World's Finest Comics #199
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeWorld's Finest Comics #199 delivers the conclusion of the third Superman-versus-Flash race in DC history — and, critically, the first one to end with a clear, unambiguous winner: Barry Allen's Flash. Where the earlier races in Superman #199 (1967) and The Flash #175 (1967) both concluded in ties or interference, this issue finally settled the question for Silver/Bronze Age continuity, with Flash crawling across the finish line on raw endurance after both heroes were drained by Phantom Zone villains. The verdict proved remarkably durable: even after multiple continuity-shattering events, DC's subsequent stories continued to treat this issue as the operative pre-Crisis answer to who is faster, leaving its narrative authority intact for decades. The two-parter (#198–199) also marks the pivot point at which editor Julius Schwartz remade World's Finest into a Superman team-up anthology — a structural experiment that directly seeded the later DC Comics Presents series.
In "Race to Save Time," Superman and The Flash face a new twist in their high-speed battle against time itself, as the Anachronids reappear—this time with a shocking connection to the Phantom Zone criminals. Written by Dennis O'Neil and brought to life by Dick Dillin’s dynamic art, Joe Giella’s inks, and Tatjana Wood’s colors, the story unfolds with urgency and mystery. Neal Adams’ iconic cover captures the tension, as the heroes race against a threat that could unravel history itself.
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When Julius Schwartz took editorial control of World's Finest, he made the bold decision to drop Batman as Superman's permanent co-star and instead rotate a new guest hero each issue, launching that new direction with the highest-wattage possible match-up: a third Superman-Flash race billed as one that 'must have a winner.' Schwartz tapped writer Denny O'Neil and the Justice League of America art team of penciler Dick Dillin and inker Joe Giella — neither of whom had worked the prior two races, but both of whom had extensive Schwartz-edited experience drawing both characters. Neal Adams, already Schwartz's go-to cover artist, supplied the striking cover, which also features small caricature portraits of Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert, Dick Giordano, and Adams himself. Batman was given a brief, largely ceremonial cameo — widely read as a graceful send-off for a character who had appeared in all 197 preceding issues of the title.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Part two of a two-issue story arc (WF #198–199); the third Superman vs. Flash race in DC Comics publishing history, following Superman #199 (1967) and The Flash #175 (1967).
- Barry Allen's Flash wins the race outright — the first clear, unambiguous Flash victory over Superman in the series, achieved by outlasting Superman on endurance after both heroes are severely weakened by Phantom Zone villains.
- Story title: 'Race to Save Time.' Written by Dennis O'Neil; interior art by Dick Dillin (pencils) and Joe Giella (inks); cover by Neal Adams.
- Editor: Julius Schwartz, with E. Nelson Bridwell as associate editor.
- The cover date is December 1970; the issue was published on October 27, 1970.
- The cover by Neal Adams includes small portrait cameos of four DC artists: Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert, Dick Giordano, and Adams himself.
- Villain roster includes Phantom Zone escapees Jax-Ur, General Zod, Kru-El, and Professor Vakox, who manipulate time-disrupting creatures called Anachronids to attempt a breakout.
- Reprinted twice in collected editions: in the DC trade paperback Superman vs. The Flash (2005) and in World's Finest: Guardians of Earth.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Gigant #3/1971 (1971), All Star Adventure Comic #70 (1971), Supercomic #52 (1971), Superman et Batman et Robin #38 (1972), Roter Blitz #2/1980 (1980), Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams #2 (2004), Superman vs. Flash #[nn] (2005), Batman: Gotiske netter [Alle Tiders Superhelter] #[nn] (2005), Batman Collection: Neal Adams #3 (2009), Showcase Presents: World's Finest #4 (2013), Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams #2 (2013), Batman by Neal Adams Omnibus #[nn] (2016), Batman by Neal Adams #2 (2019), World's Finest: Guardians of Earth #[nn] (2020), البرق [Al-Barq Kawmaks / Flash Comics] #24
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