Superman and Wonder Woman team up against a Greek god!
The Super-Prisoners of Love
On monitor duty, onboard the Justice League Satellite, a bored Wonder Woman is surprised by the arrival of Eros, the Greek God of Love. Eros professes his love for the Amazon Princess, then forces himself upon her. Wonder Woman rebuffs Eros' advances, angering the petulant God. When Superman arrives to take over on monitor duty, Eros, out of spite, fires his arrow into the Man of Steel. Firing a second shaft into Wonder Woman, Eros fades away. The moment Superman and Wonder Woman look into one another's eyes, they both fall hopelessly in love with the other. They passionately embrace, deeply kissing one another. With great effort, they part. Silently, they walk the empty corridors of the Justice League Satellite, avoiding each other's eyes, while trying to suppress the memory of their kiss. Watching from a scrying pool on Mount Olympus, Eros revels in the petty amusement derived from Superman and Wonder Woman's emotional predicament. When his mother, Aphrodite enters the room, Eros is quick to conceal what he has done. Superman and Wonder Woman desperately look for a scientific solution to Eros' amorous enchantment. When their hands briefly touch, Superman, in a rage borne of guilt, hurls himself into space, through the satellite wall. Realizing the danger he's placed Wonder Woman in, Superman returns to the satellite to repair the damage, before the atmosphere completely vents into space. Wonder Woman travels to Washington D.C., to try to channel her ardor for Superman into her true love, Steve Trevor. Superman journeys to Metropolis for the same reason, meeting up with the love of his life, Lois Lane.
Wonder Woman breaks her kiss with Trevor, when she witnesses Superman kissing Lane, on the news feed. In a jealous rage, Wonder Woman departs for Metropolis. Lana Lang is on hand, covering Superman's lustful attention to Lane. Suddenly, Wonder Woman's tiara slams into the back of Superman's head. Wonder Woman seizes Lane by the throat and hurls her into oncoming traffic. As soon as Superman rescues Lane, he falls back into the arms of Wonder Woman. Lane and Lang are stunned by the passion Superman displays, in his kiss, for Wonder Woman. As Superman and Wonder Woman take to the sky, Lang and Lane comfort one another, fearing that they've lost the Man of Steel to a more ideal mate. Superman and Wonder Woman journey to Mount Olympus, where the Man of Steel assaults Eros. Aphrodite intervenes, providing a solution to Eros' enchantment. Superman and Wonder Woman depart, in search of the Blue Lotus of Lost Love. When Superman begins to have second thoughts of breaking the spell, Wonder Woman catches a lightning bolt with her bracelet, shocking him back to clarity. Locating the cavern of the blue lotus, the two heroes are immediately attacked by the lotus' guardian, a minotaur. Superman uses his heat vision to collapse part of the cavern wall, burying the minotaur. Unable to penetrate the magical field around the lotus, Superman hangs back while Wonder Woman lassoes the blossom. Pulling together, the two heroes uproot the magic bloom. Breathing in it's scent removes Eros' enchantment. Superman and Wonder Woman conclude the adventure by going on a double date with their respective paramours, Lane and Trevor.
Whatever Happened to Mark Merlin and Prince Ra-Man?
Roy Raymond interviews Elsa Magusson, regarding the disappearance of Mark Merlin, and Prince Ra-Man. Magusson was informed, by Prince Ra-Man, that Merlin had died fighting the Gargoyle. However, when Prince Ra-Man disappeared, Magusson began to have doubts, believing that Merlin might actually be in the witness protection program. Memakata, a black cat, wanders past the live broadcast, on his way, down an alley, to procure breakfast. Memakata battles a stray cat for the food, unleashing mystic abilities to down the alley cat. Continuing to uses his magical powers, Memakata journeys across the city, arriving at the television studio in time to intercept Magusson. Delighted to recover her long lost cat, Magusson takes the animal home. Memakata races inside, leading Magusson to Merlin's Magic Eye amulet. With the Magic Eye in her hand, Prince Ra-Man is able to broadcast his thoughts to Magusson. Prince Ra-man transferred his consciousness into Memakata, to defeat Merlin's nemesis, Doctor-7. Upon returning to reclaim his body, though, Prince Ra-Man found that it was gone. Memakata leads Magusson to Prince Ra-Man's last known location, a stage magician's "vanishing cabinet". Sure enough, Prince Ra-Man's body has lain in suspended animation, within a secret drawer, at the cabinet's base. His consciousness returned to him, Prince Ra-Man awakens. Prince Ra-Man reveals the final fate of Mark Merlin. The Gargoyle had shrank Merlin down into another plane of existence, the home dimension of Prince Ra-Man. Merlin transfers his consciousness into the idol of the cat god, receiving Prince Ra-Man's mind over matter abilities. Having gained immortality, Merlin was then given a potion to reincarnate himself as a young Egyptian prince, Ra-Man. Though Prince Ra-Man possesses many of Merlin's memories, the man himself is lost to Magusson forever.
Notes:
- "The Super-Prisoners of Love" written by Gerry Conway, penciled by Kurt Schaffenberger, inked by Vince Colletta, colored by Jerry Serpe and lettered by Milt Snapinn.
- "Whatever Happened to Mark Merlin and Prince Ra-Man" written by Mark Tiefenbacher, penciled by Alex Saviuk, inked by Vince Colletta, colored by Jerry Serpe and lettered by Ben Oda.
- Steve Lombard and Jimmy Olsen cameos.
- This issue contains the Hostess Superhero Ad, Batgirl in "A Matter of Good Taste".
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