Superman vs. Muhammad Ali: Who Ya Got?

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DC Comics has decided to reissue what must be one of the strangest comic book events of all time – an issue centered on a boxing match pitting the man who floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee against the Man of Steel.

The interesting premise behind 1978's Superman vs. Muhammad Ali is explained in full in this rousing conversation that hashes out all of the finer details involved in such a historic face-off - including just how such a historic battle came to be:

No sooner does reporter Clark Kent stumble across Muhammad Ali shooting hoops in Metropolis' "inner city ghetto" than an despotic alien named Rat'lar appears to talk intergalatic trash. Specifically, Rat'lar is Emperor of the warlike Scrubb race, and he challenges earth's champion to fisticuffs. If said Earth champion loses, Earth will be destroyed. If said champion wins, Earth will be spared. The question: Who will be Earth's champion? Superman claims the right, but Ali points out — quite rightly — that Superman is a Kryptonian, not an Earthman. Rat'lar isn't having any of this Terran shilly-shallying — he's got minions to yell at, and that fist of his doesn't shake itself, after all — so he orders the two men to decide the issue by duking it out in 24 hours' time.

Perhaps even weirder than these two boxing each other - turning around in your seat and noticing Batman sitting behind you in full costume.