SPEEDING BULLETS 585
American family. He is shot in the head by the Klan members and then hanged,
though he lives to exact revenge on them.
Religion forms another signifi cant and consistent element in the comic, with
Judeo-Christian mythology forming the basis for the comic’s worldview. Th e resur-
rected Spawn, for example, has clear if somewhat antithetical predecessors in Lazarus
and Christ. As well, the apocalyptic elements in the comic owe a great deal to Th e Book
of Revelation, while the geography of Hell was clearly inspired by Dante’s Inferno.
Spawn remained popular for much of the 1990s, and even starred in a feature fi lm in
- Although his popularity has waned considerably since then, Spawn still remains
a notable fi gure in comics. Th ere have been several spin-off s, among them Curse of the
Spawn, Angela, Sam & Twitch, a special featuring Spawn alongside Batman, and a
manga titled Shadows of Spawn. Th e character’s main narrative, however, is still found
in the Spawn comic book, whose issues trace the myriad transformations that the
character has undergone and continues to undergo.
Denis Yarow
SPEEDING BULLETS. A 52-page graphic novel written by J. M. DeMatteis and illus-
trated by Eduardo Barreto that was published in 1993 by DC Comics as part of its
prestige Elseworlds line, Speeding Bullets won the Comic Buyer’s Guide Fan Award for
“Favorite Original Graphic Novel or Album of 1993.” Th e premise of the story is based
upon an amalgamation of the Superman and Batman myths: What would happen if
the Kryptonian rocket ship that carried baby Kal-El to Earth had been discovered not
by Jonathan and Martha Kent of Smallville, Kansas, but rather by Dr. and Mrs. Th omas
Wayne of Gotham City?
Superman and Batman have had a long history of joining forces ever since the
pair fi rst discovered each other’s secret identities and teamed-up in Superman #76
(May–June 1952). Beginning in 1954 with World’s Finest Comics #71, the heroes
regularly worked together in that title until its cancellation in 1986. Th e Man of Steel
and the Caped Crusader were also seen together in a number of “Imaginary Stories”
published by DC Comics over the years. As with the Elseworlds tales, the “Imagi-
nary Stories” were not restricted by DC Comics canon. Th ere are several notable
Imaginary Stories from both the Silver Age and Bronze Age of comics history that
combined Superman and Batman’s supporting casts, villains, settings, and plotlines.
Wo r l d ’s F i n e s t #136 (September 1963) contained a story titled “Th e Batman Nobody
Remembered” which showcased a parallel universe where Superman is secretly Bruce
Wayne and Batman never existed. Wo r l d ’s F i n e s t #167 ( June 1967) presented “Th e
New Superman-Batman Team!” in which baby Kal-El grows up powerless after his
exposure to a gold Kryptonite meteor. Instead, Lex Luthor uses science to gain super-
powers so he can become Superman. Batman is later revealed to be Clark’s wealthy
uncle Kendall, who is unaware of his Kryptonian heritage. A third interesting story
is titled “Superman and Batman—Brothers!” and it appeared in Wo r l d ’s F i n e s t #172
(December 1967). In that tale, Bruce Wayne is adopted by the Kents after his parents
