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Mild Mannered Reviews - Super Friends

Super Friends #4

Super Friends #4

Scheduled to arrive in stores: June 18, 2008

Cover date: August 2008

"April Fools"

Writer: Sholly Fisch
Penciller: Dario Brizuela
Inker: Dario Brizuela

Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel

Click to enlarge


Roll Call: Superman, Aquaman, Green Lantern: John Stewart, Wonder Woman, Flash, The Batman, Joker, Harley Quinn, The Prankster, The Trickster, Punch, Jewelee.

Simple Simon's bakery has overflowed with goopy dough that just won't stop.

Superman uses his heat-vision to bake it into bread while Batman rescues Simon.

Before the Super Friends can relax, a giant fruit pie falls from atop Simon's bakery and splats the World's Finest. When the duo return to the Super Friend's satellite The Flash can't stop himself from laughing. Diana points out it's not nice to make fun of people and Flash relents pointing out it was just such an odd accident.

Batman points out it was a set up. A real shop sign wouldn't have been a real fruit pie and wouldn't have launched with hidden rockets. John Stewart is shocked at the revelation, who could be behind this?

The answer? The JLA of course! The Jesters' League of America! The villains are disappointed that the heroes always get the last laugh. Joker points out now they're in the JLA they're already succeeding and there is more comedy afoot...

The Super Friends run the details of the prank through their supercomputer to find the culprit. It turns out The Joker, Harley Quinn, The Prankster, Punch and Jewelee could be among the suspects, little do they know!

Flash sees a robbery by the Trickster occurring, comic books stolen from an armored car. Wonder Woman offers to help and to the rescue they go!

Trickster has a stash of pricless comic books that he wants to share with the JLA and stops the guards with a huge amount of gum.

As Flash gives chase he falls for the old banana skin trick and Trickster howls with laughter. Wonder Woman reminds him misfortune of others isn't a laughing matter but she is caught off guard and encased in a giant tin can.

Again the Super Friends nurse egos for falling for another two pranks. Diana and John comfort Flash telling him as friends they'd never make fun of him. Elsewhere Superman and Batman are analysing data. Batman deduces they have a league of villains who are working together to pull comical pranks.

Too late, Punch and Jewelee rob a store next and manage to prank John and Arthur with Seltzer and Pepper traps! Aquaman is angry that Wanda Henway always seems to be reporting their misfortune. Superman comments on the name being odd and Batman realizes the answer to their plight.

Hidden in an emerald bubble created by Green Lantern the Super Friends follow Wanda and her newstruck to an abandoned amusement park. While they enter secretly, the JLA realize their time ahead of the game may soon be at an end so they set up another prank. Before they can take cover in their JLA meeting room the Super Friends arrive and send them headfirst into all their traps!

Or did they?

Joker annd Harley Quinn are missing!

Superman finds a hidden panel and behind it, Wanda Henway and her cameraman are tied up! They thank the Super Friends and just as Flash is about to release them Batman stops him.

Batman reveals Wanda's surname gave them up from a perfect escape.

Flash asks "Henway? What's a Henway?" Batman reveals it's a play on words, an old joke about what a Hen weighs! The game is up!

In prison, the JLA are miserable. The prison guards keep poking fun at the article in the Daily Planet and the pranks the JLA fell for.

Joker points out it's not nice to laugh at other people's misfortune!

SECRET SUPER FRIENDS ISSUE 3 CODE:

XOLI DBXIN, INO PEVOY CYSOXRP TSPSI QBYSZZK MSIW CBY PBOO "DBXUOW HEPSXOPP!"

Special features this issue:

Green Lantern Fact File, The Joker's Wacky Wordplay game, Make your own Bat Copter, Super Friends Membership Card.

3Story - 3: Funny play on the JLA title, and an innovative story, a strict formula is obviously being fed to the youth as it's a very basic format with a moral message hammered at every opportunity. I've never ever heard of Punch annd Jewelee so it would have been nice to have a heads up on who they were - oh well!

Slowly the fact this is a book marketing toys is becoming too much. He Man, She Ra and Pokemon were never as relentless fun. Not a magazine worth a subscription but good for a little quality family time.

3Art - 3: Hmm there's new design for Prankster here but everyone else is cookie cutter, odd that they chose his revamped self. I'm enjoying the style - I miss the Timmverse and Parobeck styles and if this is what we now have, I do feel a little sad (kinda how I feel a little sick when I watch Shaggy and Scooby Get A Clue) as our kids are missing out on something truly special.

5Cover Art - 5: Hehe, Superman is the only Super Friend with brains on this cover! Hurray! Glad he's now grinning gormlessly! Then again he's still standing there... lol

Mild Mannered Reviews

2008

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

January 2008

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