NFL SuperPro #7
“All Abuzz”
Writer: Evan Skolnick
Breakdowns: Jose Delbo
Finishes: Mike DeCarlo
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Marie Javins
Cover: Rob Tokar, Ron Frenz and Joe
Sinnott
Editor: Dave Wohl
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco
Published by: Marvel
Released: Feb. 4, 1992
A group of environmentalists’ afternoon of spiking trees and mild flirting in the Amazon rain forest is interrupted by a mysterious figure whose quips I hope sound better in Portuguese than translated English. Even more concerning is his apparently brutal murder of said environmentalists.
Phil Grayfield, aka SuperPro, will likely have something to say about that, but he’s roughly 1,800 miles to the south and broadening his journalistic horizons by covering football - but not of the American variety. This time, he and cameraman Ken Reid are on assignment in Brazil to do a story on soccer superstar Claudio Juarez.
But first, Phil has to don his costume to stop a brewing riot in the stands as fans of Brazil and Argentina prepare to clash. Despite the language barrier, ‘Pro solves the problem by ripping a chunk of wall off the stadium press box and slamming it between the rivals.
This is all being watched on TV by the head of a logging company and the killer from the opening page. The CEO says a few more tree huggers need to get the axe, and his assassin is happy to oblige.
Phil and Ken head to the rain forest region after Claudio moves their interview there. He and his scantily clad “co-conspirator” Felicita want to use the media opportunity to shine a spotlight on the plight of the rain forest. On the drive, they manage to impart some facts about the situation without sounding like the very special message at the end of a Saturday morning cartoon, so points to Skolnick* for that.
Just as they're finally ready to start rolling, with environmentalists willingly chained to trees as a dramatic backdrop, the villain of the piece drops in. His name is Ripsaw, and not only does he sport revolving wrist-mounted blades, he’s also got a pair on his belt.
He goes for Ken, just like the Head Hunters did in issue 5, not out of racism but because he’s got the camera. Not blessed with an alien symbiote, a compressed costume in a ring or unstable molecules, Phil is having a devil of a time keeping his friend alive and putting on his costume.
But eventually, he changes clothes and goes to work battling Ripsaw, who nevertheless gains the upper hand. That's when Claudio roars back to the scene in his Jeep, inspiring ‘Pro to deliver a dramatic uppercut sending Ripsaw right into the vehicle’s path.
Phil disarms Ripsaw, then changes back into his darn Eagles T-shirt to conduct the interview. Claudio breathlessly informs him that he just missed NFL Man,** then offers Ken the protesters' camcorder since Ripsaw destroyed his.
Again, credit to Skolnick for not making this sound like a PSA or after-school special. I'm not saying it's Watchmen, let alone the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, level of quality, but it worked organically in the context of a comic book about a reporter who turns into a super-powered NFL logo. Frankly, it seemed a little more plausible than yet another NFL-related crime worthy of superhuman intervention. And this is the Marvel Universe, so it stands to reason that corporate greed and deforestation would be personified by a guy with a buzzsaw suit.
* - Based on upcoming issue credits, I'm not sure if he's the new writer or the most frequent guest writer...
** - An understandable mistake, given his chest emblem.
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