Superboy #165

Superboy #165 (On Sale: March 5, 1970) has cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

This issue begins with "The Super-Dog from Krypton" by Otto Binder, Curt Swan and John Fishetti and reprinted from Adventure Comics #210. This story tells the origin of Krypto, Superboy's dog. Superboy encounters a super powered dog on the streets of Smallville. The dog seems to recognize him and is friendly. Superboy follows the dog to a rocket that has recently crashed on Earth. Inside the rocket he finds papers which reveal that the dog came from Krypton. The dog was sent into space by Jor-El to test a rocket which was deflected by a meteor. The dog, Krypto, belonged to Kal-El as a baby. Krypto's ship eventually made its way to Earth.

Superboy is thrilled to have his dog back. However, Krypto's frisky nature and super powers cause several problems for Superboy including threatening his secret identity. Superboy constructs a super doghouse for Krypto, but the dog is easily able to free himself.

Eventually Krypto takes off into space to chase meteors. Superboy is happy that he won't have to deal with Krypto's antics anymore, but he is sad that his friend is gone.

Next we have "Superboy's Last Day" by Otto Binder and George Papp and reprinted from Adventure Comics #251. This story tells of Superboy's first encounter with Kryptonite. While cleaning house, Clark Kent recalls how one of his Superboy robots saved his life. Many years before, Pa Kent brought home a green glowing rock for Clark’s mineral collection. Clark immediately took ill and was on his deathbed. To replace him as Superboy, a recently constructed Superboy robot was sent out controlled by Jonathan.

When the robot returned, it inadvertently stepped in front of the Kryptonite. Being made of lead, the robot blocked the radiation. Superboy recovered but relapsed when the robot moved away. Pa Kent realizes that the rock must be responsible and places it inside the robot. Superboy recovers and learns that the rock was Kryptonite, a fragment of his home planet, which is deadly to him.

This is followed by "The Girl Who Saw the Future Superboy" by Jerry Coleman and Al Plastino and reprinted from Superboy #90. While helping her father clean a scientist’s lab, Lana accidentally activates a machine that allows her to see the future. Although the image only lasts for a moment, Lana sees Superman and his girlfriend, Lois Lane. Lana become jealous and tries to alter fate by getting Lois to enter a different career.

Lana visits Lois’s school and tries to sabotage Lois’s attempts to join the school paper. Failing in that, Lana tries to get Lois to pursue a career in science and later, sculpture. Each attempt fails due to the Unbeknownst actions of Superboy and Krypto.

Next we have "The Phantom Superboy" by Robert Bernstein and George Papp and reprinted from Adventure Comics #283. This is the first appearance of the Phantom Zone. Professor Lang discovers a box of Kryptonian weapons which he delivers to Superboy. While Superboy examines and tests the weapons, he is accidentally sent into the Phantom Zone, a dimension which exists near ours in which beings can only exist in a ghostly state. Kryptonian criminals were banished here before the destruction of the planet.

Unable to be seen or heard Superboy can not communicate with anyone in his own dimension. Eventually he discovers that his super thought is enough to activate an electric typewriter on which he types a message to Pa Kent. Jonathan rescues Superboy from the Zone, and then the Boy of Steel disposes of the box of weapons.

We end with "The Death of Ma and Pa Kent" by Leo Dorfman and Al Plastino and reprinted from Superman #161. While on vacation in the Caribbean, Jonathan and Martha Kent find a buried pirate’s treasure. The chest contains a scrap from the diary of Pegleg Morgan and presents them a mystery. Superboy carries them into the past to learn how Pegleg was stranded on the island by Blackbeard the Pirate.

When they return to present-day Smallville, the Kents become ill from jungle fever. Doctors are unable to find the cure, and Superboy is likewise helpless. Superboy tries to send them to the Phantom Zone, but solar flares prevent the projector from functioning.

Without a cure, the Kents die. Superboy blames himself for their deaths and gives up his Superboy career. He donates their money to charity, maintaining their house and store for himself. When searching through his father’s belongings he finds the diary scrap and learns that the chest the Kents found in the sand was the actually source of their illness. Relieved that his time-trip was not responsible for the death of his parents, Superboy resumes his career and treasures the memory of his Earth parents.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

DC Special #4

DC Special #4 (On Sale: May 22, 1969) has a cover by Neal Adams for the 13 Shock-Ending Stories issue.

We begin with a framing sequence for 13 Shock-Ending Stories 13 by Mark Hanerfeld and Bill Draut. This is famous for being the first appearance of Abel, caretaker of the House of Secrets. Not only did Hanerfeld write Abel's first appearance he is the original model for Abel.

Next is "Ghost Writer" drawn by Leonard Starr and reprinted from House of Mystery #19. That is followed by "The Magic Hammer" drawn by Jack Kirby and reprinted from Tales of the Unexpected #16 where it was originally entitled "The Magic Stick."

We next have "A Piece of Rope" from House of Mystery #5. Jerry Grandenetti drew "Last Mile Martin" from House of Mystery #15 "The Dream Lamp " is drawn by John Prentice and is reprinted from Tales of the Unexpected #1.

Next is "Door of No Return" written by Murray Boltinoff and drawn by George Roussos and reprinted from House of Secrets #62. That is followed by "Beware after Dark" drawn by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella and reprinted from Sensation Mystery #114.

"The Tree Man of Tanganyika" comes to us from House of Mystery #30 and is drawn by Ralph Mayo. Ralph Mayo was the art director of AC Comics in the 1940s. He drew 'Black Terror and Tim' for America's Best Comics, Black Terror and Exciting Comics. He also penciled some 'Miss Masque' splash pages. In the 1950s he drew Jann of the Jungle for Marvel, 'Camilla' for Fiction House and crime stories for Lev Gleason and St. John. He was penciller and/or inker on Dell titles like Dragoon Wells Massacre, Jungle Jim, Lassie, Quentin Durward and Roy Rogers. His first work for DC was in Mr. District Attorney #2 in 1948. He worked mainly on the Johnny Quick feature in Adventure Comics and drew 66 stories in all for DC before his death in 1956. Some of his last work was with Al Williamson on Jann of the Jungle.

Next is "Written in the Sands" drawn by George Papp and reprinted from House of Mystery #26. "The Secret of Salzo the Great" comes to us from artist John Prentice and House of Mystery #2. That is followed by "Secret Locked in the Ice" from House of Secrets #63 and the pen of artist Gene Colan.

Rounding out the issue is "The Bullet Man" drawn by Bernard Baily from Tales of the Unexpected #17 and "The Strange Faces of Death" drawn by Ruben Moreira and reprinted from House of Mystery #19.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Superboy #156

Superboy #156 (On Sale: March 6, 1969) has a cover by Curt Swan and Mike Esposito celebrating the 20th anniversary of Superboy.

We begin with "Superboy's Farewell to Smallville" from Adventure Comics #217 by Otto Binder, Curt Swan and Creig Flessel. A rocket ship lands on Earth. Two people emerge from the ship claiming to be Superboy's real parents, Jor-El and Lara. Superboy listens to their story in which they claim to have escaped Krypton's doom. Superboy happily believes them. Then they tell him that they want him to join them to live on another world. Superboy agrees, so he leaves Earth.

The story continues in "The Two Worlds of Superboy" from Adventure Comics #218 also by Otto Binder, Curt Swan and Creig Flessel. Superboy leaves Earth to live with two people claiming to be his real parents, Jor-El and Lara. When word of this reaches death row convict Duke Mason, he is angry. Mason has just deciphered a code which revealed Superboy's secret identity. With Superboy gone from Earth, Mason is unable to take revenge and dies in the electric chair.

Superboy witnesses the execution with his telescopic vision. He then decides that he can safely return to Earth. His parents were really actors hired by Superboy. The hoax was created in order to stall until Mason was executed.

Back on Earth, the Kents find a note left by Superboy revealing his plan. The note had been lost, so they were heartbroken over Superboy's decision to leave. They nearly reveal their son's secret to the people of Smallville, but find the note in time. Jonathan then uses a Clark Kent robot to protect his son's secret, until the real Superboy returns.

Next we have "The Super-Hungry Super-Heroes" from Superboy #91 by Robert Bernstein and George Papp. After an encounter with a metal-eating monster in space, Superboy and Krypto gain insatiable appetites which force them to eat strange objects, such as a park bench, a wooden statue, a pair of shoes, a painting, and a ladder. After realizing that he is eating only green objects and Krypto is eating red ones, Superboy realizes that the monster must have eaten some Red Kryptonite which caused its fiery breath to have an effect on Krypto and himself. To cure their condition, they travel into space finding a red and a green moon. They proceed to eat them until their hunger goes away, and they return to normal.

We end with "The New Boy of Steel" reprinted from Superboy #96 and by Robert Bernstein and George Papp. Lex Luthor creates a device designed to kill Superboy. In a fluke accident the device transfers Superboy’s powers to Pete Ross instead. Pete takes over as Superboy and flies three days into the future by mistake. When Pete returns, Clark believes his friend has changed and is out to get him.

Luthor tries to kill Superboy again; this time he destroys a Superboy statue and Pete loses his powers giving them back to Clark. Pete explains his odd behavior because when he was in the future, he saw a headline that Luthor destroyed Superboy. Pete missed the rest of the headline though which read "Luthor destroys Superboy statue."

Edited by Mort Weisinger (E. Nelson Bridwell).

Superman #212

Superman #212 (On Sale: October 15, 1968), AKA 80 Page Giant #G-54, has a cover by Curt Swan and Mike Esposito in an issue devoted to stories of Super-babies.

We begin with "The Man Who Saved Kal-El's Life" reprinted from Action Comics #281 and by Robert Bernstein and Al Plastino. Criminal Paul Pratt commits several large robberies, but shows up thousands of miles away within minutes which establishes an alibi. Superman is approached by Professor Amos Dunn, who explains that he traveled to Krypton many years ago and met Jor-El.

Using a matter transmitter, Dunn was transported to the distant world where he saved baby Kal-El from a deadly snake bite. Jor-El hoped to use the transporters to save the population of Krypton. However, the destruction came before the devices were ready to work. Jor-El was forced to send Kal-El to Earth in a rocket, and he and the population died in Krypton’s destruction.

Dunn kept the plans to the matter transmitter and believes that his assistant Gerald Greer is using the device with Pratt to escape after the robberies. Superman confirms this and catches the crooks, taking the matter transmitter to his Fortress for permanent storage.

Next is "The Rejected Super-Tot" reprinted from Superboy #90 and produced by Jerry Siegel and George Papp. While on an ocean cruise with his adoptive parents, baby Clark Kent jumps overboard and is lost. He is found eventually and turned in to the Smallville Orphanage. His identity is unknown, so he is adopted by another couple. However, his powers make him a handful especially since no one realizes he has them. The couple returns the baby to the orphanage.

After several other similar adoptions and returns, the Kents come to the orphanage. Clark hears his mother’s voice and screams for her. The Kents once again adopt Clark and take him home.

"The Babe of Steel" is reprinted from Action Comics #284 and is the work of Robert Bernstein, Curt Swan and George Klein. After receiving a strange message from a disembodied figure, Superman uses Red Kryptonite to change himself to baby size. As a baby he continues his regular patrols, but he must convince people of his real identity. His altered form is to facilitate entry into the Phantom Zone. A hole has opened in it due to the Aurora Borealis that is only large enough for a child to enter. The warning came from Mon-El, Superman’s friend who is stuck there due to lead poisoning. Superman learns the hole is growing, so he summons Krypto and Supergirl to assist him in closing the rift and preventing the villains from escaping.

Next is "The Girl Superbaby" from Action Comics #260 and created by Otto Binder and Jim Mooney. Using her telescopic vision, Supergirl spots an old man drowning. She flies to the rescue and creates a water spout which saves the man. The man has become young as the waters were a fountain of youth. Having been exposed herself, Supergirl becomes a baby.

The superbaby chases a butterfly into the trunk of a car belonging to two jewel thieves. They drive to their hide-out, located where Indians claim spirits live.

Supergirl exits the trunk and sprays shaving cream in the crooks faces, preventing them from seeing her. The thieves take target practice on a scarecrow. Supergirl collects the bullets and makes a lead ball. She throws the ball and inadvertently saves Superman from a kryptonite meteor.

Supergirl’s play continues to make the thieves believe the place is haunted by an Indian spirit. The crooks prepare to leave, but Supergirl has created a smoke signal to the authorities. The thieves are caught, and Supergirl returns to normal without ever having been seen.

"The Grandson of Steel" is reprinted from Superboy #77 and produced by Otto Binder and John Sikela. While cleaning the attic, Jonathan Kent finds a marionette which reminds him of his father who was a puppet master. When Clark was Superbaby, the Kents left him in the care of his Jonathan’s parents for a day. Edith, Jonathan’s mother, used Clark to model clothes for Hiram’s marionettes. Then, unknown to his grandparents, Clark performed super feats in the costumes. Hiram spotted Clark each time, but thought he was dreaming. The feats inspired Hiram to create new acts for his puppet show. When the Kents returned to pick up Clark, Hiram and Edith never suspected he was Superbaby.

Next is "Lois Lane's Revenge on Superman" reprinted from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #32 and drawn by Curt Swan and George Klein. Superman is accidentally exposed to a youth potion given to Lois by a dying man. The potion transforms the Man of Steel into Superbaby. Lois then makes the baby Superman perform embarrassing tasks for her in exchange for the antidote. When he has had enough, Lois offers to hand over the antidote, but spills it instead. Superman gets angry which restores him to normal. The real antidote to the potion is anger, which Lois successfully tried to instill in the Man of Steel to revert him to normal.

We end with "The Unwanted Superbaby" from Adventure Comics #299 by Jerry Siegel and George Papp. Baby Kal-El is sent to Earth by his father Jor-El and found by the Kents. The couple turn the baby over to the Smallville Orphanage where they soon discover his super-powers. Although they wish to adopt the child, the Kents wishes are denied by the government who tries to capture Superbaby.

Superbaby escapes and flies to a small island, whose evil ruler King Rolf resembles Jor-El. Rolf corrupts the child and uses him to overthrow the government of Simbovia.

Years pass before Superboy realizes that he is being used. He turns in the evil king, but is forced to surrender himself too. Instead, he escapes into space and becomes the hero of Zordal. Superboy misses Earth however, and returns to visit. While en route, Superboy passes a Gold Kryptonite meteor which robs him of his powers permanently. Superboy becomes stranded on Earth and is finally adopted by the Kents where he becomes a powerless Clark Kent.

Edited by Mort Weisinger (E. Nelson Bridwell)

Adventure Comics #371

Adventure Comics #371 (On Sale: June 27, 1968) has a Legion of Super-Heroes cover by Neal Adams that illustrates the back-up reprint in this issue. Strange Uncle Morty, strange.

This issue begins with "The Colossal Failure" by Jim Shooter, Curt Swan and Jack Abel. Colossal Boy is spending a quiet evening at home with his parents when two men claiming to represent Universe TV call on the Allons to interview them as part of a documentary on the Legion. When the men set up their equipment, however, it gives off rays that turn Mr. and Mrs. Allon to glass. They then explain that their criminal superiors have assigned them to learn the exact details of the Legion training and testing program. Since such knowledge is classified and known only to members of the selection board, the men give Gim two weeks to uncover the information, and teleport away with his parents as hostages.

Afraid to tell his comrades of his problem, Gim deliberately fails on a mission and submits to retraining in order to gain the needed information. Bouncing Boy, temporarily acting as instructor at the Legion Academy, suspects something wrong and, hoping to find clues to Gim's problem in the Allons' apartment, discovers a top-secret manual and illegal notes on the Legion training procedures. Reprinted in Best of DC #24 and Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 8 HC.

The back-up is our cover feature, "When Superboy Walked Out on the Legion," a reprint from Superboy #101, where it was originally entitled , "The Valhalla of Super-Companions." This was originally not a Legion story and only in this reprint are the Legion inserted in a couple of new panels. Whatever you want to call it, it was drawn by George Papp. An alien ship arrives on Earth and puts the residents of Smallville to sleep. Othar, the alien leader, wants Superboy to return to his homeworld of Thrann to live. The Boy of Steel is forced to comply in order to wake the sleeping people. Othar stops at several other worlds and blackmails their heroes into coming to Thrann as well.

On Thrann, the heroes compete to determine leadership. Superboy wins by performing the greatest feat, but everyone misses their homeworlds. The heroes begin to fight among themselves, forcing Othar to realize his mistake in bringing the heroes to Thrann. He allows them to return home where they belong.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superboy #148

Superboy #148 (On Sale: April 4, 1968) has a cover by Neal Adams.

"Superboy's Greatest Gamble" is written by Leo Dorfman, pencilled by Curt Swan and inked by Sheldon Moldoff and Jack Abel. Continuing from last issues, having left his foster parents, the Kents, Superboy goes to Casino City and assumes the identity of Chuck Kibbee. He searches a carnival until he finds a couple who are running a crooked game. He then reveals to them that he is Superboy and offers to become their son.

Working with his new parents, the Zeros, Chuck breaks the bank at an underworld casino. The racket boss Hal King realizes that Chuck is Superboy. He then threatens to kill the Kents. The Boy of Steel acts like he doesn't care.

The back-up story, "The Canine That Outclassed Krypto," is by Cary Bates, George Papp and Frank Springer. Superboy is called by an alien zookeeper to help track down a dangerous space bird that has escaped. The Boy of Steel recaptures the bird and saves a space dog in the process. The alien dog which possesses super powers follows Superboy back to Earth. The dog then tells Superboy telepathically that he is a Zkor and his originally family was recently killed. He requests that Superboy make him his new pet.

Zkor helps Superboy fight crime, but when Krypto returns to Earth he becomes jealous of the new pet. Zkor consistently outclasses Krypto.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superboy #147

Superboy #147 (On Sale: March 14, 1968), also known as 80 Page Giant #G-47, features the Legion of Super-Heroes and sports a cover by Curt Swan and Neal Adams.

"The Origin of the Legion" is by E. Nelson Bridwell and Pete Costanza. In a room in the newly-built Legion Headquarters complex, three statues honor the group's founders. One, of Lightning Lad, wields electricity between its hands; Cosmic Boy's image suspends a metal ball between its hands with a magnetic charge; the third, of Saturn Girl, mentally communicates the story of the Legion's origin to all who enter the room.

On the planet Winath, Garth Ranzz bids his family goodbye, and boards a ship bound for Earth. He takes a seat next to another youth named Rokk Krinn, of the planet Braal. The two become friends, and Rokk explains that his people have magnetic powers, developed to battle the metal monsters of that world, and that, since he is considered an adult at fourteen, he is hoping to use his ability to find work on Earth. Garth, in turn, tells how he, his twin sister Ayla, and older brother Mekt gained the ability to wield lightning when they were attacked by lightning monsters on the wild planet Korbal, where their ship was forced to land. Mekt later disappeared, and Garth hopes that the Science Police on Earth can help find him.

Meanwhile, a shuttle craft from Saturn brings new passengers to the ship, including the richest man in the universe, R.J. Brande, and a gorgeous blonde bound for Earth's Science Police Academy, Imra Ardeen.

The ship finally reaches Earth's Metropolis Spaceport, and as its passengers debark, two men run up to them and reach for guns. Imra reads their minds and screams a warning, and Rokk and Garth immediately use their powers to disarm the killers. Imra's telepathy further tells her that Brande's cousin, Doyle, had sent them to kill the rich man, so that he could inherit his money and pay his debts to a gambling syndicate.

A grateful and impressed Brande summons the three youths to his office the following morning, where he suggests that they band together as a crime fighting organization to be bankrolled by him, and uses Superboy and Supergirl as examples. They all agree, and before long, Brande has them outfitted in new costumes and gives them new names to go with them: Rokk is now Cosmic Boy, Garth is Lightning Lad, and Imra is Saturn Girl. Brande Industries erects a yellow, rocket-shaped clubhouse for the trio, and their new computer selects Cosmic Boy as their leader.

The three then write a Legion Constitution, which contains strict-by-laws, and are voted honorary citizenship on all member worlds of the United Planets. They are also made deputies of the Science Police.

Some days later, they gain two members, Triplicate Girl, who reveals her power to them by having each separately accompany one of her three selves to the clubhouse, and Phantom Girl, who easily infiltrates their supposedly impenetrable headquarters, and is made a member on the grounds that she help secure them against "ghostly" intruders. Not bad for eight pages of story! Reprinted in Secret Origins #6, Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 8 HC and Superboy #147 Replica Edition #1.

"The Boy with Ultra-Powers" from Superboy #98 is by Jerry Siegel, Curt Swan and George Klein. A costumed youth called Ultra Boy secretly arrives in Smallville with his adult mentor, Marla, intent upon discovering Superboy's secret identity. Ultra Boy at first suspects that Pete Ross is the Boy of Steel, but then correctly deduces that Clark Kent is actually Superboy.

When Pete accidentally becomes locked in a bank vault, Ultra Boy’s power of penetra-vision which, unlike Superboy’s super-vision, can melt and see through lead, enables him to assist Superboy in rescuing Pete. He then reveals that he is a time-traveler from the future planet Rimbor and an applicant for membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes, who have assigned him the task of unmasking Superboy as an initiation test. Having completed the test, he and Marla, actually the Legion’s Senior Advisor, return to the future.

"The Legion of Super-Traitors" from Adventure Comics #293 is by Jerry Siegel, Curt Swan and George Klein. When powerful alien creatures known as the Brain-Globes of Rambat scheme to move Earth to their own solar system, they realize that they must first subdue Superboy. After unsuccessfully attempting to control Superboy themselves, they summon the Legionnaires from the Earth’s future, and mentally command them to defeat him.

Once this is done, the overconfident Brain-Globes release the heroes from their trance. Together, they are not powerful enough to defeat the aliens, until they notice that the Brain-Globes are incapable of controlling the minds of animals. Manning the Time Sphere, the Legionnaires gather Krypto, Streaky, Beppo, and Comet (aka Super-Dog, Super-Cat, Super-Monkey, and Super-Horse), who, united as the Legion of Super-Pets, defeat the Brain-Globes. The Legion returns them to their proper time eras before Superboy recovers to dismantle the Brain Globes’ machines. Superboy remains unaware of the pets’ involvement, and thus unaware of the future existence of Supergirl.

"Supergirl's Three Super-Girl Friends" from Action Comics #276 is by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney. One year after first meeting the Legion, Supergirl is once again invited to try out for membership. In the 30th century, she is told that new rules allow two members to join each year, and meets several other applicants, including Brainiac 5, the descendant of the original Brainiac, one of Superman’s greatest foes. She distrusts him until, after her own initiation test, he risks his life by giving her his force-shield belt to protect her from a giant Kryptonite meteor.

Along with Brainiac 5, who allows her to keep the belt, Supergirl is inducted into the Legion. She returns home confident that she’ll never have to worry about Kryptonite again; however, an explosion damages the belt beyond repair, and she is vulnerable once more.

"The Secret of the Seventh Super-Hero" from Adventure Comics #290 is by Robert Bernstein and George Papp. Tom Tanner, a juvenile delinquent escapee from the state reform school, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Clark Kent, arrives in Smallville and is mistaken for Clark by everyone, even Ma Kent, who unwittingly gives away Superboy’s secret identity. Tanner decides that he likes his new life as Clark and intends to remain in his place.

Meanwhile, outside Smallville, Superboy meets with Sun Boy, the newest member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, who has arrived from the future. He explains that he is in the 20th century to gather and return to a secret vault the six pieces of a super-weapon once dismantled and buried in Superboy’s time by the Legion. However, once the Boy of Steel gathers the pieces, Sun Boy, actually a villainous impostor, assembles them into a robot which emits a ray that can change good people into evil, and vice versa. He then sends the robot after Clark Kent.

Shortly thereafter, Superboy appears and begins an evil rampage, until such time as the bogus Sun Boy's guard is down. Then he destroys the robot, and takes the villain back to the future, where he explains to the Legion that the impersonator had given himself away by not giving the official Legion handshake.

The "Clark Kent" affected by the robot’s ray was Tom Tanner, who as a result is reformed and loses his knowledge of Superboy’s secret.

"The Legion of Super-Villains" reprinted from Superman #147 is by Jerry Siegel, Curt Swan and Sheldon Moldoff. Lex Luthor, who has known of the existence of the Legion of Super-Heroes for years, theorizes that there should also be a Legion of Super-Villains, and, working from prison, he constructs a device that allows him to contact them. The Super-Villains break him out of jail, and, with him, lure Superman to a remote planetoid and capture him.

However, before these criminals can execute Superman, the adult Legion of Super-Heroes intervenes, and fights the Super-Villains to a standstill. Unable to defeat them, the Legionnaires listen as Luthor challenges them to sacrifice one of their number for Superman. Saturn Woman volunteers, and the villains allow the Man of Steel time to perform one last deed in her honor. With a giant shovel, he gathers some material from the rings of Saturn, and creates a similar ring around the planetoid. When he does, Saturn Queen surprises everyone by suddenly using her powers to defeat her partners.

Superman then explains that he had theorized that radiations from the rings of Saturn would cancel out the evil tendencies of inhabitants of that world. He gives the reformed Saturn Queen a small chunk from the rings that will prevent her from returning to evil, then takes Luthor back to his prison on Earth as the Legionnaires likewise take the Super-Villains to jail.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Superboy #145

Superboy #145 (On Sale: January 2, 1968) features just another cool Neal Adams cover.

"The Fantastic Faces" is by Otto Binder, George Papp and Frank Springer. Jolax, the head of Galaxo Movie Studios in the dimension known as Thraxx, has created a new show for that dimension's equivalent of television. When most people believe the show is filmed in Jolax's studio, it is really filmed with a telescope that can penetrate dimensions and features Superboy. The show is a hit, but sponsors want Jolax to cast younger foster parents for the Boy of Steel. To accomplish this, Jolax sends a youth formula to Smallville and puts it in the Kents' well water.

When the Jonathan and Martha drink the water they their youth is restored. Superboy initially thinks the effect is temporary, but soon realizes it is permanent. Fearing that the sudden youth of his parents will draw suspicion that Clark is Superboy, the Boy of Steel arranges for other senior citizens of Smallville to drink the water. He then creates a phony comet which is blamed for the youth effect. Superboy's identity is safe, and the Kents remain young.

The back-up is "Superboy Meets William Tell" from Superboy #84 and is by Jerry Siegel and George Papp. Clark Kent is assigned to write a report about William Tell. To research the facts, he travels back in time as Superboy. Superboy witnesses the events that lead to Tell shooting the apple off his son’s head. Just prior to the historic event, Tell’s confidence is shaken. Superboy allows Tell to practice on him as an invulnerable target. Tell eventually gets it right before the actual event in which he succeeds on the first try.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superboy #144

Superboy #144 (On Sale: November 16, 1967) features nice cover by Curt Swan and George Klein. I know for a fact that this is the first issue of Superboy I ever bought; my golden age was just beginning.

"Superboy's Lost Identity" was by Otto Binder, George Papp and Frank Springer. When Superboy prepares to stop the Mechanical Mob from stealing an armored car he discovers that his own uniform has been replaced by one with an unknown design. After apprehending the crooks, he heads for home in his Clark Kent clothes, but is sidetracked by a compulsion that leads him to a different house. Inside he finds that the Quentins believe he is their own son Kirk.

Superboy is unable to solve the puzzle, so he visits the Kent house and discovers another boy inside. The Kents claim this other boy is their own son, the real Superboy. Despite his best efforts the Boy of Steel cannot convince them of the truth or even that he has super powers.

Superboy then investigates the attic at the Kent house where he is attacked by Jor-El and Lara, who claim to have come from Krypton, which was never destroyed. He then follows Krypto on a trip through time in which his strange costume is shredded.

When Superboy returns to the present, the Quentins tell him the truth.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superboy #143

Superboy #143 (On Sale:October 5, 1967) sports a really wonderful Neal Adams cover, his first for the "Boy of Steel."

"The Big Fall" is written by E. Nelson Bridwell and drawn by Al Plastino. Plastino is another guy who is on his way out at DC. He has about six more months of work before he is let go after drawing Superman and the Superman family for 20 years, a victim of a style that cannot change with the times.

The second Superboy story, "Superboy's Civil War Time Trip" is a reprint from Superboy #91 by Jerry Siegel and George Papp. A Smallville celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the Civil War through a re-enactment includes the Kent family, Lana Lang, and Lex Luthor. Superboy travels into space to stop an alien missile, but when he returns to Earth he sees Clark Kent participating in the play. Knowing that it can’t be the real Clark, he watches and thinks that the explosion sent him into the past where he is seeing the real Civil War.

The people involved resemble the future residents of Smallville, except Clark is a spy, and the Luthor duplicate is a hero. Superboy tries to alter history, but in each case he is thwarted by fate.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superboy #142

Superboy #142 (On Sale: August 17, 1967) sports a cover by Curt Swan and George Klein. Purple Gorilla Alert! Purple Gorilla Alert!

"Superboy Goes Ape" is written by E. Nelson Bridwell, penciled by George Papp and inked by Frank Springer. Superboy is exposed to Red Kryptonite. This time he is transformed into a monkey and is forced to work for an organ grinder. Lana buys a license for him and gains ownership. She intends to expose Superboy's secret identity, but before she can act a secondary effect of the Red Kryptonite causes Superboy to grow into a giant ape that menaces Smallville.

Miles away, Beppo the Super-Monkey sees Superboy with his super-vision. He comes to fight the super-ape, but is also exposed to the same piece of Red Kryptonite. Beppo changes into a double of Superboy possessing his intelligence too.

The second Superboy story, "The Shyest Boy in Town" is a reprint from Superboy #80 by Robert Bernstein and John Sikela. The school psychologist is worried about Clark Kent’s shy behavior, so she encourages the students and teachers to help build Clark’s confidence. Clark, wanting to maintain his shy personality to protect his dual identity, sabotages the attempts made to bolster his confidence.

After the students enlist Superboy to aid them with their campaign to help Clark, Clark shows up at school a changed person. He acts overconfident and downright rude to his fellow students. They realize that they miss the old Clark and despise his new personality.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.