In Superman #141 (Sept 1960), we are treated to another melodramatic 3-part “novel” when a quirk of fate propels Superman across the barriers of both time and space to land him in the Krypton solar system. After a quick landing he is, of course, robbed of his super powers and rendered a regular Kryptonian. The first thing Kal-El does it get hired onto a movie set where they are filming a science fiction epic. While shooting the film, Kal-El has a meet-cute with Lyla, a gorgeous blonde movie star.
Eager to fuck up the timeline, he then crashes his own parents’ wedding and then decides to get even closer to Jor-El and Lara, becoming Jor-El’s inventor apprentice.
Dunno, seems pretty irresponsible of you, Superman – but what do I know about timelines and such. Well at least you stay loyal to your girlfriend Lois Lane, right?
I guess it never occurred to him to try and get back to protect his time and be the protector of Earth. After falling in love with Lyla and giving up all hope of returning to Earth, Superman seemingly accepts his fate to die with his parents and Lyla, while the writers make sure to give us a panel of fore-shadowing.
Then, I guess because we need a few more pages to be eaten up in this “novel”, Jor-El reveals his Krypton-is-doomed theory to Kal-El and that he has been observing Earth. Superman asks him about a particular town and Jor-El says he has been observing a particular couple: Jonathan Kent and Martha Hudson. I guess this is before they established that Marth’s maiden name is “Clark”.
Twenty-five years before Marty McFly would do it in Back to the Future, Superman then helps his father Jonathan become a “man” in the eyes of Martha, causing their marriage to be successful.
Meanwhile, Kal-El and Jor-El strategize to save Krypton. A “space ark” is created, but wouldn’t you know it, just before it was ready to go Brainiac steals the city of Kandor. Oh what a strange twist of fate!
Lyla and Kal-El continue to fall deeper in love and toast their futures with their best friends Jor-El and Lara, whatever the future may bring.
Ok, enough with the super-coincidences – let’s have one final “strange twist of fate” to get Superman back and reset to the status quo, shall we? Do you deserve an explanation for how this happens? Do you actually want to hear it? Oh ok – I’ll tell you
Kal-El decides to film another sci-fi movie epic with a space beast from a zoo. The beast can breath flames and traps Kal-El in the film’s prop rocket, shooting them both out into space.
They never really explain what happens to the space beast, but the prop-rocket somehow gets into a yellow sun system, requiring the reader to suspend a shocking amount of scientific knowledge, and Superman’s powers return. Realizing the futility of trying to return to Krypton, and oh yeah he has a life back on Earth, he travels back in space and time to Earth. Yay.