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dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
When aliens are threatening to annihilate Earth and demand Earth's champion face theirs, Superman and Muhammad Ali duke it out to see who really is the greatest and earns the right to face the alien champion!
I've been aware of the existence of this crossover almost as long as I've been reading comics. When 2019 was staring me in the face, I resolved that this would be the year I finally read it.
The very concept of this is kind of absurd. The greatest boxer of all time vs. the greatest super hero of all time? Shouldn't Superman be able to punch Muhammad Ali's head off? Fortunately, Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams made chicken salad out of chicken shit on this occasion.
The story starts simply enough. Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen are in a bad part of Metropolis, chasing a rumor that Muhammad Ali is in town. The Champ is and he and Superman quickly get pulled into the schemes of a mad alien dictator bent on destroying Earth. Yeah, it cheesier than a box of Cheez-Its but it could have been so much worse.
Neal Adams' art was fantastic. Superman looked iconic and Muhammad Ali looked great, like the man himself. I always forget how ahead of his time Neal Adams was. His art still looks contemporary 40 years later. His illustrative style forever changed comics and you can still see his influence today. Also, it's mindboggling how many real life faces he worked into crowd on the wraparound cover. There are 124 and most of them are real people.
Highlights of the issue include Ali teaching Superman to box, Ali beating the shit out of Superman, and the big boxing match with Hun'Ya, the alien champ. Was this ever referenced in the main DC books? "You know, that Doomsday is tough but did you see the Ali-Superman fight in 1978?"
Scratch Superman vs. Muhammad Ali off of my reading goals list for the year. Superman vs. Muhammad Ali was way better than it had any right to be. Four out of five stars.
I've been aware of the existence of this crossover almost as long as I've been reading comics. When 2019 was staring me in the face, I resolved that this would be the year I finally read it.
The very concept of this is kind of absurd. The greatest boxer of all time vs. the greatest super hero of all time? Shouldn't Superman be able to punch Muhammad Ali's head off? Fortunately, Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams made chicken salad out of chicken shit on this occasion.
The story starts simply enough. Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen are in a bad part of Metropolis, chasing a rumor that Muhammad Ali is in town. The Champ is and he and Superman quickly get pulled into the schemes of a mad alien dictator bent on destroying Earth. Yeah, it cheesier than a box of Cheez-Its but it could have been so much worse.
Neal Adams' art was fantastic. Superman looked iconic and Muhammad Ali looked great, like the man himself. I always forget how ahead of his time Neal Adams was. His art still looks contemporary 40 years later. His illustrative style forever changed comics and you can still see his influence today. Also, it's mindboggling how many real life faces he worked into crowd on the wraparound cover. There are 124 and most of them are real people.
Highlights of the issue include Ali teaching Superman to box, Ali beating the shit out of Superman, and the big boxing match with Hun'Ya, the alien champ. Was this ever referenced in the main DC books? "You know, that Doomsday is tough but did you see the Ali-Superman fight in 1978?"
Scratch Superman vs. Muhammad Ali off of my reading goals list for the year. Superman vs. Muhammad Ali was way better than it had any right to be. Four out of five stars.
abeckstrom's review against another edition
3.0
Corny and absurd, but in a very 1970's DC Comics sort of way.
midnighterbae's review against another edition
3.0
Amazing art from Neal Adams, but kind of a cheesy and contrived plot.
helpfulsnowman's review against another edition
1.0
[After Action Letter Written by Batman]
Superman-
After reviewing the after-action report collected in this volume, I have to make some critical points about how to handle these situations better in the future. But before I go on, I do want to express how extremely disappointed I am in you and your lack of forethought. You are better than this.
The proposition set forth by invading aliens, one that involves an Earth champion fighting their champion to decide the fate of the Earth, is not within your control. Also, Muhammad Ali being in the area when this proposition was made was also not within your control. I understand this. However, the moment the challenge was made, the ball was in your court, and you threw up a brick that could have kept a hundred little piggies safe from just about any wolf, with the possible exception of the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose rebounding is incredible this season. Those guys are playing out of their heads!
According to what I saw, the alien gave you 24 hours to prepare for battle. However, Ali claimed that he should be the one to represent Earth, the reason being that the alien homeworld, where the fight would take place, is lit by a red sun, the exact thing that takes away your superpowers and makes you a mortal man and nothing more.
Okay, for starters, you have about three weaknesses, and you need to stop broadcasting them. Muhammed Ali does not need to know that you are easily killed when exposed to red sun. Not that he would have much chance to get ahold of some…except when YOU TOOK HIM TO YOUR SECRET FORTRESS AND SPARRED WITH HIM UNDER A LIGHT BULB THAT MIMICS RED SUN.
This is a completely unnecessary risk.
Also, stop keeping things around that can kill you. If there are three things that can kill you, focus on eliminating those three things, not stashing them away in a glass candy dish like an old bitch who lost her love on the Titanic.
So, using some time-slowing device, you and Ali had a couple of weeks to prepare for the fight. He trained you to the best of his ability, and then the two of you fought under the red sun before the main event, Earth’s champion versus the alien champion.
Clark, I don’t need to tell you more than once that fighting two people back to back is not done in boxing. It is just not done. Even though Ali bested you, the energy he spent knocking your ass around the ring a few rounds would have been better spent on the real enemy. Not a wise move.
Secondly, if the alien race wanted to create an honorable boxing match, as they claimed, how does it work that their champion weighs 8,000 lbs. while ours is floating around 200? I know you probably don’t take in much boxing, but this is completely unorthodox, and you allowing Ali to enter such a mismatched fight is putting him at a high level of risk that is completely unacceptable. Next time, why not just have Jimmy Olsen fight, I don’t know, Anti-Monitor. A guy who takes pictures against a guy who absorbs universes? Hey, sounds like a good match.
Now, I understand you’re the feelgood guy, and learning about races and creeds coming together to defeat a common foe was really nice. But for the love of god, you let Ali figure out your secret identity!?
Unfortunately, this is not a situation that can be allowed to stand. I will be forced to pay a little visit Ali and slip him a memory-erasing drug, which will hopefully wipe this entire alien adventure from his mind. It is my sincerest hope that there are no lasting, debilitating effects. But if there are, know they are on your head. The secret of your alter-ego is too important to be known to any man, regardless of his ability to punch other men without being punched by them as much.
You need to start taking more responsibility for your actions and the actions of those you should be protecting.
Yours in Christ,
-B
Superman-
After reviewing the after-action report collected in this volume, I have to make some critical points about how to handle these situations better in the future. But before I go on, I do want to express how extremely disappointed I am in you and your lack of forethought. You are better than this.
The proposition set forth by invading aliens, one that involves an Earth champion fighting their champion to decide the fate of the Earth, is not within your control. Also, Muhammad Ali being in the area when this proposition was made was also not within your control. I understand this. However, the moment the challenge was made, the ball was in your court, and you threw up a brick that could have kept a hundred little piggies safe from just about any wolf, with the possible exception of the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose rebounding is incredible this season. Those guys are playing out of their heads!
According to what I saw, the alien gave you 24 hours to prepare for battle. However, Ali claimed that he should be the one to represent Earth, the reason being that the alien homeworld, where the fight would take place, is lit by a red sun, the exact thing that takes away your superpowers and makes you a mortal man and nothing more.
Okay, for starters, you have about three weaknesses, and you need to stop broadcasting them. Muhammed Ali does not need to know that you are easily killed when exposed to red sun. Not that he would have much chance to get ahold of some…except when YOU TOOK HIM TO YOUR SECRET FORTRESS AND SPARRED WITH HIM UNDER A LIGHT BULB THAT MIMICS RED SUN.
This is a completely unnecessary risk.
Also, stop keeping things around that can kill you. If there are three things that can kill you, focus on eliminating those three things, not stashing them away in a glass candy dish like an old bitch who lost her love on the Titanic.
So, using some time-slowing device, you and Ali had a couple of weeks to prepare for the fight. He trained you to the best of his ability, and then the two of you fought under the red sun before the main event, Earth’s champion versus the alien champion.
Clark, I don’t need to tell you more than once that fighting two people back to back is not done in boxing. It is just not done. Even though Ali bested you, the energy he spent knocking your ass around the ring a few rounds would have been better spent on the real enemy. Not a wise move.
Secondly, if the alien race wanted to create an honorable boxing match, as they claimed, how does it work that their champion weighs 8,000 lbs. while ours is floating around 200? I know you probably don’t take in much boxing, but this is completely unorthodox, and you allowing Ali to enter such a mismatched fight is putting him at a high level of risk that is completely unacceptable. Next time, why not just have Jimmy Olsen fight, I don’t know, Anti-Monitor. A guy who takes pictures against a guy who absorbs universes? Hey, sounds like a good match.
Now, I understand you’re the feelgood guy, and learning about races and creeds coming together to defeat a common foe was really nice. But for the love of god, you let Ali figure out your secret identity!?
Unfortunately, this is not a situation that can be allowed to stand. I will be forced to pay a little visit Ali and slip him a memory-erasing drug, which will hopefully wipe this entire alien adventure from his mind. It is my sincerest hope that there are no lasting, debilitating effects. But if there are, know they are on your head. The secret of your alter-ego is too important to be known to any man, regardless of his ability to punch other men without being punched by them as much.
You need to start taking more responsibility for your actions and the actions of those you should be protecting.
Yours in Christ,
-B
dozmuttz's review against another edition
4.0
Such a fun, silly, and heartwarming story that with the recent passing of its great artist, is a great read to reflect on all 3 legends connected to this one-shot.
In 1978, the classic duo of Denny O’neil and Neal Adams teamed up to give us a once in a lifetime event that no one else could’ve/would’ve thought of. In this epic tale, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, and Clark Kent are in downtown Metropolis as they heard that legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali, would be in town. After getting acquainted they are interrupted by an alien creature who threatens to take over the Earth unless someone can best their champion. Clark makes a swift exit and that is where Superman shows up to the scene. HIm and Ali both jump at the opportunity to save Earth and fight the aliens champion. Of course only one of them can fight and there’s a lot of pride between the two so it must be decided by their own boxing match. Now before you say that Superman could simply burp and Ali would explode- the fight is done around a red sun, stripping Superman of all his powers. After they fight the winner faces the alien champion, while the other does some digging and makes sure the alien race won’t cheat or attack earth while the main event occurs.
O’neil was the one who came up with the script and Adams helped with the plotting and of course did the artwork. The story is so silly, but it doesn’t take itself so seriously and that’s what makes it such a fun classic. The overall plot reminds me a lot of ‘Space Jam’ and say what you want, whether you like that kinda stuff or not, it's all good fun. There were quite a bit of funny moments as well and in general it is just a feel good read.
The artwork by Adams is some of his best and the main reason this story is such a classic. Well, that and the fact that Ali is attached to it. It’s just such a random idea that it probably only works because of the team responsible for its creation. Adams artwork is passion to page and you can tell by each one. He took no shortcuts and gave us beautiful work that you can’t help but stare at. The level of detail is nothing new for Adams, but the fact that he was working with drawing an actual person, he smashes the job of capturing Ali’s likeness. As Well as the other real life people he drew in this book. I mean the cover alone had 172 different likenesses, in which most were based on real people. The emotion he emitted on faces felt real and his grand action scenes were epic!
With the recent passing of Adams, that now means that the 3 real life legends attached to this book are all no longer physically with us, but the read shows and reminds us that they will live on forever through they’re work. Ali was the ahead of his time athlete/activist and O’neil and Adams were comic legends that also brought importance to civil rights matters and all around equality for every living being. It’s a bittersweet moment to read, however really great to reflect on.
May they all REST IN POWER and thank you to all 3.
In 1978, the classic duo of Denny O’neil and Neal Adams teamed up to give us a once in a lifetime event that no one else could’ve/would’ve thought of. In this epic tale, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, and Clark Kent are in downtown Metropolis as they heard that legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali, would be in town. After getting acquainted they are interrupted by an alien creature who threatens to take over the Earth unless someone can best their champion. Clark makes a swift exit and that is where Superman shows up to the scene. HIm and Ali both jump at the opportunity to save Earth and fight the aliens champion. Of course only one of them can fight and there’s a lot of pride between the two so it must be decided by their own boxing match. Now before you say that Superman could simply burp and Ali would explode- the fight is done around a red sun, stripping Superman of all his powers. After they fight the winner faces the alien champion, while the other does some digging and makes sure the alien race won’t cheat or attack earth while the main event occurs.
O’neil was the one who came up with the script and Adams helped with the plotting and of course did the artwork. The story is so silly, but it doesn’t take itself so seriously and that’s what makes it such a fun classic. The overall plot reminds me a lot of ‘Space Jam’ and say what you want, whether you like that kinda stuff or not, it's all good fun. There were quite a bit of funny moments as well and in general it is just a feel good read.
The artwork by Adams is some of his best and the main reason this story is such a classic. Well, that and the fact that Ali is attached to it. It’s just such a random idea that it probably only works because of the team responsible for its creation. Adams artwork is passion to page and you can tell by each one. He took no shortcuts and gave us beautiful work that you can’t help but stare at. The level of detail is nothing new for Adams, but the fact that he was working with drawing an actual person, he smashes the job of capturing Ali’s likeness. As Well as the other real life people he drew in this book. I mean the cover alone had 172 different likenesses, in which most were based on real people. The emotion he emitted on faces felt real and his grand action scenes were epic!
With the recent passing of Adams, that now means that the 3 real life legends attached to this book are all no longer physically with us, but the read shows and reminds us that they will live on forever through they’re work. Ali was the ahead of his time athlete/activist and O’neil and Adams were comic legends that also brought importance to civil rights matters and all around equality for every living being. It’s a bittersweet moment to read, however really great to reflect on.
May they all REST IN POWER and thank you to all 3.
wbforeman999's review against another edition
5.0
this book was so fun!! it’s ridiculous but that’s what superhero books are and they actually have a fight they don’t cop out. And for a book made in the 1970s the art is fantastic and still holds up today I highly recommend you checking this out
philipf's review against another edition
3.0
A very 70s comic. Lots of fun, but I'm not sure it really needs to be reprinted as a hardback.
chi_hoosier's review
3.0
Better plot than I expected, honestly. I mean, how does Ali fight the man of steel? come on. But the storyline was pretty great in the end.
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