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

[Jim Kelly]

Meanwhile, Lois has borrowed from the museum a copy of the Star Sapphire costume, which happens to include the genuine sapphire of power.



Carol, sensing the presence of the sapphire, comes to the Galaxy Building and gains her gem, fully transforming her into Star Sapphire. She puts the sapphire around the Man of Steel's neck to enslave him and demand he kiss her boot.



Lois puts on the Star Sapphire copycat costume to confuse the Red and Blue Blur, issuing her own commands. When he flips over in the air, the necklace falls off.

[Jim Kelly]

Next week: Captain Strong

[marhawkman]

SUPERMAN 261 (February 1973)--"Slave of Star Sapphire" by Bates, Swan and Anderson; cover art by Nick Cardy:





When Carol Ferris suffers a delusion that Superman has killed Green Lantern, it triggers her Star Sapphire personality to seek vengeance on the murderer.

This feels od, since it seems to indicate that physical separation... at least in this case, did NOt remove the Sapphire's influence from Carol... that or Carol is evil.

[Jim Kelly]

This feels od, since it seems to indicate that physical separation... at least in this case, did NOt remove the Sapphire's influence from Carol... that or Carol is evil.

I thought this was staged clumsily in the comic; however, maybe this can be seen as foreshadowing what happens to Carol later in the GREEN LANTERN comic--see posts #769 - 771 for the 411. I don't know if Cary Bates, Denny O'Neil and Steve Englehart were all on the same wavelength or if it just works out that way for poor Ms. Ferris. Being the girl friend of a Green Lantern is not a happy lot.

[marhawkman]

I thought this was staged clumsily in the comic; however, maybe this can be seen as foreshadowing what happens to Carol later in the GREEN LANTERN comic--see posts #769 - 771 for the 411. I don't know if Cary Bates, Denny O'Neil and Steve Englehart were all on the same wavelength or if it just works out that way for poor Ms. Ferris. Being the girl friend of a Green Lantern is not a happy lot.

Then years later..... Jillian Pearlman gets sucked into it.... and Carol decides to be Star Sapphire as a full-time job.

[Jim Kelly]

I should also mention that Lois uses the same trick to get the necklace off Superman that Superman used to get the necklace off Luthor in "When Titans Clash." It seems likely to me that--when they reprinted this Powerstone story in issue 252--Schwartz, Bridwell and Bates had the idea to use the same ploy in a new story and they weren't too fussy about how they got the characters into a situation for that to happen.

[Jim Kelly]

He's Strong to the Finich

ACTION COMICS 421 (February 1973)--"The Fantastic Feats of Captain Strong" by Bates, Swan and Anderson; cover by Nick Cardy
ACTION COMICS 439 (September 1974)--"Too Big to Live" by Bates, Swan and Oksner:



Billy Anders--"The Kid Who…Saved Superman…Stole Superman's Powers…Knocked Out Superman"--see posts #237 - 239--tells Clark Kent about meeting a new super-hero in town, the Sailor Man called "Captain Strong."



The Super Swabby wants to make a deal with Glute Foods for marketing "Sauncha"--the seaweed that gives Captain Strong his amazing abilities. But Glute plays dirty to get the Sauncha away from the Old Salt. Infuriated--and high on Sauncha--the Seadog goes after Glute Food's head honcho. When the Man of Might tries to stop Captain Strong, the two powerhouses trade blows.

The Red and Blue Blur realizes that the Sauncha is an addiction, playing with the Sailor Man's mind and emotions--the more he gets, the more he needs. When Captain Strong crashes, he ends up in the hospital. Superman explains that the Sauncha was produced by alien spores from somewhere in the universe.





Note: Some claim that Popeye was "The First (Arf, Arf!) Superhero of Them All"--i.e., Bill Blackbeard, chapter 4, ALL IN COLOR FOR A DIME (1970, Ace Books). Captain Strong comes as close as possible to the real Popeye meeting Superman, unless National Periodicals could have made an arrangement with King Features or Charlton. Now that would have been some crossover!

Created in 1929 by E.C. Segar for his THIMBLE THEATRE comic strip--syndicated by King Features--by this time (1972 - 1974) Popeye was in a series of special comic books from King. Meanwhile, Charlton had begun publishing POPEYE THE SAILOR in 1969 (until 1977), issues 94 - 138--previously published by Dell (1948 - 1961, Nos. 1 - 65), Gold Key (1962 - 1966, Nos. 66 - 80) and King (1966 - 1967, Nos. 81 - 92); after Charlton, Whitman would pick up the series (1978 - 1984, Nos. 139 - 171). That's not to mention all the other publishers in the United States, and even more around the world, that have sold various Popeye comics.

[Jim Kelly]

Captain Strong describes to Clark Kent a violent encounter with a big brute, just as the Skipper was proposing to his sweet patootie, Olivia Tallow. They were attacked on board Strong's houseboat and the burly bruiser tossed the Captain onto the dock. Without his Sauncha, the Sailor Man was no match for the bearded blowhard. The 20th Century Sindbad went to Clark to contact Superman to show that barbaric bully what-for and free dear Olivia from the caveman's clutches.



In truth, the primitive looking belligerent is indifferent to Olivia's fate.



Later, the Man of Steel learns from S.T.A.R. scientists that the beefy brawler is not of this world. Two archaeologists, Carson and Knox, discovered the so-called caveman in a frozen state--the creature was thus dubbed "Carnox" for the two men that discovered him. In fact, Carnox wasn't frozen in ice but in a liquid of unearthly origin.

[Jim Kelly]

Clark Kent informs the Captain and Olivia that Carnox is likely hunting for Sauncha and will come after Strong in hopes the Man of the Sea will lead him to it. So Clark suggests that the Seadog stay with him.



Living together at 344 Clinton, Kent and Strong are an odd couple, but soon enough Carnox comes after the Captain. Superman grabs the beastly behemoth and takes him out to sea where the patch of Sauncha is located. When Carnox falls to the seabed, he returns to the surface totally transformed by the Sauncha into a little bald guy. Returned to his natural form, the alien is able to speak.

A space explorer, he landed on Earth a million years ago but had an allergic reaction to our atmosphere which increased his size and his strength. He entered cryo-sleep to save his life, as he was now "Too Big to Live."



The Man of Tomorrow takes Carnox into the past, so he may return to his space ship and roam the seven seas of space, once more. Now Captain Strong and Olivia Tallow can get on with their wedding plans.

Note: Just as Captain Strong is an ersatz Popeye, so his sweetheart, Olivia Tallow, is an obvious counterpart to Olive Oyl. The brawling beastman, Carnox, seems like a substitute for Bluto (a.k.a. Brutus), but in reality he's a wimpy swee' pea when you get right down to it.

[Jim Kelly]

SUPERMAN 262 (March 1973)--1st story, "The Skyscraper That Screamed For Its Life" by Maggin, Swan and Anderson; 2nd story, "Puzzle of the Telepathic Twins" by Maggin, Swan and Anderson:

The first story in this issue introduces Peter Demeos, one of the movers and shakers in Metropolis. As he tells reporter Clark Kent, he grew up in poverty on a Greek island before a UNICEF grant allowed him to attend Hudson University, in the U.S. In a short time, he became a billionaire.

He lives atop the Demeos Building, which screams and shakes as if possessed by a disturbed spirit.

In fact, the Caped Kryptonian discovers that a Ninukab--a legendary demon that space-travellers say inhabits buildings and spaceships--has taken possession of the office tower.







After Superman destroys the entire building, this seems to have exorcised the Ninukab.

Note: Earlier in this story, when the Man of Steel saves Demeos for the first time, the billionaire shouts, "Thank Apollo!" Granted he's Greek, but modern Greeks do not put their faith in the Olympian gods. Not here on Earth-Prime, but maybe on Earth-One, where the Olympians are still active, the religion has a vital following.

[Jim Kelly]

The Private Life of Clark Kent in this issue introduces two of Clark's fellow tenants at 344 Clinton Street, the Marigold twins, April and May. When Clark learns that they have telepathic abilities, he books them on his show STRANGER THAN FICTION, which needs a ratings boost.



Broadcasting the program from the old auditorium at Metropolis University, when the balcony begins to buckle under the weight of all the T.V. equipment, Clark has faith that the twins will intuit the danger, so he won't have to switch to Superman to save the day.





Sure enough, they sound the alarm and no one is hurt. The sensational incident increases the audience for the show, to the delight of Morgan Edge.

Note: Given one is named April and the other May, I wonder if the twins were born around midnight, on April 30th and May 1st.

[Jim Kelly]

SUPERGIRL 4 (March 1973)--1st story, "The Borrowed Brain" by Bates, Saaf and Colletta:

Linda's love interest for the issue, David, is secretly a crime boss.



When he suffers a brain injury, Supergirl harvests some of her own brain cells and transplants them to David's damaged brain.



When he recovers, he now has super-powers and becomes the Super Scavenger, before being brought to justice.

[Jim Kelly]

SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN 157 (March 1973)--1st story, "The Strange Second Life of Jimmy Olsen" by Dorfman, Schaffenberger and Colletta; 2nd story, "Secret of the Forbidden Faces" by Bates, Schaffenberger and Colletta:

As in the "Olsen the Red" story, Jimmy finds himself being thrown back into the past, after staring at a gem called the Star of Cathay. This time he's Marco Polo, but unlike the previous adventure, this doesn't seem to be merely a delusion--he is actually the man himself, in Cathay (China) of the 13th century.



Marco-Jimmy releases from a bottle Kurol the Djinn, who tells a fantastic tale. His people are from a doomed planet--an Earthman came to their world in a rocketship and offered to transport a few of them to Earth, but in the form of living vapour, trapped in these bottles.



With the help of Kurol's magical abilities, the Polo Olsen rescues Kalifa, daughter of Kublai Khan, from the clutches of the evil Timur. But when the red-headed adventurer commands the Djinn to return to the bottle, fortune goes against the Polo expedition, Kalifa is killed and Jimmy-Marco is taken prisoner by Timur.

In his prison cell, the red-headed wanderer releases Kurol from the bottle once more, but the Djinn betrays his master and hands him over to Timur. About to be beheaded, Jimmy returns to the present day--not knowing if he is truly Marco Polo or truly Jimmy Olsen. This story will be picked up in a future issue.



The real life Timur (a.k.a Tamerlane) existed after the time of Marco Polo, so maybe this guy is an ancestor.

In the second story, Edge assigns Olsen to interview the Amazing Vargas, who has exposed the mob's illegal gambling in Las Vegas. Jimmy also has to get a photograph of Vargas, but no one has ever successfully taken a picture of the mentalist. In fact, Vargas wears a thin mask that makes it impossible to take his picture and he uses hypnosis so no one truly knows what he looks like. In the end, Vargas lets Olsen photograph him and Mr. Action is surprised to see the real face of the mentalist. Years ago, Vargas was scarred and presumably has grotesque features (we never see what he actually looks like). Edge doesn't believe that the person in the photo is Vargas and tears it up.

On his letter pages, Boltinoff had the annoying practice of publishing edited down portions of missives. This meant, as a letter writer, you had a better chance of getting published, yet likely only a sentence or two from your entire epistle would see print [speaking from experience].

[Jim Kelly]

DC 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR DC-15 (March 1973)--"Superboy and the World's Greatest Super-Heroes"; cover art by Nick Cardy:





There are four Superboy stories in this issue, reprinted from--

ADVENTURE COMICS 273 (June 1960)--1st story, "The Boy Who Was Stronger Than Superboy" by Siegel and Papp
▪ Young Ted Grahame gains super-strength from a meteor. Considering the threat to his parents from gangland, he chooses to give up his power and throws the meteor into space, so he can live a normal life.

SUPERBOY 57 (June 1957)--2nd story, "The Boy of the Year Contest" by Binder and Sikela
▪ Four boys with special skills are finalists in a national "Boy of the Year" contest. Clark Kent is the surprise winner in the end.

SUPERBOY 63 (March 1958)--1st story, "The Trial of Superboy" by Coleman and Flessel
▪ The Boy of Steel stands trial for destruction of property by the rocket that brought him to Earth.

SUPERBOY 130 (June 1966)--3rd story, "Superbaby's Search for a Pet," by Binder and Papp
▪ Little Clark goes looking for a pet--see post #366.



As the editor explains in "Meet the Super-Stars," prior to 1960 the red sun origin story hadn't been invented yet.

[Jim Kelly]

SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE 130 (April 1973)--1st story, "The Mental Murder" by Bates, Rosenberger and Colletta; 2nd story, "Nightmare Alley" by Kanigher and Heck:

To all the other crime bosses in Metropolis add another one--Lady LaRue. She sends two lowlife brothers to the home of Jane Vixon, a reputed psychic, to offer her two million dollars for the secret identity of Superman. The medium performs a mystic rite and apparently gains knowledge of the Man of Steel's alias; however, she is overcome by the shock and falls unconscious. The brothers flee, but Lois Lane discovers Vixon, who is sent to the hospital.

Without realizing it, Vixon transferred the knowledge that Clark Kent is the World's Greatest Super-Hero into Lane's subconscious. Lois then begins having recurring nightmares where she shoots Clark only to find out that he's Superman.

Learning from the mentalist that Lois Lane knows the alias of the Action Ace, Lady LaRue sends her stooges to abduct the reporter. They find her at the office of a psychiatrist, Dr. Thadius Thadwick. The brothers gas them both and turn them over to Lady LaRue. The crime boss shoots Thadwick, replicating what Lois dreamed--the psychiatrist is really Superman who bags the three baddies. Lois is none the wiser.

The other roommates appear in this story and are mentioned in others, but this is the last time they show their faces in this title.

The Thorn meets a repentant rogue at the graveside of her father. He was one of the men who shot Sgt. Phil Forrest. He's gunned down before he can give up anymore information about the killing. This is the last Thorn story for a long time--her next appearance is in SUPERMAN 336. It's odd that Kanigher would decide to drop his own creation after only a few issues as editor.