Every day this month will have the five goofiest moment from a five-issue stretch of a particular comic book run. Once a week it will be the ten goofiest moments of a ten-issue stretch. Here is a list of the moments featured so far.

Today we look at ten issues of World's Finest Comics, #151-160, written by Edmond Hamilton (#151-159) and Leo Dorfman (160), with a plot assist from Cary Bates (#151) and spot work from E. Nelson Bridwell (scattered pages in scattered issues). They were all penciled by Curt Swan, and inked by George Klein (all but issues #151, 155 and part of 157) and Sheldon Moldoff (whatever Klein didn't ink).

As always, this is all in good fun. I don't mean any of this as a serious criticism of the comics in question. Not only were these writers certainly never imagining people still reading these comics decades after they were written, great comics often have goofy moments (Kirby/Lee's Fantastic Four is one of the best comic book runs of all-time and there were TONS of goofy stuff in those 100 plus issues!).

10. Chill out, Superman!

In #151, two mysterious super-powered kids show up in Metropolis. Superman, naturally, figures they are alien scouts for a possible invasion of Earth. Wait...what?



I also love that very specific bulletin. "Alert! Still no one harmed! We will keep updating you so long as no one is harmed! Once someone IS harmed, expect radio silence!"

Superman must really be rattled by these kids. Later on in the issue...



What was Superman going to do, hit them?

9. Naturally...

In #154, Superman and Batman marry Lois Lane and Batwoman, respectively. I like how, even in 1965, the result of their union is so obvious...



8. We only employ ACTUAL fortune tellers at this carnival!

Now, don't get me wrong, in this bit from #160, I guess the fake fortune teller guy might have been preparing to bilk the poor suckers who he was fooling into thinking he was an actual fortune teller. But he hadn't actually DONE anything yet, right?



So Superman and Batman bursting in to bust the guys chops for pretending to be a fortune teller just because he was an ex-con? That's kind of messed up. And I love the carnival owner firing him for being a "phony." Yes, because what we all know is that carnivals only employ ACTUAL fortune tellers. It gets even worse later on when you learn that this is only the beginning of a long game of entrapment by Superman and Batman...

7. You're So Vain....

In #153 (an Imaginary Story where Batman thinks Superman killed his dad), Batman enters Superman's Fortress of Solitude and makes a discovery...



Why, exactly, does Superman have a statue of himself as Clark Kent in his Fortress of Solitude? Is it a shrine to himself? Weeeird.

6. Oh, Robin, always blaming others for your own stupidity...

In #152, Batman and Robin try to solve the mystery of the super youths. Batman suggest super-androids and they go to test his theory...





"They deliberately let us think they were androids!" Huh? How did they do that, Robin? "I think that guy on the street is the president of the bank. Look, he's walking into the bank! Oh, he's just making a deposit. He deliberately made me think he was the president of the bank, that brat!"

Go to the next page for the top five!

5. A Not-So Surprising Reveal...

Later in the issue, the kids' identities are revealed, but the process of the reveal is quite haphazard...



Oh, the drama! WHO COULD THEY BE?!?!?

4. Me think Edmond Hamilton's idea of de-evolution is problematic...

In #151, Superman and Batman discover a device that evolves and deevolves people.

The evolution aspect has at least some logic to it...





but I like the idea that de-evolution just consists of Superman growing a beard and getting dumber (and saying "me" instead of "I").

3. Superman and Batman must have been pretty bored...

As I mentioned before, raiding the fake fortune teller earlier was all part of an elaborate scheme by Superman and Batman into convincing the guy that he had magic Zodiac powers, so that he would eventually begin to sell his secrets to other crooks so Batman and Superman could arrest them all in one fell swoop...





It's not even necessarily a BAD plan, but boy is that a lot of effort for minimal results, and the morality of pushing a guy from a penny ante con into a much bigger con seems kind of iffy.

2. "Hey Batman, what are your parents getting you for Christ... "My parents are deeaaaaad!"

That was the popular meme going around the internet a few years back, where a panel from #153 was re-jiggered to make it into that amusing joke panel. I detailed the origin of the panel in a post here, but here is that page, from #153, in all of its goofiness...



What's interesting is that the original panel is quite nearly as funny as the fake one!

1. Superman, seriously, you need a hobby...

In #155, Batman is seemingly replaced as Superman's partner by a new hero named Nightman (whose origin turns out to be quite similar to the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's musical, The Nightman Cometh). At the end of the issue, we discover the Nightman's identity in an astonishingly elaborate (and goofy) example of Batman and Superman just effing with each other....











How does something like that even OCCUR to Superman? "It'd be funny if I hypnotized Batman. You know, for kicks. I'm sure he'll like it!" I also like Superman's bizarre attempt to make it seem like he wasn't lying. "I told him to wear a lead-lined mask, so I could honestly say I couldn't see his face." Oh, Superman...