FW Presents – Find Your Joy – World’s Finest Comics #269

FW PRESENTS - FIND YOUR JOY - WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #269

Rob finds his joy by discussing one of his all-time favorite Batman stories, "Buried Alive!" by Gerry Conway, Rich Buckler, and Frank McLaughlin from WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #269, with special Bat-Guest Ryan Daly!

Check out images from this comic by clicking here!

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12 responses to “FW Presents – Find Your Joy – World’s Finest Comics #269

  1. While I haven’t read this story before, I enjoyed your discussion of it. Batman and Superman are actually friends. Batman relies on his intellect and skill. Makes me wish I had started reading comics at a younger age. I really need to track down more stories from this era.

    Thank you for sharing the joy.

  2. Oh, yeah. The dollar-comics era of World’s Finest. I loved these books – although usually I enjoyed some of the other stories more than the main Superman-Batman feature up front. Even though I was a pretty regular reader of WF, this is actually an issue I missed for some reason. Nevertheless, I enjoyed your discussion. It does sound like the type of fun and engaging story I would have enjoyed.
    Anyway, I’m now a bit disappointed to know that they *won’t* in fact be a dollar comics cast. I was a big fan of them as well, especially World’s Finest and that brief run of Adventure Comics (pretty much worth the price just for those Deadman features, but chock full of other goodies, too).

  3. This is a story that has stuck with me from when I first read it. I bought it new off the stands. I had forgotten much of the story itself, but the page where Batman explains how he escaped is indelibly in my memory. Reversing himself in the coffin using yoga, using the small panel of the coffin as a digging tool, the soft earth from the recent burial…all of that has stayed when the rest of the story, and issue have long ago receded.
    The DC Dollar Comics were wonderful. Especially Adventure and World’s Finest. All those superhero stories! I was not a buyer of the war or mystery Dollar Comics, but they must not be dismissed from any discussion and/or podcast about these books! The only comic book buying I do these days, is trying to take advantage of back issue sales at a LCS or two once or twice a year. I almost always find an issue of Superman Family Dollar Comic that I need to fill a hole in my collection.
    As to the cover, that was standard. All of the (superhero) Dollar Comics, featured on the cover all the characters appearing in their own stories. At first it was just floating heads. Once the books went to a “no ads” format, they had these marvelous front and back cover 2 page-spreads of all the heroes getting in on the action! Jim Aparo drew some particularly effective ones for World’s Finest! (Aparo drawing Superman AND Green Arrow AND Black Canary AND CAPTAIN MARVEL as well as Batman, was worth a buck just for the cover!) Later there would be inset panels of vignettes form the stories. By the time this issue was published, there were still no ads, but no longer were there wrap-around covers. The back cover would be The Daily Planet feature or upcoming DC books.
    Writing about this now, (from memory! I haven’t checked Mike’s Amazing World for accuracy!) has got me remembering many of my favorite Dollar Comics, which, coincidentally, were many of my favorite comics! The first Superman Family Dollar Comic that my little sister got me for a Christmas present; the World’s Finest Dollar Comic issue that was one story; the Batman Family Dollar Comic that had a thread of the Huntress visiting Earth-1 connecting each story; and the Detective Comics Dollar Comic that had “Bat Mite’s New York Adventure,” which is one of my all-time favorite comic book stories!
    Looks like I’ve found some joy!

  4. I’m really digging the find your joys. This is another issue featured in the series that I bought new off the spinner rack back in the day.

    For me, the real heroes of the story were Rich Buckler and colorist Carl Gafford. I liked the palette that Gafford selected to use on the scenes of Batman in the coffin. Buckler did a great job of capturing the claustrophobic feeling. Buckler turned in several awesome World’s Finest issues during this period, and his work makes me wish Buckler had a regular run on Superman or Batman’s titles back then. If I can be sleazy, I really loved Buckler’s art on the Wonder Woman book and record set, and I think he draws the one of the prettiest Dianas I’ve ever seen. DC really missed the ball not putting Buckler on WW, because I bet it would have goosed sales amongst teen-age boys.

    This WF story was reprinted in the Strange Deaths of Batman trade.

    http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/features/comic.php?comicid=42610

    Rob, since you’ve interviewed Gerry Conway on the network a few times, do you think Mr. Conway would do a Treasury Cast on Marvel Treasury Edition 24? Since the stories were heavily influenced by the gospels, including Herb Trimpe homaging DiVinci’s Last Supper, and the book of Revelation, I’m curious if there was any controversy when the stories originally appeared. Also, I don’t think I’ve ever read an interview where anyone asked Mr. Conway about his Hulk work.

  5. A three way split? Do I get three Christmases?

    I LOVED the Dollar Comics. I bought a lot of World’s Finest, Detective and Superman Family back in the day. Any time Robin showed up with Batman and/or Superman was a real treat, as he was mostly a solo back-up star at this point, when he was Teen Wondering at college. I loved Rich Buckler’s artwork at DC during this period, but there are some straight-up Neal Adams swipes in this story. The figure of Batman when he reunites with Superman being one of them. But the story and art are just so tight, who cares? And yes the coloring really adds to the mood of this story as well.

    Batman being taken out by a nobody also mirrors the Earth-Two Batman’s death in Adventure Comics (when it was a Dollar Comic, too!). When Batman “dies” in a Deadman team-up in Detective Comics #500, it’s also at the hands of common criminal. There seemed to be something in the zeitgeist at DC in the late 70s/early 80s about Batman meeting his maker at the hands of a more street-level thug.

    Fun episode guys!

    Chris

    1. I never did understand why Buckler swiped so much. Most artists who swipe do it because they don’t have talent, but Buckler could not only draw, he could draw really well. That is probably why he doesn’t have a better fan following or reputation now.

      I was looking back over Buckler’s covers when he passed away a few years ago, and, before that, never realized how many covers that caught my eye on the spinner rack in my youth were by him. As I said, his Wonder Woman book and record set, while Adams-esque, is beautiful to behold.

  6. Oh, how I wish the UK had been better served by Dollar Comics, they were a rare treat. I love anthologies… that said, an opening strip headliner apart, I could never see the point of putting the likes of Flash, Wondy or GL in them, they already had their monthlies. I want these books full of the likes of Ragman, Creeper, Whatever Happened To…, Sugar & Spike, Tales of Earth 2, strips we can’t see anywhere else that might find an audience.

    There’s definitely a place on the Network for a Dollar Comic podcast.

    This Superman and Batman story is a real winner, and it’s always fun to guess who Buckler’s swiping (did I ever tell you how Rich Buckler got me in Ask the Answer Man…). I see Jim Aparo AND Irv Novick Batmen, and a George Tuska Superman.

  7. Does anyone realize that Batman was hit with Mordru’s weakness in this issue, and he managed to escape? Even Sydney Bristow needed help when she was buried.

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