811 – Dev-Em

Adventure Comics #287 (June 1961) introduces the story of Dev-Em, a super-bratty teenager who lived on Krypton and used to babysit Kal-El. Dev-Em has a habit of getting into trouble by stealing technology and inventions from the Jor-El’s laboratory. When he discovers Jor-El’s prediction of the end of Krypton, he steals technology to build himself […]

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800 – Mon-El

Superboy #89 (April 1961), expands the Superboy/Superman/Legion mythos yet again by introducing another important character: Mon-El, also known as Lar Gand. After crash-landing on Earth, Superboy rescues the amnesiac young man who seems to have all the powers of a Kryptonian, carries a letter written in Kryptonese from Jor-El, and a locket expressing their love […]

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766 – Return To Krypton!

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 […]

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667 – Klax-ar, the Kryptonian

In Superboy #67 (July 1958), a new Kryptonian makes his appearance in Smallville to taunt Superboy. Klax-ar claims it was he that destroyed Krypton with his “atron rays” for being exiled into space by a jury of scientists led by Jor-El. He agrees not to destroy Earth if Superboy willingly leaves Earth too. But Klax-ar […]

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648 – Super-Teacher

In Adventure Comics #240 (July 1957), another super-coincidence when Superboy encounters a Kryptonian robot in the sky above Smallville. The robot explains that it was built as a teacher for Kal-El years before Krypton’s demise and that Superboy must pass 3 tests to prove he can use his powers and continue to be Superboy. Known […]

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642 – Kal-El

In Superman #113 (March 1957), we get more Superman mythos building by Bill Finger, when Superman discovers a strange headpiece apparatus near a kryptonite meteor. He discovers that the headpiece allows him to play back mental images from his father, Jor-El. When he plays it back, he learns that Jor-El had to foil the plot […]

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637 – Krypton Meets Superboy

Early one morning in Adventure Comics #232 (Nov 1956) – with a solid WHAMMMP! – another intact Kryptonian city lands on Earth, this time right next to Smallville…. ಠ_ಠ In terms of lazy writing, this one might just take the cake. The Kryptonian city chunk happens to contain the very house where Kal-el was born, […]

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634 – The Superman of Krypton

Action Comics #223 (October 1956), brings us another super-coincidence, as Superman discovers a chunk of Krypton that happens to contain the laboratory of Jor-El, including his journal and films of his exploits. Superman is discovers that before he sent his son to Earth, he had built an “Earth valley” on Krypton to explore how Kryptonians […]

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616 – Super Menace From Daddy

In Action Comics #216 (March 1956), Superman encounters a series of menaces on Earth that lead him to believe an evil Superman is operating on Earth. As he employs his detective skills, he discovers that “person” operating the menaces is actually a robot from Krypton created by his father, Jor-El to prevent war on his […]

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610 – Superman’s Grandfather

Continuing to pile on Krypton coincidences, Superman #103 (Dec 1955) establishes that Superman’s grandfather had visited Earth 60+ years prior using an “experimental space machine”. Boy, that machine must have had serious problems that led to technological upheaval because Jor-El only manages to build a prototype space rocket to save his son thirty years later… […]

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