Superboy #177

Superboy #177 (On Sale: July 8, 1971), has a cover by Dick Giordano.

We begin with "Our Traitor Super-Son" by Leo Dorfman, Bob Brown, and Murphy Anderson. Lex Luthor takes on the guise of Cerebron with a mental amplifier that enables him to deduce that the Kents are the foster parents of Superboy. To get them into protective custody without revealing his connection to them, Superboy has them jailed for selling "contaminated" food. 

Then, after keeping his stash of super-weapons and robots out of Luthor's hands by moving it frequently, he finally defeats Luthor, removes his cerebral amplifier, and convinces him he was wrong about the Kents.

Our new backup is "Plague from the Past" by Leo Dorfman, Bob Brown, and Murphy Anderson. When a plague from a long-unopened pharaoh's coffin unleashes a terrible plague on Smallville, Superboy employs a statue of Anubis to send himself back in time and undo the coffin opening. Reprinted in Best of DC #7 (1980).

The reprint is the Legion of Super-Heroes in "The Revenge of the Knave from Krypton" by Jerry Siegel, John Forte, and inkers Sheldon Moldoff, George Papp, and Al Plastino and reprinted from Adventure Comics #320 (1964). After finishing his homework, Superboy travels to the 30th Century for his regular visit with the Legion of Super-Heroes. There they are alerted by the security system of an intruder and Superboy is shocked to find it is his old tormentor Dev-Em. Capturing Dev-Em, Superboy explains how Dev-Em was a juvenile delinquent on Krypton who was sentenced to suspended animation, survived Krypton's destruction, and was revived on 20th Century Earth. 

Superboy then recounts how Dev-Em managed to trap Superboy in the Phantom Zone and pose as him to cause chaos around Earth. After returning from the Phantom Zone, Superboy was unable to stop Dev-Em who escaped into the distant future. Superboy would finish his story by explaining that the only way he was able to clear his name was with the help of his friend Chief Parker who told everyone Red Kryptonite was the "reason" for Superboy's rampage.

However, it is revealed that Dev-Em has turned over a new leaf in the 30th Century and is a member of the Inter-Stellar Counter-Intelligence Corps. However, when reporting back into the I.C.C., Dev-Em has his mission to stop interplanetary criminal Molock to Superboy. Disguising himself as Dev-Em, Superboy manages to bluff Molock with fake Gold Kryptonite, which is actually Proty II in disguise. After Superboy smashes up Molock's operation and turns him over to the police, the Legion offers Dev-Em membership in the Legion, to which Dev-Em declines, preferring to work with the I.C.C.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Superboy #174

Superboy #174 (On Sale: March 9, 1971), has a Super-Animals cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

We begin with "The Colossal Superdog" by Otto Binder and George Papp and reprinted from Adventure Comics #262 (1959). While romping through space, Krypto encounters a Kryptonite meteor fused with another meteor. The radiations of the new meteor cause Krypto to grow to gigantic size and develop super-rabies upon entering Earth’s atmosphere.

As Krypto causes mass destruction, Superboy tries to stop his pet. The rabies eventually paralyzes Krypto. Superboy sets Krypto up as a living statue. He then discovers the meteor and exposes himself to it.

Superboy grows to gigantic size as well. The increased power of Superboy’s X-ray vision cures Krypto. Then he uses lead mirrors to turn the X-rays on himself, which restores the Boy of Steel to normal.

Next up is "The Gorilla with Super-Eyes" by Otto Binder, Curt Swan, and John Fischetti and reprinted from Adventure Comics #219 (1955). Superboy assists Professor Lang in the capture of a giant gorilla named Chandu. They return to Smallville with the gorilla who is put on display. Ex-con Doc Baird sees the gorilla on display and discovers that Chandu possesses X-ray vision.

Baird and his men steal Chandu and use his power for crime. The X-rays are triggered by lightning, so when lightning strikes the crooks are able to melt bank walls and start fires.

Professor Lang believes that Chandu got his powers from a pond in Africa containing Kryptonite. The gorilla's X-ray vision is also Kryptonite based which weakens Superboy. Despite the gorilla's advantage, Superboy overcomes him and the crooks. The effect of the contaminated water soon wears off, restoring Chandu to normal.

That is followed by "The Super-Zoo from Krypton" by Otto Binder and John Sikela and reprinted from Superboy #53 (1956). Professor Lang discovers a rocket containing several alien eggs. Superboy reads the text contained within the rocket and discovers that the eggs are from Krypton. The eggs begin hatching, releasing several unusual Kryptonian animals. 

A crook named Blacky Stone hides Kryptonite in a fake egg. Superboy is exposed to the Kryptonite, but he manages to escape with the aid of one of the Kryptonian creatures. After apprehending Blacky, Superboy takes the animals to an uninhabited world where they can live without endangering anyone.

Next is "The Bird with Super-Powers" by Alvin Schwartz, Curt Swan, and John Fischetti and reprinted from Adventure Comics #225 (1956). Professor Lang brings a talking mynah bird back from Africa. The bird displays amazing intelligence and super powers. The mynah bird escapes and begins aiding an escaped convict in crime. Superboy and Professor Lang determine that the bird's powers originate from a water source in Africa contaminated by Kryptonite. This same water source was responsible for creating a gorilla with X-ray vision.

Superboy and the mynah bird match each other in battle. The bird learns Superboy's secret identity and threatens to expose him. This forces Superboy to use Kryptonite against the bird. The overdose of Kryptonite radiation restores the bird to normal, and his convict partner is apprehended.

We end with "The Superdog That Was Greater Than Krypto" by Jerry Siegel and Al Plastino and reprinted from Superboy #105 (1963). Superboy rescues a dog, Swifty, from his mean master. Swifty follows the Boy of Steel back to Smallville and meets him again. Impressed by Swifty’s intelligence, Superboy uses a serum invented by Roz-Em to give Swifty super-powers. 

Krypto becomes jealous of the new super-dog, but when Swifty’s powers disappear suddenly Krypto comes to the rescue. Superboy tells Krypto that he intended Swifty to be a playmate for Krypto, making the super-dog ashamed of his jealousy.

edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

Superman #231

Superman #231 (On Sale: September 17, 1970) has another nice cover by Neal Adams.

This marked the end of an era. Mort Weisinger had been an editor at DC comics since More Fun Comics #71 in 1941, which he not only edited but in which he wrote "The Riddle of the Crying Clown," creating along with artist Chad Grothkopf the character Johnny Quick. He also co-created Aquaman, Green Arrow, and the original Vigilante, served as story editor for the Adventures of Superman television series, and compiled the often-revised paperback 1001 Valuable Things You Can Get Free.  In 1948 Mort would take over the editorial reigns of Superman, guiding the character for the next 22 years. This was the last book to bare his editorial stamp and marked the end of his 29-year career at DC. Mort died after suffering a heart attack on May 7, 1978.

We begin with  "The Wheel of Super-Fortune" by Cary Bates, Curt Swan and Dan Adkins. It is maybe appropriate that Mort Weisinger's last book be an "Imaginary Story" that he seemed to love so much. Continuing from last issue, Superman (Lex Luthor) tries to convince Lois Lane that Clark Kent is a criminal. Despite this, Lois still defends Clark. Meanwhile, Clark visits a mystic who reveals Luthor's origin. Using Lois as a hostage, Clark forces Luthor to let him get away with his crimes.

Eventually, one of Luthor's robots acts against Clark. Kent gets his revenge by kidnapping Lois. Believing Lois dead, Luthor tries to stop Clark when he strikes again. This time Clark destroys a large section of Metropolis, but Luthor evacuated the people. Finally Clark attempts to steal Luthor's powers. He fails and is killed as a result.

I have to say that maybe the most clever thing about this issue is on the cover where the impact from Superman's head hitting the wall, obscures the fact that he is actually bald-headed Lex Luthor.

We end with "Superman's Fatal Costume" by Jerry Coleman and Al Plastino and reprinted from Superman #112. Luthor uses a spectroscope to study Superman’s costume and learn about its special properties. Using a device he created, Luthor causes the costume to give off heat, change metal into wood, and explode. Superman manages to uncover the plot, apprehend Luthor and some escaped prisoners, and take measures to ensure his costume can’t be used against him again.

Edited for the very last time by Mort Weisinger.

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133  (On Sale: August 25, 1970) has a Jimmy Olsen cover by Jack Kirby, Vinnie Colletta and Al Plastino. BOOM!!!!!

The word from high is...the great one is coming!

Screw that, as the cover proclaims, "Kirby is Here!" DC has been playing with us for months with those "great one is coming" ads. I remember the first time I saw one, showing it to my best friend, Baron Mrkva, and asking, "Any idea what this is all about?" He didn't have one and we never would have guessed that Kirby was moving to DC. 

And had we somehow figured out the identity of "the great one" we never would have guessed that his first move at DC would be to drop an atomic bomb on the staid and boring Jimmy Olsen book. As the modified logo spells it out, "Superman's Ex-Pal, the New Jimmy Olsen."

So now we knew why all of the DC reprint books lately had Jack Kirby stories in them; it was a reminder of what Jack had done for the company in the past and a signpost pointing toward the future. Well, the future had arrived.

Is Kirby going to change things up at DC, or play it safe? Let's see, in 22 pages of "The Newsboy Legion" Jack Kirby, as writer and penciler introduces us to Intergang, Morgan Edge, The Newsboy Legion, the Wild Area, the Outsiders and the Whiz Wagon. At the same time he begins laying the groundwork for the "Fourth World" with the New Gods and Darkseid. The inks were handled by Vinnie Colletta and Superman and sometimes Jimmy's face was drawn (or redrawn) by Al Plastino for the sake of continuity with the rest of the DC line. 

Jimmy Olsen is paired with the new Newsboy Legion, the sons of the original boy heroes plus Flippa-Dippa, a newcomer, to investigate the Wild Area, a strange community outside of Metropolis. The boys are given a super-vehicle called the Whiz Wagon for transport. When Clark Kent shows concern for Jimmy, Morgan Edge, owner of Galaxy Broadcasting and the new owner of the Daily Planet, secretly orders a criminal organization called Inter-Gang to kill him. 

However, Kent survives the attempt and later hooks up with Jimmy and the Newsboy Legion in the Wild Area. The youths have met the Outsiders, a tribe of young people who live in a super-scientific commune called Habitat, and have won leadership of the Outsiders’ gang of motorcyclists. Jimmy and company go off in search of a mysterious goal called the Mountain of Judgment, and warn Superman not to stop them. 

Boom! Take that DC! Kirby is here indeed.

This story has been reprinted in Superman in the Seventies TPB, Jimmy Olsen:Adventures by Jack Kirby Vol. 1 TPB, Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 1 HC and Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 1 TPB.

For a few issues DC would keep up the facade that Murray Boltinoff was doing something as editor of this book. 

Superboy #168

Superboy #168 (On Sale: July 7, 1970) has another of my favorite Neal Adams' covers. Just beautiful. 

 We begin with our cover-story, "Leave Us... or We Perish" by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown and Murphy Anderson. The Nazis hold a secret meeting to discuss Superboy, who is an obstacle to their success. They send saboteurs to Smallville. The saboteurs threaten to destroy the town if Superboy doesn't leave Earth. He reluctantly meets their demands after the townspeople turn against him. Pa Kent then discovers the Nazis planting explosives in the town's sewer system. He fails to stop them and is shot.

From space, Superboy sees Jonathan's body and returns to Earth. He stops the Nazis and floods the sewer system to disable the bombs. After the town is safe, he returns home where the real Jonathan Kent is. The man that was shot was really a Jonathan Kent robot created by Superboy himself.

The back-up Superboy story must have been in inventory for a few years. "The Negative Boy of Steel" is by Arnold Drake who was fired in 1968, Al Plastino who was also fired in 1968 and Mike Esposito. Except for a Superman's Wedding Album pin-up in 1996, this is Al Plastino's last work for DC. Superboy battles an energy dragon in space. When Superboy collides with the creature it causes a massive explosion which temporarily knocks Superboy unconscious. When he recovers and returns to Earth, he finds that he has been replaced by a negative version of himself. His parents and the townspeople accept the new Superboy and reject the original. After suffering through the pain of being replaced, Superboy collides with his counterpart resulting in another explosion. His parents then explain that the negative Superboy was created from his body, and their rejection was only a hoax.

Al Plastino's earliest comic work was as an assitant to Bill Everett working on Sub-Mariner for Timely Comics and his first credited work was the cover of Novelty Press' Blue Bolt Comics #9 in 1943. In 1948 Plastino showed samples of his work to editors at DC and began a 20-year stint on the Superman family of books. 

At first he was required to mimic Wayne Boring's style but as time went on he was allowed to draw like Al Plastino. He worked on Superman, Superboy, and Lois Lane. With Otto Binder he co-created Supergirl and The Legion of Super-Heroes. 

 Plastino also drew the Superman newspaper strip in the late 60s and the Batman strip from 1966-1972. When DC ousted him from their books in 1968 Al Plastino also took over the Ferd'nand newspaper strip which he drew until he retired in 1989. In 1983 he drew the Sunday episodes of Nancy after Ernie Bushmiller died and he also drew a year's worth of Peanuts strips in the early 1980s to be used if Charles Schulz became ill. I don't think those will ever see the light of day, but it does make for an interesting trivia question, "Who besides Charles Schulz drew an entire year's worth of Peanuts strips?" 

 Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Superman #227

Superman #227 (On Sale: April 14, 1970) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson on this "All Kryptonite" issue.

We begin with "The Super-Powers of Perry White" by Jerry Coleman, Curt Swan and Stan Kaye and reprinted from Action Comics #278.  After eating the fruit of a strange plant in his garden, Perry White gains super powers which he uses to become Masterman, a new super hero. Eventually his mind is taken over by Xasnu, a plant creature from another world. It was the fruit which allowed him to take over Perry’s mind and the powers were just a side effect. Xasnu, as Perry, attempts to kill Superman, knowing he is the one person who can stop an invasion.

He learns Superman’s secret identity, but Superman has hypnotized himself not to feel pain when exposed to Kryptonite. Superman is forced to hide at his Fortress of Solitude. Perry attacks him there and nearly kills the Man of Steel. Supergirl arrives just in time to save her cousin by exposing Perry to White Kryptonite, which destroys plant life, including the one controlling Perry. His memory is lost for the entire experience.

Next up is "The Great Kryptonite Mystery" by Jerry Coleman, Curt Swan and Ray Burnley and reprinted from Superboy #58.  Superboy begins deliberately exposing himself to Kryptonite meteors and collecting them in a secure vault. He refuses to tell anyone why he is hurting himself. The continued exposure causes the Boy of Steel to become ill and his powers weaken. After collecting several such meteors, Superboy hides the vault of Kryptonite on the ocean floor. He explains to his foster parents that he hoped to build up an immunity to the Kryptonite meteors, so that he could use them later against ten Kryptonian criminals due to arrive on Earth in 15 years.

This is followed by "The Super-Revenge of the Phantom Zone Prisoner" by Edmond Hamilton, Curt Swan and George Klein and reprinted from Superman #157. When Phantom Zone criminal Quex-Ul is released from the Zone by Superman, having completed his sentence, he vows revenge against Superman. While Quex-Ul creates a magnet to gather Gold Kryptonite, Superman visits Krypton’s past to learn that Quex-Ul is innocent of his convicted crime.

When Superman returns, Quex-Ul tries to use the Gold Kryptonite against him. Supergirl informs Quex-Ul that he has been cleared of his previous crimes. This revelation causes the former Zone resident to save Superman, sacrificing his own powers to the Gold Kryptonite. The accident gives him amnesia, so Superman gets him a job at the Daily Planet.

Next we have "The Invasion of the Super-Ants" drawn by Al Plastino and reprinted from Action Comics #296. A race of giant ants is spotted outside Metropolis. Superman is unable to approach the ants because of the presence of Green Kryptonite. Instead, he flies into a Red Kryptonite cloud which temporarily gives him an ant head and makes him immune to Green K. He then approaches the ants and communicates with them. He learns that they are from another planet and have come to Earth to warn humans about nuclear destruction. Superman takes their message to the U.N. after the ants have repaired their rocket and left Earth.

We end with  "Secret of Kryptonite Six" by Leo Dorfman, Curt Swan and George Klein and reprinted from Action Comics #310. Superman releases Jax-Ur from the Phantom Zone on a trial basis when Jax-Ur claims to have a cure for an Atlantean plague. Superman and Jax-Ur use a time-bubble to travel to Krypton prior to its explosion. Jax-Ur retrieves the formula for the cure from an old laboratory in the Jeweled Mountains. He also sets up a device to send a fragment of the Mountain to Earth when Krypton explodes.

When Superman and Jax-Ur return, Superman gives the plague cure to Lori Lemaris and the Atlanteans. Jax-Ur then hypnotizes Jimmy Olsen into uses the Jewel Kryptonite fragments on Superman.

Afterwards, Superman's presence cause fuel to explode when he is near. Superman believes he must leave the Earth, until he deduces that the real cause of the explosions is the fragment of Jewel Kryptonite in Earth's orbit. The Phantom Zone criminals are able to use the Kryptonite to focus their thoughts and cause the explosions. Superman hurls the fragment into the sun, ending the threat and Jax-Ur's scheme.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superboy #165

Superboy #165 (On Sale: March 5, 1970) has cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

This issue begins with "The Super-Dog from Krypton" by Otto Binder, Curt Swan and John Fishetti and reprinted from Adventure Comics #210. This story tells the origin of Krypto, Superboy's dog. Superboy encounters a super powered dog on the streets of Smallville. The dog seems to recognize him and is friendly. Superboy follows the dog to a rocket that has recently crashed on Earth. Inside the rocket he finds papers which reveal that the dog came from Krypton. The dog was sent into space by Jor-El to test a rocket which was deflected by a meteor. The dog, Krypto, belonged to Kal-El as a baby. Krypto's ship eventually made its way to Earth.

Superboy is thrilled to have his dog back. However, Krypto's frisky nature and super powers cause several problems for Superboy including threatening his secret identity. Superboy constructs a super doghouse for Krypto, but the dog is easily able to free himself.

Eventually Krypto takes off into space to chase meteors. Superboy is happy that he won't have to deal with Krypto's antics anymore, but he is sad that his friend is gone.

Next we have "Superboy's Last Day" by Otto Binder and George Papp and reprinted from Adventure Comics #251. This story tells of Superboy's first encounter with Kryptonite. While cleaning house, Clark Kent recalls how one of his Superboy robots saved his life. Many years before, Pa Kent brought home a green glowing rock for Clark’s mineral collection. Clark immediately took ill and was on his deathbed. To replace him as Superboy, a recently constructed Superboy robot was sent out controlled by Jonathan.

When the robot returned, it inadvertently stepped in front of the Kryptonite. Being made of lead, the robot blocked the radiation. Superboy recovered but relapsed when the robot moved away. Pa Kent realizes that the rock must be responsible and places it inside the robot. Superboy recovers and learns that the rock was Kryptonite, a fragment of his home planet, which is deadly to him.

This is followed by "The Girl Who Saw the Future Superboy" by Jerry Coleman and Al Plastino and reprinted from Superboy #90. While helping her father clean a scientist’s lab, Lana accidentally activates a machine that allows her to see the future. Although the image only lasts for a moment, Lana sees Superman and his girlfriend, Lois Lane. Lana become jealous and tries to alter fate by getting Lois to enter a different career.

Lana visits Lois’s school and tries to sabotage Lois’s attempts to join the school paper. Failing in that, Lana tries to get Lois to pursue a career in science and later, sculpture. Each attempt fails due to the Unbeknownst actions of Superboy and Krypto.

Next we have "The Phantom Superboy" by Robert Bernstein and George Papp and reprinted from Adventure Comics #283. This is the first appearance of the Phantom Zone. Professor Lang discovers a box of Kryptonian weapons which he delivers to Superboy. While Superboy examines and tests the weapons, he is accidentally sent into the Phantom Zone, a dimension which exists near ours in which beings can only exist in a ghostly state. Kryptonian criminals were banished here before the destruction of the planet.

Unable to be seen or heard Superboy can not communicate with anyone in his own dimension. Eventually he discovers that his super thought is enough to activate an electric typewriter on which he types a message to Pa Kent. Jonathan rescues Superboy from the Zone, and then the Boy of Steel disposes of the box of weapons.

We end with "The Death of Ma and Pa Kent" by Leo Dorfman and Al Plastino and reprinted from Superman #161. While on vacation in the Caribbean, Jonathan and Martha Kent find a buried pirate’s treasure. The chest contains a scrap from the diary of Pegleg Morgan and presents them a mystery. Superboy carries them into the past to learn how Pegleg was stranded on the island by Blackbeard the Pirate.

When they return to present-day Smallville, the Kents become ill from jungle fever. Doctors are unable to find the cure, and Superboy is likewise helpless. Superboy tries to send them to the Phantom Zone, but solar flares prevent the projector from functioning.

Without a cure, the Kents die. Superboy blames himself for their deaths and gives up his Superboy career. He donates their money to charity, maintaining their house and store for himself. When searching through his father’s belongings he finds the diary scrap and learns that the chest the Kents found in the sand was the actually source of their illness. Relieved that his time-trip was not responsible for the death of his parents, Superboy resumes his career and treasures the memory of his Earth parents.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #100

Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #100 (On Sale: February 12, 1970) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

This issue begins with our cover-story, "Lois Lane's Last Mile" by Robert Kanigher and Irv Novick. The back-up is from Showcase #9, "The Un-Curious Lois Lane" is by Otto Binder, Ruben Morira and Al Plastino. Superman has created a new identity for himself, salesman Allen Todd. He does this because two nosy crooks have been trailing Clark Kent in an effort to expose him as Superman’s other identity. The Man of Steel plants clues for Lois to lead her to Todd, but Lois has taken a new approach and is now trying to cover for Superman.

After she successfully protects his new identity several times, he sends a letter with the address of Todd to Lois and leads the crooks to believe Lois knows his secret. The crooks expose Todd in front of Lois, but Superman then takes them to jail because they tried to shoot him. He then vows to adopt a new identity, which is really his old one, Clark Kent. Lois is intrigued and returns to her old ways of trying to learn the big secret again.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superman #222

Superman #222 (On Sale: October 7, 1969) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson featuring Superman's Secret Family.

We begin with "Superman's Lost Brother" by Ed Hamilton and Al Plastino from Superman #80.

Next is "The Sweetheart Superman Forgot" by Jerry Siegel and Al Plastino and reprinted from Superman #165. Superman encounters Red Kryptonite which causes him to lose his powers and suffer amnesia. This time the effects last for weeks.

During his period of amnesia, Superman takes the identity of Jim White and gets a job as a lumberman. He falls in love with a wealthy farm girl, Sally Selwyn, and plans to marry her. Bart Benson, a lumberjack jealous of Jim, causes a rodeo accident leaving Jim crippled.

Though Jim postpones the wedding, Bart still tries to cause him harm. Bart rolls a boulder at Jim’s wheelchair, causing him to fall into the ocean. Sally believes Jim to be dead, but Aquaman rescues him and takes him to Lori Lemaris to recuperate. When his memory returns, Superman has no recollection of Sally or his other life as Jim White.

"The Fantastic Story of Superman's Sons" from Superman #166 is next and is by Ed Hamilton, Curt Swan and George Klein. In this imaginary story, Superman becomes the father of two children. One of the boys, Jor-El II, inherits super powers; the other, Kal-El II, does not. Kal-El II grows up with an inferiority complex because he can’t perform super deeds.

Superman takes the boys to Kandor, where they become a new Nightwing and Flamebird. Despite the fact that both boys now lack powers, Kal-El II still feels inferior. The boys track down a masked criminal, who escapes Kandor to Earth.

Superman and Jor-El II pursue the criminal, while Kal-El II takes a time bubble back to Krypton and meets the original Jor-El. Kal deduces the identity of the mystery criminal as Phantom Zone escapee Gann Artar. He also develops a way to reverse the effects of Gann’s new weapon. Kal returns to the present and defeats Gann by sending him back to the Phantom Zone. He also rescues Superman and Jor-El II from Kryptonite. With his success, Kal overcomes his inferiority complex.

We end with "The Story of Superboy's Sister" from Superboy #36 by William Woolfolk and John Sikela. When Lana's parents are presumed dead in the African jungle, she moves in with the Kents. Superboy stops a pair of radium thieves, but the crooks escape. Suspecting that Superboy is still radioactive from the radium, the crooks use a geiger counter to find where he lives. The trail leads to the Kent home.

Superboy discovers that the crooks are following him as Clark, but eventually switches their focus to Lana. The crooks begin suspecting that she is really Superboy. When Lana overhears them, she play along. Superboy is able to help Lana secretly, until the crooks are convinced.

Superboy doesn't apprehend the crooks right away because he fears that the radiation evidence could lead them back to his Clark Kent identity. When he learns that a package sent to Lana by her parents contained uranium ore, he is able to explain the radiation and apprehend the crooks. Lana's parents are then discovered to be alive, so she returns home to them.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

Superman #218

Superman #218 (On Sale: May 6, 1969) has another Curt Swan and Neal Adams cover.

"Superman's Secret Past" is by Leo Dorfman, Curt Swan and Jack Abel. I don't know wat was going on here, but Mr. Mxyzpitlk had sometihng to do with it.

The back-up is a reprint from Action Comics #273, "The World of Mr. Mxyzptlk," by Jerry Siegel and Al Plastino. Mr. Mxyzptlk returns to plague Superman who is late for a performance at the Smallville orphanage. Superman gets the imp to say his name backwards, sending him home, but the delay forces him to cancel his performance.

Superman then enters Mxyzptlk’s 5th dimensional world and begins pulling pranks on Mxyzptlk who is running for Mayor. The pranks sabotage Mxyzptlk’s campaign, angering the imp. Mxyzptlk tries to trick Superman into saying his name backwards. When he is finally successful at getting the Man of Steel to say "Namrepus", Superman does not return home.

When it is announced that Mxyzptlk has lost the election, Superman says "Le-Lak", which is Kal-El, his true name backwards. This returns him to Earth, but Mxyzptlk, who did not hear Superman say his name, is left confused.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Action Comics #377

Action Comics #377 (On Sale: April 29, 1969) has another Curt Swan and Neal Adams Superman cover.

Superman stars in "The Cage of Doom" by Otto Binder, Curt Swan and Jack Abel. Except for a mystery story in next month's House of Mystery and another mystery story to appear in nine years, this is Otto Binder's last story at DC as he retired this month after working in comics since 1939.

In 1930 Otto Oscar Binder began writing science fiction in tandem with his brother Earl; they worked under the pen-name Eando Binder ("E" and "O" Binder). Though Earl stopped the writing partnership at some point, Otto kept the nom de plume. In 1935 Otto began writing for Mort Weisinger who was editor at Thrilling Wonder Stories at the time and Ray Palmer (can anyone say "Atom?") who was editor of Amazing. It was for Palmer that Binder created the Adam Link series, including the famous "I, Robot" short story which later inspired Isaac Asimov's book of the same name.

In 1939 Otto Binder took a job working with his artist brother Jack Binder at the Harry "A" Chesler shop and in 1940 began writing for Fawcett Comics on such features as Captain Venture, Golden Arrow and Bulletman. But Otto Binder's best known work at Fawcett was Captain Marvel. In 12 years Otto Binder wrote 986 of the 1,743 Marvel Family stories and co-created such characters as Mary Marvel, Uncle Dudley, Black Adam and Mr. Mind.

Binder didn't limit himself to Fawcett. For Timely Comics he wrote Captain America, The Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Destroyer, Whizzer and the All-Winners Squad. He also co-created Captain Wonder, The Young Allies, Tommy Tyme and Miss America. For Quality Comics he wrote Blackhawk, Doll Man, Uncle Sam and the Black Condor as well as co-creating Kid Eternity. At MLJ Comics he wrote Steel Sterling, The Shield, The Hangman and The Black Hood.

He started writing for DC in 1948 where he wrote Merry, Girl of 1,000 Gimmicks for Star-Spangled Comics. Over the years he wrote Green Arrow, Johnny Quick, Robotman, Aquaman, the Start-Spangled Kid, Tommy Tomorrow, Shining Knight, Captain Compass, Congo Bill, Space Cabbie and the Metal Men. But most of the time he wrote for the Superman Family. Superman would never be the same. Otto Binder created or co-created The Legion of Super-Heroes, Jimmy Olsen's signal watch, Elastic Lad, Lucy Lane, Beppo, Titano, Brainiac, The Phantom Zone, Krypto and Supergirl.

After leaving DC, Binder would return to writing science fiction until he died at the age of 63 in 1974. In all Otto Binder wrote almost 50,000 pages of comics in more than 198 different titles. He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2004.

The back-up story is a reprinted Legion of Super-Heroes tale, "The Face Behind the Lead Mask," from Adventure Comics #300, produced by Jerry Siegel, John Forte and Al Plastino. During a routine meeting, the Legionnaires suddenly begin losing control over their powers. Even Superboy, whom they have summoned to the future, cannot discover the cause of their problem. After the World-Wide Police threaten to banish them from Earth, a lead-masked villain calling himself "Urthlo" appears and takes credit for their predicament.

Because Urthlo possesses a device that controls their powers, the heroes find themselves unable to stop him, until Saturn Girl and Superboy release Mon-El from the Phantom Zone, where he has been for 1000 years. After she provides him with Serum XY-4, a temporary lead-poisoning antidote, Mon-El defeats Urthlo, who turns out to be a robot sent into the future from Superboy’s time by a vengeful Lex Luthor.

After the battle, Mon-El must be returned to the Zone, but only after being voted into the Legion.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superman #217

Superman #217 (On Sale: April 8, 1969) has a cover by Curt Swan and the dreadful Vinny Colletta. featuring Famous Firsts!

We begin with "The Outlaws from Krypton" by Bill Finger, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye and reprinted from Action Comics #194.

Next is "The Girl in Superman's Past" also by Bill Finger, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye and reprinted from Superman #129. This is the first appearance of Lori Lemaris. Superman recalls an old romance from his college days. When he met Lori Lemaris, she was a college girl confined to a wheelchair. He began to date her as Clark after saving her from an accident. He found her mysterious because she always had to leave at a certain time of night.

Eventually, Lori told Clark that she must return to her homeland. Clark did not want to lose her, so he decided to give up being Superman and propose. Lori told him that she already knew his secret and could not marry him.

Clark investigated further and found a huge salt water tank instead of a bed in her bedroom, and he was able to guess her secret. Lori was a mermaid from Atlantis. She tells Clark the truth about herself, but she still must return to Atlantis forever.

"The Super-Duel in Space" is by Otto Binder and Al Plastino and is reprinted from Action Comics #242 and features the first appearance of the bottled city of Kandor. Clark Kent and Lois Lane are aboard an experimental rocket ship to cover the story for the media. The ship is attacked by a flying saucer. Clark exits the ship and arrives as Superman. Inside the saucer, an alien called Brainiac uses a shrink ray to steal Earth cities and place them in bottles. Superman is prevented from reaching Brainiac by a force field that surrounded the ship.

Superman returns to Metropolis where the rocket has landed. As expected, Brainiac shrinks Metropolis next and takes the tiny city aboard his ship. A tiny Superman escapes the bottle and tries to restore the captured cities to normal. He is forced to hide momentarily as Brainiac’s monkey attacks him.

Superman hides inside another bottle. The bottle contains a Kryptonian city called Kandor, taken from before Krypton’s destruction. Superman is powerless inside Kandor, so he seeks out a scientist, Kimda. Kimda has studied Brainiac’s machines and knows how to free everyone. Superman uses a rocket to escape the bottle.

Outside the bottle, Superman’s powers return. He reverses the controls to restore the Earth cities. There is only enough energy for one more use of the machine. He decides to restore Kandor rather than himself, but Kimda flies a rocket out of Kandor and presses the control which restores Superman. Kandor is stuck in it’s tiny form. Superman takes the city back to his Fortress of Solitude for safekeeping. Brainiac, who is now in suspended animation is sent into space.

Next we have "The First Supergirl" by Otto Binder, Dick Sprang and Stan Kaye and reprinted from Superman #123. Jimmy receives a magical totem which grants three wishes to him. The first wish brings into existence a Super-Girl, who Jimmy wishes to be the perfect mate for Superman. Unfortunately, the female heroine gets in Superman’s way and becomes a nuisance. She realizes her existence is becoming a problem, so she sacrifices her life to make the Man of Steel happy.

Crooks steal the totem and use the second wish to remove Superman’s powers. Jimmy and Superman then spend the day faking his powers to convince the crooks that the spell failed. After being tricked, the crooks allow the spell to be removed, restoring Superman’s powers.

For the final wish, Jimmy wishes for Superman to meet his parents. However, he has decided to type the wish and a typo causes Superman to "Mate" his parents. As a result, Superman travels back to Krypton and meets young Jor-El and Lara. They are working as undercover agents with Kryptonian Intelligence. With Superman’s aid, they stop a criminal, Kil-Lor, and the Man of Steel plays cupid, setting up his own parents, before returning to Earth.

We end with "The Menace of Metallo" by Robert Bernstein and Al Plastino and reprinted from Action Comics #252. Reporter John Corben is involved in a near fatal car accident. He is found by Professor Vale who rushes Corben to his lab. In order to save the injured man’s life, Vale gives Corben a metal body powered by uranium. After completing the operation the professor suffers a stroke.

Corben begins a criminal career as Metallo. He begins stealing uranium from secure places with his super strength that the robot body provides him. He also joins the staff at the Daily Planet.

When the professor recovers from his stroke, Corben learns that Kryptonite can also power his body. Corben is given a piece of Kryptonite by the professor, but he uses it on Superman who has been trying to capture him. He replaces his own Kryptonite with a sample from a display. The display Kryptonite was fake, so without power, Corben dies from heart failure..

Edited by Mort Weisinger and E. Nelson Bridwell.

Superman #214

Superman #214 (On Sale: December 12, 1968) has a cover by Neal Adams.

We begin with "The Ghosts That Haunted Superman" by Cary Bates, Curt Swan and Jack Abel. Superman begins seeing ghosts of his former foes, Metallo, the Composite Superman, and Zha-Vam. Each time Superman sees one of the ghosts he is put in a life or death situation. He presses on despite the fact that he is losing the fight. Eventually, Superman concludes that the ghosts are phonies.

An alien named Nador is responsible for the ghosts. The ugly alien wanted to join an interplanetary club and was given the task of making Superman beg for his life. Superman returns with Nador to the club's planet. The members are happy to meet the Man of Steel and induct Nador as a reward, despite his failing the initiation test.

The back-up is "How Perry White Hired Clark Kent" reprinted from Superman #133 and produced by Jerry Siegel and Al Plastino. Clark Kent has moved to Metropolis. As a way to investigate criminal activities, Clark tries to get a job as a reporter for the Daily Planet. The editor, Perry White, is not impressed with Kent initially, but he is convinced by another reporter Lois Lane to give Clark a chance.

Perry sends Clark on a series of pedestrian assignments hoping that Clark will return without much of a story, but with the help of his powers Clark is able to deliver a scoop each time. For his final trial, Clark must get a picture of Superman with some Kryptonite. Clark, as Superman himself, does so using imitation Kryptonite. Perry is suitably impressed and hires Clark permanently.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superman #213

Superman #213 (On Sale: November 7, 1968) has a cover by Carmine Infantino and Neal Adams.

We begin with "The Most Dangerous Door in the World" by Cary Bates, Curt Swan and Jack Abel. Superman issues a statement to the public that a special vault with valuable contents will open when he dies. The vault is made of indestructible Supermanium and is kept under heavy guard. Luthor, provoked by articles in the Daily Planet, renews his efforts to kill the Man of Steel, who exhibits signs that he is weakened.

Luthor steals the vault uses a modified version of Brainiac's shrink ray. He then uses robots with Kryptonite inside to kill Superman. Thinking that he has finally succeeded in his goal, Luthor waits for the vault to open. When it doesn't, he uses every means necessary to break into the vault.

Luthor finally succeeds in opening the vault and discovers Superman inside. The Man of Steel apprehends Luthor, then explains that Mordru had magically imprisoned him in the vault. Supergirl and the adult Brainiac 5 then tricked Luthor into opening it by having the Legionnaire pose as the Man of Steel. Angry at being tricked, Luthor is nevertheless sent back to prison vowing vengeance. Reprinted in Best of DC #27.

The back up story is "The Orphans of Space," a reprint from Superman #144 by Jerry Siegel and Al Plastino. Superman, Supergirl, and Krypto are at the Fortress of Solitude when the Man of Steel notices a plane trying to land nearby. Superman uses the capes of the three heroes to make warning flags so the plane does not land and discover the Fortress. When the plane leaves Superman returns the capes and experiments with a machine he has found.

The machine causes a huge explosion that destroys Earth. The super-trio are the only survivors. Shortly, the Interstellar Council brings Superman up on charges for destroying the planet. All three are stripped of their powers and relocated to a primordial planet.

The three awaken to discover that it was a Red Kryptonite induced hallucination. Apparently their capes were exposed to a Red K mist while used as flags. Superman removes the dust and stores it in a lead container in the Fortress.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superman #212

Superman #212 (On Sale: October 15, 1968), AKA 80 Page Giant #G-54, has a cover by Curt Swan and Mike Esposito in an issue devoted to stories of Super-babies.

We begin with "The Man Who Saved Kal-El's Life" reprinted from Action Comics #281 and by Robert Bernstein and Al Plastino. Criminal Paul Pratt commits several large robberies, but shows up thousands of miles away within minutes which establishes an alibi. Superman is approached by Professor Amos Dunn, who explains that he traveled to Krypton many years ago and met Jor-El.

Using a matter transmitter, Dunn was transported to the distant world where he saved baby Kal-El from a deadly snake bite. Jor-El hoped to use the transporters to save the population of Krypton. However, the destruction came before the devices were ready to work. Jor-El was forced to send Kal-El to Earth in a rocket, and he and the population died in Krypton’s destruction.

Dunn kept the plans to the matter transmitter and believes that his assistant Gerald Greer is using the device with Pratt to escape after the robberies. Superman confirms this and catches the crooks, taking the matter transmitter to his Fortress for permanent storage.

Next is "The Rejected Super-Tot" reprinted from Superboy #90 and produced by Jerry Siegel and George Papp. While on an ocean cruise with his adoptive parents, baby Clark Kent jumps overboard and is lost. He is found eventually and turned in to the Smallville Orphanage. His identity is unknown, so he is adopted by another couple. However, his powers make him a handful especially since no one realizes he has them. The couple returns the baby to the orphanage.

After several other similar adoptions and returns, the Kents come to the orphanage. Clark hears his mother’s voice and screams for her. The Kents once again adopt Clark and take him home.

"The Babe of Steel" is reprinted from Action Comics #284 and is the work of Robert Bernstein, Curt Swan and George Klein. After receiving a strange message from a disembodied figure, Superman uses Red Kryptonite to change himself to baby size. As a baby he continues his regular patrols, but he must convince people of his real identity. His altered form is to facilitate entry into the Phantom Zone. A hole has opened in it due to the Aurora Borealis that is only large enough for a child to enter. The warning came from Mon-El, Superman’s friend who is stuck there due to lead poisoning. Superman learns the hole is growing, so he summons Krypto and Supergirl to assist him in closing the rift and preventing the villains from escaping.

Next is "The Girl Superbaby" from Action Comics #260 and created by Otto Binder and Jim Mooney. Using her telescopic vision, Supergirl spots an old man drowning. She flies to the rescue and creates a water spout which saves the man. The man has become young as the waters were a fountain of youth. Having been exposed herself, Supergirl becomes a baby.

The superbaby chases a butterfly into the trunk of a car belonging to two jewel thieves. They drive to their hide-out, located where Indians claim spirits live.

Supergirl exits the trunk and sprays shaving cream in the crooks faces, preventing them from seeing her. The thieves take target practice on a scarecrow. Supergirl collects the bullets and makes a lead ball. She throws the ball and inadvertently saves Superman from a kryptonite meteor.

Supergirl’s play continues to make the thieves believe the place is haunted by an Indian spirit. The crooks prepare to leave, but Supergirl has created a smoke signal to the authorities. The thieves are caught, and Supergirl returns to normal without ever having been seen.

"The Grandson of Steel" is reprinted from Superboy #77 and produced by Otto Binder and John Sikela. While cleaning the attic, Jonathan Kent finds a marionette which reminds him of his father who was a puppet master. When Clark was Superbaby, the Kents left him in the care of his Jonathan’s parents for a day. Edith, Jonathan’s mother, used Clark to model clothes for Hiram’s marionettes. Then, unknown to his grandparents, Clark performed super feats in the costumes. Hiram spotted Clark each time, but thought he was dreaming. The feats inspired Hiram to create new acts for his puppet show. When the Kents returned to pick up Clark, Hiram and Edith never suspected he was Superbaby.

Next is "Lois Lane's Revenge on Superman" reprinted from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #32 and drawn by Curt Swan and George Klein. Superman is accidentally exposed to a youth potion given to Lois by a dying man. The potion transforms the Man of Steel into Superbaby. Lois then makes the baby Superman perform embarrassing tasks for her in exchange for the antidote. When he has had enough, Lois offers to hand over the antidote, but spills it instead. Superman gets angry which restores him to normal. The real antidote to the potion is anger, which Lois successfully tried to instill in the Man of Steel to revert him to normal.

We end with "The Unwanted Superbaby" from Adventure Comics #299 by Jerry Siegel and George Papp. Baby Kal-El is sent to Earth by his father Jor-El and found by the Kents. The couple turn the baby over to the Smallville Orphanage where they soon discover his super-powers. Although they wish to adopt the child, the Kents wishes are denied by the government who tries to capture Superbaby.

Superbaby escapes and flies to a small island, whose evil ruler King Rolf resembles Jor-El. Rolf corrupts the child and uses him to overthrow the government of Simbovia.

Years pass before Superboy realizes that he is being used. He turns in the evil king, but is forced to surrender himself too. Instead, he escapes into space and becomes the hero of Zordal. Superboy misses Earth however, and returns to visit. While en route, Superboy passes a Gold Kryptonite meteor which robs him of his powers permanently. Superboy becomes stranded on Earth and is finally adopted by the Kents where he becomes a powerless Clark Kent.

Edited by Mort Weisinger (E. Nelson Bridwell)

Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #86

Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #86 (On Sale: July 11, 1968), AKA 80-Page Giant G-51, has an unusual cover attributed to Neal Adams pencils and Al Plastino inks featuring Lois' Schemes and Dreams to Marry Superman!

We begin with "Lois Lane's Wedding Day" reprinted from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #37 and drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. Lois goes undercover to expose a crooked Sweethearts’ Club. She learns that the club owner is planning a fake marriage to encourage more people to join the club. Lois and Clark pretend to be hired actors, playing the parts of the marriage couple.

The club owner learns that Lois has been spying and hires a real preacher to perform the ceremony. Lois finds that she is now really married to Clark. When they embark on the planned honeymoon, Clark tries to tell Lois that he is Superman, but she doesn’t believe him.

Next is "The Wife of Superman" from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #23 and also drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. In this imaginary story, Lois and Clark enjoy a day in the park with their super powered children, Larry and Carole. The children each wear a control belt which their parents can use to remove their powers temporarily if they cause trouble. Clark must still keep his identity secret because Lois has no powers.

Lana Lang takes over Lois’s vacant job at the Planet. She begins to chase after Superman which makes Lois angry. Superman can not tell Lana that he is already married to Lois. Lois tries to get her job back, but no one will hire a married woman. Wow, it was the 60's folks!

Our next tale is "Lana Lang's Romance with Superman VI" from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #36 and drawn by Curt Swan and George Klein. In yet another imaginary story, Superman marries Lois Lane after inventing a formula to give her super powers. Lana is miserable that Superman did not choose her. She signs herself up for an experiment designed to send her to the fourth dimension. Instead she arrives in the future where she meets Superman III, a descendant of Superman. She falls in love with him and agrees to stay in the future as his wife.

This is followed by "Lois Lane's Secret Identity" from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #29 and drawn by John Forte. Lois goes undercover as Lorelei Larue to expose a bandit who robs society women of their jewels. Lois is successful in exposing the crook, but Superman has to rescue her. The Man of Steel does not recognize Lois in her disguise, and he immediately falls in love with Lorelei.

Lois begins dating Superman as Lorelei which makes her jealous of herself (They don't write them like this anymore!). She tries to sabotage their relationship but fails, finally giving in to Superman’s marriage proposal. At the ceremony, the justice of the peace reads the signature of the wedding license, Kltpzyxm, forcing the disguised Mxyzptlk to return to the 5th dimension.

Superman, who was under the spell of the imp, returns to normal, and Lois explains that she suspected Mxyzptlk’s involvement in the Man of Steel’s strange behavior.

The next story is "The Silver Coin of Fate" reprinted from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #32 and drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. Superman decides to end the rivalry between Lois and Land forever by flipping a coin and then marrying whichever girl is the winner. Lois wins, but Lana still tries to prevent Lois from getting married after she sees the coin. Superman takes Lana into the future, so that she can not interfere.

At the wedding Clark Kent takes Superman aside and tells him that he knows Superman is a fake. Superman is revealed to be a Bizarro. Before he can go through with the wedding, his naturally Bizarro appearance takes over due to a cure created by the real Superman. Lois is horrified, forcing the Bizarro to flee. Superman then brings Lana back.

Next Lois becomes "The Bride of Luthor" in a reprint from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #34 and drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. In our third imaginary story of the issue,l Luthor has escaped from jail and kidnaps Lois Lane. He takes her to the planet Omark and meets some telepaths. The telepaths change Luthor and turn him into a force for good. Lois is returned to Earth, and Luthor turns himself in.

Using his science for good, Luthor saves the life of the governor and is pardoned. He invents many devices which benefit mankind and saves the life of Lois. Lois then marries him and together they have a son, Larry.

Although Luthor has tried to hide his criminal past from his son, Larry soon discovers that his father was once Superman’s greatest foe. Larry also turns to crime and as a result accidentally kills his father. Lois regrets ever setting events in motion by marrying Lex.

Finally, we end with "The Devil and Lois Lane" from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #41 and drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. After overhearing Lois say that she would sell her soul to marry Superman, the Man of Steel disguises himself as the Devil and makes Lois believe that she has signed a contract with Satan. Lois discovers the trick eventually and becomes enraged at the staged wedding ceremony. Superman admits to his trick, claiming it was for Lois’s own good.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superboy #149

Superboy #149 (On Sale: May 21, 1968) has a cover by Neal Adams. Guess what movie was popular this year?

"Wanted: Dead or Alive" is by Frank Robbins and Al Plastino. When Bonnie and Clyde rob a Smallville bank, they take Clark Kent and Lana Lang as hostages. The crooks plan to use the teenagers as decoys in their next robbery. Lana is struck in the head and begins to think she is the real Bonnie. Clark is then forced to help Lana and the crooks in a gold robbery.

The back-up story is "The Great Super-Powers Contest" a reprint from Adventure Comics #248 by Bill Finger and Creig Flessel. Ace Grimes, a gangster, has made a bet with his racketeer friends over which super-power Superboy will use more in a single day. Each man has bet on a different power, but Grimes has rigged the contest, betting on super-strength himself.

Superboy learns of the scheme when he prevents a disaster using his strength, and he overhears Grimes. Throughout the rest of the day, Superboy uses each power only once and does not use his strength again. Grimes tries to force the Boy of Steel to use that power.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Superman #207

Superman #207 (On Sale: April 9, 1968), 80 Page Giant #G-48, has a cover by Curt Swan and Neal Adams.

We begin with "The Superman from Outer Space" from Action Comics #265 by Otto Binder, Curt Swan and Stan Kaye. Superman’s secret identity is protected by a look-a-like that substitutes for his Clark Kent persona. The duplicate Superman is Chester King alias Hyper-Man. Hyper-Man was originally from the planet Zoron which paralleled the planet Krypton. When his world was destroyed he was sent to the planet Oceania just as Superman was sent to Earth. The two heroes careers are amazingly similar.

At Superman’s Fortress, Hyper-Man explains that he needs help protecting his identity from Lydia Long, a girl paralleling Earth’s Lois Lane. Superman agrees to help and after consulting his super-computer they leave for Oceania.

On Oceania, Superman intentionally screws up and reveals the identity of Hyper-Man to his entire world. Hyper-Man then loses his powers and is forced to live as Chester King. Chester marries Lydia, but an unknown ailment causes Chester to take ill.

Next is "The Trio of Steel" from Superman #135 by Jerry Siegel and Al Plastino. Superman begins playing nasty tricks on the people of Metropolis, including Perry White and Lois Lane. He is being secretly controlled by the 5th dimensional imp, Mr. Mxyzptlk. Mxyzptlk agrees to leave and stop harassing the Man of Steel for a price. He wants a Superman robot to take home to his girlfriend.

Superman bring the imp, three robots to choose from, a Superman, a Superboy, and a Superbaby. The robots perform for Mxyzptlk so that he can decide which one he wants.

This is followed by "The Captive of the Amazons" from Action Comics #266 by Jerry Siegel, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye. Clark Kent is taken aboard a space ship on the set of a new movie. The ship turns out to be real and piloted by Princess Jena of Adoria. Jena knows Clark is Superman and blackmails him into returning to her world.

On the planet Adoria, Jena wants Superman to marry her. Superman initially refuses, but then Jena gives him a love potion made by the royal wizard. Superman goes crazy and wrecks things in an attempt to prove his love for her. They get married, but Superman continues to act beastly.

Next we have "Superman's New Uniform" from Action Comics #236 by Otto Binder, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye. A disguised Lex Luthor tricks the Man of Steel into handing over his costume for an experiment. Luthor replaces it with a fake which gets destroyed. He then creates a new costume for Superman complete with an Anti-Kryptonite belt. The suit works well for awhile, but Luthor then dons the real super-suit and claims to be the real Superman. The Anti-Kryptonite belt, begins leaking Kryptonite radiation which weakens Superman.

Lastly we have "The Super-Family of Steel" from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #15 by Otto Binder and Kurt Schaffenberger. A woman posing as Jane Brown boards a cruise ship. The woman looks like Lois Lane and her cabin-mate suspects that she is undercover. When the woman falls overboard, she is rescued by a man in a Superman costume.

The couple marries and moves to Venus. They have two children, Lyle and Lili. The woman is even granted super powers with a super-serum. However, when she spots her husband kissing Lana Lang back on Earth, she becomes jealous.

They visit the Fortress of Solitude where Superman meets them. The man is Van Zee, a Kandorian who was accidentally enlarged. The woman is Sylvia DeWitt, a rich heiress and Lois Lane look-alike.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superman #206

Superman #206 (On Sale: March 19, 1968) has cover by Neal Adams.

"The Day Superman Became an Assassin" is by Jim Shooter and Al Plastino. Superman attends a celebration for the hero Dyno-Man on the planet Sorrta. During a parade, Dyno-Man is killed in an explosion. Superman is immediately accused of causing the blast. He is taken into custody by Dramon, head of security, and fitted with a red sun energy belt that neutralizes his powers. Superman is then injected with a chemical that causes a fit of rage and a phony confession to the murder.

Superman's case is given to lawyer Rilora Dorc, who soon finds evidence that implicates Dramon in the frame job. Before she can act on the information, Superman is broken out of jail by vigilantes who want to kill him. Rilora is captured by Dramon and nearly executed too.

The back-up is "The Menace of Mr. Mxyzptlk," a reprint from Superman #131 by Jerry Coleman and Al Plastino. Mr. Mxyzptlk returns from the 5th dimension to play tricks on Superman. Superman tries to send Mxyzptlk back home by making him say his name backwards. This time however, the imp has an alarm, that warns him when he is about to say his name backwards.

Superman gets Mxyzptlk to remove his hat, where the alarm is stored. However, when Superman and Lois Lane trick him into saying Kltpzyxm, Mxyzptlk’s head cold makes him lose his voice.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superman #205

Superman #205 On Sale: February 6, 1968) features a cool cover by Neal Adams.

"The Man Who Destroyed Krypton" is by Otto Binder and Al Plastino. An emergency meeting is called by the President and his military advisers because Earth is threatened by the space villain Black Zero. The officials appeal to Superman for help, and he soon uncovers the villain masquerading as the Chief of Scotland Yard. During their first confrontation, Black Zero reveals to Superman that he was responsible for Krypton's destruction. Following Jor-El's speech to the Science Council, the explosive reaction in the core was dying down, but Black Zero rekindled the atomic fires which resulted in the planet's eventual doom.

Black Zero proves to be a difficult opponent for Superman to fight. He gains help from Jax-Ur. Though normally the Man of Steel's foe, the Phantom Zone criminal wants revenge for Krypton's destruction. Superman is able to locate the anti-matter bomb that will destroy Earth, but he cannot divert it. Superman still prevails by drilling a hole through the Earth for the missile to pass.

Black Zero then tries to destroy Metropolis, but Jax-Ur turns him to stone. Before returning to the Phantom Zone, Jax-Ur destroys the stoned Black Zero, so that the villain can never be restored to life. Ouch, that's gotta hurt!

Edited by Mort Weisinger.