World's Finest Comics #272
World's Finest Comics #272 holds a firm place in DC's Bronze Age history as the issue in which Shayera Hol (Katar Hol's Thanagarian partner) formally retired the name Hawkgirl in favor of Hawkwoman, citing the diminutive connotations of the word 'girl'—a character-driven moment that reflected broader shifts in how DC depicted its female heroes in the early 1980s. The renaming stuck through the rest of the pre-Crisis era and influenced how the character was handled in subsequent continuities, even as media adaptations later reverted to 'Hawkgirl.' Beyond that landmark, the issue serves as a rich cross-section of the Dollar Comic anthology format at its most expansive, juggling five separate backup features—Superman/Batman, Green Arrow, Hawkman, Red Tornado, and Mary Marvel—across 52 pages, showcasing the breadth of DC's stable just before the line began its march toward Crisis on Infinite Earths.
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The issue was edited by Len Wein with Mike W. Barr serving as associate editor, and went on sale June 30, 1981 (cover-dated October 1981, published July 23, 1981 per DC Database). It was produced during the final years of World's Finest's Dollar Comic anthology phase, which had expanded the title from a single Superman/Batman story to a 52-page multi-feature showcase beginning with issue #244 (1977); by issue #283 (September 1982) the series would contract back to a standard Superman/Batman-only format. The cover was penciled by Ross Andru and inked by Dick Giordano, while interior art was distributed across a roster of five creative teams including Cary Burkett and Rich Buckler on the lead feature, Bob Rozakis and Alex Saviuk on Hawkman, and E. Nelson Bridwell and Don Newton on the Mary Marvel closer.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Shayera Hol (Silver Age Hawkgirl) officially adopts the name 'Hawkwoman' in the Hawkman backup story 'Drive Me to the Moon!' (script: Bob Rozakis, pencils: Alex Saviuk), explicitly rejecting the word 'girl' for its diminutive Earth connotations — the first in-continuity use of the Hawkwoman identity.
- The issue contains five complete stories across 52 pages: 'Assault on the Fortress of Solitude!' (Superman & Batman, script: Cary Burkett, pencils: Rich Buckler, inks: Joe Giella); 'A Bloody Crown for a Cold Corpse!' (Green Arrow, script: Bob Haney, pencils: Trevor Von Eeden); 'Drive Me to the Moon!' (Hawkman, script: Bob Rozakis, pencils: Alex Saviuk); 'Winds of Change' (Red Tornado, script: Gerry Conway, pencils: Jose Delbo); and 'Chain Lightning' (Mary Marvel, script: E. Nelson Bridwell, pencils: Don Newton, inks: Steve Mitchell).
- The lead Superman/Batman story explores Batman's increasingly grim attitude following Dick Grayson's departure for college, with Superman connecting Batman's darkening persona directly to Robin's absence — an early published acknowledgment of the psychological impact of losing his partner.
- The Superman/Batman lead story references a holographic replay of an adventure originally told in World's Finest #175 (May 1968), the same issue in which Neal Adams first drew Batman in an interior story.
- The Mary Marvel 'Chain Lightning' story introduces the villain Chain Lightning, a new foe whose electrical powers create a direct threat to the magic-based Marvel Family, and was later reprinted in Shazam!: The World's Mightiest Mortal Vol. 3.
- The cover was penciled by Ross Andru and inked by Dick Giordano; the issue was edited by Len Wein with Mike W. Barr as associate editor.
- The Grand Comics Database notes this issue uniquely features all three series logos on the title page — a visual quirk reflecting the anthology's broad character lineup.
- The back-matter includes a Fred Hembeck comic strip featuring Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox, a Don Newton bio profile (one of several DC Profiles features), and a letters column from readers.