Superman #236

Superman #236 (On Sale: February 9, 1971), has a cover by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.

We begin with Superman in "Planet of the Angels" by Denny O'Neil, Curt Swan, and Murphy Anderson. After teaming up with Batman to catch a gang of criminals, Superman returns to his Fortress where he begins work on a brain-wave scanner. During a test of the device, Superman suddenly finds himself surrounded by flames and attacked by devils. He easily beats them. He then meets three angels, Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael. They inform him that he has crossed into the afterlife.

The angels enlist Superman to kill the devils. However, Superman suspects something is fishy. When he meets the devils again, he snaps a hypnotic suggestion and sees them as they really are, law officers from an alien world. The angels are criminals. Superman then turns on the angels. One of them tries to attack Earth, but Superman stops him too. Reprinted in Best of DC #12 (1981) and Superman: Kryptonite Nevermore HC (2009).

The back-up is a World of Krypton story, "The Doomsayer" by Denny O'Neil and Dick Giordano. Superman joins Green Arrow and Black Canary for a picnic. When Green Arrow sees a factory dumping waste into the nearby river he begins preaching about saving the environment. Black Canary is skeptical regarding Ollie's view that the planet is in danger. Superman then tells them a story about Krypton.

Twenty years before the destruction of the planet in the city of Surrus, Dr. Mo-De discovered that Krypton's core was unstable. He developed a plan to save the planet. However, the Surrusans were reluctant to listen to his warnings for they were enchanted with beautiful flowers that produced music.

Determined to get his point across to the people Mo-De began destroying a field of flowers. When faced with the possible loss of their music, the townspeople beat Mo-De. When he asks why they won't listen, they tell him they only want to hear beautiful things. To punish Mo-De they lock him in a room surrounded by the flowers. Eventually, Mo-De becomes enchanted with them too. The Surrusans return to their happy ways until their planet explodes twenty years later.

Inspired by the story, Black Canary leaves the picnic to talk with the factory owner about handling the waste more responsibly. Reprinted in Best of DC #40 (1983) and Superman: The World of Krypton TPB (2008).

Edited by Julius Schwartz,