The Super-Men (and -Women) of All-Planets

[Jim Kelly]

"Justice For All Includes Children"--art by Swan and Colletta
(9th in a series, writer unknown)



This public service ad appeared in February 1977 and/or March 1977 and/or April 1977 dated issues.

[Jim Kelly]

Answers to last month's quiz from
THE OFFICIAL SUPERMAN QUIZ BOOK (Warner Books, 1978) by Bruce Nash:

p. 160 Clark Kent's Neighbours

1. What is the street address of the high-rise apartment building where Clark Kent lives?
344 Clinton Street

2. What is his apartment number?
3-D

3. Who is the superintendent of Clark's building?
Mr. Duffy

4. What is the name of the sweet little wheel-chair bound lady who lives in the apartment next to Clark?
Mrs. Irma Goldstein

5. Which one of the Marigold twins has a teenage crush on Clark--May or April?
May

6. What married couple is the building's resident political activists?
Gordon and Petra Lewis

7. Which one of Clark's neighbours is a pure-bread Apache Indian who works as an industrial engineer?
Nathan Warbow

8. What is the name of the grouch who lives in the apartment directly above Clark?
Vincent "Crabby" Appleton

9. What is the name of the 9th degree black belt Karate expert who lives in the apartment beneath Clark?
Jonathan Slaughter

10. What is the name of the popular rock band drummer whose loud practicing often makes it difficult for the building's residents to sleep?
Jeremy "Jangles" Jones

***

Another selection from the QUIZ BOOK--

p. 32 Vital Statistics



1. What is Superman's birth-given name?
2. What is the English translation of his Kryptonian name?
3. True or False: Superman is an only child.
4. When is Superman's birthday?
5. How old is Superman?
6. When does his alter-ego Clark Kent celebrate his birthday?
7. What color are Superman's eyes?
8. How tall is he?
9. Why does Superman stand three inches taller than Clark Kent?
10. How much does Superman weigh?

Answers . . .

Next month: The Superman Family Breaks Loose

[DABellWrites]

From this thread I can understand why so many pre-crisis Superman fans were pissed off in 1986. So much was lost that could've been built upon to make something interesting.

[Jim Kelly]

Answers to last month's quiz from
THE OFFICIAL SUPERMAN QUIZ BOOK--

p. 153 Vital Statistics

1. What is Superman's birth-given name?
Kal-El. [His nick name was "Kal"]

2. What is the English translation of his Kryptonian name?
Star [Kal] Child [El], according to the ancient Kryptonese translation.

3. True or False: Superman is an only child.
True.

4. When is Superman's birthday?
February 29, Leap Year Day.

5. How old is Superman?
Twenty-nine years old.

6. When does his alter-ego Clark Kent celebrate his birthday?
June 18, the day Superman first arrived on Earth from the planet Krypton.

7. What color are Superman's eyes?
Blue.

8. How tall is he?
Six feet two inches tall.

9. Why does Superman stand three inches taller than Clark Kent?
Superman slouches when assuming his identity of Clark Kent.

10. How much does Superman weigh?
Two hundred pounds.

***

Re: Vital Statistics

1. Personally, I don't think "Kal" should be used as a nickname. "Supes" is better.
2. And I think the English translation should be the other way around: El should be Star, Kal should be Child.

[Jim Kelly]

And Captain Marvel, too!

[Jim Kelly]

THE AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS SPECIAL EDITION 1 (February 1976)--"Interview with 2 Supermen" by E. Nelson Bridwell--see post #1137 for more contents.

Talking with Kal-L and Kal-El on their birthday, February 29th, 1976:

[Jim Kelly]

Lois Lane Presents
THE SUPERMAN FAMILY 181 (January 1977)--[new content] 1st story, "The Secret Lois Lane Could Never Tell" by Bates, Delbo and Colletta:

On assignment somewhere in Europe, Ms. Lane falls into a valley hidden by a mystical mist, where King Kryz is absolute ruler. His wizard, Thom, wields great magical powers.

Meanwhile, for her birthday, Superman intends to give Lois a necklace of space jewels called Nrzas which only become visible "when worn by a young lady" [his words, not mine].



The jewels prove useful when the Man of Tomorrow tries to locate the Pride of Pittsdale, since she already has a bracelet that gives off energy particles that flow to the necklace.

Lois is being forced to marry Kryz and when the Man of Steel arrives, the citizens of the secret city flee from him out of horror. Thom's magic makes Kal-El appear frightening to the people, while their king appears attractive.



It turns out that Thom's wizard hat is an antenna that draws energy from the mystical mist above the valley kingdom. By knocking it off the magician's head, Lois frees herself from his spell.

Note: Superman giving away space jewels that radiate strange energy seems rather reckless behaviour--you'd think by this time he would have learned his gifts are not trustworthy. Just what standards the Nrzas use to judge if someone is young and a lady also is suspect. And while Lois comes around to judging people by the content of their character, after all her previous experiences she ought not to judge Kryz by his appearance in the first place. There's a certain prejudice against people who don't fit the conventional standards of beauty in this tale.

James Bartholomew Olsen and Linda Lee Danvers pledge their troth in the classic "what if" story from--

SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN 57 (December 1961)--1st story, "Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl" by Siegel, Swan and Kaye--see post #458.

That's the only reprint in issue 181 and it will be the last one in THE SUPERMAN FAMILY, as the title goes to an all-new format with the next issue--as the house-ad at the end of the book announces.

[Jim Kelly]

The Pulsar Stargrave Paradox

SUPERBOY 223 (January 1977)--"We Can't Escape the Trap in Time" by Shooter, Grell and Wiacek
SUPERBOY 224 (February 1977)--"When Stargrave Strikes" by Shooter, Grell and Wiacek
SUPERBOY 226 (April 1977)--2nd story, "Five Against One" by Levitz, Netzer and Abel
SUPERBOY 227 (May 1977)--"War at World's End" by Conway, Staton and Abel
SUPERBOY & THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 239 (May 1978)--"Murder Most Foul" by Starlin, Levitz and Rubinstein
SUPERBOY & THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 250 (April 1979)--"This is the Day the Universe Dies" by "Steve Apollo," Levitz and Hunt
SUPERBOY & THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 251 (May 1979)--"The Man Who Destroyed the Universe" by "Steve Apollo," Levitz and Hunt
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 273 (March 1981)--"A Murderer Among Us" by Conway, Janes and Chiaramonte
LEGION OF SUBSTITUTE HEROES SPECIAL 1 (1985)--"You Can't Keep a Good Villain Down" by Levitz, Giffen and Kesel

***

"We Can't Escape the Trap in Time"

Pulsar Stargrave, Quicksand and Holdur appear briefly and for the first time in SUPERBOY 223 as they remotely observe a battle between the Time Trapper and five Legionnaires.



The Trapper has taken Superboy, Saturn Girl, Karate Kid, Chameleon Boy and Sun Boy forward five days into a possible future. The Chronological Conqueror argues that becoming ruler of the universe can only happen in a possible timeline where these five do not exist.

In a decisive struggle with the Boy of Steel, the Time Trapper falls into oblivion.

***

"When Stargrave Strikes"

In the next issue, Stargrave takes centre stage. At first his two companions do all the fighting against the Legion. Holdur is a devoted lackey, fast and vicious in his attacks with a vice grip. Quicksand can turn almost any solid into a viscous mire and then back to a solid again.



Pulsar Stargrave proves too powerful for the combined might of Superboy, Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, Karate Kid, Sun Boy, Lightning Lad and Princess Projectra.

[Jim Kelly]

"When Stargrave Strikes" (continued)

Brainiac 5 is suspicious and meets with Pulsar Stargrave privately, where the familiar figure gives his origin story. After dying within a collapsing star he was reborn in a pulsar.



Querl Dox recognizes that this is his father. And the Coluan gives his son a special mission: to go to Zerox and find his enemy, Mordru the Merciless.



Note: This is the last Jim Shooter story for this run of the Legion. He will go on to conquer other worlds. But that leaves Stargrave in an unresolved quagmire. From this point on, other writers provide their own perspectives on who is Pulsar Stargrave--but since they are not the ones who created the character, there's reason to doubt any of it is what Jim intended.

***

"Five Against One"

Paul Levitz picks up the Pulsar plot in the back-up Brainiac 5 solo story for issue 226. Querl Dox makes his journery to Zerox and enters the Citadel of Mordru, the Master Mage of the Sorcerer's World.



Brainy seeks the Star Stone, a magical totem of great power. It reveals to the genius Legionnaire that Stargrave is not really his father but the original android computer, the first Brainiac, catapulted to the 30th century from the 20th century.

For some reason this news drives Dox to find Stargrave and kill him. And knowing this, the other Legionnaires are set on locating Brainiac 5 before he can follow through on that threat.

Querulous Questions: This altered direction raises more questions than it answers. It seems suspect that Jim Shooter intended that Pulsar Stargrave wasn't the father of Querl Dox. Even if this plot twist was supposed to happen, it comes much too quickly and makes it all seem a bit ham-fisted. First he's the father, next he's Brainiac. What are we supposed to believe? It looks like Paul Levitz didn't like the father plot and opted to change it--switching to Brainiac, even though this complicates things much more than they need to be.

In addition, the Legion don't want Brainiac 5 to commit murder, but would destroying the original Brainiac be murder? He's an android and one of the common loopholes in Superman's code against killing is that he can end androids and robots, because they are not really alive to begin with. So all Brainy would be doing is switching off a computer. Even then, you can't really ever put an end to Brainiac--because, like Computo, his program will always return in some new incarnation.

And why does the revelation, that his supposed father was lying to him, make Querl so angry that he's bent on killing the computer android? Surely he would be happy to know that his father is not the evil villain Pulsar Stargrave. True, as for any Coluan, the legacy of Brainiac is a sore point for B. 5. But that's nothing new. It shouldn't be enough to drive Brainiac 5 insane with hatred.

Note: The first story in this issue--by Levitz, Sherman and Abel--was "The Dazzling Debut of Dawnstar."

[Jim Kelly]

"War at World's End"

Next it's Gerry Conway's turn to pick up the Pulsar plot. In his version, Brainiac 5 isn't out of control--although an impostor Brainy acts like he is. The impostor is a robot.

Colu has a Gravitron (or Graviton) machine that stops the planet from falling apart.

Wildfire and Colossal Boy defend the gravity controller against an attack by flying robot drones. Shadow Lass doesn't think much of Wildfire as their new leader (she voted for Superboy). Shadey and Shrinking Violet go inside the Gravitron, fending off Holdur, to chase after Pulsar Stargrave.



Meanwhile, half a world away, Superboy, Princess Projectra and Phantom Girl run afoul of a battling robot behemoth and Tinya is attacked by Pulsar Stargrave.

At the same time, in Colu's main city, inside the science museum, Brainiac 5, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad are mired by Quicksand, before Pulsar Stargrave enters to villain monologue his true plan, which was never to destroy Colu but to revive the Computer Tyrants that once ruled the planet and make the Coluan people their slaves.



Superboy and Wildfire, having figured out that one Stargrave couldn't be in three different places all at the same time, arrive at the science museum to deliver the coup de gras to the real one.

In Conway's version, Pulsar Stargrave is not as powerful as he was in Shooter's story. Superboy and Wildfire handily defeat the Brainiac Stargrave and knock him into Colu's sun.



This would be an act of murder if Stargrave were considered a living being vulnerable to the destructive power of a sun. However, Superboy doesn't seem to think that even falling into a sun could kill Brainiac.

This was an ignominious end for Pulsar Stargrave, who had promised to be a major adversary. However, it was an end and could have stayed that way, yet Conway had other ideas.

Note: Meanwhile, back in the 20th century, Val Armorr was dealing with a super-villain called Pulsar--it happened in the pages of KARATE KID 8 (May-June 1977) and 9 (July-August 1977). Pulsar Stargrave and Pulsar were unrelated.

[Jim Kelly]

"Murder Most Foul"

Like a bad penny Pulsar Stargrave would turn up again but not "in the flesh" until LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 273 (March 1981)--however to understand that issue's story, "A Murderer Among Us," one first has to know what happened in SUPERBOY & THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 239, 250 and 251--despite Stargrave not appearing in those comics.

When Jo Nah goes back to his home planet, Rimbor, he revisits his first love at the Orion Hotel. An Ryd is not the sweet young girl he used to know. To survive she's had to give up on her ideals and do things that aren't exactly legal.

Before Ultra Boy can react, he's blasted by an unknown person, who then blasts An Ryd. She is left dead, but Jo is merely unconscious and awakens on one of Rimbor's moons.



The Legion come after him, to take him in for An Ryd's murder. He escapes and goes back to Rimbor, in hopes of finding out who framed him.

To his surprise, Chameleon Boy is there. The head of the Legion's Espionage Squad, Reep figured out where Jo would be hiding. He doesn't believe that Ultra Boy is the murderer, but someone else inside the Legion must be.



Cham reveals that Wildfire is not the real Wildfire--he's just a robot. However, Wildfire was not the one who killed An Ryd--that was the mastermind behind this plot. But who?



Note: One of the joys of this story is all the references to past comics of adventure--the editor at this time was Al Milgrom, who footnotes all the relevant back issues.

[Jim Kelly]

"Murder Most Foul" (concluded)



The caption at the end of 239 says, "And when you least expect it . . . the return of the man behind the executioner's hood!"

Well they were right about that. Who could have expected it wouldn't be until issue 250 that we got some answers. However, the story as planned by Jim Starlin would have been in a Legion Spectacular comic, with 64 pages of story and art. Josef Rubinstein would have returned to do finishes on Starlin's layouts.

Then the Implosion happened and that Spectacular was shelved.

When Starlin's story was finally published, the page count had to be cut down to fit into two regular issues. Paul Levitz made the cuts and re-arranged the pages for issues 250 and 251. Rubinstein was no longer available and Dave Hunt did the finishes instead. No longer being the story or art that Jim had intended, Starlin didn't want to be credited for this mish-mash and instead the non-existent "Steve Apollo" got the credit (and the blame).

Brian Cronin gives a fuller account of the behind the scenes story in "Why Jim Starlin Took His Name Off Of a Legion of Super-Heroes Comic."

***

"This is the Day the Universe Dies"

Chameleon Boy does figure out who the mystery murderer is, but he's attacked by the same. Wildfire finds the unconscious Reep Daggle, who luckily had a recording device on him. However, this only tells Wildfire that the culprit is a Legionnaire.

Worse yet, their unknown adversary has spawned a cosmic monster called Omega, who is striding across the heavens toward Earth bent on the destruction of the universe. Superboy and Mon-El are powerless to stop the beast.

It takes some more investigation before the finger is pointed at Brainiac 5. Now fully in crazy town, Querl Dox does not deny that he is the mastermind--and the killer of An Ryd and creator of Omega.



Despite his scheme to destroy everything and everyone out of some twisted hatred for his Legion companions, Brainiac 5 provides the answer to extinguishing his creation in issue 251.

***

"The Man Who Destroyed the Universe"

Brainy tells the Legion that they should call in Matter-Eater Lad.

It turns out that Querl created Omega by using the Miracle Machine. This is the device that the Controllers gave the L.S.H., which can do anything they wish--but they are loathe to use something of such power for the unintended consequences that might result. To cancel Omega, M.E.L. eats the Miracle Machine and the behemoth winks out of existence.



Eating the Miracle Machine has driven Tenzil Kem mad. He and Brainiac 5 are both sent to a mental ward.

[Jim Kelly]

"A Murderer Among Us"

The newly elected President of Earth, Marte Allon, points an accusing finger at the Legion. According to Colossal Boy's mother, they are in violation of their charter as one of them is a murderer. That being Brainiac 5. Now recovered from his mental illness, nevertheless Querl Dox is guilty of An Ryd's murder.

Chameleon Boy doesn't believe that this Coluan is the one who pulled the trigger. Cham, Star Boy, Phantom Girl and Ultra Boy arrive on Rimbor to investigate the cold case once more.

At the crime scene in the Orion Hotel, Thom and Reep detect that what killed An Ryd was neither Ultra Boy's flash vision nor a Legion blaster. Furthermore, there's no trace of Brainiac 5 ever having been in that hotel room. Before they can do anything the two are hit by a solar blast.



Meanwhile at Rimbor Space Control, Tinya and Jo find no record of Brainiac 5 ever having come to that planet. They don't have to wait long before the true perpetrator reveals himself--it's Pulsar Stargrave. When Phantom Girl tries to take down Stargrave she is no match for him and Ultra Boy sacrifices himself to save the woman he loves. He's dead, but he'll get over it soon.



Brainiac 5 and Stargrave have their final confrontation on Rimbor's moon where the Legion confronted Ultra Boy. Querl Dox activates his force-field to trap the original Brainiac.



Pulsar Stargrave chooses to blow them both up; however, Brainy is protected by a force-field within a force-field.

This version of events doesn't really square with the version we got from Jim Starlin or Steve Apollo. Brainiac 5 admitted to his crimes back in issue 250, so how could it be Stargrave?

Maybe they were hoping readers wouldn't remember what exactly happened in the previous issues. For example, in "A Murderer Among Us," it's stated that Pulsar Stargrave fell into Earth's sun, when it was actually Colu's sun.

[Jim Kelly]

"You Can't Keep a Good Villain Down"

Bismoll has switched to a computer economy. This doesn't sit well with Tenzil Kem, who was drafted into the senate (that's how they do things on Bismoll). As Matter-Eater Lad he's seen what disasters can result when you let computers have their way. As a last resort, in case things do go wrong, he's called in the Legion. Well, the Legion of Substitute Heroes.

Roll Call: Polar Boy, Fire Lad, Stone Boy, Chlorophyll Kid, Porcupine Pete, Infectious Lass, Color Kid (or Color Queen?).

Science Police Officer Gi Gi Cusimano has been assigned to the Subs as their liaison officer and accompanies them to Bismoll--if they ever get there.

Meanwhile, out of a star, the Bismoll computers summon a cybernetic hero.



Pulsar Stargrave lives once more! (If you can call this living.)

Given the Subs are taking their sweet time getting to Bismoll, Matter-Eater Lad has taken matters into his own mouth--biting off Pulsar Stargrave's nose (then spitting it out--things tend to be toxic on Bismoll).



As M.E.L. fights for his life against Stargrave, the Subs are still late in arriving and Paul Levitz memos Keith Giffen to move things along.



Note: The computers are drawn in the same style as Computo (ADVENTURE COMICS 340 and 341).

[Jim Kelly]

"You Can't Keep a Good Villain Down" (continued)



Porcupine Pete makes contact with the villain to his despair. And it falls to Polar Boy and Matter-Eater Lad to bring down Pulsar.



Stargrave has had about enough of these indignities and goes full Pulsar against Polar Boy. But at that moment the still inert Stone Boy falls on top of the super-villain (Tenzil Kem had a hand in that).



Note: Nothing in this story should be taken too seriously, but it does offer a non-explanation of how Pulsar Stargrave could exist as an apparent contradiction of other Brainiac continuity. Coming after Brainiac was already re-imagined in ACTION COMICS 544 (June 1983)--2nd story, "Rebirth" by Wolfman and G.Kane--there doesn't have to be one version of Brainiac alone, since he's a computer construct. Although, whether Pulsar Stargrave is really Brainiac, I have my doubts.

The secret origin of Porcupine Pete--being a victim of 5th Dimensional magic--indirectly relates to when Miss Gzptlsnz turned Jimmy Olsen into "The Human Porcupine"--see post #81. Whichever imp it was that cursed Pete (and it could have been Gzptlsnz herself), they settled permanently on Ventura (the Gambler's Planet) and never returned to Zrfff (which would have undone the curse).

Post-Crisis, with further retooling of Brainiac itself, there was a reinvention of Pulsar Stargrave, somewhat. In L.E.G.I.O.N. '89, the Computer Tyrants of Colu took the form of Mr. Starr, who looks like Pulsar Stargrave. However, since this was in the 20th century and in an alternate continuity, if the Tyrants as Mr. Starr are supposed to be related to Stargrave, then they ought to be a precursor to him, separated by a thousand years. Best not to think about it too much--that way madness lies.