-Wikipedia?!?

At least they're staying out of trouble...

Oh, don't worry...that was just a random super-villain blacking out Metropolis. Much fighting ensued.

Anyway, I suppose our guests are lucky--had this happened today, they'd probably be stuck on their own reality show...Or they could be stuck in a crappy, purposeless continuing comic like Pandora...

Here's a bonus--the George Perez cover of this issue:

DC Comics Presents #94 is from 1986

Manic Monday--Sivana Did It First

As with most evil inventions, one rule applies:

Sivana did it first.

Sorry, Batman.

From DC Comics Presents Annual #3 (1984)

Manic Monday--Great moments In Self-Promotion

There is much upward mobility in the evil super-villain ranks, it seems.

Dr. Sivana has stolen Captain Marvel's powers, so it's not unreasonable for him to call himself:

Knowing Sivana and his ego, though, that won't be enough for long...

Ah, but Sivana isn't content to share ranks with Major Disaster:

Well, you can guess where this goes...

And that must be why he loses--he runs out of ranks!!

From DC Comics Presents Annual #3 (1984)

Better Than Coffee

Because some mornings...

...you just need to see a Gil Kane-drawn Mary Marvel face-kicking Thaddeus Sivana.

You're welcome.

From DC Comics Presents Annual #3 (1984)

Friday Night Fights--Big Green Cheese Style!!

In this week's Friday Night Fights, we find out that cheese can come in many colors:

WTF?!?

It turns out that Dr. Sivana managed to "split" Captain Marvel's lightning bolt into "two forks," with the result that Sivana received all of the "good qualities" and powers from the Elders. And what did Billy Batson get?

Ouch. And please, no jokes about how that sounds a lot like the nu52's Billy Batson--the wounds are still raw.

So "Captain Sivana" kicks Captain Marvel's ass. He then decides that there's only one being in all the universes who could potentially stop him--Superman. So he takes off for Earth-1 to preemptively squash the Man Of Steel.

Unforunately, Sivana isn't too good on navigating with the Rock Of Eternity yet, and he ends up on Earth-2, where he has to tangle with a different Superman...

OUCH!!!

Don't worry, the Earth-1 Superman shows up, and Marvel gets his powers back, and the Wizard wakes up and depowers Sivana. All is good in the end!!

Spacebooger believes this would have been a much better story had they just called Captain Marvel "Shazam" through the whole tale...

Sivana gets to brag to his fellow prisoners that he whupped Superman in DC Comics Presents Annual #3 (1984), by Roy Thomas (story, "with an assist from Julius Schwartz and Gil Kane"), Joey Cavalieri (script), and Gil Kane (art)

Now is the time for you to go and vote for my fight. Because, dang it!! Just go vote!!!