Polite Dissent

It seems that whenever I visit a comic book convention, I always manage to stumble across a few public service comics I haven’t seen before. Wizard World Texas was no exception and I managed to find a few good ones. For starters, here is Supergirl (or American Honda Presents DC Comics’ Supergirl, In Cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Safety Belt Campaign). While not horrible, it’s not a particular good PSA — the fact that four writers are listed is always a dead giveaway. There’s about six pages of story stretched out to 28 pages. The message is somewhat muddled too, as the person who is supposed to be “learning a lesson” seems to be having a better time than everyone else.

Because she is in California dealing with an earthquake, Linda Danvers (a.k.a. Supergirl) has to cancel her date with movie aficionado Steve Gordon. Since Steve already bought the tickets, he decides to go with another girl — his younger sister. As they leave for the movie, his sister chides him to put on his seatbelt, but he declines, telling her that he “drives much better without it.” Those are dangerous words to speak when you’re in a PSA comic, and sure enough, Steve’s car is broadsided by a drunk driver. His little sister — who was wearing her seatbelt — only suffered minor injuries, but Steve took a bad blow to the head and has fallen into a coma.

Hearing the news, Linda rushes to the hospital and is dismayed when she realizes how badly Steve has been hurt. Doing what any normal person would do when she finds a loved one injured, she runs off to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude and uses some of the alien machinery there to access Steve’s mind in an attempt to bring him out of the coma.

First she finds herself in a scene that best described as a cross between the Road Warrior and the Iditarod. Steve is dreaming that he is a post-apocalyptic word and must drive his souped-up ski-car across the frozen tundra to get fuel for his town. Along the way, he needs to steer clear of the evil marauders who want to steal the fuel. Once again, he neglects to put on his seatbelt and is injured when the marauders slam a (futuristic) bulldozer into his car. In the real world, Steve’s coma worsens.

Now Steve imagines himself in an Indiana Jones scenario, but when his jeep is crushed by a Nazi truck — and he is once again not wearing his seatbelt — his medical condition takes another turn for the worse. His next dream is a classic noir setting, with Steve playing the part of a Sam Spade-like private eye. This time, he remembers to buckle his seatbelt, so is barely injured when the bald villain rams his car. Having learned his lesson, Steve wakes from his coma, none the worse for wear.