Super Friends #33 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Though Super Friends sidekicks Wendy and Marvin, along with their pooch Wonder Dog, were unceremoniously replaced by the Wonder Twins when the animated series returned to TV in 1977, the trio was given a send off in the comic book adaptation. 

Siblings Zan and Jayna, along with their blue space monkey Gleek, first appeared in comic book form with issue #6 of Super Friends. In a 3-part story, the twins are given an origin story by E. Nelson Bridwell, which sees the orphans coming to Earth to warn Superman of a space bomb attack from the villainous Grax. Impressed by the alien teens' bravery, the Justice League offers them membership and training as superheroes while Wendy and Marvin leave in issue #9 for college. It's hinted that Wendy will eventually enter the FBI after finishing college.

With Zan's ability to take the form of water in any state and shape and Jayna 's mastery of transforming into animals, both real and mythical, the Wonder Twins become valuable allies to the Super Friends. In order to change their form, Zan and Jayna must make physical contact with one another. Generally, giving one another a fist bump while as humanoids. Should the twins be separated from each other, they will remain in whatever form until they can once again touch. It is that limitation of the Wonder Twins' powers that is the main plot point of this issue.

Someone is targeting the priceless collections of Gotham City's elite. Without any clue as to the culprit, Batman enlists the Super Friends to help. Believing that he knows the next target, a collector of gems and rare birds, Batman has Zan transform into a giant diamond made of ice while Jayna becomes a bird. Only she accidentally becomes a bird that has been extinct for centuries. 

With the twins in place as bait, the culprit is revealed to be the Menagerie Man, who uses trained animals to commit his crimes. When the villain notices Jayna in prehistoric bird form moving, the Menagerie Man believes that he's discovered a missing link and unknowingly steals Jayna. 

With Zan stuck in ice diamond form, the Justice League is down 2 members. But thanks to a feathery friend, Hawkman arrives with the location of the Menagerie Man's hideout. It looks like the rescue mission is going to be easy until the Super Friends are attacked by wildebeests, leopards and birds of prey carrying nuggets of deadly kryptonite!

This 1980 issue was written by Bridwell with artwork by Wonder Twins co-creator Ramona Fradon. Inks were provided by Vince Colleta.

The Super Friends comic book would continue to run through the summer of 1981; ending with issue #47. Both the Wonder Twins and the team of Wendy and Marvin and Wonder Dog would return in the 2000s as characters in both DC animated series and as official comics canon. 

Completing this review completes Task #20 (A Superhero Team Book) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Best of DC Digest #30 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

It's not often that the Dark Knight is wrong. However, when he claims that 11 crimes have been committed on the cover of The Best of DC Digest #30, there are actually only 10 infractions in need of solving. That's because the Robin/Batgirl story is a 2-parter. 

The run down for this issue is as follows:

• 'Wanted for Murder One: The Batman'. A talk show host with a grudge against the Caped Crusader is found dead. Off in the distance, Batman is witnessed fleeing the scene. With the GCPD on his trail, Batman must clear his name or surrender in disgrace.
• 'The Assassin Express Contract'. Christopher Chase accepts a mission to impersonate a wealthy industrialist who has a hit out on him. Already confined by the limits of a racing train, the Human Target must restrict himself further when it's revealed that the subject he's tasked with portraying now has an injured eye.
• 'Riddle of the Unseen Man' sees Roy Raymond, the famed TV Detective who investigates strange but true occurrences is besieged by a seemingly invisible person throughout his daily operations.
• 'Burial For a Batgirl' and ' Midnight is the Dying Hour's sees Barbara Gordon at Gotham State University for a festival honoring Edgar Allen Poe. When a controversial figure is found murdered on campus, Batgirl and the Boy Wonder swing into action to find the killer.
• Magical Mirror Mystery.' When the new mirror Ralph Dibny buys for his wife, Sue, shows the image of a missing woman, the Elongated Man travels to the mansion of the girl's father to solve the mystery.
• Famed magician Mysto aims to solve the 'Three Feats of Peril' that his fallen mentor seeked to perform before his untimely death.
• Crippled private investigator Jason Bard aims to solve how a daredevil skydiver was stabbed to death in the middle of a jump in 'The Case of the Dead-on Target.'
• Captain Mark Compass finds his attempts to crush a ring of smugglers thwarted at his ever turn in 'The Ocean Pest.'
• J'onn J'onnz, the Martian Manhunter, appears in 'The Man With 20 Lives.' Gifted with mental telepathy, the Martian knows that a Gotham City thug committed an impossible murder. But in order to solve the crime, he must operate as human police detective John Jones to extract a confession of guilt.
• Batman bursts into the middle of a performance of MacBeth as a sniper takes aim at the star in The Stage is Set - For Murder!'

Each story appeared previously in the pages of Detective Comics. Talent such as Frank Robbins, Dennis O'Neil, Irv Novick, Joe Certa and Vince Colletta worked on these tales which at some point all challenge the reader to solve the mystery from clues sprinkled throughout each story before the hero does. Some of the clues are easy to piece together while some hints require expert level expertise. It's those more difficult leads that feel like cheats, playing upon obscure knowledge of animals, cultures and even the laws of physics in able to solve the mysteries. 

Len Wein was this issue's contributing editor with Mike W. Barr acting as special consultant. 

Completing this review completes Task #38 (A Comic Book Digest) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #130 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Thanks to an encounter with a psychic, reporter Lois Lane is subconsciously informed of Superman's secret identity. Unaware to this event, Lois has a series of nightmares in which she murders her co-worker and best friend Clark Kent. In the dream, as Kent falls, his superhero costume is revealed to which the shock of murdering the Man of Steel awakens Lois in a cold sweat. As Lois tries to make sense of this reoccurring dream, she is constantly attacked by a pair of crooks. Narrowly, the journalist escapes doom. Yet as Lois composes herself, the bystanders claim that no such attacks occurred. Could the nightmares and now supposed phantom attacks be a sign that Lois Lane is losing her mind?

The feature story in Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #130 was penned by Cary Bates. 'The Mental Murder' is a mystery that keeps the reader guessing most of the time. However, if you've figured out the real identity of Lois' psychiatrist, you'll realize that Superman will do anything to protect his own self interests if it means keeping the world from knowing that Clark Kent is the Last Son of Krypton. 

Cover and interior art was by John Rosenberger with inks by Vince Colletta 

The backup story stars the somnambulist superhero Thorn. The second character to bear the name, Thorn's secret identity was Rhosyn 'Rose' Lynee Forrest. Created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, the character debuted in issue #105 of Lois Lane. In her origin story, Rose becomes distraught at the death of her father, police officer Phil Forrest at the hands of a gang known as The 100. The desire for revenge triggers something in Rose's psyche to the point that whenever she went to sleep, she would switch personalities. Instead of sweet, innocent Rose, Rhosyn would transform into the vicious, athletic street vigilante Thorn. 

'Nightmare Alley!' sees Rose changing both personas, clothes and hair color into Thorn as she finally uncovers the identity of 1 of the 3 men who murdered her father. Unfortunately, the quest for vengeance will continue for the young lady when the thug is killed by an unknown assailant before revealing the identities of his co-conspirators. 

Artist Don Heck provides pen and ink to Kanigher's script.

Completing this review completes Task #14 (Main Character is a Woman) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.