Doctor Fate and Superman team up to battle a mysterious curse that is turning Doctor Fate's wife into a monster.
Doctor Fate desperately searches for a time lost ancestor of Inza Nelson's, in order to cancel the curse that is turning his wife into a monster. Meanwhile, at S.T.A.R. Labs, in Metropolis, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are conducting an interview with a scientist who believes in the sentience of matter. Before his demonstration can get underway, a tri-masted schooner appears in his machine. Before their incredulous eyes, the schooner grows and grows, achieving it's full normal size. On the street below, Clark Kent witnesses the schooner crashing through the outer wall of the S.T.A.R. Labs building. With all eyes on the ship, Kent changes into his Superman costume, then flies up to catch the falling debris. Superman boards the schooner, quickly coming under attack by it's Captain, Ezra Hawkins. The two men duel with cutlasses, with Superman, ultimately, the victor. Hawkins' crew, though, are holding Lane hostage. Superman submits to Hawkins, rather than chance Lane being injured. Doctor Fate discovers Nelson's ancestor, Hawkins, on Earth One. Traversing the inter-dimensional space between the two parallel Earths, Doctor Fate encounters a magic imp, known as "El Muchacho" to Hawkins, and his crew.
The Imp tries to freeze Doctor Fate, but a simple spell to generate heat protects him. "El Muchacho" flees to Earth One. Superman is forced to man the oars of Hawkins' schooner. The Man of Steel rows so fast that the spinning oars act as propeller blades, carrying the schooner aloft. Spying City Hall, Hawkins demands Superman land the ship, that his crew might plunder what he believes to be the city's seat of power. Superman refuses. The Metropolis Police Department closes on the schooner, in a police helicopter, ordering Hawkins to stand down. "El Muchacho" appears and turns the schooner's oars to water. Immediately, the schooner plummets from the sky, with Superman still helplessly chained to the deck. Only the timely arrival of Doctor Fate stays the catastrophe. Doctor Fate conjures a powerful wind vortex that buoys the ship, then slowly lowers it to the ground. Observing an ectoplasmic aura surrounding the ship, Doctor Fate neutralizes it by blocking the imp's magic powers. This has the added result of canceling the enchantment on Superman's chains, enabling him to burst his bonds. His weapons no longer enchanted, Hawkins finds he's no longer a match for Superman. Doctor Fate returns Hawkins, his crew, and his ship back to their proper place in time and space. With the curse of "El Muchacho" lifted from Hawkins, Doctor Fate returns home to find his wife fully restored to normal.
Notes:
- This issue contains the Hostess Superhero Ad, Batman, Robin and Catman in "Catman on the Prowl".
- "Daily Planet" Volume 80 Issue 13 week of April 7, 1980 edited by Bob Rozakis, production by Lynne Gelfer and lettered by Typeset. Featuring a surprise return of Johnny Peril in The Unexpected #200, and a new mini-series starring Batman in The Untold Legend of the Batman #1 plus "Ask the Answer Man!" and "Direct Currents".
- "Hembeck" by Fred Hembeck.
Log in to comment