In Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #30 (June 1958), it is established that Jimmy Olsen is an orphan, so apparently something must have happened to his father since Superboy rescued him years ago. In this story, Superman decides to become Jimmy’s foster father. Wish fulfillment ensues, including Jimmy getting a chance to visit the Fortress of […]
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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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Although we got our first glimpse at Superman’s “Fortress of Solitude” back in 1949, that story was still a one-off with no attempt to make it a more permanent fixture in the mythos. But “The Super-Key to Fort Superman” in Action Comics #241 (April 1958) goes really deep on the Fortress, including the key to […]
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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 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 #88 (March 1957), Luthor and the Joker team up for the first time. Luthor invents “mechano-men”, robotic automatons that can do their bidding. Superman and Batman try to foil what appear to be attempted crimes only to be made fools of for stopping legitimate activities. The villains attempt to rob the treasury […]
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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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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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Though Batman may be insisting on only One Robin for now, Action Comics #222 (Sept 1956) brings us “The Duplicate Superman”. The government sets off a new experimental bomb, the Q-Bomb, and Superman is caught in the blast, resulting in the splitting of Superman into two nearly identical beings. It turns out they are identical […]
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In Action Comics #218 (May 1956), Superman encounters a talking, super-strong, intelligent ape who turns out to be from the planet Krypton. The apes were shot into space by a scientist, Shir Khan, who was too cautious and died in the explosion of Krypton. Superman unites Super-Ape with his kindred who were sent to other […]
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