Superman #149
"Lex Luthor, Hero!" Part 1 January/February, 1967
Story: Jerry Siegel
Art: Curt Swan and George Klein
The beginning of a three-part imaginary novel which may or may not happen, filled with surprises! Lex Luthor has been the man of steel's nemesis, determined to destroy Superman, but now on this imaginary day, their feud ends! Luthor reforms, and both men become friends! Incredible? Prepare to be astonished when you read the first chapter of ... "Lex Luthor, Hero!" On the splash page, all of Metropolis are cheering Luthor, who is given a parade, and is carried on a grandstand by the man of steel, himself!
One imaginary afternoon at Metropolis Prison, Lex Luthor is strolling by the rock pile, when he sees a strangely glowing rock! When the guard tells him to keep walking, Luthor punches him, to the astonishment of his fellow inmates. The guard tells Luthor that he'll lose his cushy job in the prison library, but the criminal scientist doesn't care, and says that he could be placed on the rock pile for all he cares! The following day, Luthor is at work on the rock pile, where he can examine the glowing rock in secret. As he has suspected, it is no ordinary rock, and knows by its appearance that it is a meteor from space! He slips a handful of the crushed rock in his pocket, while the guard's back is turned. At night in his cell, Luthor sees that the meteor granules are giving off a multi-colored brilliance in the dark, and feel warm to the touch. He believes that this is Element "Z." (Holy Selegue, Batman!)
Element "Z" is a mysterious chemical substance which he has believed to exist in the universe, and if it is now reacing Earth, he is on the edge of a grand discovery! Morning finds Luthor in the warden's office, where his request to use the prison hospital laboratory for 24 hours is being denied. He insists that he can find a cure for cancer, but the warden is sure that if Luthor were to be left with the equipment, he would invent a new method of jailbreaking. Since he is a scientist and since Cancer is a deadly disease, Luthor can't see why the warden wouldn't let him try, but the official wonders why the criminal scientist has gotten so concerned all of a sudden. He knows that Luthor's inventions have been used for criminal purposed and have been thwarted by the man of steel. Luthor tells the warden that he has come to the realization that it was wrong of him to use his knowledge against mankind. He wishes to atone, and the warden reluctantly agrees to his petition...
Luthor labors through the night, his every move watched by an armed guard. When the 24 hours have passed, the scientist presents the warden with a serum which he says will cure cancer. The warden returns Luthor to the rock-pile, while having some reputable scientists go over the claim. Later that day... the warden tells Luthor that cancer patients have been cured by the serum, and the scientist assures him that the effects of Element "Z" are permanent! The warden congratulates Luthor, who will no doubt be remembered as humanity's benefactor, but the prisoner is pleased, and wants no reward... other than make up for his evil past. At the Daily Planet, news of Luthor's cancer cure impresses the staff, and mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent heads for a empty alley, where he changes to Superman... Since Luthor has made a invaluable contribution to science, it's now the man of steel's turn!
Superman soars into space, in search of the rare element... his microscopic-vision soon spots a meteor swarm containing Element "Z." He rams into the swarm and forms it into a large ball... Back on Earth, the large ball of "Element "Z" is presented to the United Nations as a gift to cure everyone who suffers from cancer. Days later, Luthor is called before the parole board... they are skeptical, but the man of steel has arrived to speak on the scientist's behalf! The board values the opinion of the man who faced Luthor on many occasions... and Superman is convinced by his sincerity to atone for his past.
Since Luthor has cured cancer, there's no telling what else the scientist is capable of. The man of steel asks the board that Luthor be given a chance to go straight! Parole is granted, and Luthor thanks Superman for coming forward on his behalf. As Luthor leaves through the prison gates, the man of steel offers to help him with a fresh start... and the scientist asks him to fly him to his former secret headquarters. The two men fly down near an impressive building... an abandoned museum, which used to be Luthor's hideout. The eyes of a large statue signalled whenever Superman flew by. On the ground, a shake of "Caesar's" hand opens a secret doorway into Luthor's Lair! Since he's reformed, Luthor is showing the man of steel his secrets...
Inside, they see Luthor's Hall of Heroes... statues of Atilla The Hun... Genghis Khan... Captain Kidd... Al Capone! He asks Superman to smash the statues... and tells him that he'll sell the place, rent a laboratory in an office building, and operate in the open like any respectable scientist. With their feud over, they reminisce about past battles, such as the time Luthor invented an atomic-powered top, which destroyed an entire town! The man of steel built a circular track on a huge raft, then dumped the giant top into the ocean!
Superman recalls when Luthor's imperfect duplicator ray created Bizarro, and how the idiot of steel has caused problems for him over the years. Once Luthor has disposed of his hideout, he rents a lab in an office building... and is holding an interview with reporters, where he announces that he'll find a cure for... heart disease! They realizes how wonderful it is to have the scientist concentrating his knowledge on mankind's woes than adding to them! Once the reporters have left... Duke Garner and Al Mantz, two underworld thugs have entered to speak with Luthor! They want him to kill Superman or they'll kill him!
Maybe it's me, but I find Silver Age Lex Luthor in prison greys much more interesting than Present-Day President Lex Luthor.
Radio actor Jackson Beck has been the voice of Lex Luthor, as well as the narrator on the Superman Radio Show, as well as in the '60s Filmation Superman cartoons. He is also the voice of Bluto and Brutus on the Popeye cartoons. Mr. Beck has also done voice-over work for the "Little Caesar" pizza commercials.
Superboy has met Genghis Khan in the pages of his own comic.
Clark Kent has met Al Capone during a time-travel trip to the Roaring Twenties after being exposed to Titano's Kryptonite-Vision in the pre-historic past.
In an episode of the Filmation Superman cartoon, the man of steel places the point of a pyramid on his hand, and spins it like a top!
In Comic Effect #36, Greg Schienke cites Superman #193 as one of the ten comics which has changed his life.
Superman #193 (80 Page Giant #31)
"Luthor's Super-Bodyguard!" Part II January/February, 1967
Story: Jerry Siegel
Art: Curt Swan and George Klein
Lex Luthor has found a cure for cancer which has changed the criminal scientist into a hero overnight! The man of steel is convinced that Luthor wishes to go straight, and helps to arrange for his release! Now, in this imaginary tale, the underworld finds its lust for vengeance being thwarted by... "Luthor's Super-Bodyguard! On the splash page, Luthor thanks Superman for saving him from a thrown hand-grenade, and the man of steel uses his heat-vision to melt the grenade, while reminding him to use the signal-watch whenever his life is in danger! Two mobsters are in Luthor's lab and wish for him to kill the man of steel. They tell him that if he doesn't kill Superman, all of the underworld will believe that the scientist is double-crossing them. When they ask who will die... him or Superman, Luthor tells them that he won't betray the man of steel! His decision made, the two prepare to shoot Luthor...
As the gun goes off, Superman soars in through an open window, and the bullets bounce off of him! Having had a hunch that Luthor wouldn't be safe from the underworld, he has kept his eye on him. The two crooks are knocked senseless, and the man of steel gives Luthor a signal watch, similar to Jimmy Olsen's, but which operates on a different frequency. Whenever he is in danger, the scientist is to press the button, so that Superman can respond to the ultra-sonic distress signal. At a gathering of the underworld, the mobsters vow to kill Luthor until they succeed! When the scientist is walking down the street, a car driven by two hoods roars by, and a hand-grenade is thrown out at Luthor!
Pressing the button on the signal-watch, Luthor watches as Superman arrives to melt the grenade with his heat-vision! The man of steel then uses his super-strength to change the shape of the car into a metal ball, which is rolled over towards police headquarters! One night, as Luthor is about to enter a scientific conference, he sees a shadow... someone is about to shoot him with a poison dart! The signal-watch is activated, and Superman swallows the poison dart! As the crook seeks to escape by racing up a ramp, the man of steel uses his super-breath to freeze the rain on the ramp, causing the would-be assassin to slide back towards him!
A light tap from Superman puts the killer to sleep until he is dropped off at the police station. Later, the man of steel meets with his cousin, Supergirl, to discuss how to keep Luthor alive! Since he can't watch over the scientist at every moment, and since the underworld may get Luthor before he can signal for help, the world would lose the great man. After they have discussed many possible plans, Superman decides to place Luthor in an outer space satellite laboratory! Once the laboratory has been built, the man of steel flies Luthor in a special oxygenated glass-bowl to his new home. Inside the satellite-lab, the scientist expresses his gratitude, and is confident that nothing will stop him from making important discoveries on behalf of mankind!
The chiefs of the underworld have a war council... they want Luthor dead and price is no object! Weeks pass, and Superman's telescopic-vision sees a new threat to Luthor and his lab! Soaring into outer space, the man of steel sees a missile-bomb heading for the satellite-laboratory... Superman meets the missile head-on... and knows that he must do something to overcome the threat of missiles! The man of steel swiftly constructs an impenetrable shield around the satellite-lab... and nothing, not even a hydrogen bom explosion could pierce the semi-transparent substance created by Superman... and only Luthor could operate the exit-hatch in the shield! Inside of the satellite lab... knowing that the signal-watch's ultrasonic waves can't travel through outer space, the man of steel constructs a rocket, which resembles Luthor, and tells the scientist to fire it into Earth's upper atmosphere in case he urgently needs him!
A week passes and the distress rocket passes through the exit-hatch of the impenetrable shield... Above the planet, the rocket explodes, and the fragments dissolve into multi-flares... Seeing Luthor's emergency-signal... Superman enters through the open escape-hatch... and wonders if gangland has learned how to threaten the scientist again! Inside the satellite, the man of steel asks Luthor what's wrong... and the criminal scientist touches a button which lifts lead-lids from the lenses of concealed ray-projectors... Luthor is fine, but it's Superman who is in super-trouble from Green Kryptonite rays! As the man of steel falls to the ground, he wonders if Luthor has lost his mind... but the criminal scientist laughs...
The next moment finds Luthor strapping Superman to a bench, with bands of metal containing Green Kryptonite... As he pulls a switch, they see a wall rising, and behind the thick glass partition beyond it, Lois Lane, Perry White, and Jimmy Olsen watch helplessly at the man of steel's predicament! They know that Luthor is as evil as ever, and Superman's Pal knows that his friend has gotten out of worse situations than this! Luthor continues to gloat... about how kind and considerate he is to have brought his foe's friends to witness the man of steel turning green with Kryptonite fever! Superman struggles weakly as the criminal scientist turns up the rays slightly! He had discovered the cancer cure in order to be freed from prison! He pretended to be reformed so that he could lull the man of steel into a false sense of security... so that he could catch Superman off-guard and lure him into this death-trap!
The gangland attempts were legitimate, for they did not suspect he was playing a clever role! They will soon feel differently now! The man of steel knows now that he was a fool to trust him, and Luthor agrees, as he raises the Kryptonite rays to full-strength! As Superman turns completely green and his struggles end, the criminal scientist examines his still form... He must make certain that the man of steel isn't pretending to be dead, to trick him into turning off the rays! Using a super XXX-ray, he sees that this is the real Superman and not a robot! His super-stethoscope shows no life at all... and the man of steel is quite dead! At last! After all the years of trying in vain, Luthor has succeeded in killing his arch-foe! He revels in what he considers a glorious achievement! The criminal scientist lands the satellite lab on Earth... leaving the body of the man of steel with his friends!
Re-entering the satellite-lab, Luthor makes a radio announcement to the people of Earth! He has killed Superman! This is not a hoax... it's absolutely true! All over the world, the people are shocked and saddened by the news of their hero's death! The underworld is shocked and overjoyed by Luthor's trick! As for the criminal scientist, his pleasure is without bounds... With the man of steel gone, he can rule the planet! Very soon, he will be king of the Earth!
The Superman Signal-Watch is a necessary accessory whenever you're in danger and need help from Superman!
Interesting that when the man of steel use his heat-vision on the hand-grenade, it doesn't explode!
Again, I find Silver Age Lex Luthor far more interesting than Present-Day President Luthor. What a diabolical snake, and for those who read the story for the first time, I, for one, didn't see this one coming when I first read it!
With Superman gone, who can possibly stand up against Luthor?
Superman #193 (80 Page Giant #31)
"The Death of Superman!" Part III January/February, 1967
Story: Jerry Siegel
Art: Curt Swan and George Klein
How does the world and the entire universe react to the new of Superman's death? How do his closest comrades deal with it? Now that the man of steel is gone, will Luthor conquer the world? Will crime and injustice finally triumph with Superman's battle ended? This is the final chapter in this imaginary tale, which answers these questions and raises others by... "The Death of Superman!" On the splash page, among those who are paying respect to the man of steel: Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Linda Lee, Batman and Robin, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, and the Flash! The sun has risen on a dark day... everyone on Earth knows that Superman has passed on... The streets outside of Metropolis Chapel are filled with hundreds of thousands of mourners, each waiting in silence for a last glimpse of the fallen hero...
Within the chapel, they pass by the man of steel's casket... among them are the leaders of the world, who have come to Metropolis to pay their final respects... The procession continues... with alien beings from other planets, who have come via space-warp to learn of the tragic news... Many of their worlds were saved by Superman, who could have ruled the universe, but who selfishly chose to help others. Many faces pass by... every race and nation... young and old... each filled with sorrow at the pass of the great hero... Lois and Lucy Lane see the man of steel for the final time. The girl reporter knows that there will never be another like him... and will love him always!
Next, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, and Lori Lemaris take a last look... Lana Lang recalls growing up in Smallville, how she was a pest to Superboy, and how her crush became love when she grew up! Krypto the Super-Dog recalls the adventures he has had with his master...Linda Lee is a teen-aged girl whom none suspects as Superman's secret weapon, and who explored the universe... but even that wasn't as big as her cousin's gallant, noble heart... Legionnaires Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, and Saturn Girl salute their fallen comrade... At Superman's Fortress of Solitude, the man of steel's robots pay their final respects to their master... Inside the Bottle City of Kandor, Van-Zee and Sylvia join the Kandorians in a tribute... with the lowering of the Kryptonian flag, and the Earth-woman telling her daughter that a great man has died -- and Superman will never visit them again!
In contrast to the mourning over the man of steel's demise, there is glee at a secret party held by the underworld on a distant isle, which celebrates the news which has saddened law-abiding people... Luthor has decorated the banquet hall with exhibits capturing the moments of Superman... paintings and statues which have the other criminals green with envy. He tells them how he pretended to reform, how Superman fell for it, and when the man of steel was off-guard, he killed him with Kryptonite! Luthor describes how Superman suffered before succumbing to Kryptonite poisoning... and how the last thing he saw was the criminal scientist's grinning face! The others rise to their feet and raise glasses to Luthor...
Suddenly, the party is over as... the criminals see the man of steel crashing through the wall... Luthor in disbelief at seeing his dead foe... alive! The figure smashes the trophies while the others wonder if this is a ghost in their midst! As they watch, the super-being before them flexes super-muscles, and the disguise flies off... revealing to Luthor's horror... a girl with super-powers! Now the stunned underworld learn of Supergirl, cousin of Superman! She has been his secret emergency weapon for years... and now, she takes Luthor away... arresting him for murder in the name of Planet Krypton! The hoods fire their guns at the flying maid of might, but since she has her cousin's powers, the bullets do not harm her! Supergirl will continue her cousin's work of fighting for truth and justice. After the maid of might has transported the criminal scientist into Kandor via a transfer-ray, Luthor finds himself in a Kandorian courtroom, where he will be tried for the murder of Superman by Kryptonians!
The trial begins with the prosecutor seeking the ultimate penalty! The people of planet Earth watch the trial on their television sets, which have been linked up with Kandorian TV. In the bottle city, crowds of people watch the courtroom case on public viewing screens! Lois Lane testifies how Luthor wouldn't have been released from prison if not for Superman, and how the scientist repaid him for his kindness by killing him. She saw how Luthor murdered the man of steel in cold blood with Green Kryptonite Rays! As the testimonies of Jimmy Olsen and Perry White are placed into the record, Luthor does not crack, for he sees those in the courtroom as puny ants...
He knows that they are not dealing with an ordinary criminal! They are up against a criminal genius! Luthor is confident that he'll avoid paying the penalty with the ace he has up his sleeve! It's Luthor's turn to testify and he pleads guilty... His punishment is to be sent into the Phantom Zone at once! The Phantom Zone Ray is brought into the courtroom as the criminal scientist makes his play... Chained to the floor, Luthor tells them that punishing him won't bring Superman back! He asks for a compromise, in exchange for his release, he'll build a ray which will enlarge Kandor... back to the size it was before it was shrunk down by Brainiac! The criminal scientist figures that the Kandorians won't refuse since being normal-sized again is their greatest desire! To his dismay... Luthor learns that the Kandorians do not make deals with murderers! The executioner is told to send the villain into the Phantom Zone! The judge likens Luthor's act of villainy to that of Adolf Eichmann... and these are the last words the criminal hears, as he has become a phantom... and will remain so for all eternity... never to harm the world of men again!
On Earth, the newspapers tell of Supergirl's taking over her cousin's crusade... and wherever she flies, Krypto accompanies her... she hears the people wishing her luck... how they miss Superman, but how they're glad she's taking over for him! As they soar by Superman's crypt, she recalls how she was the man of steel's secret emergency-weapon, and how she was looking forward to the day Supergirl could appear in public! Now that the day has come, she feels no happiness at the "glory" which is now... hers! All she feels is a great sadness at the passing of the strongest, most powerful, kindest being she's ever known... her cousin, Superman...whom they see waving from the clouds... Fortunately, this was only an imaginary tale... the odds are a million to one that this will never happen! (Holy Kleenix, Batman! Pass the tissues!)
In the Silver Age, good and evil are things of black and white. There are no greys as there are nowadays.
I wonder why The Legion of Super-Heroes, with their knowledge of past events, didn't journey back in time to save Superman?
Silver Age Luthor is such a snake in this story, and much more interesting than Modern Age President Luthor.
Trouble for Luthor and the hoods comes in the form of Supergirl, who was Superman's secret emergency weapon.
To the criminal scientist, all before him are as puny ants!
The Kandorians do not make deals with murderers! They have a lot class in that Bottle City of Kandor, and the sight of Luthor's sneer fading in surprise from his face is priceless! His punishment much more humane than the torture he inflicted on the man of steel.
Now, it is the maid of might and the dog of steel who must take up Superman's mantle, and Supergirl learns just what are the qualities necessary to fight a never-ending battle against crime and injustice.
Maybe it's me, but this three-parter was much more effective than the latter-day "Death of Superman," which found the man of steel in a several issue slugfest with an alien killing machine in a battle which ended in the city of Metropolis. (Holy Poly-Bag, Batman!)
This Three- Part Review Is Dedicated To Greg Schienke
Review by Steve Chung