Issue(s): NFL Superpro #5
Cover Date: Feb 92
Title: "Sudden death"
Credits:
Buzz Dixon - Writer
Jose Delbo - Penciler
Mike DeCarlo - Inker
David Wohl - Assistant Editor
Bob Budiansky - Editor

Review/plot:
A new writer, and NFL Superpro only gets more awesome.

This one starts with some goons in (very) vaguely "football" uniforms comparable to Superpro's (in power; certainly not in look) showing up to kidnap a star player.

Superpro fails to stop them.

Superpro figures out that someone is building their own fantasy football league, literally.

Superpro (Phil Grayfield) and Jane Dixon seem to be much more together now that Jane knows Phil's secret ID. Prior to this, they seemed more like estranged former lovers, but i guess that's changed.

Things get more awesome when the bad guy starts using a blimp to kidnap players. That blimp is clearly on loan from Baron Von Blimp from US1. Bad guys from licensed comics have to stick together.

Note that under new writer Buzz Dixon, Superpro is much quicker with the football puns.

In NFL Superpo comic, ball fumbles you.

Superpro is captured, and he's introduced to the full team of bad guys, the Head Hunters.

The lady that Superpro was with earlier, when the blimp arrived, turns out to be the daughter of the ex-coach that has organized the Head Hunters. Her name is Mercy Sutter.

She's actually a Head Hunter herself.

The idea of the coach, Buck Sutter, is to have the "fantasy" players that he's kidnapped fight his team.

I love it. Someone kidnapping players to create a physical fantasy football league is awesome enough, but making them fight a team of gooney super-powered players in ill-fitting armor is even better. And bonus points for "pussy-willows", not heard since 1967 era Aunt May.

Superpro breaks out of his cage and joins the regular players.

Mandatory roughness! Receiving end! I'm in heaven! Thank you Buzz Dixon!

Superpro defeats the Head Hunters but Mercy and Buck escape. They won't resurface in this series, sadly. Which is too bad, because i would have liked to see Superpro defending the NFL more directly against the threat of women wanting to play football.

Quality Rating: D+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A