Both of the Superman and Supergirl stories in Action Comics #262 make it suddenly clear that the reason Kryptonians have powers on Earth is not strictly because of the heavier gravity of Krypton, but because Krypton had a red sun and Earth has a yellow one. I haven’t seen this mentioned before. Clark, Lois, Perry, […]
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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 Challengers of the Unknown #5 (October 1958), the Challs face off against Vreedl, a member of a safari that manages to get ahold of sacred stones that bestow super-powers and somehow manages to always keep one step ahead of our heroes until the end. He shoots and manipulates fire, he gains the power of […]
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In Superman #125 (Sept 1958), “Lois Lane’s Super-Dream” recycles a plot from 15-years ago in which Lois Lane suffers a head injury, needs a blood transfusion, and she dreams that she receives Superman’s blood which endows her with superpowers. She takes on her superhero career as Power Girl. This time around she gives dream-Clark some […]
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In Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #31 (July 1958), Jimmy drinks a serum that temporarily gives him stretchable powers, not unlike Quality Comic’s Plastic Man. Jimmy would go on to periodically gain stretchy powers and help Superman or more often than not, get into trouble. This is a couple of years before stretchy characters like Elongated […]
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In World’s Finest #90 (July 1958), Elton Craig makes a re-appearance. Craig escapes prison and Superman and Batman fear he has secreted some of his super-power capsules. Kathy Kane also hears the police bulletin and dons her Batwoman outfit to help the World’s Finest team, finding the capsules before Craig and becomes super-powered. After being […]
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In World’s Finest #87 (January 1957), Elton Craig, a would-be criminal manages to find a kryptonite meteorite, which also happens to contain a box of super-power capsules from Jor-El of Krypton. Craig manages to weaken Superman, forcing Batman to take a capsule and help defeat the villain. I’ve made short shrift of these Jor-El coincidences, […]
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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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In Sub-Mariner #38 (Nov 1954), Namor is called into the Emperor’s castle underneath Antarctica. In a quick exposition, we are told that the Sub-Mariner used to have incredible powers: super-strength, flight, invulnerability, but that he has lost them over his extended time interacting with land dwellers: Namor is told that their scientists have discovered how […]
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In “Superboy’s Lost Suit!”, Adventure Comics #193 (August 1953), Clark goes swimming … with his glasses on… and places his Superboy suit under a rock. He notices Bob, a meek classmate, walking by: Wouldn’t you know it? Bob finds the super-suit and pretends he is Superboy to impress a girl. Superboy helps Bob gain some […]
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