Superman #198

Superman #198 (On Sale: May 4, 1967) sports a cover by Curt Swan and George Klein. Whenever I would see a cover like this, I always suspected one of the Clarks was a robot, or a guy from the bottled city of Kandor, or Batman dressed up as Clark for one reason or another. This story uses none of these standard Weisinger cliches.

"The Real Clark Kent" is by Cary Bates and Al Plastino and is Bates' first Superman story. A bearded and beaten Clark Kent stumbles into the office of the Daily Planet where another Clark Kent is working. The bearded Kent uses an x-ray gun to reveal the other Clark's costume under his clothes. The bearded Clark claims that Superman had imprisoned him and taken his place as Clark Kent.

The backup story is "The Fate of the Super-Super-Superman" also written by Cary Bates and drawn by Curt Swan and George Klein. In it Superman responds to a distress call from an alien brain creature who has been trapped by a mutated tree root. Superman rescues the brain, which claims to be of a superior race. Before it disappears back into space, it provides Superman with additional super power.

With his enhanced strength and power, Superman is unable to control himself. He causes damage to everything he touches.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.