Classic Superboy Made Them All!

[Jim Kelly]

Looking at everything that was introduced in the pre-Crisis Superboy adventures, it's clear that these stories of Clark Kent's formative years contributed heavily to the great Superman mythology that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s--and that still influences the comic books, movies, T.V. shows, cartoons and games of today. Before going into more detail, a chronology of highlights is in order . . .

The Superboy Timeline of All Things:

(by year on sale)

1944

Superboy (proposed 1938)

1949

Smallville
Jonathan Kent (given name)
Humpty Dumpty

1950

Superbaby
Lana Lang
Prof. Lewis Lang

1951

Marsboy

1952

Pink Kryptonite (ambiguous)

1954

Giant Turtle Man (prototype)

1955

Krypto, the Superdog
Wizard City (Krypton City)
Chandu (Titano prototype)

1956

Police Chief Parker

1957

Robot Teacher from Krypton

1958

Legion of Super-Heroes
Bizarro Superboy
Red Kryptonite

1959

Beppo, the Super-Monkey

1960

Lex Luthor (given name)
Kryptonite Kid
White Kryptonite
Pete Ross

1961

Star Boy
Mon-El
Phantom Zone
General Zod
Jax-Ur
Superboy Revenge Squad
Legion of Super-Pets
Comet, the Super-Horse

1962

Gold Kryptonite
Ultra Boy

1965

Insect Queen

1966

Space Canine Patrol Agents

1969

Bash Bashford

1976

Laurel Kent

1982

Yellow Peri

1983

Lisa Davis
Sunburst

[Jim Kelly]

Superboy:

Superman When He Was a Boy

November 1938, Jerry Siegel suggested that Detective Comics, Inc., publish tales of Superman when he was a boy. Young Clark Kent would go by the name of "Superboy." The publisher nixed the idea. Siegel came back with the proposal again in December of 1940--this time having drafted a complete script for the first story. Jerry got no response.

To secure the Superboy trademark, D.C. produced an ashcan comic--copyrighted 1941--just in case.

By 1944, with the war on, Jerry was now in the army, serving in Hawaii, when Superboy appeared for the first time in MORE FUN COMICS 101 (January-February 1945), on sale November 22nd, 1944. The story was based in part on the script that Siegel had given them in 1940--and the art was by Joe Shuster.

Jerry was caught unawares. He only learned of it when he received a letter from Joe telling him about it:

Jerry, there is something quite important in the wind here, and I want to write about it and give you a firsthand picture. I was assigned to do a 5 page release of the feature SUPERBOY to be used in MORE FUN COMICS. This feature, I know, is one of your original ideas which you tried to get out last summer...Since then, nothing was said about it until the assignment was given to me. I've just finished the job and have been trying to get a copy to send to you.

The Superboy story in that 101st issue of MORE FUN did not have the traditional Siegel & Shuster byline, but the Grand Comics Database has credited it to Siegel and Shuster. However, Screenrant has said that Don Cameron fleshed out the script.

This was the first appearance of Jor-El and Lara in the comic books. Jor-L and Lora had previously appeared in the newspaper strip (January 16th, 1939) and Jor-el and Lara had been in THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1942)--the novel by George Lowther. In MORE FUN 101, their baby's Kryptonian name was not given .

Siegel was angered by the publisher's duplicity and launched legal action when he returned from the service in 1947. The courts ruled in his favour for Superboy; however, Siegel and Shuster settled with the publisher for the sum of $100,000.

Superboy Comics

In 1946, Superboy, plus most of the other features in MORE FUN COMICS at the time, moved over to ADVENTURE COMICS as of that title's issue 103 (April 1946). Having the Kid from Krypton, the cover featured character in ADVENTURE, probably helped the Green Arrow and Aquaman back-up features survive the great super-hero purge of the 1950s.

In 1949, the Boy of Steel won his own title with the first issue of SUPERBOY (March-April 1949).

In the 1940s, Superboy's adventures seemed contemporary with the date of publication, even though this would be impossible if they were stories of Superman's past. SUPERMAN 46 (May-June 1947)--3rd story, "That Old Class of Superboy's" by Siegel, Sikela and Roussos--told of adult Clark revisiting some of his former classmates--the first time Superboy was acknowledged in Superman continuity.

By the 1950s, Smallville seemed to exist in an undefined yesteryear, comparable to how Marge's LITTLE LULU was set in a 1930s style world. Superboy was supposed to be in the 1920s or 1930s, but there were many anachronisms.

On sale in November 1970, SUPERBOY 171 (January 1971) had a page explaining that the time period would now follow about fifteen years behind the present--which was more or less the rule from then on.

The Legion of Super-Heroes taking over ADVENTURE COMICS in the 1960s and then doing the same in SUPERBOY in the 1970s, deprived young Clark Kent of his home titles. However, in the late 1970s, the Boy of Tomorrow returned in issues of ADVENTURE COMICS and THE SUPERMAN FAMILY, before gaining his own solo comic once more with THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY No. 1 (January 1980), on sale October 25th, 1979. That title ran until issue 54 (June 1984).

In that first issue of THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY, Clark celebrated his sixteenth birthday and the story flashed back to his eighth birthday, when his Superboy career began. In ADVENTURE COMICS 103 (April 1946) it was Clark's tenth birthday.

Superboy had a super-memory, although there were some gaps from exposure to Kryptonite. To help him remember details of Krypton, he built a Mind-Prober Ray which brought back scenes from his infancy. These tales contributed to the growing Krypton lore.

The Boy of Tomorrow's powers were impressive and at times seemed even greater than those he had later in life. The most astounding feat that Kal-El ever performed (man or boy) was at the beginning of SUPERBOY 140 (July 1967)--1st story, "The Wizard of Odds" by Shooter, Plastino and Klein. In the top panel that opened the tale, Superboy was towing a long line of planets with a heavy chain, from one galaxy to another. It was a throw-away deed, as it had no bearing on the plot to follow--but it attracted attention for being so implausible.

Save Me

Jeffrey Silver played the teen-aged Clark Kent in the first episode of the 1952 television series, THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, "Superman on Earth" (air date September 19th, 1952).

In 1961, a pilot for THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY television series was made, with Johnny Rockwell in the lead role, but this failed to find a network.

The 1966 animated series, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, included episodes of "The Adventures of Superboy." Bob Hastings voiced Superboy and Clark.

The "Crisis on Infinite Earths" was supposed to have done away with the Superboy chapter in Clark Kent's life. But you can never keep a Red and Blue Blur down on the Kent farm.

In 1988, the syndicated television series, SUPERBOY (a.k.a. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY), came to air, starring John Haymes Newton in season one and Gerard Christopher in seasons two through four. In this series, Clark is attending Shuster University. The series spawned SUPERBOY: THE COMIC BOOK, issues 1 (February 1990) - 18 (July 1991)--retitled THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY, issues 19 (August 1991) - 22 (February 1992).

And Tom Welling's Clark Kent was essentially "Superboy," in all but name and costume, on the television series, SMALLVILLE (2001 - 2011).

(more in the next post)

[Jim Kelly]

The Kent Family:

Jonathan and Martha Kent

The first issue of ACTION COMICS (June 1938) never mentioned Clark Kent's parents. This story only stated that the baby from Krypton was found by a passing motorist, yet in subsequent tellings of the origin the passing motorists became the Kents.

Note: The unidentified passing motorist returned in MORE FUN COMICS 101 (January-February 1945), with Ma and Pa Kent adopting the baby later.

The Kents had various first names:
• Mary Kent in SUPERMAN [first issue] (1939)--1st story, by Siegel and Shuster;
• Eben and Sarah Kent in THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1942)--novel by George Lowther;
• Martha Kent (played by Virginia Carroll) was used for the first time in the 1948 SUPERMAN serial;
• John and Mary Kent in SUPERMAN 53 (July-August 1948)--1st story, "The Origin of Superman" by Finger, Boring and Kaye;
• Silas Kent in ACTION COMICS 132 (May 1949)--1st story, "The Secret of the Kents" by Finger, Boring and Kaye;
• Eben and Sarah were the Kents' names in THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN 1952 television episode,"Superman On Earth" (played by Tom Fadden and Frances Morris).

During the 1940s, in Superboy stories, they were just Ma and Pa or Mother and Father, until Pa Kent secured the given name Jonathan in ADVENTURE COMICS 149 (February 1950)--1st story, "Fake Superboy" by Hamilton and Sikela, while Ma Kent was Marthe in SUPERBOY 12 (January-February 1951)--3rd story, "Superboy's Problem Parents" art by Sikela--and Martha thereafter.

The accounts in MORE FUN COMICS, ADVENTURE COMICS and SUPERBOY built up the personalities of Ma and Pa. They were an elderly couple who could never have children of their own. They named the baby Clark, for Martha's maiden name. They became invested in training the Boy of Steel to use his powers for good. To hide his alien origin, they cultivated Clark's bespectacled identity. And they were instrumental in creating the Superboy costume (from Kal-El's baby blankets).

The age and appearance of the Kents fluctuated in the comics. By the mid-1950s, they both had white hair and glasses. This was maintained until 1968, when they became much younger--in SUPERBOY 145 (March 1968)--1st story, "The Fantastic Faces" by Binder, Papp and Springer. Over the next several years they slowly lost their youthful appearance, although they remained somewhat younger than they had been.

As a rule, Clark was supposed to be the only child they ever had, but in fact the Kents acted as parents to other boys and girls on multiple occasions.

The first issue of SUPERMAN (1939) established that Clark's foster parents died before he became Superman. One version of their death was given in SUPERMAN 161 (May 1963)--1st story, "The Last Days of Ma and Pa Kent" by Dorfman and Plastino.

Many actors have played Jonathan and Martha Kent over the years, including:

• Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter in the 1978 movie, SUPERMAN;
• Stuart Whitman and Salome Jens on the 1988 television series, SUPERBOY;
• Eddie Jones and K. Callan on the 1993 television series, LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN;
• John Schneider and Annette O'Toole on the 2001 television series, SMALLVILLE;
• Kevin Costner and Diane Lane in the 2013 movie, MAN OF STEEL.

Smallville, U.S.A.

In early Superboy stories, the Kents seemed to live either in Metropolis itself or in a suburb of the city. Eventually, it was clear they were living in a separate town outside of Metropolis. This town was named Smallville for the first time in SUPERBOY 2 (May-June 1949)--1st story, "The Stunts of Superboy" art by Sikela and Dobrotka; cover, "Smallville Celebrates Superboy Day" art by Al Wenzel.

The Kents raised little Clark on their farm, which was just outside of Smallville. However, around the time Clark started school, they sold the farm to the Crowleys and moved into the town itself, buying the general store from Whizzer Barnes.

Their house on Maple Street was not far from their store on Grove. It was also close to some caves which had ancient aboriginal paintings. The whole area was declared a National Historic Site on account of its archaeological importance.

In the basement of this house, Superboy had his secret lab-headquarters, with a trap-door accessing the main floor of the house. There was also an underground tunnel that led out from the basement to an area in the woods beyond the house, so the Red and Blue Blur could come and go through another secret trap-door, without being seen.

While the Boy of Steel was famous around the world, throughout the universe and far into the future, Smallville was his home base and there was a sign at the town limits saying "Welcome to Smallville--Home of Superboy." It's no wonder that when super-heroes or super-villains came looking for the Boy of Tomorrow, Smallville was the first place they checked.

The town of Smallville has become just as important to the Superman legend as the city of Metropolis--and was used for the eponymous SMALLVILLE television series of ten seasons (2001 - 2011).

Superbaby

Clark having been a Superbaby was a notion that developed after Superboy was in publication. However, the Infant of Steel usually was not known to the public at large--he and Clark being essentially the same person--no glasses, same clothes.

By the time the Mighty Mite first appeared in the comics--SUPERBOY 8 (May-June 1950)--1st story, "When Superboy Was a Superbaby" by Finger, Swan and Fischetti--it had become an established fact that baby Kal-El gained super-powers as soon as he arrived on Earth. However, he may not have discovered his full range of super-powers all at once or been as powerful as he later became.

The comics varied wildly on just how old Kal-El was when he arrived on Earth--he could have been anywhere between one month and four years old. Young Clark's command of English was not impressive--for example he used "me" as a subject pronoun--however, this could just be his own sense of humour. As a toddler he had a mischievous nature.

Other Family

Several relations, near and distant, would pop up in the comics, including:

• Kendall Kent, Jonathan's wealthy brother, who attempted to adopt Clark on several occasions--ADVENTURE COMICS 159 (December 1950)--1st story "Superboy, Millionaire";
• Laurel Kent in the 30th century, who resembled the woman that Clark was destined to marry--SUPERBOY 217 (June 1976)--2nd story, "Future Shock for Superboy";
• Mary nee Clark [married name unknown], Martha's sister, she was married to a man named Fred for more than twenty-five years--THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY 13 (January 1981)--"Superboy's Wild Weekend Out West."

(more in the next post)

[Jim Kelly]

Friends and Neighbours:

Lewis Lang

An archaeologist, Professor Lewis Lang moved into the house next door to the Kents, in SUPERBOY 10 (September-October 1950)--1st story, "The Girl in Superboy's Life" by Finger and Sikela. With him was his wife (later identified as Sarah Potter Lang) and their red-headed daughter, Lana--who was about the same age as Clark. Prof. Lang's work as an archaeologist would result in several important discoveries.

A few times the Langs were shown to have a younger son (with different given names--Alvin/Larry/Ronald), but he must have got lost between the sofa cushions.

Lana Lang

After her introduction in SUPERBOY 10 (September-October 1950), Lana Lang became Clark Kent's closest friend and was featured in Superboy stories almost as often as Ma and Pa Kent. She's often regarded as the equivalent of Lois Lane, in that she was in love with the main character and suspected that Clark and the Red and Blue Blur were one and the same. But, of course, Lana was just an adolescent high school student.

Her name followed the L. L. alliteration of Lois Lane, but Bill Finger was probably also thinking of Lana Turner and Fritz Lang.

The Kents regarded Lana as almost like a daughter and, in fact, sometimes they looked after her whenever her parents weren't around. As such, Clark could consider Lana his sister, although he also had a romantic interest in her. As Superboy, he was often identified as her boyfriend. Other times, the Kid from Krypton thought of Lana as a nuisance.

Eventually, the Superboy stories retconned Lana as having been in Smallville since she and Clark were toddlers--SUPERBOY 102 (January 1963)--1st story, "The Amazing Tots of Smallville" by Siegel and Plastino.

Lana's uncle (on her mother's side) was Professor Phineas Potter, a scientist and inventor; however, he was more active in the Superman than the Superboy adventures. With her father, Lewis Lang, Lana would go on various archaeological expeditions and probably could have pursued that profession, if her crush on the Caped Kryptonian hadn't diverted her.

Along with Clark, Lana contributed to the high school newspaper and even did some reporting for the Smallville local paper. When Lana matured, she had a career as a T.V. reporter for WMET and later WGBS. Despite being rivals, Lana and Lois Lane were good friends--maybe best friends.

Superboy's girl friend assumed the role of "Supergirl" a few times, as well as several other super-heroic identities, but her chief claim to fame was as the Insect Queen (see the separate Insect Queen entry to follow).

The adult Lana Lang was played by Annette O'Toole in the 1983 movie, SUPERMAN III. Stacy Haiduk played Lana on the 1988 television series, SUPERBOY. And Kristin Kreuk played the character on the 2001 television series, SMALLVILLE.

Chief Parker

The top law enforcement officer in Smallville, Chief Douglas Paul Parker had a direct connection to Superboy in case of emergencies, that caused a lamp to flicker in the Kent home. Professor Lewis Lang and the President of the United States could also call on the Boy of Steel by the same means--this lamp first showed up in SUPERBOY 88 (April 1961)--2nd story, "The One-Man Team" by Bernstein and Papp.

Although no name was given, the Police Chief's familiar visage (including white moustache) appeared for the first time in ADVENTURE COMICS 225 (June 1956)--1st story, "The Bird With Super Powers" by A. Schwartz, Swan and Klein. Parker replaced two previous chiefs of police--Chief Brann and Chief Wilkins.

Chief Parker had a wife named Leah and, during the "Mordru the Merciless" adventure, they hosted Duo Damsel who used the alias Marie Elkins, in ADVENTURE COMICS 369 (June 1968), by Shooter, Swan and Abel.

After the deaths of the Kents, when Clark moved to Metropolis, the retired police chief became the caretaker of the old Kent home.

Pete Ross

When the Ross family moved to Smallville in SUPERBOY 86 (January 1961)--2nd story, "The Boy Who Betrayed Clark Kent" by Bernstein and Papp--young Pete Ross took a liking to shy Clark Kent. Pete's devotion to his new friend was nearly overwhelming.

In SUPERBOY 90 (July 1961)--3rd story, "Pete Ross' Super-Secret" art by Papp--Pete and Clark went on an overnight hike and slept out in a tent. When an emergency in the middle of the night required Superboy's attention, a flash of lightning lit up the tent and Pete witnessed his best friend changing into the Boy of Steel.

From then on Pete Ross never revealed that he knew Clark Kent's secret, yet he covertly helped the Kid from Krypton. For this the Legion of Super-Heroes awarded him honourary membership.

While Pete was only seen in Superboy adventures in the 1960s, by the 1970s he started to show up in Superman comics, as well, where he had a young son named Jonathan, named after Clark's father. Superman became friendly with the boy, who also figured out that Clark Kent was his secret identity.

Back in the 1940s, there was a Superman artist named Pete Riss, who went on to work at Quality Comics and Timely (Marvel) Comics. By the time Pete Ross was created, Riss was no longer working in comics (as far as I know), still it's possible that someone such as Mort Weisinger remembered Pete Riss and that was how Pete Ross got his name.

Pete Ross would later be played by Sam Jones III on the 2001 television series, SMALLVILLE.

(more in the next post)

[Jim Kelly]

Fellow Super-Heroes:

Supergirl from Borgonia

Queen Lucy of Borgonia, a Latin-American country, came to Smallville to attend school in cognito as Lucy Regent. While her other classmates shunned her for being too smart and too athletic, Clark took a shine to the pretty blonde Latina. Once Lucy caught some thieves, she grew famous as the town's "Supergirl," wearing a cape and S shield like Superboy's, but in purple and orange--SUPERBOY 5 (November-December 1949)--1st story, "Superboy Meets Supergirl" art by Sikela and Dobrotka.

Note: Borgonia was subject to political unrest and, by the time Clark was Superman, the monarchy would fall--ACTION COMICS 233 (October 1957--1st story, "The Land of a Million Supermen" by Coleman, Boring and Kaye.*

*see Addenda

Marsboy

A young super-hero from Mars, Marsboy befriended Superboy in SUPERBOY 14 (May-June 1951)--1st story, "The Boy from Mars" art by Swan and Fischetti. They teamed up two more times.

ADVENTURE COMICS 195 (December 1953)--1st story, "Lana Lang's Romance on Mars" art by Swan and S. Barry--the third and last appearance of Marsboy provided the template for the first Star Boy story--ADVENTURE COMICS 282 (March 1961)--1st story, "Lana Lang and the Legion of Super-Heroes," by Binder and Papp (see Star Boy below).

The Robot Teacher from Krypton

Robot Teachers were common on Krypton. One was sent by Jor-El to train Kal-El--the teacher was delayed but finally arrived in ADVENTURE COMICS 240 (September 1957)--1st story, "The Super-Teacher from Krypton" by Hamilton and Sikela. The Robot Teacher returned once more for Clark's final lesson, as well as later training Supergirl and travelling through the cosmos to teach other young super-heroes.

The Legion of Super-Heroes

Originally, in ADVENTURE COMICS 247 (April 1958)--1st story, "The Legion of Super-Heroes" by Binder and Plastino--Superboy met Lightning Boy (later Lightning Lad), Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy, who had formed a club of heroes in the future. They invited Superboy to be a member.

As this team proved popular with readers, they were brought back in more Superboy stories and in other Superman comics. In addition to Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy--more Legionnaires debuted in Superboy stories including Star Boy, Mon-El, Sun Boy and Ultra Boy (see below).

Usually set in the 30th century--one thousand years ahead of the date of publication--sometimes the comic books would say the Legion were one hundred years ahead in the 21st century.

The team eventually won their own "Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes" feature in ADVENTURE COMICS starting with issue 300 (September 1962); however, Superboy always made an appearance in those stories. Individual members would also show up in the 20th century, in Superboy yarns and in various other Superman Family tales.

Even though the Legion were still starring in ADVENTURE COMICS, in 1967, SUPERBOY 147 [G-47] (May-June 1967), an 80 Page Giant, featured the Legion of Super-Heroes for that issue, with three of the reprinted stories being Superboy stories. As well, "The Origin of the Legion" by E. Nelson Bridwell and Pete Costanza was an all new story that told how Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy first got together.

When the Legion were kicked out of ADVENTURE COMICS and then ACTION COMICS, they were given the chance to appear in sporadic stories in SUPERBOY, eventually taking over that title, which would later be renamed SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES and then simply LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES.*

*see Addenda

Star Boy

Star Boy had his first appearance in ADVENTURE COMICS 282 (March 1961)--1st story, "Lana Lang and the Legion of Super-Heroes," by Binder and Papp. However, while the Legion are featured in the story title, they play a minor role in the adventure, which is based on the earlier Marsboy story from ADVENTURE COMICS 195 (December 1953)--1st story, "Lana Lang’s Romance on Mars" (see Marsboy above). And in this story, Star Boy has completely different powers from when he next would show up (three years later) in ADVENTURE COMICS 317 (February 1964).

Mon-El

In SUPERBOY 89 (June 1961)--1st story, "Superboy's Big Brother" by Bernstein and Papp--the Kid from Krypton discovered a young space traveller in a crashed rocket ship. Knocked out, when the young man came to he had no memory of who he was. He had super-powers similar to Superboy's and, from random clues, Kal-El assumed the youth was his big brother, naming him Mon-El--because he arrived on a Monday.

But then Clark suspected that Mon-El was conning him and deliberately exposed the space traveller to fake Kryptonite--actually lead balls painted green. When Mon-El collapsed, Superboy thought he was pretending to be weak, but in reality the young man was Lar Gand from Daxam where lead was fatal to anyone exposed to it.

Since the Daxamite was dying, the Boy of Steel used the Phantom Zone projector to put him in the Zone to save his life. Lar Gand remained there for the next one thousand years until the Legion developed an antidote to lead poisoning. Lar then exited the Zone. He became a Legion member after that, using "Mon-El" as his codename.

"Superboy's Big Brother" is partly based on an earlier Superman story--SUPERMAN 80 (January-February 1953)--1st story, “Superman’s Big Brother” by Hamilton and Plastino; it's also similar to the Kral of Titan adventure (see Super-Youths of Other Worlds).

Even though Mon-El needed to stay in the Phantom Zone or else die, he still managed to guest star in yarns set in the 20th century. As well, once Mon-El was cured, in the 30th century, he travelled back in time to 20th century Smallville on various occasions--even though his earlier self would be watching from the Phantom Zone.

A version of "Mon-El" was played by Chris Wood on the 2015 television series, SUPERGIRL.

Sun Boy

A fake Sun Boy showed up in 20th century Smallville, in ADVENTURE COMICS 290 (November 1961)--1st story, "The Secret of the Seventh Super-Hero" by Bernstein and Papp, reprinted in SUPERBOY 147 [G-47] (May-June 1967). This story was partly based on ADVENTURE COMICS 191 (August 1953)--1st story, "The Two Clark Kents" by W. Woolfolk, Swan and Fischetti.

This was the second appearance of Sun Boy but the first where he was now a member of the Legion--he was a rejected applicant when Supergirl gained membership in ACTION COMICS 276 (May 1961).

Ultra Boy

Along with his mentor, Marla, Ultra Boy made his first appearance in SUPERBOY 98 (July 1962)--3rd story, "The Boy with Ultra Powers" by Siegel, Swan and Klein. He was in Smallville as a test for membership in the Legion. Reprinted in SUPERBOY 147 [G-47] (May-June 1967).

Insect Queen

Lana Lang was given a bio-ring by a grateful insect-like alien. The ring let her transform into various arthropods, under the codename Insect Queen--SUPERBOY 124 (October 1965)--1st story, "The Insect Queen of Smallville" by Binder and Papp. This later allowed Lana to become a reserve member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th century.

The Kid with the Super-Brain

In SUPERBOY 176 (July 1971)--1st story, "The Secret of Superboy's Sister" by Dorfman, Brown and Anderson--young Kathy Warren was the daughter of Lisa Warren, Martha's girlhood friend. For a period of time, the Kents took care of Kathy and thus, in effect, she was Clark's little sister. Exposed to an alien Space Brain in Superboy's secret lab, Kathy developed immense brain power that she used for good.

Belonging to two pirates Truhls, from a distant galaxy, the Space Brain had absorbed all knowledge on Earth, much like a Thanagarian Absorbascon.

Note: Lex Luthor's little sister, Lena, had an encounter with a similar alien device in his lab when she was Kathy's age, which gave her psychic powers. Shortly after this, Lex turned to a life of crime and his parents changed their family name to Thorul, so Lena Thorul was unaware the World's Greatest Super-Villain was her brother--ACTION COMICS 295 (December 1962)--2nd story, "The Girl with the X-Ray Mind."

Sunburst

In THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY 45 (September 1983)--1st story, "Sunburst--Public Enemy #1" by Kupperberg, Saviuk and Schaffenberger--Takeo Sato played Sunburst in Japanese action movies, but what people didn't know was that his Sunburst powers were real.

When Sato was a child, the plumes from an active volcano gave him his latent abilities, which manifested later in life. The Yakuza threatened Takeo's parents, if he didn't pull off jobs for them, but the Teen of Steel helped Sunburst escape their control.

Super-Youths of Other Worlds

Superboy met countless super-youths, including:

• Jero of Xanadu--ADVENTURE COMICS 190 (July 1953)--1st story, "The Terrible Truant";
• Kral of Titan--ADVENTURE COMICS 205 (October 1954)--1st story, "The Journey of the Second Superboy";
• Power-Boy of Juno--SUPERBOY 52 (October 1956)--2nd story, "The Power-Boy from Earth";
• Mighty Boy of Zumoor--SUPERBOY 85 (December 1960)--1st story, "The Mystery of Mighty Boy";
• Ron-Avon of Belgor--SUPERBOY 141 (September 1967)--"No Mercy for a Hero";
• Hyperboy of Trombus--SUPERBOY 144 (January 1968)--"Superboy’s Lost Identity."

(more in the next post)

[Jim Kelly]

Companion Animals:

Krypto, the Superdog

First appearing in ADVENTURE COMICS 210 (March 1955)--1st story, "The Super-Dog from Krypton" by Binder, Swan and S. Barry--Krypto was a white dog sent into outer space by Kal-El's father Jor-El. The Dog of Steel later arrived on Earth, where he immediately became Superboy's best friend and took part in countless adventures.

The Caped Canine often flew through space on his lonesome and had his own escapades. Beyond Earth, he had a Doghouse of Solitude. He was subsequently introduced in the Superman comics, as well.

For an undisclosed period of time, Krypto maintained a secret identity as the Kents' dog, Skip.

The Superdog was a member in good standing of both the Legion of Super-Pets and the Space Canine Patrol Agents.

Krypto has been adapted to the screen many times. He appeared in
• "The Adventures of Superboy" segments of the 1966 animated series, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN;
• episodes of SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (1996 - 2000);
• in his own 2005 animated series, KRYPTO THE SUPERDOG (two seasons), voiced by Sam Vincent;
• and in the 2022 animated movie, DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS, voiced by Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson.

Beppo, the Super-Monkey

According to SUPERBOY 76 (October 1959)--1st story, "The Super-Monkey from Krypton" by Binder and Papp--Beppo was a test animal of Jor-El's that stowed away on board Kal-El's rocketship to Earth. Before the Kents could discover the rocket, the Super-Monkey had left and gone to live in the jungle (probably in Asia, as there was a tiger).

The Boy of Steel only learned of Beppo's transit to Earth later on, when Kal-El flew faster than light to overtake light rays that had left Krypton before its destruction. Clark then recalled this was the same Super-Monkey that had come to the Kent house and pestered him when he was Superbaby, wearing a set of Clark's play clothes. The Monkey of Steel then left the Earth to roam through outer space.

At some point, Beppo returned to Earth, becoming the self-appointed police of an African jungle--SUPERBOY 142 (October 1967)--1st story, "Superboy Goes Ape" by Bridwell, Papp and C. Stone.

Legion of Super-Pets

Consisting initially of Krypto, Beppo, Streaky and Comet--the Legion of Super-Pets were introduced in a Superboy story in ADVENTURE COMICS 293 (February 1962)--1st story, "The Legion of Super-Traitors" by Siegel, Swan and Klein--guest-starring the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Krypto, Beppo, Comet and Streaky are selected from different time periods--by Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy--to battle the Brain Globes of Rambat. This was actually the first appearance of Comet, the Super-Horse, as he had not appeared in a Supergirl story yet. Reprinted in SUPERBOY 147 [G-47] (May-June 1967).

Proty II joined the team in subsequent adventures.

The 2022 animated movie, DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS, no doubt took some inspiration from the Legion of Super-Pets, although Krypto was the only character that appeared on both teams.

Space Canine Patrol Agents

Already a member of the Legion of Super-Pets, Krypto was later drafted into the Space Canine Patrol Agents or S.C.P.A., in SUPERBOY 131 (July 1966)--3rd story, "The Dog From S.C.P.A." by Binder and Papp.

Consisting of dogs from other planets, the team included Tail Terrier (the Top Dog), Tusky Husky, Chameleon Collie, Hot Dog, Bull Dog and Paw Pooch.

There was also another team of Space Cat Patrol Agents.

The S.C.P.A. were featured in the 2005 animated series, KRYPTO THE SUPERDOG, under the name of the Dog Star Patrol. Leave it to others to decide which pun is superior.

Other Super-Creatures

Various other creatures with special abilities appeared in the Superboy comics including:

• a green shape-shifter from outer space--SUPERBOY 33 (June 1954)--2nd story, "The Pet From Outer-Space";
• Socrates the mynah bird--ADVENTURE COMICS 225 (June 1956)--1st story, "The Bird With Super Powers";
• a flying horse--ADVENTURE COMICS 230 (November 1956)--1st story, "The Secret of the Flying Horse";
• Fuzzy the Krypto Mouse--SUPERBOY 65 (June 1958)--3rd story, "The Amazing Adventures of Krypto Mouse"
• Swifty the dog--SUPERBOY 105 (June 1963)--2nd story, "The Superdog that was Greater than Krypto";
• Superbaby's first alien pet--SUPERBOY 130 (June 1966)--3rd story, "Superbaby's Search for a Pet";
• Zkor the creature from outer space--SUPERBOY 148 (June 1968)--2nd story, "The Canine that Outclassed Krypto";
• Yango the ape from Krypton--SUPERBOY 172 (March 1971)--1st story, "The World of the Super-Ape";
• Superbaby's second alien pet--THE SUPERMAN FAMILY 182 (March-April 1977)--2nd story, "Superbaby's Alien Pet."

(more in the next post)

[Jim Kelly]

Adversaries:

Humpty Dumpty

Also known as "The Hobby Robber"--Humpty Dumpty first appeared in SUPERBOY 6 (January-February 1950)--1st story, by Cameron, Sikela and Dobrotka.

One of those theme-based crooks that left clues to their crimes--which used to be so popular--this rogue would steal hobby collectibles, thus the Hobby Robber monicker for the man named Robert Hobb--he also rode a rocket powered hobby horse. However his egg-shaped appearance gave him the nickname of Humpty Dumpty, as in the nursery rhyme.

He was the Boy of Steel's first real ongoing foe, appearing in issues 6 through 9 and 11 of SUPERBOY, but after his fifth crime spree, Rob Hobb did a long prison stretch, before he returned as the "Curator" in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY 24 (December 1981)--1st story, "Blind Boy's Bluff" by Bridwell, Schaffenberger and Hunt.

Note: This Humpty Dumpty may or may not have inspired the Batman rogue of the same name--first seen in ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL 3 (August 2003).

Giant Turtle Man (prototype)

SUPERBOY 30 (January 1954)--1st story, "The Giant Who Came to Smallville" by Finger, Swan and S. Barry--a growth serum caused an orphaned infant to grow into a Giant Turtle Man. The Testudine Titan posed a serious threat to Metropolis and then Smallville, but he was not villainous just confused.

This concept clearly was the prototype for Jimmy Olsen's "The Giant Turtle Man" transformation in SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN 53 (June 1961)--3rd story, by Siegel, Swan and Forte.

Chandu (Titano prototype)

In Africa, with Superboy's help, Professor Lang captured the giant gorilla called Chandu and put him on display in Smallville. An ex-convict with a scientific bent, "Doc" Baird discovered that lightning triggered Chandu's super-vision powers. Baird stole the ape and employed him in a series of daring crimes. Lewis Lang recalled seeing Chandu drink from a green Kryptonite laced watering hole in Africa. This must have given the ape his super-vision powers--in ADVENTURE COMICS 219 (December 1955)--1st story, "The Gorilla with Super-Eyes" by Binder, Swan and Klein.

Note: "The Bird With Super Powers" is theorized to have also got its powers from Kryptonite infused water, in ADVENTURE COMICS 225 (June 1956). Chandu and his Super-Eyes probably inspired "Titano the Super-Ape" and his Kryptonite vision--as seen in SUPERMAN 138 (July 1960)--1st story. Green K. causing strange transformations in Earth lifeforms was a common theme, which was later exploited in the 2001 television series, SMALLVILLE. Ironic that the substance that could kill Kal-El gave super-powers to others.

Bizarro Superboy

The first Bizarro in the comic books was Bizarro Superboy, in SUPERBOY 68 (October 1958)--"The Boy of Steel Versus the Thing of Steel" by Binder and Papp, on sale August 21st, 1958. This one perished in the same story. However, it's debatable if that was the first Bizarro in publishing history, given there was Bizarro Superman in the newspaper strip first appearing on August 25th, 1958.

With deadlines and schedules, it's hard to say which version was created first. Otto Binder wrote the Superboy story, while Alvin Schwartz wrote the one in the Superman strip.

The Bizarro concept became quite popular, with "Tales of the Bizarro World" getting its own feature, starting in ADVENTURE COMICS 285 (June 1961) and running until issue 299 (August 1962).

Bizarro has had many screen adaptations. For Bizarro Superboy, the 1988 television series, SUPERBOY, featured the character several times. And young Clark had his own Bizarro (played by Tom Welling) on SMALLVILLE, in seasons 6 and 7.

The television series SEINFELD paid tribute to Bizarro in season 8, episode 3, "Bizarro Jerry" (air date, October 3rd, 1996).

Lex Luthor

In the 1940s and 1950s, Luthor was never given a first name--he was just Luthor. Then it was established that Superman had known Luthor when they were both teen-agers--ADVENTURE COMICS 271 (April 1960)--1st story, "How Luthor Met Superboy" by Siegel and Plastino. In that story he was given the name Lex.

By that point in time, the initials L. L. had become a running theme in the Superman mythology, so making Luthor another L. L. character supported this trope. Retroactively, the red-haired Luthor of Earth-Two was given the name Alexei Luthor. As well, "Lex" later became a nick name for Alexander Luthor--but that was a retcon of a retcon.

"How Luthor Met Superboy" established that Lex and Clark were friends, at first, and that the young Luthor hero worshipped the Boy of Steel. It was during Luthor's efforts to find a cure for Kryptonite that a lab accident caused his hair loss. After that, his admiration for Superboy turned to hatred.

This back story served to revamp the character of Luthor and his relationship to Superman and Clark Kent thereafter. Elliot S! Maggin would explore the psychological impact of this friend-foe dynamic in SUPERMAN 292 (October 1975)--1st story, "The Luthor Nobody Knows" art by Swan and Oksner--among other stories.

The SMALLVILLE television series made the relationship between the younger Clark and Lex a pivotal plot point, where Michael Rosenbaum played Lex Luthor.

The Phantom Zone

In ADVENTURE COMICS 283 (April 1961)--1st story, "The Phantom Superboy" by Bernstein and Papp--when a large chest was found by Lewis Lang, it was revealed to be from Krypton and contained several devices, including a Phantom Zone projector. Clark discovered that a number of Krypton criminals were housed in this Phantom Zone.

Phantom Zone Criminals--General Zod, Dr. Xadu, Jax-Ur, et al

Two of the first Phantom Zone criminals shown--in ADVENTURE COMICS 283 (April 1961)--were General Zod and Dr. Xadu. A few months later, Jax-Ur debuted in ADVENTURE COMICS 289 (October 1961)--1st story, "Clark Kent's Super-Father" by Bernstein and Papp.

Superboy Revenge Squad

"The Superboy Revenge Squad" were first featured in the story of the same name, in SUPERBOY 94 (January 1962)--1st story, art by Papp. Originally, they were blue aliens from the planet Wexr II, but they attracted other aliens to their cause. In an unpublished tale, Superboy had once upset their plans for interplanetary conquest, so they pursued a vendetta against the Boy of Steel.

They often would use red Kryptonite against Superboy and Krypto. Soon after their first appearance, a Superman Revenge Squad then appeared in Clark's adult adventures--being the same Revengers, still trying to get back at their mortal enemy after all those years.

Kryptonite Kid

The Kryptonite Kid debuted in SUPERBOY 83 (September 1960)--"The Dreams of Doom" by Siegel and Papp. A juvenile offender serving a long prison sentence on the planet Blor, he was offered a shortened term, if he took part in a science experiment. Sent into space in a satellite, with a laboratory dog, they passed through a cosmic cloud of Kryptonite dust. Their biology was changed so they now radiated green Kryptonite. Not only did they radiate Kryptonite, but their touch changed anything (except lead) to Kryptonite, as well. The Kid and his dog menaced Superboy and Krypto. Later on, the Kid returned in Superman stories as the Kryptonite Man.

Dev-Em

Known as the Knave from Krypton, Dev-Em made his first bow in ADVENTURE COMICS 287 (August 1961)--1st story, "War of the Superboys" by Siegel and Papp.

A next door neighbour of Jor-El and Lara, Dev-Em was a juvenile delinquent. However, he discovered Jor-El's prediction of Kyrpton's doom and built his own bomb shelter that would survive the planet's destruction. Before the doom, Dev-Em and his parents put themselves in suspended animation inside the shelter. Years later, the shelter landed on Earth and Dev-Em was revived from his sleep. He then went on to menace the Boy of Steel.

In subsequent adventures, Dev-Em travelled to the 30th century, where he became a productive citizen and joined the Interstellar Counter-Intelligence Corps.

Loretta York

Loretta York used the name the "Yellow Peri" for her stage act in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY 34 (October 1982)--1st story, "Beware the Yellow Peri" by Rozakis, Schaffenberger and Giella. Wishing to have real magic powers, she found a book of incantations and summoned an imp called Gazook. After that she was able to cast spells, but they never worked out quite how she intended. This made her a pest and not an outright villain. Loretta later returned as an adult in Superman stories.

A version of her made a live action appearance, played by Elizabeth Keifer, in "Yellow Peri's Spell of Doom," SUPERBOY season 2, episode 14 (January 20th, 1990). A waitress at the sports bar on the Shuster University campus, Loretta had a crush on Superboy. At home, she summoned the spirit of Gazook to take possession of a creepy doll (voiced by James Michael Detmar). Gazook transformed Loretta into the Yellow Peri and encouraged her to kill Lana Lang so she could have the Boy of Steel for herself.

(concluded in the next post)

[Jim Kelly]

Kryptonites:

Pink Kryptonite

When the Boy of Steel deflected a meteoroid headed for Earth, a release of cosmic rays overwhelmed him and he crashed down in the tiny republic of Vala, having lost his memory and damaged his costume. He donned the Tyrolian style clothing worn in Vala, where he became their national hero, known as Prince Power. After staying in the alpine nation for a length of time, his Superboy memories came back to him and he forgot his Prince Power identity--in ADVENTURE COMICS 175 (April 1952)--1st story, "The Duel of the Superboys" by Broome and Sikela.

When Clark Kent joined an envoy from Smallville to Vala, he regained his memories of being Prince Power. In Vala was a large Kryptonite meteorite on display, which had fallen from the sky some time previous. However, the meteorite was coloured pink. It's unclear if this was a colouring error or intentional. If the pink K. and the meteoroid that overwhelmed the Kid from Krypton were one and the same, then that would go some way to explaining his memory loss. It's possible this is what led to the creation of red Kryptonite later on (see below).

The encounter with a meteoroid that causes him to lose his memory is similar to "Panic in the Sky," season 2, episode 12, THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (air date December 5th, 1953).

Wizard City from Krypton

In ADVENTURE COMICS 216 (September 1955)--1st story, by Finger, Swan and Klein--"The Wizard City" was a fragment of the exploded planet Krypton that somehow made its way to Earth and landed in Africa, but devoid of living inhabitants. It was called the Wizard City by those that found it for all the technical marvels in the city. This was one of the earliest examples of big things from Krypton somehow making their way to Earth. As its bedrock was now green Kryptonite, the Boy of Steel could not enter the city.

This surviving city of Krypton prepared the way for other lost cities to appear in the Superman stories--namely Kandor and Argo City.

The Wizard City chunk of Krypton that landed in Africa might be the largest hunk of the planet to make its way to Earth, but it seems like a good deal of junk from the doomed planet was always ending up here--as if this planet was a magnet for anything Kryptonian.

Note: Years later, the Caped Kryptonian returned to the Wizard City, in the small African country of Kurtiswana--ACTION COMICS 565 (March 1985)--1st story, "The Wizard City Warrior" by Mort Todd and Schaffenberger.

Red Kryptonite

Pink Kryptonite not withstanding, Superboy had his first encounter with red K., not knowing what it was, in ADVENTURE COMICS 252 (September 1958)--1st story, "The Super Sentry of Smallville" by A. Schwartz and Sikela. On that occasion, he seemed to escape any ill effects from the red stuff, which arrived via the 4th Dimension.

His next clash with the red menace split the Boy of Steel in two, producing a separate Clark Kent--ADVENTURE COMICS 255 (December 1958)--1st story, "The Splitting of Superboy" by Binder and Papp.

Note: Red Kryptonite was formed when the usual sort of K. rock passed through a cosmic cloud.

Depending on the isotope, red K. affected Kryptonians differently, but only for a short period of time (48 hours). This crimson type proved useful in creating bizarre plots and was commonplace in Superboy, Superman and Supergirl stories of the 1960s. It was the greatest gift to a Superman writer stuck for a new idea.

White Kryptonite

The white form of Kryptonite first appeared in ADVENTURE COMICS 279 (December 1960)--1st story, "Superboy Visits the 50th Century" by Binder, Swan and Forte. In the far future, most doubted that Superboy ever really existed. When Lita Lang--a decendent of Lana Lang--showed the time travelling Boy of Steel a white meteorite, he had no idea what it was, until he found that it destroyed any vegetation. This type was only fatal to other plant life, regardless of which planet they came from. Convinced that the white rock came from Krypton, the people of the future accepted that Superboy was for real.

In theory this colourless Kryptonite was formed, like the red variant, by passing through a cosmic cloud. The white isotope proved useful in subsequent Superman plots.

Gold Kryptonite

The gold form of Kryptonite, which could permanently remove a Kryptonian's super-powers, was first introduced in ADVENTURE COMICS 299 (August 1962)--1st story, "The Unwanted Superbaby" by Siegel and Papp--which was an imaginary story.

Later, in official continuity, it removed Quex-Ul's powers. It was much rarer on Earth than the green and red isotopes and, since the effects of gold K. could not be reversed, it was much more likely to appear in imaginary stories.

*

Classmates:

Tommy Tuttle

Clark's pal Tommy Tuttle had a creative relationship with the truth. In his memory of events, he came out the real hero--in SUPERBOY 30 (January 1954)--3rd story, "Tommy Tuttle--Superboy's Pal" by W. Woolfolk and Sikela.

Tommy was a portly fellow, yet quite agile--able to stand on his head or walk the top of a picket fence. He participated in a few Superboy adventures and, when Superman returned to Smallville in WORLD'S FINEST COMICS 69 (March-April 1954)--1st story, "Jor-El's Last Will" art by Boring and Kaye--Clark observed that Tuttle was now the milkman.

Bradley "Bash" Bashford

Sometimes a bully, Bradley "Bash" Bashford attended high school with Clark, Lana and Pete. First introduced in SUPERBOY 157 (June 1969)--"Get Lost, Superboy...Who Needs You?" by Robbins, Brown and Wood--Bash was an exceptional athlete and sometimes dated Lana Lang, who was impressed by his strength. At times rivals, Bash and Clark were friends in the end.

However, Bashford never showed up in the adult Superman's comic book adventures.

A version of "Bash" was featured in one episode of the animated YOUNG JUSTICE, season 3, episode 10, "Exceptional Human Beings" (air date January 25th, 2019), voiced by Troy Baker.

Carl "Moosie" Draper

Carl Draper was actually first introduced in the SUPERMAN comic, in that title's issue 331 (January 1979), where he was revealed to be the Master Jailer. But Draper had the back story of growing up in Smallville and going to school with Clark and Lana. He always had a secret crush on the red head.

"Moosie" Draper later appeared in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY 17 (May 1981)--1st story, "To Fight the Unbeatable Foe" by Bates, Schaffenberger and Hunt--where he became the second Kator to battle Superboy.

Joey Silver

Like Clark Kent, Joey was picked on by the jocks at school. When he was an adult, he astral travelled back in time to his young body to become Astralad. However, the Teen of Steel convinced Joey that it was impossible to correct the mistakes of the past and, once his future self left his body, the young man had no memory of what happened--in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY 3 (March 1980)--"The New Super Star of Smallville" by Bates, Schaffenberger and Hunt.

Lisa Davis

Introduced in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY 40 (April 1983)--1st story, "Superboy No More" by Kupperberg, Schaffenberger and Giella--Lisa Davis became Clark Kent's steady girl friend, which made Lana Lang jealous.

Lisa's father was Malcolm Davis, a Smallville real estate agent and associate of Jonathan Kent. THE ESSENTIAL SUPERMAN ENCYCLOPEDIA (2010) by Greenberger and Pasko suggests there was an unchronicled story where Lisa's father was exposed as a criminal and that may have ended Clark and Lisa's love affair.

Johnny Webber

Another school chum of Clark and Lana, Johnny Webber first appeared in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY 42 (June 1983)--1st story, "A Blast of Dyna-Mind" by Kupperberg and Schaffenberger, where he became the super-villain Dyna-Mind. Later, Johnny reformed and was welcomed back into Clark's circle of friends.

Other Classmates

Various other classmates went to school with Clark, including:

• "Tiny" (likely an ironic nickname owing to his size) was one of Clark's earliest pals--given his similar dimensions he could be the younger Tommy Tuttle--MORE FUN COMICS 102 (March-April 1945)--2nd story, "The Cruise of the Jolly Roger";
• Betty Marr shared a birthday with Clark Kent, when they both turned ten--ADVENTURE COMICS 103 (April 1946)--1st story, "Happy Birthday";
• Betty Brown, the "prettiest girl in school," who Clark invited to the big dance--ADVENTURE COMICS 119 (August 1947)--1st story, "Superboy Meets Girl";
• Tommy Hunter, who was ashamed of his father, the doorman at the Bijou movie theatre--SUPERBOY 88 (April 1961)--3rd story, "The Saddest Boy in Smallville";
• Ken "Whitewash" Baron, star pitcher for the Smallville Saber Tooths--SUPERBOY SPECTACULAR (1980)--6th story, ''The Puzzle of the Disappearing Pitcher";
• Willy Mason, a confident of Clark, his parents were friends with the Kents--THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY 7 (July 1980)--1st story, "This Planet is Condemned";
• Debbie Wallach, the popular girl in school that Clark wanted to take to the dance, when he should've asked out Lisa Davis--THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY 40 (April 1983)--1st story, "Superboy No More."

[Pennyworth]

Jim, what an amazing resource you have provided here on a much loved and missed character. I didn’t realize how much Superman lore originated in the Superboy stories. I’ve still not made peace with Clark losing his Superboy career after Crisis and still feel cheated that the animated Adventures of Superboy were never released on DVD like the rest of the Saturday morning cartoons from the 60’s. Thank you for all the time and work that you put into creating this document for us all. It is very much appreciated. Maybe someday we’ll get an omnibus.

[JackDaw]

I remember reading a lot more time travel stories in Superboy comics than Superman or Action comics. (Usually by the method of Superboy flying round the Earth at faster than light speed. Think it was clockwise to go into the future, anti-clockwise to go into the past.)

Was it first seen in Superboy?

[Jim Kelly]

Thank you for all the time and work that you put into creating this document for us all. It is very much appreciated.

You're quite welcome.

I remember reading a lot more time travel stories in Superboy comics than Superman or Action comics. (Usually by the method of Superboy flying round the Earth at faster than light speed. Think it was clockwise to go into the future, anti-clockwise to go into the past.)

Was it first seen in Superboy?

Good question. My recollection is that the first use of time travel was in SUPERMAN 48 (September-October 1947)--2nd story, "Autograph, Please" by Siegel and Sikela. But right now I don't know the first story where Superboy travelled through time--I believe it was fairly early on.

I'll have to do some digging to see when. He did use it a lot (think of all the Legion stories alone).

[JackDaw]

Good question. My recollection is that the first use of time travel was in SUPERMAN 48 (September-October 1947)--2nd story, "Autograph, Please" by Siegel and Sikela. But right now I don't know the first story where Superboy travelled through time--I believe it was fairly early on.

I'll have to do some digging to see when. He did use it a lot (think of all the Legion stories alone).

I did most of my Superboy/ Superman reading back in the 60’s…and Superboy seemed to time travel much, much more than Superman, so much so that I remember being baffled, with questions like “Has he forgotten how to do it?” Whizzing around my head.

[Jim Kelly]

I think it's SUPERBOY 2 (May-June 1949)--2nd story, "George Washington's Drum" art by Sikela and Dobrotka.

[JackDaw]

I think it's SUPERBOY 2 (May-June 1949)--2nd story, "George Washington's Drum" art by Sikela and Dobrotka.

Your thinking on stuff like this is right 99.9 percent of the time!

My own hit rate is a wee bit lower, by which I mean (of course) a lot lower.

[Johnny Thunders!]

Superboy and the Legion helped explain why Superman was always first among equals way back when. He had already saved the Universe as a teenager. I like how in the 70's the Legion looked a little shaggier with the sideburns and bellbottoms. I think Superboy was able to feel more contemporary than Superman during those 70's Legion years. My favorite Superboy comics are all those Jim Shooter Adventure Comics Legion of Superhero books. I think they covered a lot of ground the 80's X-Men would cover 20 years later.