Adventure Comics #400 (DC/1970)

Adventure Comics #400 (DC)

Mike Sekowsky (w) & (a)

Adventure Comics was once one of DC's longest running titles and should have joined the "1000! club had it not been discontinues after being turned into a "digest format". Not a fan of the latter, especially at my age. Eyes not strong enough sadly.

problem was the features constantly changed but it did have a magnificent run lasting from the first issue way back in 1935 (!) as New Comics, taking the title Adventure Comics in 1938 until the last in 1983. The title has been briefly revived a couple of times but not for long in either case.

 



This Supergirl adventure was from 1970 as it hit it's 400th issue and was still on sale at the regular price. Publishers had yet to increase page count for "anniversary" editions so we had a solo 22 page story with Kara.

This is a really odd adventure in that Return of the Black Flame ignores all the conventions established in Superman titles over the years. Black Flame escapes from Kandor in a spaceship to go to the planet "phantom Zone" and rescues some add choices of accomplices, Toymaster (no not the one we know), the Hook and L.Finn (a leprechaun apparently) and sets up a bizarre plan to get her revenge.

Using green kryptonite she binds Supergirl and weakens her powers further with gold kryptonite from which Kara recovers. Now we all know Gold K removes any Kryptonians powers permanently. Someone should have told the writer and the editor. But continuity in DC back then was a bloody mess which was not "sorted out until Crisis On Infinite Earths and revised  in various crisis and
Flashpoints over the years.

Half-baked story if you ask me now but 1970 was my first year in secondary school doubt I would have cared much even had I collected this comic at the time. Good fun though, giant rolling pins and all. Villains had some really stupid ideas back in those days.....