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

[Jim Kelly]

ACTION COMICS 263 (April 1960)--2nd story, "Supergirl's Darkest Day" by Binder and Mooney; r. ACTION COMICS 347 [G-33] (March-April 1967):

When the Maid of Might rescues a boy at sea, he later turns up at Midvale Orphanage. Because he speaks a foreign tongue that no one understands, he's given the name Johnny Blank.

Linda Lee is entrusted with teaching Johnny how to speak English and he figures out that she has super-powers. But the orphan keeps her secret. However, Supergirl realizes that Johnny himself can see in the dark and is from another planet.





In fact, his real name is Valzorr, from the planet Korvia, where he's a prince. When his aunt and uncle, the queen and king of that world, were lost in a teleportation accident, he was accused of their murder and fled to Earth in his space cruiser, which was wrecked in a storm.

The Action Amiga repairs the space cruiser and takes Valzorr back to Korvia where she acts as his attorney, to defend him against the murder charges.



It was actually the prime minister, Zoxxo, who messed with the teleportation device so the royal couple's atoms remained scattered in outer space. The Girl of Steel is able to put in the right computer code to return the king and queen from limbo.

[Jim Kelly]

ACTION COMICS 265 (June 1960)--2nd story, "The Day Supergirl Revealed Herself" by Binder and Mooney:

Supergirl suffers partial amnesia when a comet crosses her path in the skies over Smallville; the comet's tail contains particles of red K. Forgetting her secret identity of Linda Lee and her promise to Superman, the Girl of Steel is taken into the home of two scientists, who were blinded by the comet, Ralph and Ellen Evans. The Maid of Might assumes the guise of Gloria Smith, their nursing aid.

As one boy in Smallville remarks, the town has been dead since Superboy left them years ago, but now with the appearance of Supergirl, the townspeople are excited to see another Red and Blue Blur in action.

At the town's Superboy Museum, there stands a towering robot warrior, which the Boy of Steel brought back from an alien world in one of his unrecorded adventures. A bolt of lightning brings back to life the deactivated automaton, which then rampages through Smallville on a path of destruction, before Supergirl stops it dead in its tracks with a blast of x-ray vision.





From his Fortress of Solitude, the Man of Steel happens to witness that Smallville has a new Caped Champion. Realizing that his cousin has been affected by red K., Superman sprays a gas laced with green K. over his old hometown, so the last few days are forgotten by everyone, including Supergirl.

Note: Although this story won the cover for that month, the lead story was "The Superman from Outer Space" concerning the tragic fate of Hyperman--see post #3.

[Jim Kelly]

SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN 46 (July 1960)--1st story, "Jimmy Olsen, Orphan" by Siegel, Swan and Forte:

When the cub reporter goes to take photos of a flood in Martindale, Jimmy attempts to rescue a kitten, but ends up banging his head on a log. Now with amnesia, Olsen is given the name "Tom Davis" and sent to the Midvale Orphanage.



This is when Jimmy first officially meets Linda Lee. He doesn't know he has met her as Supergirl already--first in SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN 40 (October 1959) and then again in issue 44 (April 1960), when the Girl of Steel kissed Jimmy secretly, as "Miss X" to remove his were-wolf curse--see post #80

Linda Lee recognizes him, but doesn't dare reveal who he really is for fear this will somehow blow her cover. She covertly prevents anyone from adopting him.



His memory soon comes back to him, as Olsen reveals to Linda Lee; however, he keeps up the pretense as Tom Davis so he can use the material for a story on being an orphan.

[Jim Kelly]

SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE 20 (October 1960)--3rd story, "Lois Lane's Super-Daughter" by Jerry Siegel and Kurt Schaffenberger; r. 80 PAGE GIANT MAGAZINE 14 (September 1965):

In the early 1960s, there was a series of imaginary stories about the marriage of Clark Kent and Lois Lane--beginning in SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE 19 (August 1960), "Mr. and Mrs. Clark (Superman) Kent."

The whole series seems intended to prove to readers just why Superman marrying Lois would be such a disaster. Lois is the type that can't settle down and live a domestic life and Superman makes a terrible husband.

"Lois Lane's Super-Daughter" is the second one in the series and has Clark and Lois going to Midvale Orphanage to adopt Linda Lee.



Superman and his beautiful cousin get along together, of course. Lois Lane is a just a fifth wheel in that relationship.





Lois comes across as an unfit mother and Linda is taken back to the orphanage, by Mrs. Clayton, the investigator. Supergirl and Superman are cheesed off at Lois and she's humiliated.

[Jim Kelly]

ACTION COMICS 270 (November 1960)--1st story, "The Old Man of Metropolis," by Binder, Swan and Forte; r. 80 PAGE GIANT [Superman Annual] No. 1 (August 1964):

One day, Perry White sends Clark Kent to Midvale Orphanage to do a piece on the orphans there. When he meets Linda Lee, she hands him a sample of her writing to see if she has any potential.

At home, Clark begins to read "My Career as Superwoman by Linda Lee" as the orphan imagines her future as the World's Greatest Super-Hero once her cousin has retired from old age. But fatigued from a previous brush with Kryptonite, Kent has a nap.

He's roused by a runaway rocket from Cape Canaveral and gives chase. When the Man of Steel gains too much speed, he crashes through the time barrier into the future. There, he realizes he's become an old man and, when he tries to use his super-powers, he has none. Just then his cousin shows up--now calling herself Superwoman. She tells him that, after so many encounters with Kryptonite, he lost his super-powers and she took over.



Going to the Daily Planet as Clark Kent, he's met by an older Jimmy Olsen, now the editor of the paper. Olsen knows he's Superman as does everyone else, since Clark revealed himself as the Metropolis Marvel once he lost his powers. Linda Lee shows up at the office, now that she's a reporter there, having taken his place. With his failing eyesight, the old man needs glasses to read.

Later, the senior citizen visits Jimmy, who has married Lucy Lane and has two kids. At City Hall, Luthor is the mayor, having gone straight and found a cure for cancer. Lana Lang is married to a millionaire and Clark expects that Lois has also found a sugar daddy and wouldn't want to see him.



When he spots Krypto, the former Super-Dog is also old and powerless. Before Clark can get to the pooch, he's been nabbed by the pound.

Deciding to leave Metropolis, the weary wanderer buys a used rocket which takes him to the Fortress of Solitude. Superwoman arrives to let him in, since he can't handle the giant key anymore. Inside, the Woman of Steel has taken over the sanctum, with all her trophies. His souvenirs are in a storeroom gathering dust.

Rocketing back to Metropolis, Clark finds some Kryptonite lying in the street and picks it up--it no longer affects him. But a cop arrests him, as Kryptonite is a banned substance, and the geezer is thrown in the slammer, sharing a cell with Bizarro Superman who has also fallen on hard times.

Kent is sprung from jail by Lois Lane, who has paid his fine. She informs him that she became an old maid waiting for him to pop the question.

Just as it looks like the two might end up getting hitched, an uncanny force takes hold of Clark and he awakens from an apparent dream. Supposedly Linda's essay brought on the dream and his imagination filled in the rest.



Note: It seems like Linda must have imagined a grand future for herself but a bleak future for Superman, if her story inspired this dream.

[Jim Kelly]

SUPERMAN 142 (January 1961)--1st story, "Lois Lane's Secret Helper" by Binder and Schaffenberger; r. LIMITED COLLECTORS' EDITION C-31 (October-November 1974):

When Supergirl and Krypto spy on Lois and Lucy in their apartment, the Canny Canine sets out to play matchmaker, imagining a wonderful family life for himself.



Observing the courting rituals of humans, the Super-Dog sets a romantic scene in the park, with chirping birds to serenade the lovers. But a herd of cats spoils the mood. Krypto is not pleased with these felines and drives them into a pond.



Further efforts fail, but when Lois adopts a lost pup she names, "Beauty," the Dog of Steel decides to set an example for Lois and Superman, by romancing Beauty with a heap of bones. It looks like the Man of Tomorrow is ready to take the plunge, before a pile of other dogs descend on the bones.



Disgusted with Superman, the lovely reporter takes Krypto as her own pet.

[Riv86672]

Wanted to say thanks Jim Kelly, for the in depth reading list on Clark’s in between years.

Much appreciated!

[Jim Kelly]

Super-Cat-a-Log of Action

ACTION COMICS 261 (February 1960)--3rd story, "Supergirl's Super-Pet" by Siegel and Mooney; r. ACTION COMICS 334 [G-20] (March 1966)
ACTION COMICS 266 (July 1960)--2nd story, "The World's Mightiest Cat" by Siegel and Mooney
ACTION COMICS 270 (November 1960)--2nd story, "Supergirl's Busiest Day" by Siegel and Mooney; r. ACTION COMICS 341 (September 1966)
ACTION COMICS 271 (December 1960)--1st story, "Voyage to Dimension X" by Binder and Plastino; 2nd story, "Supergirl's Fortress of Solitude" by Siegel and Mooney; 2nd story r. ACTION COMICS 334 [G-20] (March 1966); cover art by Swan and Kaye.
ACTION COMICS 277 (June 1961)--2nd story,"The Battle of the Super-Pets" by Siegel and Mooney; r. ACTION COMICS 373 [G-57] (March-April 1969):



In "Supergirl's Super-Pet," Linda Lee adopts a stray ginger tom, that she names Streaky, on account of the lightning streaks on either side. When the pet is exposed to a chunk of Kryptonite that the Action Amiga has experimented on--what is called X-Kryptonite--Streaky becomes the Super-Cat.

[Jim Kelly]

Whenever the Old Gold Grimalkin is energized, he assumes a haughty attitude.



Streaky returns in ACTION COMICS 266 and that time the X-Kryptonite is encased inside a ball of twine down in the cellar of Midvale Orphanage where, whenever Linda's pet plays with it, he gets a whiff of the unique isotope and becomes "The World's Mightiest Cat!"



While the first story in ACTION COMICS 270 had the now grown Superwoman taking over the Fortress of Solitude, the second story has Supergirl celebrating her 16th birthday and Superman rewarding her with her own room in the Fortress.



However, by the very next ish, the Girl of Steel has decided to build her own Fortress of Solitude under the sands of the Arabian Desert. Streaky will also make this hideaway his home away from the home for orphans.

[Jim Kelly]

For "Supergirl's Fortress of Solitude," she goes treasure hunting to stock up on trophies from other worlds, including an aura bracelet from a world where everything is free.



Once the Tempestuous Tabby gets another whiff of X-Kryptonite, he flies to visit the new headquarters and his playroom. However, neither Super-Cat nor Supergirl knows the source of these temporary powers--therefore it's unpredictable when and for how long the Sassy Sourpuss will be super-powered.



When the Maid and Malkin of Might are away from their inner sanctum, the den is discovered by the unscrupulous archaeologist Damon Brant, who thus learns this Girl of Steel poses as Linda Lee at Midvale Orphanage. So he and his wife adopt Linda to exploit her talents.

A flash of the Feisty Feline's x-ray vision happens to partially burn both the Brants' brains, causing amnesia in each.

[Jim Kelly]

Note: The lead story, "Voyage to Dimension X," in ACTION COMICS 271 features a glowing figure that looks exactly like Electro--covered in post #303--"The Jury of Super-Enemies," ACTION COMICS 286 (March 1962).

However, "The Jury of Super-Enemies" is just a dream; whereas, in this story, "Dimension X" is a bunk and Light Ray Man is a fake. Yet it seems like the glowing guy in 271 must have been the inspiration for the one in issue 286.

A U.F.O. performs three good deeds. When it lands on Earth, out of the globe comes a glowing figure--"an electronic image projected from Dimension X." Superman is asked to enter the spherical vessel and come to Dimension X to defeat a menace there.



In fact, this is one of Luthor's deceptions. "The Light Ray Man" is made from neon tubing. The Man of Steel can't see where he's going because the small globe is made of lead--but he can hear what's outside and, by the sounds, he knows he hasn't left the Earth. He's been brought to the Sahara Desert. Meanwhile, Luthor sends a substitute Superman in a second globe who gives a false report of the dire situation in Dimension X.

[Jim Kelly]

Jealous of Krypto, Streaky gets in a fight with the Dog of Steel in issue 277 of ACTION COMICS, "The Battle of the Super-Pets."



Supergirl takes the two rivals to a planetoid where they can settle their differences without causing damage on Earth. However, the planetoid turns out to have strange properties of its own.



They discover that it's a "Practical-Joke-Planetoid" which serves as the Headquarters of the Interplanetary Multi-Dimensional Practical Joker Club, which has Mr. Mxyzptlk as its leader.



At the end of the story, Beppo the Super-Monkey also shows up.

[Jim Kelly]

SUPERMAN 144 (April 1961)--3rd story, "The Orphans of Space" by Siegel and Plastino; r. SUPERMAN 213 (January 1969):



Superman, Supergirl and Krypto gather at the Fortress of Solitude where they examine a piece of space junk the Man of Might has brought back from one of his travels. As he takes it apart, it suddenly explodes, destroying the Earth. The three Kryptonians survive amid the wreckage of what was once our green-blue world.



They are arrested by the Interstellar Council of United Planets, stripped of their super-powers and exiled to a primitive planet.



However, this has all been a hallucination induced by red Kryptonite dust that clung to their red capes. Throughout this adventure, the Dog Knight does not seem too impressed with his two-legged companions.

[Jim Kelly]

ACTION COMICS 272 (January 1961)--2nd story, “The Second Supergirl” by Binder and Mooney
ACTION COMICS 273 (February 1961)--2nd story, “The Supergirl of Two Worlds” by Binder and Mooney:

Not a prank. Not a dream. Not a ruse like Mighty Maid. Marvel Maid and her cousin Marvel Man are for real super-heroes from the planet Terra. As already covered in post #7 --Supergirl goes there to prove to Superman that she's worthy of revealing herself to the public. On Terra, the big red boot is on the other foot, as it's Marvel Man who must hide in the shadows.



I wonder what would have happened if Marvel Maid and Marvel Man had proved popular with the readers and were brought back for many more appearances. If they had enjoyed as much success as the Legion of Super-Heroes and had their own feature, Marvel Comics might not have become Marvel Comics. And while Britain had its own Marvelman, I don't think this would have got in the way of Marvel Man from Terra, since Britain's Marvelman was a rip-off of Captain Marvel.



Terra seems to be more progressive than Earth when it comes to women's rights. Their first astronaut in space is female. Perhaps having Marvel Maid as their World's Greatest Super-Hero has proven that women deserve equality with men.

[Jim Kelly]

ACTION COMICS 273 also has a special page featuring possible new hairstyles for Linda Lee's wig. Should she go with the Pony Tail Sophisticate, the Lori Lemaris Special, the Kitten Cut (Streaky), the Campus Cuddle-Bun, the Contempo Cut or stick with the regular pigtails? You decide.