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    Action Comics #401

    Action Comics » Action Comics #401 - Invader Go Home! / The Boy Who Begged to Die! released by DC Comics on June 1971.

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    1. Cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.
    2. "Invader Go Home!" written by Leo Dorfman, penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Murphy Anderson.
    3. "The Boy Who Begged to Die!" written by Cary Bates, penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Murphy Anderson.
    4. "Varsity Vic" gag strip by Henry Boltinoff.

    1. "Invader Go Home!" (Part 1). While Clark is covering the centenary of an area in the U.S. southwest becoming American territory, a band of Navarro Indians attack the festival train with arrows. Switching to Superman, he discovers that the train wasn't in real danger, but the stunt was pulled by the Navarros to draw attention to their impoverished way of life, and their claim to the surrounding land. In particular, one area of sacred land is being used to build a rocket-testing site. Superman talks to the construction company's boss, Frank Haldane, offering to build the site somewhere else if Haldane will return the land to the Navarros, but Haldane refuses, claiming the weather conditions are right only at the current location. The Navarros' shaman tries to scare Haldane away by casting spells to bring disasters down on the site. The disasters mysteriously appear, but of course they are caused by Superman. However, just as success is in their grasp, the shaman has a heart-attack and dies, so Haldane thinks the magic dies with him. The Navarros' chief, Red Hawk, casts a new spell using Superman's symbol and a red jewel which removes Superman's powers so the Navarros can take him hostage. Their plan is to trade him for their sacred land. (Concluded in Action Comics #402).

    2. "The Boy Who Begged to Die!" A mysterious meteorite lands in the town of Masonville. When Superman investigates he tries to discover its composition with his X-ray vision, but this causes the unstable elements in the meteorite to ignite, threatening a huge explosion that will destroy the town if Superman lets go of the rock. He shouts out that everyone has to evacuate the town, but just as he thinks everyone is gone and is about to drop the rock, a boy on crutches appears. At this point Superman discovers that if he delays detonating the rock much longer, the intensity of the blast will be larger than he thought so that it will encompass the evacuated townsfolk. However, if he drops the rock now, the boy dies. The boy tries to convince Superman to sacrifice him to save the rest of the town and Superman is torn as to what to do. Finally the boy takes Superman's cape in order to use it (in some unspecified way) to kill himself. However, Superman uses his super-breath to wrap the cape around the boy to shield him from the blast, thus saving everyone.

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    one of the classics! Invader Go Home! (Part 1). While Clark is covering the centenary of an area in the U.S. southwest becoming American territory, a band of Navarro Indians attack the festival train with arrows. Switching to Superman, he discovers that the train wasn't in real danger, but the stunt was pulled by the Navarros to draw attention to their impoverished way of life, and their claim to the surrounding land. In particular, one area of sacred land is being used to build a rocket-testing...

    1 out of 1 found this review helpful.
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