Superman Batman and Robin Poster World’s Finest Comics #3 (1941) Fred Ray Baseball

Description

Batman and Superman weren’t just DC’s marquee super heroes. They were best buds and avid sportsmen, if they early covers of World’s Finest Comics are any indication. World’s Finest (formerly World’s Best Comics) was a ninety-six-page quarterly anthology, with DC’s two tent-pole characters bookending each issue in separate stories. (Later in its run, the comic was shortened, mady monthly, and turned into a Superman/Batman team-up title.) In this issue, Superman foils a band of railroad saboteurs, while Batman and Robin take on the Scarecrow. Tying it all together in a beautiful package was this eye-catching Fred Ray cover, which shows the trio indulging in a good-natured game of country hardball. Fittingly, Batman swings the lumber while the eagle-eyed Superman calls balls and strikes. The back cover depicts Batman spraying baseballs around the park with the faces of the issue’s other co-stars-including the Sandman, the Crimson Avenger and Zatana the Magician- inside each one. The headline blared: “Every One a Hit!” This was actually the first in a long line of sports-themed World’s Finest covers. The next issue showed Superman and the Dynamic Duo frolicking on the ski slopes. Subsequent issues portrayed the costumed pals surfing, ice skating, running track, racing go-karts and playing basketball. You can’t get more Americana than the cover to World’s Finest # 3! Superman, Batman and Robin playing America’s favorite pastime, baseball! World’s Finest Comics was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled World’s Best Comics for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Most likely the reason for the title change was that DC received a cease and desist letter from Better Publications, Inc., who had been publishing a comic book entitled Best Comics since November 1939. Virtually every issue featured DC’s two leading superheroes, Superman and Batman, with the earliest issues also featuring Batman’s sidekick, Robin. Frederic E. Ray, Jr. (February 4, 1920 – January 23, 2001) was an American comic book artist and commercial illustrator best known as the primary Superman cover-artist of the 1940s, whose work helped shape the defining look of the iconic superhero character, and for his more than two decades as artist of the DC Comics feature “Tomahawk”.