Issue(s): NFL Superpro #7
Cover Date: Apr 92
Title: "All abuzz"
Credits:
Evan Skolnick - Writer
Jose Delbo - Penciler
Mike DeCarlo - Inker
Matt Morra - Assistant Editor
David Wohl - Editor

Review/plot:
NFL Superpro has gotten confused. Hearing talk of "futbol", he's wandered into Brazil and finds himself covering a soccer match.

Ok, as sports reporter Phil Grayfield, he's supposed to be covering all sports, not just American football. But he does look confused.

A riot breaks out at the game, and Phil changes into Superpro, although it doesn't have quite the effect he was hoping for.

I really think there was a market for a book about Superpro going around looking confused and getting laughed at. It's certainly what i enjoy best about these issues. The problem is having to wade through the rest of it.

Phil wants to interview the star soccer player, but Claudio Juarez is also an environmentalist, so he only agrees to the interview if Phil and Ken will meet him out in the Amazon rainforest where a protest against loggers is going on. The protesters are engaged in a practice called tree spiking.

This was a pretty controversial practice. The idea is that you drive spikes into trees, too deep to pull out, and snapping off the spike heads. If loggers use chainsaws to try to cut down the trees, the spike destroys their blades. This creates a very dangerous situation for the loggers, potentially resulting in serious injury. So it's something that not all environmental groups were in favor of. But it's presented here entirely as a good thing. I do see that the environmentalists have put up signs.

The environmentalists are also engaged in other forms of protest, like chaining themselves to the trees.

The problem is that they're being hunted by an assassin named Ripsaw.

Phil probably eats his share of the burgers that the rainforest is being cleared to produce, but he runs off to change into Superpro. Including this scan because i like to capture all references to the larger Marvel universe.

To protect "Cameraman", Phil has to put his costume on in stages.

Hey! "Clipping!" A bona fide football pun! And Superpro follows that up with "taking offense"!

I don't know how Ripsaw manages to hold that many blades.

But Superpro manages to punch Ripsaw out, and then he changes back into Phil and returns to Claudio. For better or worse, the legend of NFL Superpro is probably not going to take hold in Brazil. Even when he's not being laughed at, people can't get his name right.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This takes place before Superpro's team-up with the Human Fly during Infinity War. Nah, i'm just kidding. Sadly.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

They laughed at him. And then the guy with the afro doesn't even get his name right. How can a comic be both terrible and awesome?

I want a superpro trade.

You know, there probably was a market for a loser, moron hero who gets beat up by villains. You could root against him every month.

I'm surprised that the NFL would even allow acknowledgement that another "football"exists (even if it is one where you actually use your foot to move the ball)

Two great things about this issue: NFL Man (sic) is an Eagles fan and the Brazil football team (not the real one) are in it. Huff said.

Everyone knows it isn't a real football game in Brazil until a riot breaks out.

How the heck did Ripsaw manage not to cut his arms off with this kind of costume?

Piotr W, that question is right up there with "How does Razor Fist go to the bathroom?"

"How does Razor Fist go to the bathroom?",

Very carefully. Wocka Wocka!

Everyone knows it isn't a real football game in Brazil until a riot breaks out.

David Banes, that's true. I think it's a lot worse than even the dark days of football matches over here in the UK back in the 70s & 80s.

Claudio appears again as Repulsor in issue 12.

Really I should have been more general 'it isn't a real football game until a fight breaks out.' I've heard from a distant family member how rowdy football can get in the UK.

Y'know, like it isn't a true hockey game until a fight starts.

Added Repulsor! Thanks Michael.

Considering how a lot of Brazilians go to soccer matches dressed as superheroes, now I want to see if anyone went as Superpro once...