Waiting for "Superman vs. Muhammad Ali"

DC Comics published Superman vs. Muhammad Ali as a one-shot comic book in 1978, and until recently the only place to get a taste of what it contained was to win a rare copy in an eBay auction or scout around for homages on the Web. Now, the company has made it easier for everyone who digs a good intergalactic brawl by reproducing the classic in two new editions. There's a "Facsimile" that's a hardcover reproduction of the oversized (13.6 x 10.2-inch) original, and a less expensive "Deluxe" edition that's regular comic-book size and adds unpublished artwork goodies.

Ali in those days was pretty invincible. A 1975 pop-reggae song had labeled him the "Black Superman," and it did seem like he could lick anybody. In 1978 he lost to Leon Spinks and then beat Spinks, in the Superdome in New Orleans, to regain the title.

Fighting Superman himself would be a different story, and even more contrived than losing the title to a kid with 8 pro fights and winning it back. I won't spoil things, but basically, one day Clark Kent and his usual colleagues are visiting the inner city to see Ali train -- yes, they are boxing writers for the day -- and an alien materializes from a planet called Bodace. And he's not Ali's promoter. The guy says his race, the Scrubb, considers itself to be the most super-savage and warlike in the galaxy and wants to put its toughest guy up against Earth's toughest guy. Stop me if you've heard this before. Ali and Superman have to duke it out in a sort of eliminator bout to see who gets to fight against a heavyweight humanoid called Hun'ya who was molded by alien scientists to be the perfect warrior. And you thought the WBA was messed up.

You probably need to be a deep die-hard fanboy to hang on all the plot twists, but the book itself is an awfully cool collectible. As the comic explains, "intelligent beings from a thousand worlds" attended the Ali-Superman fight, and the book's front and back covers are like a "Where's Waldo" of 1978 celebrities sitting in the crowd: Johnny Carson, the Jackson 5, Donnie and Marie, Raquel Welch, Wayne Rogers. Hey, that's Sonny Bono between Batman and Jimmy Carter up front at ringside!