Cover: George Pérez

DC Comics Presents #38

Oct 1981 · DC · 0.60 USD; 0.20 GBP

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“Stop the World -- I Want to Go Home!”

About this Issue

DC Comics Presents #38 earns its place as a key Bronze Age issue primarily for delivering the definitive death of Lee Travis, the original Crimson Avenger — DC's first masked superhero, who predated Batman in Detective Comics by more than a year. Writer Len Wein's backup story 'Whatever Happened to the Crimson Avenger?' gave one of the medium's forgotten pioneers a poignant, self-sacrificial send-off that collectors and historians have long praised as a model for how to retire a Golden Age character with dignity. The issue simultaneously serves as a milestone celebration of the DC Comics Presents series itself, with a spectacular double-page centerfold by George Pérez cataloguing the Superman team-up partners from the title's first three years. Rounding out its historical curiosity is a published letter in the letter column from a then-unknown Todd McFarlane, years before he became one of the industry's most recognizable artists.

In "Stop the World — I Want to Go Home!", a dying Crimson Avenger confronts his legacy as he risks everything to save a young boy and then a city by steering a flaming oil tanker to sea. Written by Len Wein and illustrated by Alex Saviuk with inks by Dennis Jensen, colors by Gene D'Angelo, and letters by John Costanza, the story captures a quiet, poignant moment of heroism. The cover, by George Pérez, reflects the weight of the moment with a striking image of the Crimson Avenger in silhouette against a fiery sky.

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writer Len Wein · artist Alex Saviuk · inker Dennis Jensen · colorist Gene D'Angelo · letterer John Costanza · cover George Pérez

More listings for this title

VF $3.37 VG $4.2 VF · Newsstand $4.59 FN · Newsstand $4.99 FN $5 FN $7.3 Newsstand $9.99 VF/NM $11

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History

The issue was edited by Julius Schwartz with E. Nelson Bridwell serving as consulting editor — a pairing that reflected DC's standard Bronze Age stewardship of its Superman line. The lead story, 'Stop the World — I Want to Go Home!', was written by Martin Pasko with art by Don Heck; the backup was written by Len Wein with pencils by Alex Saviuk and inks by Dennis Jensen. George Pérez provided both the cover and the landmark interior centerfold pin-up. The issue went on sale June 16, 1981, and carried a cover date of October 1981, and it marks the series' first issue at the 60-cent cover price.

Trivia · 8 facts

Death of Lee Travis (Crimson Avenger): the backup story 'Whatever Happened to the Crimson Avenger?' by Len Wein, Alex Saviuk, and Dennis Jensen depicts Lee Travis — terminally ill — donning his costume one final time to pilot a burning, chemical-laden ship out to sea, sacrificing himself to save the city.
The Crimson Avenger, DC's first masked hero (debuting in Detective Comics #20, October 1938), had been largely absent from comics for decades before this story provided him a formal, in-continuity death.
The backup's flashback sequences feature the full Seven Soldiers of Victory roster (Crimson Avenger, Green Arrow, Shining Knight, Speedy, Star-Spangled Kid, Stripesy, and the Vigilante), along with the JLA and JSA, making it a broad Golden and Silver Age character showcase.
A double-page George Pérez centerfold pin-up depicts Superman alongside every co-star featured in the series' first 36 issues — a visual retrospective of the title's entire run to that point.
George Pérez also provided the cover; the credits for script, pencils, and inks were confirmed directly from Julius Schwartz's editorial records.
The letters column includes a published letter from Todd McFarlane, documented years before his professional comics career began.
The issue was reprinted in Showcase Presents: DC Comics Presents: The Superman Team-Ups Vol. 2 (September 2013) and in Superman's Greatest Team-Ups (DC, June 2021).
This is the first issue of DC Comics Presents to carry the 60-cent cover price, reflecting a mid-run price increase across DC's line.

Cast · 40 characters

Full credits

writer Len Wein

artist Alex Saviuk

inker Dennis Jensen

colorist Gene D'Angelo

letterer John Costanza

cover pencils, inks George Pérez

Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers

▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers

Worrying he might not be remembered as a hero as he discovers he is dying, Crimson Avenger saves a young boy from falling from his apartment building. Then, Crimson Avenger saves the city when he pilots a flaming oil tanker out to sea, but no one knew his name. Still, the boy's mother knows him, and will pass the name along.

Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).