Although not as big news as Supergirl’s debut, Action Comics #252 (March 1959) also introduced another Superman villain in the main Superman feature: Metallo, created by Robert Bernstein and Al Plastino. John Corben is a reporter with a secret: he’s really a criminal. On his way home one night, he gets into a fatal car […]
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Another Superman villain is introduced in Superman #127 (Dec 1958): Titano! Yes, we clearly needed a “super-ape”. Chimp goes into a rocket / spaceship, is exposed to two meteors (uranium and kryptonite) and comes back grown to enormous size and sporting kryptonite vision. A “certain spin” sends Titano across the time barrier into the past […]
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In Superman #106 (May 1956), Luthor invents a metallic allow that absorbs the energy Superman generates within a 100-mile radius and tricks Superman into performing several impressive super-feats to charge up the suit. Luckily Superman gets wise and fishes out some kryptonite to drain himself, which somehow drains the battle-suit, foiling Luthor’s plans.
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Speaking of Kryptonian robots, Superboy #49 (April 1956) features another one that Superboy discovers while trapped on an asteroid that is surrounded by kryptonite dust, trapping him there. The robot has the name “Metallo”, which is later used for a series of Superman villains.
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In Action Comics #183 (June 1953), Luthor discovers that every bullet that strikes Superman’s invulnerable body gains the minutest trace amount of kryptonite. This results in Luthor’s henchmen wasting round after round to a confused Superman. After the bullet extraction process, Luthor distills a sample of pure kryptonite, which he then uses to pelt Superman […]
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In “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Superman”, a story from Superman #81 (January 1953), the writers get even crazier with Superman’s costume. Earth passes through a kryptonite dust cloud, meaning all of Earth’s air has become lethal (or is it just weakening?) to Superman for one day. He retreats under the water and solves […]
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In “The Lost Secrets of Krypton!”, a story in Superman #74 (November 1951), Luthor uses Kryptonian technology for the first time to menace the world. Luthor discovers these artifacts while searching for kryptonite in space, but instead uncovers a cache of weapons that Jor-el had sent out into space before Krypton exploded. Superman defeats Luthor […]
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In Superman #71 (May 1951), Superman contracts another case of “super amnesia” when he encounters kryptonite again. This time, Clark Kent becomes confused and thinks he has acquired superior mental powers to explain his super powers.
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Superman #66 (July 1950) featured the story “The Last Days of Superman!”. Superman has been getting ill and weak lately. At first thinking it is a piece of kryptonite, he is later alarmed to find out the piece of kryptonite has been removed and concludes he must be dying from over-exposure to kryptonite. What results […]
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We have finally come to the third decade of comics, the 1950s! In Action Comics #142 (January 1950), a catpurse lifts a piece of synthetic kryptonite from Lois Lane’s purse. The kryptonite had been synthesized by Luthor in the previous issue (Action Comics #141), and the rock had gone missing at the end of that […]
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