GOTHAM HEROES versus BLOCKBUSTER, METALLO & GORILLA GRODD

Seduction of the Innocent (DC)
Where: Underworld Unleashed #3 When: Late December 1995 Why: Mark Waid How: Howard Porter

The Story So Far...
Hell has a new ruler and his name is Neron. This powerful devil comes baring a simple offer to those who will take it: great power in exchange for their immortal soul!

The demon's temptation lures many whose heart is darkened by desire. Roland Desmond receives the power of Blockbuster with the retention of a brilliant criminal mind; John Corben accepts the ability to summon a new Metallo body from nearby metals so he'll never be crippled again; and Gorilla Grodd enhances his powerful mind with the knowledge to take control of Gorilla City.

While the most powerful members of the Justice League enter the underworld on a mission to stop Neron -- his army of villains spread chaos and terror across a troubled Earth. The remaining heroes of Gotham City must scramble to stop the enhanced villains as they attempt to hijack nuclear weapons!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Metallo 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Gorilla Grodd 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Metallo 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Robin 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Batman 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Metallo 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Batman 29 (Metahuman)

The Gotham City heroes are: Batman, Robin, Black Canary, and Huntress.

A formidable foursome for the streets of Gotham, but today they face a trio of freshly supercharged super-villains who sold their souls to the demon Neron in exchange for greatly enhanced super-powers!

Blockbuster is Roland Desmond: criminal mastermind and brother of Mark Desmond. Like his brother, Roland possesses greatly enhanced super-human strength, but thanks to his pact with Neron, he no longer suffers the reduction in intelligence associated with the Blockbuster formula!

Metallo is John Corben: mortally injured criminal turned into a cyborg powered by kryptonite. Along with super-human strength and durability, his cyborg body could fire radiation beams from his kryptonite heart. Neron's offer granted Metallo the added ability to adapt and construct a body from any metallic objects in his vicinity -- meaning he could never be stopped!

Gorilla Grodd is an ape of Gorilla City who possesses incredible strength, intellect, and vast telepathic abilities. His deal with Neron restored lost psionic powers and granted him knowledge of the whereabouts of an ancient talisman that would allow him to challenge King Solovar for rule over Gorilla City.

All three villains possess strength levels that put them in a weight class above their mortal opponents. They usually contend with the likes of Superman and The Flash, but their enhanced durability also means the Gotham City heroes can utilize some of the most powerful weapons in their arsenal!

Batman used high explosives to defeat the robotic menace of Amazo in Batman #637, and slow a possessed WayneTech Rescue OGRE in Batman Confidential #2. We saw Metallo inadvertently destroy one of his post-Neron bodies in Steel #21 when he absorbed plastic explosive into his body.

Gorilla Grodd used The Heart of Darkness talisman to bring Supergirl into his ape-tribe in Supergirl #3, and telepathically turned the entire Ultramarine Corps against the Justice League in JLA: Classified #3. The latter issue also showed that Batman was able to overcome Grodd with guile and bat-weaponry!

With their combined strengths and intellect, the bad guys should have the advantage here, but all three have shown a propensity for losing in the end.

All four Gotham heroes have acrobatic abilities that should keep them out of harms way. Black Canary is arguably the ace in the hole, with her sonic canary cry shown to be powerful enough to vex the Marvel Family [Crisis on Infinite Earths #6], and Shadow Thief & Giganta [Justice League of America #13]!

The Tape: Gotham City Heroes Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...
A Gotham City bridge plays host to nuclear warheads while city-wide gridlock interrupts the government convoy. Their position was expertly predicated and planned by Major Disaster, whose associates are on site to topple the truck!

Blockbuster, Gorilla Grodd, and Metallo appear moments from success when Batman and Robin descend upon the bridge to spoil their plans!

Robin drops onto Blockbuster with a boot to the back of the head, sending him hurtling towards the waiting feet of a grounded dark knight. Batman lets momentum and gravity do the work, launching Blockbuster off the bridge!

While that's happening, Black Canary joins the battle with a swift flying kick to the face of Gorilla Grodd! Its a short-lived advantage, lost as Grodd unleashes a violent telepathic assault that sends her recoiling with a cry of agony!

Huntress swings across the bridge, surprising one of the convoy drivers by snatching his belt of grenades. She glides above the battle and pulls the pin, sending half a dozen explosives plummeting towards the villains!

Metallo spies the heroine swinging overhead, but fails to take her attack seriously enough to avert disaster. The grenades hit their target, blasting Metallo and Grodd -- and catching Black Canary in the shockwave!

Robin has Black Canary's wellbeing covered, calling for her to go limp so he can catch and break her fall. No such luck for the bad guys, who were blown clean off the bridge and disappeared into the waters below!

The Hammer...
It was a risky play on a populated bridge, but Huntress' grenade gambit won the day for the heroes in the end. It was even good enough to get a rare compliment out of Batman!

The battle is an otherwise easily overlooked, quick three-page episode that shows some of what's happening on Earth while the Justice League are descending into the depths of Hell.

Underworld Unleashed #3 more famously contains a battle between the corrupted JLA and Captain Marvel, as well as the ultimate confrontation with the arch-villain Neron. Nice battles from a mid-nineties DC event, but sometimes it's the small, forgotten moments from these big crossover events that can be the most fun to revisit!

Underworld Unleashed was an event with a grand purpose. Neron was essentially the demonic personification of the publisher's intent to revamp and refurbish some of their pantheon for the extreme nineties. Branded crossover issues turned a spotlight on jazzed up foes who'd sold their soul for new and improved powers, setting them loose on unsuspecting opponents.

By keeping the core event title to a tight three issues, and letting concise tie-ins exploit revamped villains in sometimes unexpected match-ups, Underworld Unleashed had some of the charm that made Acts of Vengeance a good time.

Gorilla Grodd didn't change too much, but the featured trio are a nice sampling for what it was all about. Metallo and Blockbuster were a couple of the updates I remember enjoying at the time. Both found their way into unlikely interactions with Steel, who was a character I was pretty enthusiastic about. We've covered Metallo's appearance in Steel #21, and I'd like to get to Blockbuster as well.

This is the first time the Roland Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster has found his way onto Secret Wars on Infinite Earths. Thanks to Neron, he fulfills the question of what it would be like for Blockbuster to retain strength and intellect.

Mark Desmond served a purpose as a super-strong villain who could run into Batman for cheap thrills. He was a serviceable stand-in for Marvel's Hulk, but it was fair to say the character was running its course. Using his brother to change things up gave DC a surprisingly fun twist, unleashing a powerful mastermind who'll be best remembered as the Kingpin to Nightwing's beleaguered vigilante.

Today's fight also marks the ranking debut of Huntress, who herself is a twist on an old idea. Helena Wayne made sense as the daughter of Batman & Catwoman in a pre-Crisis Earth-Two that showed the second generation coming into their own, but once DC rebooted there was cause to retool.

Helena Bertinelli is undoubtedly my preferred Huntress. Daughter of Gotham City mobster Franco Bertinelli, she witnessed her family's murder by hitman as a child, and vowed to dedicate herself to the fight against organized crime as an adult. She's a semi-inversion on the Bruce Wayne story with her own quirks.

Huntress would become a frequent collaborator with Black Canary as part of the Birds of Prey, who you'll probably know are headed to theatres on February 7th.

With any luck we'll be talking more about Huntress and the Birds of Prey in upcoming featured fights. For now, we record a debut win for the purple bird.

If you'd like to find more from the characters featured today you can follow links throughout this post, or dive into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights ordered by publisher, series, and issue number!

You can also subscribe on Twitter and Facebook to get daily links to superhero smackdown inspired by the topics of the day. If you like Secret Wars on Infinite Earths and want to see it prosper you can now support the project via Patreon.

Winners: Huntress, Batman & Robin (w/ Black Canary)
#331 (new) Huntress
#1 (--) Batman
#23 (+10) Robin (Tim Drake)
#38 (--) Black Canary [+1 assist]
#400 (-10) Gorilla Grodd
#896 (new) Blockbuster (Roland Desmond)
#936 (-18) Metallo

JUSTICE LEAGUE versus CAPTAIN MARVEL

Seduction of the Innocent (DC)
Where: Underworld Unleashed #3 When: Late December 1995 Why: Mark Waid How: Howard Porter

The Story So Far...
What is the price of the heart's desire? The devil Neron has waged a campaign of temptation and corruption in an effort to amass immortal souls. With his growing power he seeks the ultimate prize: the corruption of a pure soul!

Having empowered an army of villains who accepted his offer, it seems Neron has achieved his goal when Superman disappears, and evil sweeps the Earth. Thus, a team of heroes volunteers to descend into the depths of Hell itself!

Guided by Blue Devil, the heroes face increasing challenges as they descend through each layer. Only their mightiest make it to the underworld throne of Neron himself, but in doing so, they face the greatest challenge of all: the darkness that dwells deep within them!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Captain Marvel 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Captain Marvel 5 (Professor)
Speed: Flash 7 (Light Speed)
Stamina: Captain Marvel 6 (Generator)
Agility: Martian Manhunter 7 (Unlimited)
Fighting: Wonder Woman 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Green Lantern 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Martian Manhunter 36 (Cosmic)

The Justice League are: Wonder Woman, Warrior, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter.

We know that Captain Marvel's no stranger to fending off the challenge of a wayward hero, or two. The classic meta-rivalry with Superman has played out in battles from Action Comics Annual #4, Kingdom Come #4, Superman #216, and Superman/Batman #4. They've always been fairly equally matched.

That last one was a tag team tussle that also featured Hawkman and Batman, but even that's just a taste of what the big red cheese is up against today! We're talking Captain Marvel alone against five of the Justice League's heaviest hitters -- all driven to extremes by the corrupting influence of Neron, and the naturally corrupting environment of the lower depths of Hell!

Fortunately, Captain Marvel's innate good proved uniquely resilient during the group's trek through the many layers of Hell. He's passed the darkest trials with flying colors, despite having his left arm in a sling. The stamina of Atlas will be stretched to its limit, but he has a natural edge against the evil of this realm.

Wonder Woman poses a physical challenge approximate to Superman, but the strength of Hercules & power of Zeus have always proved up to the challenge. Marvel has nothing to fear from the lasso of truth, but it might be useful against the corrupted heroes. Wonder Woman won't give up the lasso without a fight, but we saw Storm defeat her with a lightning strike in Marvel versus DC #3.

As long as the wizard's magic lightning can reach him in Hell, Marvel has the option to dodge it, frying nearby targets with the "lightning ambush". Against this group it might only work once, but once is all he'll need.

That trick probably won't work on The Flash. His phenomenal momentum will require Captain Marvel to push the speed of Mercury to its limit if he's going to keep up. If he can anticipate the speedster's attacks, he should be able to shut him down easily without needing to sacrifice the lasso, should he have it.

Warrior and Green Lantern have the biggest firepower of the five corrupted heroes. As Warrior: Guy Gardner could possibly go hand-to-hand with Captain Marvel, but his Vuldarian powers mean he can just manifest energy weapons from his body. Couple that with Kyle Rayner's Green Lantern ring -- and Cap's probably going to take at least a few hits. Hopefully the courage of Achilles will help him face it down with the savvy to turn their fire against one another.

That just leaves Martian Manhunter, whose presence at the lower levels probably means Hellfire hasn't slowed him down too much. As we saw in Green Lantern #44, the combat potential for a corrupted Martian Manhunter is chilling! However, that weakness to fire means Cap may be able to stall him relatively easily by directing Warrior's plasma blasts, or resorting to the lightning ambush.

Temporarily neutralizing Martian Manhunter prevents him avoiding the lasso of truth. If Marvel can use that, he might be able to lift the haze of darkness and set Martian Manhunter the task of telepathically helping the others.

Identity Crisis #3 remains one of the great examples of how a lone fighter can use clarity and tactics to turn the numbers advantage of the Justice League against them. Captain Marvel has the necessary skills to make it happen, but he's fighting hurt against overwhelming odds. Let's see what happened...

The Tape: Justice League Ranking: Wonder Woman (#15)

What Went Down...
In the depths of Hell itself, at the foot of Neron's throne, the Justice League's souls lie bare. The darkness draws their very worst selves to the surface, leaving only Captain Marvel unaltered -- besieged by his corrupted allies!

The group rushes the stunned hero before he can act. Warrior pours on the power, blasting at Captain Marvel's mighty mid-section, while Wonder Woman throws an uncompromising left across his exposed jaw!

The Captain desperately tries to put some distance between himself and his friends, narrowly flying above the path of a rampaging Flash! He appeals to the heroes' better nature and the greater good they're there to serve -- but it's for naught. Neron laughs, feasting on Captain Marvel's despair as he tempts a fight.

The demon Blaze watches the fight unfold, shackled at the side of Neron's throne. Her presence there is meant to weaken Captain Marvel, but she quietly launches an act of defiance, restoring his full powers!

Without warning: Captain Marvel feels his broken arm mend -- a miracle in the pit of Hell! He doesn't stop to question the unexplained stroke of luck. With Wonder Woman on the ropes, he curls her lasso of truth around a stalagmite and pulls it taut -- clotheslining The Flash and Martian Manhunter in mid-flight!

Suddenly a spiked mace clobbers Captain Marvel from behind -- a weapon manifested by Warrior!

The frustrated hero doesn't want to fight his friends, but their aggressive attacks are leaving him little choice. Warrior fires a double barrel blast from twin arm cannons, but Captain Marvel manages to duck it, leaving the friendly fire to take out Green Lantern!

Neron plays with the besieged Captain Marvel's mind, needling him to fight back -- to kill! Marvel throws his arms out at the surrounding Leaguers and takes down the Martian Manhunter with his hands around his throat!

Earth's mightiest mortal pins the Martian to the floor while Neron eggs him on to get mad - to end it - to kill! For a moment, it seems as if Captain Marvel may actually succumb to rage. Yet, even in the depths of Hell there is still hope!

Blue Devil explodes from the ground seeking vengeance against Neron! The distraction inspires the demon's guest, James Jesse - The Trickster, to take action! He sees an opportunity to end Neron's tyrannical rise and rushes to Captain Marvel's side. There, he relays something overheard, that Satanus knew of a single word that could bedevil the devil that is Neron.

With Martian Manhunter still in his clutches - Captain Marvel stops to think, and then he smiles. With The Trickster urging him for an answer, the big red cheese whispers the wizard's name and summons his lightning!

The mystic bolt rips through the infernal domain with an all mighty BOOM!

When the dust and electricity settles - the veil has been lifted from the Justice League! Wonder Woman just barely remembers Captain Marvel fighting to save them, as if it were a distant nightmare. With Billy Batson hiding in the dark, the Justice League regroup and ready to take on Neron!

The Hammer...
Under scrutiny this isn't necessarily a straight forward result! Captain Marvel didn't really want to fight his friends, and spent most of the battle in evasive maneuvers. He ultimately did use muscle to put them on the ropes, ending it relatively peacefully by calling down Shazam's lightning. A tactical victory!

It might've gone a much darker way if The Trickster hadn't provided a moment of clarity for Captain Marvel. Blaze also supplied the assist via a power boost that healed Cap's busted arm, and helped turn the tables. Head to the bottom of this entry for a complete update to the Fight Club Rankings.

In last week's feature I mentioned I've been getting a little tired of hero-on-hero violence. Kind of amusing that we'd rush straight into Captain Marvel vs The Justice League. I actually meant the problem more so from the perspective of current publishing trends, but I admit it seems like a bit of an about face

Underworld Unleashed #3 partakes in its fair share of clichés, including the temporary possession of heroes for a good guy melee. It also just so happens to support another of last week's points, though. Namely, the depiction of Captain Marvel as a staunchly good-natured individual in a world of modern moral greys.

It's important to remember the nineties were a pretty grungy time in comics. Look no further than the fact that DC were publishing a major line-wide event that sent its greatest heroes into the pit of Hell as proof-positive of that!

Underworld Unleashed was a crossover created in the years following the Death of Superman, breaking of Batman, and fall of Hal Jordan. It provided a stylistic response to the explosion of a new wave of anti-heroes coming from Image Comics and Spawn, while also continuing the trajectory begun by its hero-killing headlines. In a world that had already seen Superman pummeled to death, it only made sense a banner event would focus on the empowerment of villains.

This wasn't quite the type of role reversal we're seeing regularly in current issues from DC and Marvel. Issues like Steel #21 showed how villains were being powered-up by Neron, but most of the tie-ins kept to the standard dynamic of hero defeating villain. It was all about Metallo getting a modern update -- not Lex Luthor becoming a celebrated member of the Justice League.

Golden & Silver Age morality was pretty well out of fashion, but against all odds, DC had a pocket of pure retro nostalgia in The Power of Shazam!

After a few aborted attempts, it was Jerry Ordway who set about re-defining the post-Crisis realities of Captain Marvel and the Shazam Family, spawning a series in 1995 out of the success of a Power of Shazam one-shot, from the year prior.

Ordway and artist Pete Krause took Captain Marvel forward with a modern sensibility, but it was all infused with a defiant sense of retro charm. By the end of the first year, the series established the Marvel Family, Tawky Tawny, and a Fawcett City encased in a literal magic bubble that gilded it with a 1940s sheen.

For all the foibles of the nineties, it was a decade that allowed for occasionally drastic deviations of individuality. So while the other DC heroes were delving into various shades of darkness, Captain Marvel's squinty eyed view of the world was able to take center stage in the main Underworld Unleashed mini-series.

Captain Marvel's aw shucks, 1950s innocence was positioned as the exception it really was, making it the ultimate prize for a devil like Neron, as well as the perfect weapon against him. When the other heroes succumb to corruption, Captain Marvel remains a reminder of heroes who were (and are) pure of heart.

It's a wonderful, almost subversive idea piloted by writer Mark Waid, who I have to imagine was a major supporter for this type of Captain Marvel, if not the actual source for it. He flipped the script with Cap's portrayal in Kingdom Come, but that functioned both as a deliberate in-story betrayal of the character's ideals, and a larger warning against the pitfalls of violent anti-heroes.

A fake out that the "pure soul" Neron seeks is actually Superman's is a little less successful when you recall a similar dynamic already played out a couple of years prior, during The Darkness Within story. I wouldn't fault them for being consistent with the two heroes' point of difference, though.

Ultimately, in the modern age, perhaps a corporate-owned icon as big as Superman can't afford to live up to the reputation of being comics' ultimate boy scout. However, Underworld Unleashed and The Darkness Within both show us how satisfying it is when Captain Marvel does, as narrative and characterization.

Furthermore, when a guy like Zack Snyder, clearly scarred by the darkness prevalent in our times, insists its a fantasy to believe superheroes can exist without lying, embezzling, or killing, the example of Captain Marvel becomes all the more important. This is a fantasy, and after 80 years of reinforcing a stand against cruelty and injustice, I can't think of anything more "grown up" than accepting that. To presume there is no alternative to corruption - even in a fantasy - may be the very reason so much of this world has succumbed to it.

For all the talk of Shazam! bringing levity to the DC Extended Universe (now in theatres), I can't help but be disappointed that it lacks the unique, singular vision of Ordway & Krause's Power of Shazam, and the incorruptible innocence that sets Billy Batson & Captain Marvel apart from the rest.

Underworld Unleashed seems to be currently out of print, but you can navigate to Amazon via the purchase link provided to seek out current alternatives. If you do find something you like, you'll help support Secret Wars on Infinite Earths!

Seek and discover more interesting corners of the comic book multiverse by diving into the Secret Archive! There you'll find every featured fight indexed by publisher, series, and issue number! You can also subscribe on Twitter and Facebook to get daily links inspired by the topics of the day. Be sure to like, share, or retweet your faves!

Winner: Captain Marvel
#45 (+30) Captain Marvel
#555 (new) Trickster
#556 (new) Lady Blaze
#16 (-1) Wonder Woman
#28 (-2) Martian Manhunter
#30 (--) Flash (Wally West)
#75 (-6) Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)
#128 (-7) Warrior (Guy Gardner)

STEEL versus METALLO
"Stalker"
Where: Steel #21 When: November 1995
Writer: Louise Simonson Artist: Phil Gosier

The story so far...
John Henry Irons was a disillusioned former weapons designer, when he fell from a building construction site.
Rescued from his fall by Superman; John Henry was inspired by the hero's apparent death, and used his mechanical knowledge to fashion a suit of armor - becoming the black Superman, the man of Steel.

Setting out to right the wrongs of his past, Steel moves to Washington DC.

In the aftermath of Underworld Unleashed, an event that saw the wishes of villains globally granted by Neron; Steel struggles to control a city gone mad. It only gets worse from there.

Tale of the tape...
Being a Steel fan has proven to have a lot of unique pros and cons over the years.
Though involved in the hype of the Death of Superman, I didn't get into the character until his solo series began, and even then, I don't remember how that came about.

Steel's a character that, for me, goes against type. Generally speaking, I don't warm to spin-off characters that rely heavily on the characters they are derived from. This is perhaps why Steel has succeeded in raising my interests where characters like Superboy and Supergirl have failed.

When Steel lost the S, he essentially severed any immediately obvious connection to his Superman origins. Not only his appearance was distanced, but because of the very nature of the character, his powers and abilities were greatly removed.

Strength: 4 (Steroid Popper)
Intelligence: 5 (Professor)
Fighting Ability: 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Powers: 2 (Guns)

Though peaking on similar beats to Superman, Steel operates on a much lower field. That's not to say he's a weak character by any means, but his strengths are comparably lower than other Superman characters, and often different.

Against an opponent like Metallo, Steel has some very initial obstacles to overcome. His arsenal is entirely composed of metal, from his strength enhancing armor, to his wrist mounted pneumatic rivet shooter, or even his big ol' steel sledgehammer.

Packing a mean punch thanks to Neron, even beheaded, Metallo can reconstitute a makeshift body out of any available metals. Considering the nature of most populated areas the characters operate in, even if Steel manages to hold on to his armor through metahuman means, there's still a lot to worry about.

Strength: 5 (Super Strength)
Stamina: 6 (Generator)
Energy Powers: 3 (Explosives)

Potentially Metallo remains a volatile character regardless of whether he specifically incorporates explosives into his body, or if he just brings a full tank with him when he reshapes a nearby car.

The hero of the story always has an X-factor edge, especially a character with as much heart as Steel. That said, on paper and by the numbers, this is a fight Metallo should win.

What went down...
They say ignorance is bliss, so Steel must've been in seventh heaven while he scrambled across DeeCee trying to help those in need, narrowly avoiding being hit with a couple of rockets.

On the way back from saving a few people in distress, Steel finds himself on the receiving end of an electro-cannon fire blast. Understandably, our hero was beginning to feel a little perturbed as he spun around to face his mystery attacker.

Steel wastes no time beheading Metallo, recalling Superman's previous encounters with the metallic fiend. Unaware, of course, that by knocking his head into a scrap yard, he was loading Metallo up with a whole new bag of toys.

Absorbing portions of nearby cars, Metallo finds his new torso with a full tank of gas. Not terribly bad news for a character who doesn't use heat vision, but unfortunately some jerk conveniently left a cigarette lighter lying around. Those are Metallo's words, not mine.

From a shoulder mounted hose, Metallo lets the petrol fly, covering Steel in flames. The hero, however, remains unphased, laying claims to a new strategy of pulping Metallo's head, rather than just removing it.
Steel swings in with his hammer, but Metallo is able to catch it, and swing back with a running motor for a fist.
Locked up, either character is unable to move, prompting Steel to throw a hydrolically empowered leg up to punt Metallo's head a coinsiderable distance.

The head comes to land in a river, leading our hero to believe the threat of Metallo was now officially averted. Unfortunately inner city attitudes had led to considerable pollution in this particular river, giving Metallo adequate materials for a body strong enough to reach a boat looming overhead.

While helping firemen fight a fire, Steel finds himself struck once again my a mystery blast. Lamenting on the origin of his new powers, Metallo attempts to absorb Steel's own armor into his body, but is unable to budge it, giving Steel the chance to send the head bouncing once more with a super right hook.

Steel leaves the head with police, to resume serving the public at a neo-Nazi bomb threat. Of course, it's not long before he's struck again by a mystery attacker.

Metallo begins making plans for Superman, as he fires off a laser cannon at Steel, who just happens to be carrying the terrorist bomb.
Steel blasts Metallo with his jet boots, and attempts a further get-away, only to be pursued by his new, ever persistent nemesis.

Making it to a clear area, Steel prepares to toss the bomb loose, but Metallo has other plans. He strips the casing, and prepares to make himself a living bomb, until Steel delivers some rather grim news - "... the explosive mechanism's plastique."

The hammer...
Whew! Well, that was a long one.
As you hopefully guessed, this time Metallo wasn't coming back, making Steel our winner. Which is pleasing, because I always like it when my favourites win. It's true.

As I mentioned earlier, there were a lot of interesting advantages and disadvantages to being a Steel fan. One of the few Steel fans at my preferred comic store. Which, as you can imagine, meant prospective prices as issues moved off the shelves were considerably less than other titles, which meant I could buy up on any I missed.

Of course, this lesser demand also meant there were less issues available.
Likewise, it also meant the title began disappearing, most notably from local venues, like newsagencys, where the title had previously been sold.

The supply versus demand pendulum was an on-going theme, it seemed.
Perhaps what I find most peculiar about the character, is that despite being relatively unpopular, he not only endured, but also extend beyond the point of most nineties DC characters.

Another prime double edged example was the Steel feature film.
Positive, because this was a time when very few new DC properties, let alone most comic features, were making any leeway in effort to get to the big screen.
Unfortunately, Steel went the way of the Batman films, and was really quite a substandard effort. Shaq maintains a season record for most shitty films in a decade.

Still, peculiar highpoints would continue. Steel would be the only other superhero featured in a Superman action figure giveaway at McDonalds, and there would be great Steel action figures, and even a video game appearance. Eventually the on-going series was finally cancelled, but the character still maintained appearances as part of JLA, which is pretty impressive, if you ask me.

Now, as Infinite Crisis bleeds into 52, John Henry Irons prepares to have another shot at the big time. I hope, this time, the character has more consistent success.

The Fight: 4 The Issue: 3

NEXT: The Boy Wonder versus the Girl Mutant!