1st Issue Special #3 (1975)

1st Issue Special #3 (June, 1975)
"The Freak and the Billion-Dollar Phantom"
Story - Bob Haney
Art - Ramona Fradon
Cover Price: $0.25

Howsabout s'more 1st Chrissue Special?  We're very nearly done covering the series here... just three to go after this... two of which *grumble grumble* I still need to track down.

Anyhoo, today we're gonna tell the story of the El-e-ment Ma-a-an, ya know... the one that started out in old Egy-pt La-a-and.

Meta-mor-pho
Metamopho!

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We open with Rex Mason and his main squeeze Sapphire Stagg taking in the sights in Washington D.C., when while standing before the Lincoln Memorial, they hear a strange misquoting of Honest Abe's line from with a decidedly French accent.  They look to their left to find an apparition with a sword-cane turning a guard's gun to "hot jello" (no hyphen, no foul).  Before Rex can leap into action, the phantom vanishes.

Rex and Sapph head down to check in with Sapphire's dad Simon and his caffeinated Cro-Magnon manservant Java.  They explain the situation, and Rex suggests they stay put so he can follow up.  As Rex and Sapph head over to a hippie protest, Simon insists Java keep an eye on them both.  At the protest, the Earth splits open and flames fire out from the hole.  Rex decides to Meta-morph-up.

He rescues the protesters by filling the hole with... well, himself, in the form of fire foam.  He then scoops the flower children up in a metamorphed magnesium net.  It's pretty weird, the art shows the hippies actually in the flaming hole... that hadta hurt.  Before Rex can pat himself on the back for a job well done, he notices that the Washington Monument is teetering on the brink!

Sapphire can see that this is all a result of that Phantom they met at the Lincoln Memorial... duh.  Rex shifts into a bulldozer, and keeps the obelisk upright.  While Rex and Sapphire celebrate by... making out, the just arrived Simon notices something weird going on at the Capitol Building.  That dome's a'rockin'!

Metamorpho arrives and once again faces off with the Phantom.  It's here we learn that his real name is Dr. Achille Destinee... so, Dr. Destiny then... but not that one, ya dig?  He nails Rex with a bolt of lightning... and claims that he learned that trick from his old mentor, Benjamin Franklin!  Whaaaa...?

As we enter Part Two Secret of the Capitol, Rex recalls reading in his Tourist Guide-Book (c'mon, nobody reads those) that the dome is made of cast iron, and so he wallops it with a kick to stop it from dancing.  Amid the kung-fu commotion, Doc D flies the coop... in the form of a black bird.  Rex returns to the Stagg Syndicate to check in... and we all get to learn a bit more about the Phantom of Washington from a television news report.  Apparently, the Phantom has appeared to a few Presidents during times of War (this issue hit the stands just as the Vietnam War was "ending", but I'd wager was probably written during the thick of it).  We see Dr. D. meeting with Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, Woodrow Wilson during the first World War and Franklin Delano Roosevelt during World War II.  The reporter than states that the Phantom is no more than mere myth.  B-b-b-but, they've got footage of him on television!  Hell, televised footage of Abraham Lincoln to boot!  This is one helluva news network!

Simon Stagg rubs his chin, plotting the way jerk-asses do.  He suggests to Rex that together, they might be able to overcome the Phantom and use his powers for their own.  Rex says "no dice" and heads off with Sapphire to do some digging (in the form of a tricycle!).  Simon, naturally, sends his Ape-Like Attendant to tail the trike.

We catch up with Rex while he peruses some ancient government files... and Sapphire reapplies her makeup.  Gotta say, I only know the Staggs from the Batman and the Outsiders series, I really wasn't expecting them to be so cartoony.  Anyhoo, Rex comes across some information about the Doc.  The first President he approached was James Madison during the War of 1812 (August of 1814 to be exact-ish).  He suggested that he could save Washington from the invading British, because he found an odd artifact while serving in Egypt under Emperor Napoleon.  Madison politely asks him to leave, while muttering that he's a "crackpot" under his breath.  Rex is enthralled... and a bored Sapphire combs out her hair.

As they leave the records hall, the pair find themselves by a bustling crowd... it's a Presidential Motorcade!  Rex sez it's gotta be the Prez... but, and I don't think he's talkin' Rickard... maybe Richard though.  Either way, Destinee strikes.  Rex metamorphs into a "Cobalt Cobra" to block the Phantom's blast.  Then it's Doc D who transforms into a snake... which flees.  Rex gives chases, following him back to his laboratory.

In the lab, Rex finds a framed picture of the Capitol... with the dome circled.  Wait, weren't we just there?  Anyways, Metamorpho concludes that Doc D must have stashed the Egyptian device in the dome... which, again... weren't we just there?  I don't get it.  Suffice it to say, Rex and Sapph are Capitol bound (... again).  As they speed off, we find Java hiding in a sewer... he dutifully reports his findings to Stagg.  Ol' Simon's pleased... but will he be too late to reap the reward?

This brings us to Part 3: The Lake of Gold, which opens with Rex being approached by a military vehicle.  Someone has called in a Phantom sighting, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier!  Rex doesn't take threats like this lightly... so, he checks into it.  Turns out to be a false alarm (hmm...).  Later on at the Capitol, he... and Destinee, find that they've arrived too late to nab the device.

Sapphire mentions that up to this point, she's noticed Java following them around... which probably isn't something you wanna keep to yourself when your father seems evil and appears to want your boyfriend dead.  Rex puts two-and-two together, and concludes that Simon's got the device... duh.  In a cute scene, Rex metamorphs his right index finger into a dime so he can make a phone call.  He learns that Simon Stagg's private jet has already taken off... headed west.

It doesn't take long for Rex to realize that Stagg's destination is very likely... Fort Knox!  It seems random to me... but whattaya gonna do?  Turns out his hunch was on the money (pun!) as we join Stagg and Java stood before a whole lotta gold.  Java, being a klutz, drops the device... which somehow causes the gold to liquify!  Rex arrives just in the nick of time to rescue them from the gilded tidal wave.

The gold fills up a nearby depression, making a... lake of gold.  Hey, that's what they're calling this part!  The Phantom arrives in search of his device... which now resides at the bottom of this golden pond.  Rex puts, er... two-and-two together again, and suggests that the Phantom has been after the device all along.  What?!  Isn't that the entire point of this story?!  Of course he is, Rex... you yourself said so like six pages ago!  Oh well, from here Doc D shares a bit more of his secret origin.  After Madison sent him away, he returned to D.C. with the device.  Before he could put it into use, he was killed... impaled on a British soldier's bayonet.  Before he died, however, he stashed the Egyptian artifact in the Capitol Dome... and vowed to haunt all those ungrateful to him.

After story time concludes, the Phantom dives into the molten gold... and Rex follows right after.  Sapphire is terrified that her lover is a goner, and Java is licking his chops... knowing that with Rex out of the picture, Sapphire will be all his.  I mean, from what little we know about Sapphire, we can probably conclude that looks aren't all that important to her.

The story ends with Rex bursting from the golden lake... and reporting that the Phantom and the device have been destroyed.  Welp, that was easy.  Later in Washington, D.C. Metamorpho does his best Abe Lincoln impression before asking us... yeah, us... to write in to DC Comics to get him his own ongoing series!

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This is a strange one... I get the impression that this wasn't originally intended to be a 1st Issue Special.  We're pretty much just thrown into the story here... without any exposition, or origin chatter.  Rex is just the Element Man... and is in a relationship with Sapphire Stagg, whose father is a jerk.  Fair enough, but if you have no context for any of these characters, I'd think you'd find yourself a bit lost... or at the very least, disengaged.

So far, in all the other FIS installments, we've gotten origin stories... or actual origins.  Even in the Return of the New Gods bit, we got some backstory.  So strange that this didn't have one... it was just another Metamorpho adventure.

And what an adventure it was!  Speaking of strange... this issue felt like it folded in on itself a few times throughout the duration.  I'm not sure why we went to the Capitol Dome twice... actually, what I'm really not sure about is why the Phantom spent the early part of the issue drawing attention making the Dome "dance" rather than just taking the Egyptian WMD device?  Maybe I missed something, I suppose I can be quite dense at times.

Also, we see Rex learn about that same Egyptian device... he actually races the Phantom (back) to the Capitol to procure it... and still doesn't realize that the device might be what the Phantom is after all along?  I mean, Rex's revelation at the Lake o' Gold was ridiculous... it couldn't have been that late in the story that he finally realized what the Phantom wanted... right?  Maybe this issue was a dadaist statement in the vein of William S. Burroughs' cut-up technique... where dialogue balloons were all cut out and rearranged before going to press.  Or maybe I'm thinking too hard... that's usually the correct answer.

Speaking of dialogue balloons... I'm never not going to dig Haney-speak, no matter how "far out"... well, actually the more "far out" the better, I suppose.  Though I will say, having Sapphire be a spoiled, vapid privileged type was kinda strange.  Lacking her more mature qualities she would have during the 1980's, I gotta wonder why Rex would want to be with her, besides her looks.  Ramona Fradon's art here was a wonderful treat.  I really enjoyed the mix of cartoony and realistic we get here.  Metamorpho might be a toughie to make work in mundane environments, surrounded by mundane folks.  It works great here though.

Overall, despite my minor quibbles about the storytelling, I'm never going to not recommend an issue of 1st Issue.  Definitely worth picking up if you find it on the cheap.  This is to my knowledge not a part of the SHOWCASE Presents: Metamorpho the Element Man collection, so single issue (not floppy!) is your only bet.

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1st Issue Special #9 (1975)

1st Issue Special #9 (December, 1975)
"dr. fate"
Writer - Martin Pasko
Artist - Walt Simonson
Editor - Gerry Conway
Cover Price: $0.25

Today I was planning to cover a reader request... the same request I was planning to cover last week, actually.  The thing of it is, I still can't find it!  It stinks, because I know it's one of those books that I always see when trolling the bins... except, now that I need it... it's nowhere to be found.  I'ma keep lookin' tho.

Today we'll do some more 1st Chrissue Special.  I'm pretty sure this is the last one I actually own.  The ones I need don't seem to show themselves too often.  Still gotta track down Metamorpho, Creeper, the Dingbats and, of course... Lady Cop.

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Dr. Fate is alerted by the Crystal Orb of Nabu that something is amiss.  He ponders what it might be, as he has never seen it shine with such urgency.  At the very same time at the Boston Museum, curator Professor Anderson is about to show a Dr. Magill their newest relics... from a religious cult, circa 2025 BC.

Moments later, Dr. Fate arrives... and finds both the Professor and Doctor, dead... their bodies are broken, and it appears that they died with a look of sheer terror on their faces.  Before he can even stop to ponder whodunnit, Fate is "greeted" by the mummified form of Khalis!  The mummy has the ridiculously convenient power of "getting stronger" while his enemy "gets weaker".  Where can I get a power like that?

Anyhoo, it isn't long before Fate is overpowered... and Khalis has stolen his amulet.  Fate staggers back to his feet, however, Khalis is long gone.  Fate returns home... and drops himself off.  That is to say, Dr. Fate drops his human host, Kent Nelson off... right at the feet of his exhausted wife, Inza.  She tries to question him about what's just happened... but he cannot remember.  Annoyed, she goes to fix him a cup of tea.  She returns to find him already fast asleep... which is apparently all she can stands (she can't stands no more), because it's now that she decides to leave him.

Kent wakes up a bit later, however it is stated that "half of him" heard Inza's words... and that same "half of him" cried.  We've got no time for that noise, though... it's time to study.  Kent locates the story of Khalis in some old yellowed texts... and we get ourselves a bit of a flashback.  Khalis was referred to as a "Mad Priest" who worshiped Anubis.  Eventually, a mountain crumbled and crushed the existing temple... and Anubis showed himself/itself presenting Khalis with the Amulet of Anubis.  It's pretty funny actually, we see the giant form of Anubis... and it's just like "Hey, good job... here ya go!"

From here, Khalis grew in power... and commanded his slaves to erect the "mightiest of pyramids" in tribute to Anubis.  One day, a worshiper of Nabu made his presence felt... breaking Khalis' spell of control over the people.  He was then... get this, mummified alive!  These Nabu-types sure don't mess around.  As he is wrapped, Anubis curse him with "life in death" until he can recover the talisman.  Which leads us back to the present, and Kent Nelson's "Aha!" moment... the Amulet of Nabu is actually the Amulet of Anubis!

He reflects on how Nabu never told him what the amulet meant... only that Khalis would eventually return for it.  We now go into Kent's own secret origin.  When he was only 12, he accompanied his father, archaeologist Sven Nelson on an expedition of the Sumerian Civilization.  He stumbled across the wizard, Nabu in suspended animation.  The preserving gases escaped the chamber... and killed Kent's father.  From here, Nabu wiped his mind of the pain of the loss... and, was given his Doctor Fate powers.  Nabu is kind of a jerk, no?

Back in the present, Inza Nelson has checked into a hotel.  She regrets walking out on her man, and decides to head to the Museum to see if she might find any information he could use.

By now, Fate has once again confronted Khalis.  Rather than unleash his mystical energies all at once, he decides to first disorient his foe with physical attacks.  When the time is right, Fate summons all of the light in Boston... and positively bathes Khalis in it!  It was effective, however, the baddie fled before too much damage could be done.

As Dr. Fate recovers his strength, he is joined by Inza Nelson... who has a something that might just help out.  When she rummaged through the museum, she was able to procure a fragment of the mummy's sarcophagus... which reveals Khalis' magical name of coffin-sealing hoodoo.  Fate can use this!

Meanwhile, as the lights return to Boston... the normal skyline appears to have been replaced by an Anubis Sphinx and pyramids!  Khalis holds the amulet aloft... and it's not long before Anubis itself shows up... and he's ticked!  Not all that keen on being disturbed, Anubis refers to Khalis as an overzealous fool.  Eventually Anubis comes around... saying he'll consider helping Khalis is he's able to kill Dr. Fate.  Fair enough.

Fate arrives... and Khalis sics the "Claws of Anubis" on him.  They look like ribbons with spiked ends... and they soon wrap around our hero.  With a burst of mystical energy, Dr. Fate frees himself... and proceeds to read the the sarcophagus seal... Hetepkhet! Tefnakhte! Amon-Ra Menteptah!  The Egyptian Hieroglyph Dictionary (and Google) reveals that Hetep khet is a district in Fayum, Tefnakhte was the first Egyptian King of the 24th Dynasty, Amon-Ra is the Egyptian Sun God and part of the Egyptian Zodiac, and Menteptah is likely a misspelling of Mernteptah who was the fourth ruler of the 19th Dynasty... of interest, Martin Pasko used Menteptah in an issue of Star Trek too.  Anyhoo, enough remedial (and likely inaccurate) Egyptian Christory, all that matters is... this does the trick!

The story wraps up with Kent thanking Inza for her help... which is all his wife needs to hear, she now thinks there might be room for all three of them (she, Kent, and Dr. Fate) after all.

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Dr. Fate isn't a character I think about all that much... I also don't know a whole heckuva lot about him, so this was a really good introduction for me.  I was a bit tentative about covering this issue, because I was afraid it would bore me... and while it didn't completely rock my socks, I gotta say that I did enjoy it.

I appreciated how the backstory of Khalis was woven into the story via Kent doing research of his own.  Rather than just give us an expositional info-dump, we were able to follow an interesting historical narrative.  Kent learning the true nature (and origins) of what he believed to be the Amulet of Nabu led us right into a retelling of Dr. Fate's own origin.  I think this worked really well, and dug its placement in the story.  The issue didn't start with a boring/awkward recap of what we "should" already know... and I was happy about that.

Inza Nelson gets a bit of panel time here... and seems almost cartoonishly conflicted.  I mean, I get that she's frustrated... but she turns on a dime more than once here.  She walks out on her husband because Dr. Fate kept him out all night (and for falling asleep while she was speaking to him)... thinks better of it, comes to his rescue... then wraps up thinking that maybe Dr. Fate ain't all that bad to be around after all.  Just weird.  I guess with only twenty-odd pages to fill, the reactions and resolutions need to come quickly.

The battle scene was a bit of a letdown to me.  I dunno, it's like... and I think I've used this analogy (if this even is an analogy) before... it's like when kids play make-believe, and like one pretends to shoot the other... only to learn they were wearing a bulletproof vest.  Then, they throw a fireball... only to learn that the bulletproof vest is also fireproof... ya know?  The stakes keep raising... and Dr. Fate and Khalis were able able to keep one-upping one another.  I mean, during the open Khalis described his power as "getting stronger" while his opponent "gets weaker".  Like, what is he... 10?  That's a ridiculously overpowered way to be.  It's a good thing he didn't think to challenge Superman, right?

I suppose it would be silly of me not to mention the early Walt Simonson art here... which was pretty fantastic.  He has such an eye for amazing exhibitions of magical power... as well as for the more grounded human characters.  Every panel was impressive.

Overall, I think this is one folks should look out for... Dr. Fate fan or not.  As I mentioned, Dr. Fate is a character who (outside of his Justice League and JSA appearances) I know precious little about.  This issue would serve any DC Comics fan well as a primer for the character... and hey, even if the story ain't for you, it's still got that Simonson art.

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1st Issue Special #2 (1975)

1st Issue Special #2 (May, 1975)
"The Green Team: Boy Millionaires"
By Joe Simon & Jerry Grandenetti
Cover Price: $0.25

I had today's piece already picked out... it was already going to be an issue of 1st Issue Special... but it was going to be the Dr. Fate story.  I found myself in the neighborhood of a local comic shop this evening... one that has absolutely awesome hours, so popping in at 7pm on a Sunday is still okay.

Anyhoo, I was scanning the bins as I am wont to do when I came across... The Green Team!  Now, I know the rules... 1st Issue Special at a decent price = instabuy.  I mean, it ain't Lady Cop... but this was definitely on our wish list!

Only four more issues of this weird and wonderful series to track down... I'll try and fit Dr. Fate in toward the end of the week.

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We start our story by meeting Abdul Smith.  A young fella who really wants to join a club.  He enters a high rise apartment building, and when he attempts to take the elevator skyward he is ushered into the "service" lift.  He makes his way upstairs and arrives at the door of the Millionaire's Club.  He rings the buzzer, and a butler arrives to shoo him away.  Little does he know, he's an invited guest!  Don't get too excited however, he's just here to shine some shoes.  He mentions to one of his customers that he'd like to join a club, and is advised to wait around for the meeting of the "Green Team" later on that day.

Speaking of the Green Team, let's meet their members... starting with The Commodore, a teeny tiny shipping tycoon.  We meet him as he rolls up on Rockmuch, Oregon (Google auto-corrects to "rock mulch, Oregon) which, at this point is little more than a ghost town.

He is immediately recognized by a pair of yokels taking up space in a saloon.  They figure him for a mark, and try to fleece him with some worthless real estate.  Well, the Commodore isn't interested in buying a house (or two)... he's gonna buy the entire town!  And so, he does.  Afterward, he starts playing in the pond with a toy boat... that just happens to be armed with some incredible fire power!  What I'm trying to say is, the boat blows up the entire town.

Two days pass, and we learn that the Commodore levelled the town so he could build an airport (or jetport, if you prefer).  Moments later he is joined by oil magnate, J.P. Houston.  A lad who seems to care very little for his oil rigs, and is more passionate about seeking out adventure.  The pair chat contentiously for a bit before remembering that they both had to head to New York for this week's meeting of the Green Team.

Next we shift to Sunbeam Studios lot... Sunbeam, I'm sure you'll know... is the foremost producer of "now" generation movies!  Hmm.  Anyhoo, here we meet Cecil Sunbeam, boy director.

We watch as he enters the set... and proceeds to... er, I dunno... inflict method acting on the poor cast members... by beating the hell out of them?  Thankfully, the thrashing is short-lived.  After all, our boy's got an appointment in New York.

A bit later, the three young men arrive in New York... all parking their aircraft atop the building, which is probably against a code or two.  Inside, we learn they are looking for investment prospects.  Ideas in which they can sink their endless funds.  Their first client is a Mr. Dinkle... who, I would have to assume would have become a regular had this series been picked up.  His pitch is to colonize the North Pole by building an entire city out of frozen french fries.  Can't make this up, folks.  They boot him with the quickness.

Their next appointment is with our old friend Abdul.  He doesn't have an invention or grand vision... he just wants to join the club.  Sadly, his bank book only shows $32.  They tell him to come back when he finds another $999,968.  No big deal, right?  Anyhoo... this inspires young Abdul to keep working hard.  Before heading to his next gig, he decides to stop at the bank to deposit his week's earnings... $5.  The transaction is recorded... one hundred thousand times.  Before we know it, Adbul is $500,000 richer!

Later on, Abdul meets with his regular customers on Wall Street.  They see that he has a cool half-mill in the bank, and give him a hot tip on a spacecraft stock.  He turns that $500K into $1.5 million!  The following week, he attends the Green Team meeting as a full-fledged member.  Oh, and the bank realized their error and deducted the $500K from his account... even then, he was still a millionaire.

During that meeting, the now four boy millionaires meet a kook named Professor Apple.  His invention is... and I'm not making this up... The Great American Pleasure Machine.  Oof.  He explains that all other forms of entertainment are passe... television, film, theatre... he doesn't mention comic books though!  The boys put their noggins together and decide... sure, this is a good waste of money investment!

And so, another town is leveled to make way for the construction of the pleasure dome.  This is not without controversy, however... the entertainment business doesn't think this is fair, and fears the pleasure hut will put them all out of work.

The angry mob is led by a David D. Meritt (get it?)... and he whips them into a lather by proclaiming their entertainment mediums will die should the G.A.P. come to be.  Among the rioters is... Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and (I think) John Wayne... who was still had a few years left on the planet.

The Green Team has little choice but to flee the scene... and as they do, they actually get shot at!  These actors ain't messing around.

Our boys head back to their Green Room to reconnoiter... and hold a meeting with D. Meritt.  They can't come to terms, and part less than amicably.  The baddie promises that the rioters will keep their building surrounded.  The boys seem cool with this, they'll just have to watch the construction of the G.A.P. via their closed circuit television.  Figure the rioters would've busted their cameras, but... we'll allow it.  The boys finally decide they've sat around long enough... and change into their (snicker) action uniforms.  Lemme tell ya, members of Youngblood would think these uniforms have too many pockets.

They head up to the roof to board their helicopter... only to find that D. Meritt has stolen it!  Houston suggests using his six-shooters to blow the bum outta the sky, but the Commodore has a better idea.  Better is a subjective term, right?  Anyhoo, they decide to toss a million dollars in cold hard cash into the rioters below.  D. Meritt can't control his greed, and so he orders the pilot to land.  Sadly, he's too late to grab the dosh... but, figures while he's here... he may as well lock himself in the Pleasure dome.

Here we learn that the trip through "Pleasure Land" takes ten-freaking-days.  Who in the world is going to patronize this place?  This was the great investment?  Oy.  Anyhoo... we join D. Meritt as he... um, finds pleasure?

We wrap up our tale with the Green Team members visiting D. Meritt... in a sanitarium.  Ya see, he went nuts in the Great American Pleasure Machine.  Whoops.  Guess they can't all be winners.  Looks like the Commodore now has a new target for his toy boats...

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Now, what in the bluest of hells did we just read?  Half-million dollar bank errors, toy boats that can down entire cities... the Great American Pleasure Machine?!  Simon and Grandenetti were friggin' crazy during the seventies... and I love it!  Between this, Prez, and the Outsiders... man, how cool would it have been to sit in on their brainstorming sessions?

I'm sure this is supposed to be a commentary on something or another... or maybe it was just an insane idea they were trying out.  Seems to me, at first blush, they are painting the wealthy and powerful members of society... the industrialists and whatnot... as children.  All of their possessions are treated as playthings.  It's more about being a part of the "rich guy club" than actually doing anything productive.

The kids are all (barring Abdul) fortunate sons.  They've all inherited their fortunes... and as mentioned, seem to use their positions and power to live a life of... well, whatever they're trying to do.  We see them handing money over to an inventor... so long as their invention is something that will amuse them.  I mean, these kids aren't looking for ways to cure disease... or feed the poor, they're only interested in pleasure and their own amusement.

Speaking of the Great American Pleasure Machine (oy), I almost feel that's gotta be a commentary on something, right?  Maybe consumerism?  Maybe overindulgence?  Maybe it's an allegory for psychedelic drugs?  Who knows... whatever it was, it was plenty crazy!  Perhaps our man Houston said it best, "can too much pleasure kill a man?"

I would imagine folks who are familiar with this property think about The New-52! incarnation rather than this one.  This version only made a handful of appearances... two of which I actually have at hand.  First they would appear in the limbo storyarc in Grant Morrison's Animal Man run... though, really... who didn't?  I'm fairly certain you and I had a cameo in that!  Anyhoo, here:

Animal Man #25 (July, 1990)
Words - Grant Morrison / Art - Chaz Truog, Mark Farmer, & Tatjana Wood

They would also appear in an issue of Adventures of Superman... and I know what you're thinking... must be an issue written by James Robinson... but, no!  This was during the late-90's and was written by Karl Kesel.  Take a look:

Adventures of Superman #549 (August, 1997)
Words - Karl Kesel / Art - Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan, Jr., & Glenn Whitmore

Overall... I couldn't imagine anyone purposely not buying this whacked out issue if they come across it for a decent price.  I'd definitely recommend it, even if it's just for the sheer novelty of owning the first appearance of the Green Team.  Can't say for sure the story will be to everybody's liking, but well worth a visit.

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