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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Superman #146 (May 1961) has a great re-telling of Superman’s origin, deftly weaving in all sorts of facts and notes of the Superman mythos up to this point, but I found its second feature “Superman’s Greatest Feats!”. In it, we see Superman convinced by Lori Lemaris to try and save Atlantis from being sunk. Superman […]
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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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A nice 2-page spread of the Map of Krypton shows up in the first Superman Annual (June 1960). To my knowledge this is the first “Annual”, which is an 80-page giant book filled with the best Superman / Supergirl / Superboy / Lois / Jimmy tales of the past.
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In “Superman’s Other Life”, a story in Superman #132 (August 1959), Batman and Robin bringing a special gift for Superman to the Fortress of Solitude. The Dynamic Duo bring Superman pictures he took from Krypton years ago and suggests he put them through his “Super-Univac” to see if it can answer the question: “What would […]
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May 1958 brings in yet more expansion of the Superman mythos by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, in Action Comics #242. The villain Brainiac makes his debut, arriving to Earth and stealing the city of Paris (Eiffel Tower and all!), while Clark and Lois are hitching a ride on the first experimental spaceship. Clark sneaks […]
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A book-length story in Superman #119 (Dec 1957) tells the story of how Superman discovers Krypton’s “twin” planet, named Xenon. It turns out Xenon was the lost moon of Krypton that spun out of its orbit before Krypton was destroyed. Superman befriends an older man that is the double of Jor-El, his son, Kell Orr […]
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In Adventure Comics #242 (Sept 1957), Superboy meets another lad from Krypton, Zar-Al the Krypton Kid. His father also believed Krypton would be destroyed so he sent his son in a Time Ship to Earth to find Zeelium, an element that would stabilize Krypton’s core. The Krypton Kid meets up with Superboy, but they find […]
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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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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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