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

[marhawkman]

which seems to have inspired the art style of later Lex super suits.

[Jim Kelly]

which seems to have inspired the art style of later Lex super suits.

Designed by George Perez.

[Jim Kelly]

SUPERBOY 145 (March 1968)--1st story, "The Fantastic Faces" by Otto Binder, George Papp and Frank Springer; on sale January 2nd, 1968:



For the people of Thraxx, in another dimension, "The Superboy of Earth" is a Galaxo Movie Studio production of an Opti-Screen show that they watch on their giant wall screens. Everyone believes it's fiction and the characters are played by actors.



In reality, the producer Jolax uses a super space camera to peer into the other dimension and film Superboy's actual adventures.

However, the sponsors of the program have notes. They believe the actors playing Clark's foster parents are too old and therefore young people can't relate to them. They order Jolax to replace these actors with younger ones.



In a pickle, Jolax decides to make the actual Kents much younger--using a formula that rejuvenates criminals so they can live their lives over again and make better choices. The formula is in the Kents' well water, so when Martha makes some lemonade, she and Jonathan become years younger overnight. Clark thinks this is due to a space jewel he found, but later he realizes it has no effect.

[Jim Kelly]

When it becomes clear that this is no temporary effect, Clark has to think of a way to explain how his parents got so young without it being tied back to him and exposing his true identity.

The Kid from Krypton discovers that the source is from the well water and has his parents invite other elderly folks over to the house so they will all drink the formula. At the same time, he fakes a passing comet--so when the seniors are rejuvenated the Smallville News reports that the comet's rays mysteriously turned old people young.



Meanwhile, on Thraxx, the sponsors have the idea to do a new series about a Superman and use the old actors for the parents.

In the final panel, Clark, Jonathan and Martha speak directly to the readers, assuring us that this change is permanent and from now on the Kents will stay young.



But then they don't know what Thraxx might have to say about that.

[Jim Kelly]

SUPERBOY 130 (June 1966)--2nd story, a Super-Turtle story (no title) by Henry Boltinoff; 3rd story, "Superbaby's Search for a Pet" by Otto Binder and George Papp; cover art by Curt Swan and George Klein:

Henry Boltinoff's Super-Turtle was a gag featurette (partial page or full page cartoon) that first appeared in ADVENTURE COMICS 304 (January 1963), on sale November 29th, 1962.



While Super-Turtle was a parody of Superman, they rarely ever met. That he exists in a world where Superman is known is established--such as in ADVENTURE COMICS 317 (February 1964).



But in SUPERBOY 130, Superboy asks the Terrapin of Tomorrow to take over for him while he goes on vacation.

[Jim Kelly]

Missing Krypto--the pet he had on Krypton--little Clark goes searching for another pet.



When he sees a planetoid, drifting across the sky, he follows after it and finds on the surface a blob, which is a chameleon creature. Able to read Superbaby's thoughts, the alien takes different shapes. But when the toddler's new pet attacks him, little Clark escapes from the shape-shifter.

[Jim Kelly]

THE SUPERMAN FAMILY 182 (March-April 1977)--2nd story, "Superbaby's Alien Pet" by E. Nelson Bridwell, John Calnan and Joe Giella:



When Superbaby brings home an alien pet to the Kent farm, Ma Kent is shocked. The Kid from Krypton builds a containment cage for the monster. However, when Clark brings his father to the spaceship that his pet arrived in, Jonathan deduces this is no beast but rather the pilot of the spaceship.





Once the Tot of Steel learns the alien's language, Superbaby is able to repair the spaceship and send his alien friend back on his way.

[Jim Kelly]

THE SUPERMAN FAMILY 195 (May-June 1979)--1st story, "Cure of the Un-Secret Identity" by Marty Pasko, Alex Saviuk and Giella:

Superboy gets his wish when he encounters a pair of aliens of the Xyth, super-sorcerors in a distant star system.



The Kents become invulnerable and now that they are safe from harm, the Boy of Steel dispenses with his Clark Kent deception--becoming Superboy all the time. That only leads to more problems for everyone.

The Caped Kryptonian regrets that he ever made his wish and then realizes everything he experienced was a fantasy induced by the Xyth so he could see the outcome of such a wish.

[Jim Kelly]

THE SUPERMAN FAMILY 197 (September-October 1979)--1st story, "Superboy's Split Personalty" by Cary Bates, Kurt Schaffenberger and Giella:

When Clark Kent's high school science teacher, Philip Mason, tells him that he's actually Klaxxu, an alien from the planet Aryll and so is Clark--the Boy of Steel plays along, but finds it hard to resist the suggestion that he is really Bovra of Aryll.



The people of Aryll have strong mental powers. Klaxxu is astounded by Clark's brain power (not knowing he's Superboy) and the Aryllan plans to use young "Bovra" in his quest for world domination.



In the end, the Red and Blue Blur knocks out Klaxxu with helium (an Aryllan weakness) and brings him back to his homeworld.



Note: The set up for this story is a rehash of "The Man Who Destroyed Krypton," SUPERBOY 67 (September 1958) where Clark's science teacher reveals that he's actually an alien--but in this case one from Krypton--he's actually Klax-Ar. And he also tries to get Clark to leave Earth with him. That story was reprinted only a few months later in SUPERBOY SPECTACULAR (1980)--an obvoius example of showing your work, something ever science teacher expects from their pupil.

[Jim Kelly]

In SUPERMAN FAMILY 198 (November-December 1979), at the end of that issue's Superboy story (by Bates/Schaffenberger/Giella), it's announced that the Boy of Steel will be getting his own title.



Next: The New Adventures of Superboy begin!

[Jim Kelly]

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY No. 1 (January 1980)--"The Most Important Year of Superboy's Life" by Bates, Schaffenberger and Dave Hunt:

In the first issue debut, Clark celebrates his 16th birthday. Jonathan and Martha put one extra candle on his birthday cake, which they have been doing ever since his 8th birthday.

In a flashback, we learn the reason why.

When Clark turned eight years old, he began his career as Superboy. In one of his first public appearances, the Boy of Steel is about to rescue an airplane piloted by Ace Morgan [note: Ace later becomes one of the Challengers of the Unknown] before realizing the aircraft's dangerous trajectory is all part of the show. However, at that moment, a spaceship appears and the alien occupants abduct the Kid from Krypton.

Flashing back even further in time--millions of years--the two aliens Byrn and Myla are from a planet that suffered a deadly space-plague. They perfected a cure too late to save anyone but themselves. Their cure has a unpredicted side effect, making them immortal.





So for a couple million years they wander the universe, becoming bored with such a long life, when they come upon the rocket ship of baby Kal-El fleeing his doomed planet and entering a space warp. They are drawn into the warp, as well, but lose track of Kal-El when he enters normal space-time in our solar system.

The alien couple then spend the next six years [note: this should mean that Kal-El was about two years old when Krypton exploded] tracking down the Last Son of Krypton.

Now, when Clark is eight years old, they make an offer to swap their immortality with him, using their advanced technology. To the surprise of Jonathan and Martha, their son agrees--even though this will mean he will be eight years old forever.

Ultimately, Superboy has duped the aliens. Their exchange device does not work--his vision powers have neutralized it--but they think it has. This causes a placebo effect where, because Byrn and Myla believe they are mortal, they begin to age again.



And as a token of thanks for their son's growth, the Kents put an extra candle on his birthday cake each year.

Note: By the time of THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY, both Kents have glasses and Jonathan's hairline is receding. When the story in this issue flashes back to eight year old Clark, the Kents have silver hair and glasses.

[Jim Kelly]

ACTION COMICS 507 (May 1980)--"The Miraculous Return of Jonathan Kent" by Bates, Curt Swan and Francisco Chiaramonte; on sale February 28th, 1980
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY 5 (May 1980)--"Secret of the Super-Power Failures" by Bates, Schaffenberger and Hunt; on sale February 28th, 1980
ACTION COMICS 508 (June 1980)--"The Secret World of Jonathan Kent" by Bates, Swan and Chiaramonte; on sale March 27th, 1980:

On March 6th, after completing the evening broadcast of the news, the two co-anchors and best friends (they've known each other since their childhood in Smallville) Lana Lang and Clark Kent go out to Marcel's, a fancy French restaurant, where Lana has invited a special guest to meet them there--someone who has known them both nearly all their lives. Who could this surprise person be, Clark wonders, when it's revealed to be his father, Jonathan Kent.

Clark is aghast, since he saw his father die years earlier--both Jonathan and Martha having suffered from a rare disease, for which no cure could be found. The young broadcaster assumes that this is some kind of joke--but a sick one--on Lana's part. However, she's not lying. Clark knows she's not lying, because he is in reality Superman and his super senses (monitoring her responses like a lie detector) indicate that she is not lying. Furthermore, a super-analysis of Jonathan Kent proves that the man is who he claims to be, even though this should be impossible.





At the same time, there appears on the scene a free-spirited individual named Starshine. In the 1960s, such a person would be called a hippy or hippie--but this story is set in 1980, when most twenty-somethings were not called hippies.

Starshine has what he calls Please power, in that he can command another person to do whatever he wants, so long as he says "Please."

Jonathan pretends to have indigestion, so Clark can rush out to refill his prescription for him, allowing C.K. to change into the Man with the Big Red S. But when he confronts Starshine, the young firebrand tells the Man of Steel "to buzz off and catch a slow boat to China, please." This Superman does and he can only return to Metropolis after he's arrived in China on that slow boat (which he sped up with his super-breath).

[Jim Kelly]

The 5th issue of THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY provides a clue to how this "Miraculous Return" came to be, but not until the very end of the tale.

"Secret of the Super-Power Failures" has the Teen of Steel weakened for no apparent reason, until Pa Kent figures out that it's Ma Kent's tomatoes. They contain alien spores exposed to red sun radiation, which rob Clark of his powers.



Some time ago, an alien cargo ship had landed on Earth for repairs, but there was a small leak in its holds. When the vessel left Earth, spores seeped out into the atmosphere and were scattered over the land.

Knowing that the spores were meant to germinate under a red sun, the aliens became concerned that exposure to yellow sunlight could have dire consequences. The extraterrestrials have returned to Earth to destroy the spores.





After the Kid from Krypton has aided the aliens in finding the spores, they wish to reward him, but he takes no payment for his services, so they come to Jonathan Kent. Two strange visitors talk to Jonathan and promise him that one day they will make his impossible dream come true.

[Jim Kelly]

In ACTION 508 it's explained that, using science so advanced it seems miraculous, the two aliens brought Jonathan Kent back for 30 hours, so he could see his son as a grown man. However, when the senior from Smallville materialized in Metropolis, surrounded by an orange "Rega-Mist," Starshine happened to be nearby and the mist also answered his impossible dream--which was his Please power.



The latter day hippy uses his Please power to bar everyone over thirty from staying within the city limits of Metropolis. The Please power does not work on Pa Kent as he's under the same enchantment as Starshine. And the Man of Tomorrow is only twenty-nine. But Starshine tells Supes to "Please" beat himself up.

Suffering from his self-inflicted wounds, the Last Son of Krypton recuperates at Lois Lane's apartment. And Jonathan Kent, worried for his son, comes there looking for him.

Seeing the Red and Blue Champion in a weakened state, Dad Kent calls him "son" in front of Lois. The cat out of the bag, Clark is disappointed in his father and leaves in a mood. Jonathan blames himself, but Lois reassures him--hinting that she already knew that Clark and Superman were one and the same.



After the 30 hours are up, Jonathan Kent returns to the great beyond, while on Earth it's as if that time never happened.

[Jim Kelly]

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY 7 (July 1980)--1st story, "This Planet is Condemned" by Bates, Schaffenberger and Hunt:

Clark's fellow classmate, Willy Mason, believes he must have been adopted when he sees that his parents are actually aliens in disguise.



However, this is not the case as Herb and Lydia are Willy's biological parents, but two aliens, Romax and Ewula, have taken their place to set a trap for Superboy. When they warp 500 light years to their homeworld of Vulx, the Boy of Steel tags along--which is what they wanted all along.

The citizens of Vulx are threatened by a build up of Mutra Rays hitting their planet, which will soon kill everyone. But Superboy's Kryptonian body naturally soaks up Mutra Rays and as long as he stays on Vulx, everyone will be safe. Which means that Clark can't leave the alien world for an extended period of time without signing their death warrant.



The Red and Blue Blur exits the planet--dooming them to death in ten hours if he doesn't return. But he gets back before this happens, having collected a load of Kryptonite to shower on the planet. The K Metal from Krypton absorbs Mutra Rays, as well--anything from Krypton would--so there's no need for the Super-Youth to abandon his life on Earth.

The people of Vulx fashion the Kryptonite into a statue of Superboy to serve as a constant tribute to their saviour.