Super Sluggers

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Super Sluggers was a single comic book issued in 2000 about four Major League Baseball players.

[edit] Overview

It featured Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza, Ken Caminiti and Ken Griffey, Jr. In the comic, the government has created a division of the army to ward off aliens called the Ultimate Sports Force. Other Ultimate Sports Force comics consisted of Cosmic Slam, a comic with Jeff Bagwell, Sammy Sosa, David Justice and Mark McGwire; Shortstop Squad with Cal Ripken, Jr., Derek Jeter, Barry Larkin and Alex Rodriguez; and Fastball Express with Chan Ho Park, Hideo Nomo, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens.

At the time of the release of Super Sluggers, Ken Griffey, Jr. was an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds. Griffey had 452 home runs at that point, all with the Seattle Mariners. He is widely considered the greatest player of his generation and is the only player to appear in the Super Sluggers Comic Book who is not widely suspected of using anabolic steroids to gain an advantage.

Mike Piazza was a catcher for the New York Mets when this comic was made. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Florida Marlins before coming to New York for eight seasons. He is widely considered the greatest offensive catcher in the history of baseball. With 420 home runs and 1300 runs batted in, he is a legend destined for the Hall of Fame.

Barry Bonds, who at the point of this Comic Book had 524 home runs, played left field for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Francisco Giants. He currently has 744 home runs, which leaves him just twelve shy of touching the untouchable record of 755 career home runs currently held by Braves outfielder Hank Aaron.

Ken Caminiti retired two years after this book's release. He played 15 total years in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros and the San Diego Padres and had very short stops with the Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves. He played third base and totalled 239 home runs. He struggled with substance abuse, which included an admission to using steroids in 1996 and constant alcohol problems along with cocaine use. In 2004, he died of a drug overdose.

The Super Sluggers are called upon to travel to the Planet Gorgon, light years away from Earth. They bring with them an alien hostage and throughout the entire book the Sluggers are making wisecracks that relate to baseball such as how the aliens have the home field advantage and such things that are not funny. They are first welcomed with hostility from the alien defenses but then rescue numerous students from a burning school and the Queen recognizes them as heroes. All the while, there is a scheming alien in the background planning the overthrow of the Gorgon Queen. After the Queen accepts the Sluggers, he tries to kill the Queen. The Sluggers and the former hostage help to ward off the rebel and all works out well. The reward towards the Super Sluggers is when the Queen offers them the chance to return someday and participate in an Inter-World Series.