The Fifth Super-Team Family

It's time for another look back at the classic title of Super-Team Family, this time, being Super-Team Family #5 (June-July, 1976), with stories featuring Superman, Superboy, Batman and Eclipso....


...all under a cover by Ernie Chan!

Brave and the Bold #64

First up is the story from Brave and the Bold #64 (February-March, 1966) by Bob Haney and Win Mortimer, featuring "Batman versus Eclipso", under a stunning cover by Gil Kane.

Eclipso comes to Gotham after splitting from Bruce Gordon during an eclipse in Solar City, thanks to the Queen Bee (Marcia Monroe, who also got Batman thrown in jail, as part of a master plan to join the super-secret criminal organization, C.Y.C.L.O.P.S.), with Bruce Gordon, Mona Bennet and her father consulting with Com. James Gordon to help take down Eclipso, resulting in a battle between Eclipso and Batman on the HIVE (the building which housed the criminal organization....).

After the cancellation of Eclipso's House of Secrets series (which this original Brave & the Bold tale took place during), he next showed up in Justice League of America #109, where Batman was aware of his activities....  

Superboy #47

The second story reprinted in this issue is Superboy #47 (March, 1956) by Otto Binder, Curt Swan and John Giunta, where "Superboy Meets Superman", with a original cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.

Superboy had the idea of going back in time to find out when Metropolis was founded, but was sleepy and failed to take into account an eclipse, so he instead ended up in the future...and met himself!  Problem was, neither Superman nor Superboy could travel in time now, so they seemed to be trapped (and Lois Lane had proof that Superman was Clark Kent, so the Kryptonians were doubly doomed).  Thankfully, Superboy was there to save Superman's secret....and then the two super-heroes put their head together (in a style suggested by the cover, as an irresistible force and an immovable object couldn't exist at the same time (and it worked, hurling Superboy back to his own time in Smallville, where he fell asleep after the effort, then awoke to wonder if it was all a dream....

....or an imaginary story, but hey, aren't they all?).

The Fourth Super-Team Family

Looking back at the classic collection of stories in Super-Team Family #4 (April-May, 1976), with stories featuring the Justice Society of America and the World's Finest team of Superman, Batman and Robin....

...all under a cover by Ernie Chan, in a return to all reprints in the book (after issues #2 and #3 had new stories as well as reprints), with a new editor, E. Nelson Bridwell.

All-Star Comics #33

The first story reprinted in this issue is All-Star Comics #33 (February-March, 1947) by writer Gardner Fox and artists Irwin Hasen, Joe Kubert, Stan Aschmeier, Martin Naydel, Jon C. Koziak and Paul Reiman, with "The Return Of Solomon Grundy".

Grundy was an animated corpse (formerly the man known as Cyrus Gold), that came from Slaughter Swamp in Gotham City (and facing the Golden Age Green Lantern twice before this).  Freed from the power ring bubble Green Lantern had trapped him in, Solomon Grundy went to find the emerald gladiator.  The JSA went to their meeting house, finding Green Lantern missing, so went to find him...with Hawkman, Dr. Mid-Nite, Flash, and Atom facing Solomon Grundy (and Johnny Thunder meeting a phony Grundy, with Wonder Woman playing secretary, but likely able to take out Grundy herself), eventually reuniting to stop Grundy and saving Green Lantern, who then exiled Solomon Grundy to the moon...

....who returned one time after that in the Golden Age, in Comic Cavalcade, to face Green Lantern, before his Silver Age revival, facing Dr. Fate and Hourman along with Green Lantern), with the JSA being featured in a revival of All-Star Comics at this time (including a grown up Robin, the Star-Spangled Kid and Power Girl as members, and Grundy joining the Injustice Society of the World soon after this reprint appearance).

World's Finest Comics #98

Since the Justice Society story was so large, there was only room for one more reprint, that of World's Finest Comics #98 (December, 1958) by Bill Finger, Dick Sprang and Stan Kaye, with "The Menace Of The Moonman".

The story focuses on an astronaut, Brice Rogers, who is exposed to the radiation of a green comet, that, when he returns to Earth, turns into the Moon Man under the moonlight.  Superman faces him (but that green radiation must have contained Kryptonite, as Superman is weakened), but the Moon Man reverts to Rogers, with criminals trying to use his new identity to their advantage, until Superman, Batman and Robin defeat them, and Rogers' Moon Man power fade away....but he does return, with a new person, Lady Lunar exhibiting those powers.

The First Super-Team Family

With the awkward title of Super-Team Family, DC welcomed a new anthology book to its line in October-November 1975....and what a book it was! 


Featuring "the world's greatest super-heroes" of Superman, Batman, Robin and the Teen Titans, and the Flash (with two of his major foes, Captain Cold and Heat Wave), this book premiered reprinting some classic tales, with much hope for the future as well, all under a cover by Dick Giordano (though this issue credited as Ernie Chan....it was later revealed to be Mr. Giordano's work in a letter's page).


Here are the stories....and a little historical perspective behind these tales.....

World's Finest Comics #175

First up is the Superman/Batman team up from World's Finest Comics #175 (October-November, 1968), with "The Superman-Batman Revenge Squads" by Leo Dorfman, Neal Adams and Dick Giordano, had Superman, Batman (as well as Robin, Jimmy Olsen, Commissioner James Gordon and even guest star, the Flash) facing off against evil teams based on opposing Superman and Batman in the Superman Revenge Squad and the introduced here, Batman Revenge Squad.

The importance of the tale has been discussed somewhat here, and this story led to the second of two Neal Adams tales in World's Finest being reprinted in Super-Team Family #3, and this story was of inspiration to Grant Morrison, who created an evil holographic Justice League with distorted color schemes during his run of the JLA.

Teen Titans #19

Next up is Teen Titans #19 (January-February, 1969), with "Stepping Stones For A Giant Killer" by Mike Friedrich, Gil Kane and Wally Wood (with an eerie cover by Nick Cardy), introducing Sylvester Sepastopol, who would go by the name of Punch, a young man who wanted to join JLA villain Headmaster Mind's school for villains, but wasn't allowed as the villains felt he was too young. 

So, the lad organized a plan to take on the Teen Titans, which included Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Wonder Girl, with Speedy rejoining the team at this time (originally, Speedy wasn't an original Teen Titan, but their secret origin clarified that, and at the end of the tale, Aqualad left the team to help Aquaman on his quest for his missing wife, Mera).

This tale is important for changing the direction of the Teen Titans title (with Speedy and Wonder Girl becoming an item, with the team facing more relevant cases instead of wacky villains, as well as developing its own inner continuity), and along with DC Super-Stars #1 and Super-Team Family #7, featuring Teen Titans reprints...


...which led to a return of the Teen Titans title briefly in the 1970s (picking up with issue #44, and lasting until #53, and introducing the Bumblebee, as well as giving the Joker's Daughter a home, as well as forming the Titans West)...

Flash #166

Last but not least is Flash #166 (December, 1966) with the "Tempting Target For The Temperature Twins" by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella, with the Flash dealing with Captain Cold and Heat Wave (reunited for the second time without the rest of the Rogues), who face a Flash who has injured himself, and has to use crutches to get around (plus keep his secret as Barry Allen from his very recently made wife, the former Iris West, now Iris Allen).


This was one of the last covers to feature Flash villains for a while (other than one with Grodd, one with the Rogues Gallery and one with Captain Cold), as the title changed direction after Barry and Iris' wedding, and dealt with their relationships, and problems in Central City.

Super-Team Family itself found itself an odd niche, starting with the second issue, and a new team-up with the Creeper and Wildcat (as well as a reprint), and had a second issue mixing reprints with a new story, then its fourth through seventh issues were all reprints, leading to a split book again, with new Challengers of the Unknown stories with Doom Patrol reprints in Super-Team Family #8 to #10, and all new team-ups in #11 through #15, which feature either the Flash or the Atom in each, and you can read about most of the new team-up stories here, and in the future, we'll look back at the rest as time progresses!

Flash Facts: Flash In Super-Team Family

Flash seems like a friendly fellow, teaming up with fellow heroes like Superman, Batman and Green Lantern (and more in the Justice League)...


...but he was also a main feature for three issues of a comic called Super-Team Family.

Flash and Hawkman

Super-Team Family #3 (February-March, 1976) featured the story, "Gorilla My Dreams" by writer Steve Skeates, and art by Ric Estrada and Wally Wood, and found Flash facing off against his pal, Hawkman, who had been turned into a gorilla!  First, Hawkgirl (Shayera Hol, Hawkman's wife), had to get Flash's attention (and the Hawkgorilla) had ruined her super-suit and wings, so Shayera caused a little problem with Barry and his wife, Iris (and Barry had just been meeting with Black Canary in the JLA Satellite as well).

All this drama....and, if a gorilla is involved, you'd think Gorilla Grodd would be involved (and you'd be right!).

All under a cover by Frank Brunner, with reprints of a Superman/Batman story from World's Finest Comics #176 (June, 1968) with Supergirl, Batgirl, Jimmy Olsen and Robin, and Aquaman and Green Arrow's first team-up from Adventure Comics #267 (December, 1959).

Flash, Supergirl and the Atom

Super-Team Family #11 (June-July, 1977) ushered in a new era for Super-Team Family, that of having only one, long story (this one being called "The Other Side Of Doomsday" by Gerry Conway, Alan Weiss and Joe Rubinstein, the later two having also drawn the cover).

This issue featured the Flash, the Atom (Ray Palmer) and Supergirl (Kara Zor-El a.k.a. Linda Danvers) facing off against T. O. Morrow, as he had kidnapped Iris Allen and Jean Loring (the wives of the Flash and the Atom).

The heroes fought the villain on an alien planet, and saved Iris...

...but this wasn't the end of the story (though Flash took a break from it).

Atom team-ups

...but the heroes didn't save Jean.  Her (and the Atom's) story continued in Super-Team Family #12, #13 and #14 (all written by Gerry Conway and art by Arvell Jones), with the Atom teaming up with Green Lantern and Hawkman in Super-Team Family #12 (August-September, 1977, inked by Bill Draut), with Captain Comet and Aquaman in Super-Team Family #13 (October-November, 1977 inked by Romeo Tanghal)...

... and with Wonder Woman to face the Secret Society of Super-Villains including Grodd and the Floronic Man (who had taken Jean from Atlantis in the Secret Society of Super-Villains #10 of October, 1977) in Super-Team Family #14 (December-January, 1977-1978, inked by Romeo Tanghal).  This storyline even ended in Justice League of America #157 (August, 1978, by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin and Juan Ortiz), which had the whole Justice League of the time in the issue (including Flash), as well as guest-star Supergirl (and cameos by Captain Comet, Aquaman's wife Mera, Iris Allen and King Solovar of Gorilla City).

Flash and the New Gods

Super-Team Family #15 (March-April, 1978 by Gerry Conway, Arvell Jones and Romeo Tanghal, all under a cover by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez) featured the "Gulliver Effect" where the New Gods (Metron, Highfather, Lightray and Jezebelle; cosmic beings who lived on the world of New Genesis) to save their friend and fellow New God, Orion, from rapid growth triggered by Darkseid (the evil leader of Apokolips).

This sent the Flash racing beyond the barrier of "the Source" (the place that had given the New Gods their power), which took the Flash further than he had ever gone before!

Sadly, this was the last issue of Super-Team Family, but there are still many Flash team-ups to read, from his many races with Superman, to the early days of Brave and the Bold, with the Atom, the Martian Manhunter, the Doom Patrol and the Spectre!