#29

... lden Age Superman author Alvin Schwartz's new book, _An Unlikely Prophet_ Section 2: Adventures in Silver Brad Ferguson takes a look at Action Comics #297, in which the Man of Steel finds that the secret of his dual identity lies in the hands of Perry White! Faster than a Speeding Bullet Doug Tisdale's series on the Superman radio serial concludes its look at the troubles of the Silver Clipper, whose story lands Clark Kent his newspaper job. Section 3: Superman Stories Superboy Sean Hogan shares with us the solo and team histories of the post-Crisis incarnation of the teen who wears the S. Phantom Zone Reviews Scott Devarney completes his look a ...

... indly shows up with another diabolical trap. Although Luthor is featured in that special, he had an issue focusing on his origin in 1975's _Superman_ #292. The story is the traditional classic that has Superboy accidentally causing a follicle fallout in young Lex -- leading to a lifelong vendetta. The mid-70s, with Curt Swan drawing for writers Elliot S! Maggin and Cary Bates, marked a remarkable time for the adventures of the Man of Steel . Maggin wrote both the Luthor story and issue #293's "The Miracle of Thirsty Thursday", which has time travelers returning to a celebrated day in history to discover why the citizens of Metropolis slept for a ...

... , the evil version of the JLA originally introduced in Morrison's favorite Silver Age story: "Crisis on Earth-Three" from _Justice League of America_ #29-30. The story deals with the first encounter the JLA has with their twisted counterparts from an Anti-Matter earth where everything is backwards. The Crime Syndicate formed at the same time as the JLA and share similar, but twisted origins. "Ultraman, for instance, was Earthman Clark Kent, an astronaut involved in a space accident and then repaired by aliens (Kryptonians) who didn't fully understand human biology and sent him home as a mind-twisted superhuman, powered by Kryptonite. Owlman is T ...

... and agrees to train in secret until Superman decides she is ready to reveal herself to the world, which occurred in February, 1962's _Action Comics_ #295. There are far too many Silver Age Supergirl stories to do justice to them by mentioning only a few. Kara Zor-el had a long career, including her own comic, _Supergirl_, and gathered her own supporting cast and villains along the way, until her heroic death in 1986's _Crisis On Infinite Earths_ #7. Post-Crisis, Supergirl has been forgotten by continuity. However, she does appear in a memorable story in _Christmas With The Super-Heroes_ #2 (cover dated December 1989). The story, "Should Auld Ac ...

... ugly, and in several close-ups, Superman looks like a Neanderthal. CLARK KENT, COWARD Art: Curt Swan and George Klein Reprinted from _Action Comics_ #298, March 1963 Clark, Jimmy, and Lois accidentally take a ride on a runaway balloon to the mysterious kingdom of Mistri-Lor. The ruler, Queen Lura, falls in love with meek Clark, who is unlike all of the other very masculine men in her kingdom. This doesn't sit well with Prince Vikar, her betrothed. Clark must find a way to dissuade Queen Lura's affections, save her from assassination attempts, get his friends home, attend to his Superman duties, and still protect his secret identity. This story ...

... ote his vision of Superman, even though that often conflicted with Mort Weisinger's. "The Story of Superman's Experimental Robots" in _Action Comics_ #299, from April 1963, is one of those stories where Mort's concepts seem to predominate, although Siegel and Al Plastino did their best to create the light, humorous tone that he felt contrasted nicely with Superman's amazing powers. The story is full of the gimmicks which Weisinger felt were necessary to keep reader interest. It is even marketed as an "Untold tale", an idea Weisinger had used to answer readers' questions and fill in background events in Superman's life (what today are called "ret ...

... ries includes eight volumes collecting the early Legion tales. The only trade paperback collection is "The Great Darkness Saga" (collecting v.2 _LSH_ #290-294 and including a prequel from #287 and sequel in v.2's _LSH Annual_ #3). When this story originally came out around 1983, it was a tremendous tale with a mysterious villain. The cover to the collection has a huge picture of the villain, so much of the fun of reading the original story is spoiled (I won't reveal who it is here). The cavalcade of costumed heroes in the story can be confusing, but the tale is still enjoyable to new readers and moreso on later readings after you learn more Legi ...

... t you wanted to write comic books? As soon as I saw my first one. I can't remember if it was an issue of Tec with Batman on a white horse or Superman #297. Either way, I knew immediately that this is what I wanted to do, despite being four years old. Q: Where did you go to college? Several places. I trained to be a priest for a bit at Blairs College in Aberdeen, but discovered girls and left. I went to a regular comprehensive and eventually to Paisley University. However, my parents both died when I was in my teens and I had absolutely no money. I had to quit my degree in the final months due to mounting debts and find a job. Cue comics! Q: How ...

... tles Superboy #62, by Rene' Gobeyn Supergirl #32, by Thomas Deja Superman Adventures #31, by Cory Strode Section 6: New Comic Reviews Team Titles JLA #29, by Anatole Wilson Young Justice #8, by Gary Robinson Miniseries Batman & Superman: World's Finest #2, by Simon DelMonte Superman's Nemesis: Lex Luthor #3, by G.M. Nelson Section 7: New Comic Reviews Specials Superman/Fantastic Four, by Edward Mathews Superman Secret Files #2, by Rene' Gobeyn Young Justice 80-Page Giant #1, by Rene' Gobeyn Section 8: The Phantom Zone Tales of Earth-One Episode #9: The Untold Secret History of the Phantom Zone! Bob Hughes gives us the low-down on Krypton's s ...

... line-up will then evolve again beginning in the year 2000. Oh yeah, and _Man of Tomorrow_ has been cancelled with issue #15. BACK TO THE FUTURE Issue #297 of ZENtertainment reports that Grant Morrison will revisit the futuristic DC universe he helped establish in last year's DC One Million event with an 80-Page Giant issue due out on June 9th. Morrison writes a Justice Legion A story and introduces an 853rd century Atom, and the issue also features the future's Young Justice, Superman, Aquaman, Resurrection Man, and League of Executive Familiars, by a group of writers and illustrators including Mark Millar, Mike Wieringo, Richard Case, Dusty Abe ...