Superman vs. Muhammad Ali by Neal Adams and Denny O'Neil; graphic novel, superheroes; 96 pagesI'm not generally a huge fan of Superman. In fact, most of the time I'm lucky if I can make it through a single issue of a Superman story without getting a toothache. But when this came across my desk, I knew I had to read it.
The premise of this story (recovered from the awesomeness that is the 1970s), is that an army of warrior aliens from the planet Bodace (yes, as in "bodacious") arrives on Earth, demanding that we choose a champion to represent us in a fight with their best warrior. To prove that they're serious, they launch a few bombs at St. Louis (!!), which Superman has to stop with great drama and flair. Anyway, the people of Earth are torn on who to choose as their champion: Superman, or Muhammad Ali. Yeah, I know. So the Bodacians decree that Superman and Ali should duke it out to see who gets to fight their guy, an 8-foot tall green menace with impenetrable skin. The fate of the world hangs in the balance. Oh, and did I mention that the Bodacian emperor wears a purple leisure suit for the whole book?
To be fair, the match between Ali and Superman gets a lot more even when we learn it's taking place beneath Bodace's red sun, which nullifies Superman's powers. Still, the whole thing stretches my comic credibility so far that it just goes right into the "camp" category. And really, we all know how much I love camp. It's probably the reason I was able to finish this in a single sitting.
I will say that the parts about Ali were much less campy than the overall story. He's represented as an American hero, much like Superman, but knowing that he's a real person puts a different spin on it. Also worth checking out is the original cover, in which the crowd is entirely peopled with celebrities, both real and from the DC universe (though, sadly, Batman was not actually in this book). Overall, this was an awesome trip back to the '70's. Highly recommended.
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