In Superman #43 (September 1946), Superman faces off against Luthor again. This time Luthor has invented a super-hard material he calls Luthorite. The story lets writers enumerate new powers and abilities, as well as a weakness. He may have photographic memory, but it is revealed that Superman cannot see through lead with his x-ray vision […]
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In Action Comics #101 (August 1946), it is mentioned for the first time that Superman has photographic memory. In this story, Superman is exposed to a chemical that makes normal people go crazy. The only thing that sets Superman right again is being exposed to a nuclear explosion.
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In Action Comics #100 (July 1946), Superman is beset by a Scotland Yard detective who is convinced that Clark Kent is Superman. In one attempt, Clark is completely doused in perfume so he seeks out an acid bath at Star Chemical Works. Is this a precursor to S.T.A.R Labs? 🙂
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In “The Death of Clark Kent” from Superman #42 (July 1946), after returning two months earlier than expected from an arctic expedition, Clark Kent gets caught in a sewer gas explosion in front of Lois Lane. To protect his secret identity, Superman is forced to make it appear as if Clark Kent has died. This […]
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Superman #41 (May 1946) features a story in which Superman gets seriously annoyed with Lois Lane. His inner monologue says it all: “Whenever she goes out, I have to rescue her. She’s so used to it, she’s lost all sense of caution. It’s exhausting!” Clark Kent, “Clark Kent’s Bodyguard”, Superman #41, May 1946 But if […]
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Superman earliest comic book appearances always portrayed him as a dashing, heroic figure. Joe Shuster drew the character as always in command and never surprised. As a result, he eyes were always shadowed or squinting. Did Superman even have white eyeballs? Around the time of Superman #40 (March 1946) I started noticing more illustrations of […]
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In Superman #36 (June 1945), we see the first truly ridiculous “super-feat” that Superman performs. Criminals surprise Clark Kent and “kill” him by gassing him and dumping him in a river. When he finishes playing dead, Clark is surprised to find an imposter has taken his place and then proceeds to foil the criminals plans […]
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Throughout the eighty-plus years that Superman has been around, Lois Lane has discovered Clark’s secret identity probably dozens of times. But in Superman #34 (March 1945), Lois discovers his secret for the very first time. In what can maybe be considered the first “imaginary” story, Clark sees his future in a crystal ball and learns […]
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Superman uses his super-speed to become move so fast that he becomes invisible to a normal human for the first time in Action Comics #83 (February 1945). The Flash was doing that five years ago!
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For the second time in two years, Superman loses his memory in Superman #32 (November 1944). This time, it’s a new brain tissue analysis machine and Superman, wishing to further science, volunteers only to discover too late that his brain is actually vulnerable. This is the first time Superman tries to piece together his own […]
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