Super DC - The Uncollected Text Adventures : Super DC #3 "The Green Falcon"

The third issue of Super DC opens with an interview with Bob Kane (probably taken from a U.S. comics) detailing all the inspirations which led him to create Batman -- Zorro, the Shadow, the Bat, etc. Not mentioned, predictably enough, is Bill Finger.

There are also featurettes on crime writer Edgar Wallace and anarchic musical act The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, which had only just burst onto the scene via the TV program Do Not Adjust Your Set.

The Skipper's Mailbag finally contains some allegedly-real letters from local readers -- although they all read a little staged. In fact, each takes the form of the short educational features you'd find elsewhere in the magazine: Peter Wilson of Enfield writes a one-column history of pirate radio stations, Paul Thomas of Salford informs the readers about the Patsy Awards for animal actors, and Leonard Landon of London, appropriately enough, writes in about all the many Double-L'ed appellated characters in Superman's life. Only James Ward from Cheshire mentions that he reads the comics. What a bunch of know-it-alls.

In their text adventure, "Frozen Fortune," Batman and Robin battle Mister Freeze.

Other features in this issue include a two-page feature on crash testing in the Italian automobile industry, a profile of cricketer Brian Close, and a coloring contest for fans of the Man of Steel (reprinted below for anyone who'd like to try their hand at winning one of two transistor radios or twenty-four Airfix scale model kits):

The following adventures are reprinted in Super DC #3:
The Nemesis from Batman's Boyhood! Detective Comics  #370 (December 1967)

The Case of the Lethal Letters! Superman #204 (February 1968)

The Bride of Titanman! Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #79 (November 1967)

Superboy's Blind Identity! Superboy #137 (April 1967)

Jimmy Olsen, Supergirl's Pal! Action Comics #343 (November 1966)

This Issue's Text Adventure:

The previous two text adventures included Lois Lane as an ancillary character, but this time around it's Jimmy Olsen's turn to help out the Man of Steel. The problem this time -- Narvik, a foe from the future, using the remarkable properties of the so-called Green Falcon, an artifact of great power, to commit some feeble robberies in the present day. 

Your mileage may vary, but the best mental image I got from this episode was Superman's uncomfortable fidgeting while a stranger in a tin gown forced kisses on his mitts. 

And now, The Green Falcon ...

* * * 

Cub reporter Jimmy Olsen had just left the offices of the Metropolis Planet on his way home when an astonishing thing happened. As he turned the corner of 21st Street he saw a gigantic glowing outline take shape before him. It was a keyhole which pulsed with a fluorescent brilliance in the darkness.

Jimmy stepped back, flattening himself against the wall as fear gripped him. Then he saw a figure coming through the keyhole. It was an old man, dressed in a flowing gown of glittering metallic strips and a tall head-dress of glass.

Moving with stately dignity, the old man stepped down on to the sidewalk. As he did so the keyhole faded away.

The old man drew near Jimmy. In a ringing voice he said, "Jimmy Olsen, I must find Superman."

Jimmy swallowed hard. "Who are you?" he managed to say.

"I am Targe, guardian of the Falcon. I am from your world-but far in the future! I have come back in time 900 years to recover the Falcon. It has been stolen by a criminal, Narvik, who has escaped across the time barrier, back to this city and this time-and only Superman can help me catch him."

There was something about the other's voice which reassured Jimmy. "How did you know that I could help you reach Superman?" he said curiously

The old man gave a thin smile. "It is in our history books," he said.

"Okay," Jimmy agreed. "But we'd better go to my room. Your dress is a bit way out for the 20th century."

When they reached his room Jimmy pressed the button on his signal watch and opened the window. Seconds ticked by and then a rushing sound heralded the arrival of the Man of Steel.

As he dropped from the night sky and stepped through the window, Targe came eagerly towards him. "The hero of our history books! The legend of our story books!" he cried. "I am honoured to greet you, Superman."

Superman frowned in embarrassment as the old man grasped his hand and kissed it. Jimmy explained.

"What is the Falcon?" Superman asked. "And what has happened to it?"

Targe produced a tiny device from the folds of his gown. He turned it towards the wall, and Jimmy and Superman saw a picture of a green statuette appear. "That is the Falcon, of which I am guardian," said Targe. "It is more than a thing of beauty, for it is the device which renews the brain of the great computer that governs the workings of our world."

Superman looked searchingly at Targe, using his super-intuition to fathom the truth of the stranger's story. Targe raised a warning hand. "Wait! I have not told all," he said, "You see, the statuette is in two pieces, for the wings can be detached. They give power to pass through any solid surface; the body gives powers of levitation."

Superman turned towards the window. "Then the sooner I begin to search for Narvik and the Falcon, the safer the city will be," he said. Over his shoulder he added, "Wait here, Targe”

But the old man laid a gnarled hand on Superman's arm. "One thing to help you track down the Falcon," he said, producing a slide of dark glass. "Hold this before your eyes as you fly, Superman. Wherever the parts of the Green Falcon are, you will see them glimmer 

A few moments later, the Man of Steel was flashing through the night sky. The city below twinkled at him with a million bright lights. Holding the glass slide before his eyes, he quartered the whole of Metropolis. Once he caught a glimmer of green and thought that he had picked up Narvik's trail. But when he swooped, he found himself over the railway line, for the green light was that of a signal.

He was zooming aloft again when a train pulled out towards the outskirts of the town. Intuition made him turn and stare after it. To his amazement he saw that the train was rising into the air. He whirled and sped towards it, and through the slide he caught a glint of green that almost dazzled him.

"Great guns!" he exclaimed to himself. "That train is the bullion train carrying gold to Fort Knox. Narvik is hijacking it by using the body of the Falcon which gives powers of levitation."

He slipped the glass slide into his belt, and rocketed towards the train. Swooping beneath it as it rose into the star-studded sky, the Man of Steel spread his arms wide-and caught the train in two mighty hands. As he bore it down to earth again, bullets thudded against his iron frame. But Superman took no notice.

He landed straddle-legged on the track and set down the bullion train on the rails. From the cab of the diesel leaped four men. One of them yelled, “Split up!" But Superman swiftly shaped a length of unused steel rail with his bare hands and hurled his strange weapon. With deadly accuracy his boomerang hammered all four crooks to the ground.

As Superman turned from his task, he saw a fifth man shooting upwards from the diesel. The Man of Steel jetted from the ground in pursuit. Through the glass slide he could see that the brilliant glimmer of green was coming from the man soaring sky-wards in front of him.

The gangster used his power of levitation to swoop and dodge a hundred times; but at last Superman grabbed him. Then "Duke Robeman!" he exclaimed, as the gangster turned a sullen face towards him. 

Superman held out a large hand. "Give me the Falcon's body, Duke," he said. "And tell me where I can find your new boss — Narvik!"

Duke's eyes widened. "At the Downtown Trust Co." he confessed. "He just hired me and my boys to hijack this train and gave us this gadget."

Superman took the Falcon's body and tucked it into his belt. "All right, Duke," he said, gathering up the rest of the gang in his arms. "I'm going to leave you boys at the police station and I'm going to track down this Narvik."

Over the tall city buildings he zoomed. It was still too early in the day for offices to open. As he dropped down towards the Downtown Trust Company, he thought, "Crooks are always careful about planting lookout men when they pull a job. Perhaps I can catch Narvik in the act by going underground!"

He rocketed downwards, aiming for a car park behind the building. CR-R-RUNCH! He drove head-first into the ground and, with his mighty fists working like trip-hammers, he bored his way under the building. When he came up he was on target. WHAM! The steel-lined, foot-thick concrete floor of the vault was shattered by his whirling fists.

"Look out! It's Superman," yelled one of the crooks, dropping bundles of notes he was scooping from the shelves of the vault.

As the Man of Steel hauled himself out of the tunnel he had bored, he saw the last of the gang vanish through the closed door of the vault. "So they have got the wings of the Falcon that give power to pass through any solid surface," he thought.

The enormously thick steel doors of the vault burst open as Superman aimed a blow at them. He raced after the gang and reached the street just as they piled into a car and roared off.

He launched himself skywards and went streaking after the car which roared at a reckless rate through the city centre. As he caught up with it, Superman said to himself, "Well, they're going in the right direction for the police station. I'll help them there!"

In the car, the driver gave a gasp as he tried to turn a corner and failed. "Something's wrong with the steering," he said, wrestling with the wheel.

The driver stamped on the brake and then turned pale. "The brakes won't work! And I've killed the engine — but we're going even faster!"

His companion pointed to the archway into which the car was swinging. "Hey! It's the yard of police head-quarters. Jump for it, boys!"

Superman let go the doors and the crooks piled out into a heap. "Walk right inside," said Superman.

Then he spotted a tall figure. Superman saw a cruel face, cold blue eyes and a powerful body clothed in the same metallic style as Targe. It was Narvik!

For a moment Narvik hesitated — and in that moment Superman snatched the Falcon's wings from the other's hand.

With a heave, he threw the time fugitive aside. Then, standing over him, he held the Falcon aloft. "No more super powers, Narvik," he said. "Your plan to escape from the future, and live in luxury here by directing other criminals, has failed. You are coming with me to go home with Targe and face the music — 900 years from now!"

* * The End * *