Superman

A world-famous crime-fighter and adventurer who has, for several decades, battled the forces of crime and injustice with the aid of an awesome array of superhuman powers, including X­-ray vision, the power of flight, and strength far beyond that of any ordinary mortal. Born on the planet Krypton, the son of the scientist Jor-El and his wife Lara, he was launched into outer space in an experimental rocket ship to enable him to escape the cataclysm that destroyed his native planet, and, arriving on Earth, was taken into the home of Jonathan and Martha Kent, who named him Clark Kent and raised him to manhood as their adopted son. Endowed with mighty super-powers in the alien environment of Earth, this orphan from Krypton–named Kal-EI by his parents–has, since rnid-1938, battled the forces of evil as Superman, while concealing his true, extraterrestrial identity beneath the alternate identity of Clark Kent, mild­ mannered reporter for the Metropolis Daily Planet, more recently a full-time newscaster for Metropolis television station WGBS-TV.

Superman is "Earth's mightiest hero", a "colorfully-costumed, mighty-sinewed man of might" engaged in "an unrelenting battle against the forces of evil". He is "the world's number one champi­on of justice and fair play" and "mankind's foremost crusader for good", "a fighting champion of justice who is famous the world over". Described as "the world's most dynamic man" and the "world's mightiest mortal", he is "mankind's greatest friend", a "mighty foe of all evil", a super· powered "savior of the helpless and oppressed".

Superman No. 1/1 calls Superman "the greatest exponent of justice the world has ever known" (Sum '39), and other texts describe him as "the law's most powerful defender", as "the greatest of all heroes", and as a "defender of democracy" who has chosen to "dedicate [his] powers to the good of all humanity!". "There is one man that people throughout the world honor and respect," notes Superman No. 128/1, "--and that man is Superman!".

Superman is "an incredibly muscular figure", "indestructible and cosmic in his gigantic strength", a tireless "sentinel for the world" whose "incredible super-powers (. . .) have made him a living legend(. . . )!". He is also the "most famous man in America", "patriot number one", the indefatigable "foe of all interests and activities subversive to this country's best interests". Everywhere, "in big cities... small towns.... rural viIlages... the name of Superman is honored and loved!"

Indeed, "throughout the universe, Superman is hailed as a mighty champion of justice", as a "champion of the weak and helpless" whose life is a "constant battle against evil . . .". "Not only on Earth is Superman the greatest and most acclaimed of heroes," proclaims Superman No. 168, "but on many other worlds across the universe as well!"

"Everyone knows that Superman is the greatest hero of all time!" states Superman No. 165/1. "A man who can move mountains, even planets . . . a man who has defeated the worst villains in history!".

"Today," notes Superman No. 144/2, "Superman is the most famous crusader in the world, idolized everywhere for unselfishly using his incredible super­ powers in behalf of justice".

In addition, the texts contain these descriptions:

*Dedicated to assisting the helpless and oppressed, is a mystery-man named SUPERMAN. Possessing super­ strength, he can jump over a ten-story building, leap an eighth of a mile, run faster than an express train, lift tremendous weights, and crush steel in his bare hands! -- His amazing feats of strength become more apparent day after day!*

*Friend of the helpless and oppressed is SUPERMAN, a man possessing the strength of a dozen Samsons! Lifting and rending gigantic weights, vaulting over skyscrapers, racing a bullet, possessing a skin impene­trable to even steel, are his physical assets used in his one-man battle against evll and injustice!*

*Leaping over towering buildings, rending steel in his bare hands, lifting incredible weights high overhead, impervious to bullets because of an unbelievably tough skin, racing at a speed hitherto unwitnessed by mortal eyes... these are the miraculous feats of strength which assist SUPERMAN in his one-man battle against the forces of evil and oppression!*

*Heartless criminals exploit the helpless and unfortu­nate! Clark Kent and his dual self, dynamic SUPER­MAN, battle side by side with pretty Lois Lane, courageous girl reporter, to stamp out the evil geniuses of crime and corruption!*

*Foe of all interests and activities subversive to this country's best interests, SUPERMAN loses no time in going into action when he encounters a menace to American democracy. Super-strength clashes with evil super-cunning in another thrilling, dramatic adventure of today's foremost hero, the daring, dynamic MAN OF TOMORROW -- SUPERMAN!!*

*No sterner or more courageous battler in behalf of justice is there than Superman, amazingly strong champion of the helpless and oppressed!*

*Superman, amazing nemesis of evildoers, champion of the helpless and oppressed, comes to the aid of all worthy individuals in need of assistance.*

*Faster than a speeding bullet! Able to hurdle the highest mountain! More powerful than an atomic cyclotron! That's Superman, eternal foe of the under­world, champion of the underdog!*

*Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap the highest mountain! That's Superman: the world's mightiest mortal.*

*From the jungle-wilds of Africa, to the skyscrapers of New York, the name of Superman has spread its fame! His Herculean strength, his super-battles against evil, are familiar to all...*

*Stronger than the very gravity that holds Earth in place... faster than the swiftest jet... more invulnerable than a mile-thick slab of steel, the incredible Superman can scoff at all weapons aimed at him!*

*Today the whole world rings with Superman's fame! In the far corners of the Earth men tell of how the Man of Steel uses his fantastic super-powers to help the forces of law and order against evildoers!*

Friend and foe alike have paid tribute to Super­man's heroism, and the texts have hailed him as "a giant among men" and as the "mightiest of mortals". An unidentified U.S. Navy admiral once described Superman as "the greatest hero of all time", and the master of ceremonies on a television special glowing­ly introduced him as "our greatest American hero".

"How fortunate we are here in America to have someone of Superman's calibre to aid us!" remarked Secretary of the Navy Hank Fox in March-April 1942. "In my opinion, he's worth several armies and navies!".

Jimmy Olsen has called Superman "the champion of justice and the enemy of evil all over the world", and Lois Lane has described him as "the smartest, handsomest, strongest man in the uni­verse" and as an "--American crusader, crime's greatest foe, enemy of all injustice, the most powerful force far good the world has ever seen... !".

In May 1962, an unidentified escapee from the Phantom Zone refers to Superman as "Earth's greatest defender", and in August 1964 the extraterrestrial gambler Rokk (see Rokk and Sordan) calls Super­man the "guardian of Earth".

"Though he wasn't bom on this world," notes scientist Mel Evans at the annual Superman's Earthday celebration in Smallville in April 1960, ''he has become Earth's greatest and most generous citizen!".

Indeed, preliminary indications are that Super­man's fame will be even greater in the future than it is today. A scientist of the thirtieth century A.D. has called Superman "the greatest hero in history", and a man of the fiftieth century A.D. has echoed the sentiment, describing Superman as "the greatest hero in Earth's history".

In the texts, Superman is frequently referred to as the Man of Steel and the Man of Tomorrow. He is also referred to as the Action Ace, the Champion of Democracy, and the King of Speed.

In addition, the texts describe Superman as a "champion of justice", an "amazing champion of the helpless and oppressed", "the world's foremost crime crusader", "the world's foremost justice­ dispenser", "Earth's mightiest warrior", "the world's mightiest citizen", "the world's mightiest being", "the world's most famous citizen", "the most amazing human of our century", "the world's mightiest defender of justice", "the mightiest man alive", " the world's mightiest man", "Earth's mightiest champion of justice", the "mightiest human being in all the world", "Earth's mighty champion", "the mightiest man on Earth", "the Earth's most powerful man", a "famed battler against crime and injustice", "Earth's protector" and "the heroic champion of Earth", "the world's greatest hero", "a defender of the weak and oppressed" and "the mightiest of all men", the "greatest lawman of them all", and as "a defender of the helpless, [and] a champion of the underdog".

## Origin

"Out of the infinite reaches of interstellar space came Superman, son of the doomed planet Krypton, to fight the forces of evil upon Earth...!"

### The Original Account

"As a distant planet was destroyed by old age, a scientist placed his infant son within a hastily devised space-ship, launching it toward Earth! When the vehicle landed on Earth, a passing motorist, discovering the sleeping babe within, turned the child over to an orphanage. Attendants, unaware the child's structure was millions of years advanced of their own, were astounded at his feats of strength. When maturity was reached, he discovered he could easily: leap 1/8th of a mile; hurdle a twenty-story building... raise tremendous weights... run faster than an express train... and that nothing less than a bursting shell could penetrate his skin! Early, Clark decided he must turn his titanic strength into channels that would benefit mankind. And so was created... SUPERMAN! Champion of the oppressed, the physical marvel who had sworn to devote his existence to helping those in need!"

### Addenda and Revisions

Since the appearance of this original account in 1938, the story of Superman's origin has been greatly revised and expanded to accommodate a wealth of new detail. Later texts, for example, gave the name of Super­man's native planet as Krypton and described its people and civilization in great detail. Superman's parents, Jor-El and Lara, were introduced, and the events leading up to the cataclysm that destroyed Krypton were extensively chronicled. The "passing motorist" who found the infant Superman became a couple, Jonathan and Martha Kent, who adopted the orphan from space and named him Clark Kent. Conflicting accounts were offered of the infant's brief stay in the orphanage, including how long he remained there and whether his super-powers were actually revealed there. Later texts asserted that Superman embarked upon his super-heroic career while still a youngster in Smallville rather than waiting until "maturity was reached." And, finally, the range and extent of his superhuman powers were continually expanded and the explanation of how he acquired them was periodically revised. For complete accounts and anal­yses of all the supplementary data concerning Superman's origin, consult the various entries cross­referenced above.

## The Secret Identity

"The fact that Clark Kent, newspaper reporter, and Superman, the mighty Man of Steel, are one and the same person, is the most closely guarded secret in the world!"

Within days of his arrival on the planet Earth, the infant Superman had two identities: on the one hand he was Kal-El, an orphaned native of the exploded planet Krypton, and on the other hand he was Clark Kent, the adopted son of Jonathan and Martha Kent. It was the Kents, in fact, who urged upon him the importance of keeping his super-powers secret and of using them to aid humanity.

"Now listen to me, Clark!" cautioned Jonathan Kent, while Clark was still a youngster. ''This great strength of yours -- you've got to hide it from people or they'll be scared of you!" "But when the proper time comes," added Martha Kent, "you must use it to assist humanity".

There were also other reasons for keeping Clark's super-powers secret: Jonathan Kent feared that unscrupulous individuals would try "to exploit his super·powers for evil purposes", and Clark himself soon realized that if he used his super-powers openly against the underworld, his foster parents would inevitably become the helpless targets of gangland retribution.

In addition, the use of an alternate identity gives Superman the advantage of surprise over the criminal element and enables him to conduct investiga­tions discreetly as journalist Clark Kent. "If, by accident, Lois [Lane] ever reveals my secret to the world," muses Superman during an anxious moment in October 1960, "my undercover role as Clark Kent will be ruined. I'll no longer be able to investigate criminals as 'meek' Clark Kent so that they can later be captured by Superman! And it may take me years to set up a new identity!".

*The matter of Superman's secret identity is one of utmost importance. Disguised as Clark Kent, the Man of Tomorrow finds it possible, secretly, to ferret out crimes that need solving, and injustices that cry out to be righted.*

Perhaps the most important advantage of a secret identity, however, is that it affords Superman a haven of refuge from his life as a super-hero, enabling him to escape the adulators and curiosity seekers and to relate to ordinary Earth folk on everyday human terms.

Several texts, in fact, deal explicitly with the question of why it is important to Superman to maintain a secret identity. Superman No. 127/1 describes a series of events, purported to have taken place sometime in the past, when, after eyewitnesses had seen Clark Kent apparently "perish" in an accidental explosion, Superman had decided to allow his mild-mannered alter ego to remain "dead" and to live out his life openly as Superman, sharing an apartment with his friend Jimmy Olsen. Before long, however, the disadvantages of the arrangement had become apparent to all concerned: the telephone in Jimmy's apartment rang constantly; the street outside became a mob scene as gawkers and favor seekers descended on Superman's new home; and criminals, now aware of the location of Superman's residence, concocted a plot to lure the Man of Steel into a deadly Kryptonite ambush. Indeed, the problems of living without a dual identity soon became so severe that Superman ultimately felt compelled to resolve the dilemma by resurrecting Clark Kent – i.e., by devising a plausible explanation to account for Kent's having survived the explosion that had apparently killed him – so that he could resume his accustomed dual life.

Action Comics No. 305 offers a series of hypotheti­cal, "imaginary" vignettes calculated to drive home the importance of Superman's secret identity. In one vignette, the teen-aged Superman reveals his secret identity to the world, only to have his foster parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, brutally gunned down by vengeful hoodlums while he is away from home on a super-heroic mission. In another vignette, after having rented an apartment in Metropolis in his Superman identity, the Man of Steel is besieged by curiosity seekers and, emerging one afternoon from his apartment, walks headlong into a kryptonite ambush devised by Lex Luthor, who leaves the stricken Superman lying helpless on the pavement while he rushes off to perpetrate a million-dollar jewel heist. Superman attempts to resolve the dilemma of apartment living by taking up residence in his Fortress of Solitude, but the barrenness of the Arctic wastes is lonely and depressing, and Super­man soon longs for the comfort of human companionship.

In another imaginary vignette, Jimmy Olsen stumbles onto the knowledge that someone on the staff of the Daily Planet is secretly Superman, although he does not learn exactly who. Jimmy's knowledge, however, falls into the hands of gangsters, who set up a round-the-clock surveillance of the Daily Planet Building and, when they learn finally that Clark Kent is Superman, lure Superman into a diabolical gold-kryptonite trap, thereby robbing Superman permanently of his mighty super-powers.

And, finally, in the last imaginary vignette, Clark Kent reveals his secret identity to the world when he openly uses his super-powers to thwart an attempted holdup. But when Superman attempts to establish a new civilian identity to replace the one that has now been exposed, he finds, to his dismay, that the complexities ofmodern life-the difficulties of obtain­ing a birth certificate and other valid identification to authenticate his new identity, and the need to establish a job history so that his new persona can obtain employment-make it virtually impossible for him to create a new identity as effective and substantial as the one he enjoyed as Clark Kent.

Because the secret of Superman's dual identity is one the underworld would pay any price to obtain, to say nothing of the countless law-abiding individuals who would like to solve the mystery for purely egotistical reasons, the protection of his secret identity remains one of Superman's constant preoccupations. The texts repeatedly refer to Superman's secret identity as "the most closely guarded secret of the 20th century", "the best-kept secret in the world", "the world's best-kept secret", and "the greatest mystery of all time".

"One of the most closely guarded of secrets is the secret identity of Superman!" notes Action Comics No. 250. "(...)[N]o eye has ever seen the truth--that mild·mannered reporter Clark Kent masks the Herculean person of Superman!".

To conceal the fact that Clark Kent is secretly Superman, the Man of Steel has endowed his Clark Kent persona with an array of qualities and traits which are diametrically opposed to the ones he displays in his role as a super-hero. Indeed, the Clark Kent persona is meek, timid, ineffectual, submissive, mild·mannered, cowardly, even "spineless". Clark Kent is weak, sickly, subject to fainting and dizzy spells, mildly hypochondriacal. When trouble comes, he runs away, or "dives for cover under a nearby table...".

The Man of Steel ''has always hidden his identity," notes Action Comics No. 324, "under the pose of a timid mouse, a trembling coward whom anyone could push around". Clark Kent tends to rationalize his timid persona as "the perfect camouflage for my real identity as Superman!.

Granting, however, that Superman needs a dual identity, it seems nonetheless certain that his reasons for creating and maintaining this particular persona are largely unconscious and reveal a very great deal about the personality and inner life of Superman (see section I, "the man himself (as Superman)).

"Everyone knows the world's most guarded secret is Superman's secret identity!" observes Action Comics No. 288. "Many men have tried to learn that secret, but failed!".

The most persistent seeker after Superman's secret, however, has not been a man, but a woman. "For years," notes Superman No. 135/1, "lovely Lois Lane has often wondered if her fellow reporter, meek, mild Clark Kent, is not in reality dynamic Superman in disguise!".

Lois Lane first encounters Superman in June 1938, yet it is not until June 1940 that she expresses even a mild interest in learning his secret identity, and not until November­ December 1940 that she expresses a real desire to ferret it out. In July-August 1941, for the first time in the chronicles, Lois Lane speculates that Clark Kent might possibly be Superman, but not until July·August 1942 does she actively begin to suspect "that Clark Kent and Superman are one and the same!".

Since that time, the discovery of Superman's secret identity has remained Lois Lane's constant preoccu­pation, although the texts are divided on the question of whether she would actually publish the secret if she were to learn it or whether she would keep the secret to herself in order to avoid damaging the Man of Steel's super-heroic career. Superman No. 145/1 asserts that the psychological pressure of keeping the secret would be more than Lois Lane could bear, and Clark Kent expresses this opinion on the question in March·April 1952: "If Lois exposes my secret identi­ty," he muses, "it will give her the world's greatest scoop! She couldn't resist that!".

However, despite Lois Lane's persistent efforts to verify her suspicion that Clark Kent is secretly Superman, the Man of Steel has always managed, often through the use of elaborate ruses, to persuade her that her suspicions were groundless, or at the very least not conclusively proven. "Sometimes," mused Clark Kent on one occasion, "Lois strains my ingenuity more than all the crooks in Metropolis!".

In addition to employing elaborate ruses, many of them extremely intricate and convoluted, to prevent Lois Lane from penetrating his secret, Supennan contrives to protect his secret from Lois in other, subtler ways: by speaking of Clark Kent, in the early years of the chronicles, in a disparaging way; by making it appear, as Clark Kent, that he is jealous of Lois Lane's interest in Superman and even secretly envious of Superman's powers; and by designing lifelike robots of Clark Kent and Superman that are so unbelievably sophisticated that one of them can actually spend an entire afternoon with Lois Lane without her even suspect­ ing that she is not in the company of a real human being.

And Superman's painstaking efforts have clearly paid off, because "For years, despite her great efforts, inquisitive reporter Lois Lane has been unable to discover the secret of Superman's real identity".

Nevertheless, the pressure of maintaining the secrecy of his dual identity exerts a great psychic toll on Superman and there are numerous indications that, in his heart of hearts, he would like Lois Lane to find him out. He has been sorely tempted to share his secret with her on several occasions, and he has had dreams and fantasies in which she discovers that Clark Kent is secretly Superman. "She's a great girl," muses Clark Kent silently in September-October 1941. "What a tempta­tion it is to inform her who I really am!". Clark Kent certainly wants Lois Lane at least to *suspect* that he is Superman, if only because he regards being dismissed as a possible suspect as something of a put-down.

In one early adventure, in 1943, Superman actually reveals his secret identity to Lois Lane – and asks her to marry him – in an effort to get her to abandon her announced plans to marry irresponsible playboy Craig Shaw. "I've known Lois for years," thinks Superman desperately, "--never declared my feelings – took her for granted... it never occurred to me that some day she might marry someone else...

"I can't let her go like this! She means so much to me! And yet--WHAT CAN I DO???"

"Blowing off steam won't do any good. Somehow, I must win Lois for myself. But how? By proposing as Clark Kent?"

"No. That wouldn't do--she despises Clark's meek character, and would turn him down. – There's only one thing I **can** do! **Reveal** my **secret to Lois**! Once she learns Clark Kent and **Superman** are one and the same, perhaps she'll forget Craig Shaw and marry me!"

Late that night, when Lois returns home from a lavish night on the town with Craig Shaw, she finds Clark Kent waiting in front of her apartment building. "I've been waiting for hours, Lois," he remarks. ''There's something I must tell you!"

Together the two enter the elevator and ride it to the roof of Lois's building. "Better prepare yourself, Lois," warns Kent. "What I have to say will shock and amaze you."

"What did you want to tell me, Clark?" asks Lois when they arrive on the roof.

"Just this!" replies Kent. "I'm not the quiet frightened little chap you believe I am. Far from it! The truth is--! AM SUPERMAN!"

But Lois only laughs in Kent's face, unable to believe that meek Clark Kent is actually the Man of Steel.

"But you don't understand, Lois," stammers Kent. "This is no hoax. I'm SUPERMAN! I've learned of your engagement to Craig, and I want you to marry me instead of him!"

Kent tries everything he can think ofto convince Lois that he is actually Superman, but circumstances conspire to prevent him from doing so. He leaps off the roof to demonstrate his invulnerability, only to land atop a cushiony truckload of mattresses passing down the street below. He shoots himself with a pistol to prove that he cannot be harmed, only to discover that the pistol he selected was loaded only with blanks. To make matters worse, itis April Fool's Day, leading Lois to the erroneous conclusion that Kent is trying to make her the butt of an April Fool's gag.

Ultimately, Superman learns that Lois never intended to marry Craig Shaw after all, but had only encouraged Shaw's attentions as a means of enabling her to verify her suspicion that his ostentatious wealth derived from criminal activity. Superman ultimately apprehends Shaw and his henchman and, by means of an elaborate ruse, successfully persuades Lois Lane, at least for the time being, that Clark Kent and Superman are two different persons.

Lois Lane learns Superman's secret identity in March 1951 when, while she and Clark Kent are spending a week alone on an uninhabited South Sea island as part of a contest sponsored by the Daily Planet to determine "who's more able to live alone under primitive conditions--the man or the woman," she actually sees Clark Kent changing to Superman. Superman ultimately salvages his secret, however, by tricking Lois Lane into believing that what she thought was Clark Kent changing to Superman was actually only a "delirious hallucination" brought on by a tropical fever.

Superman deliberately reveals his secret identity to Lois Lane in August 1954 in a desperate effort to shock her out of an amnesic state brought on by the trauma of having witnessed what she believed was the death of Clark Kent during a scuffle with criminals. As luck would have it, Superman's ploy successfully restores Lois's memory without betraying his dual identity, because Lois incorrectly interprets Superman's secret-identity revelation as meaning that the reason Clark Kent did not die in the scuffle is that Superman was impersonating Kent at the time.

By November 1954 Lois Lane's mind has become seriously unbalanced as the result of her having inadvertently stumbled upon Superman in the act of changing into his Clark Kent identity. Because Lois experienced this trauma of discovery during a period, when she was writing a series of newspaper articles on the "Great Women of History," Lois begins acting out a series of bizarre delusions, punctuated by brief interludes of sanity, in which she believes she is, and behaves as though she were, various famous women of history, including Florence Nightingale. Betsy Ross. Barbara Frietchie, Annie Oakley, Madame Curie. and Queen Isabella of Spain. Finally. however, Lois's delusions end of their own accord, and Superman, through an elaborate ruse, succeeds in persuading her that she never really did learn his secret at all.

Lois Lane learns that Clark Kent is Superman in March 1955, when, having acquired a pair of experimental eyeglasses that endow her with the power of X-ray vision, she peers through Clark Kent's street clothes and sees his Superman costume underneath. Kent successfully safeguards his secret, however, by duping Lois into believing that Superman only loaned him his invulnerable costume to protect him from an anticipated attempt on his life by a gangland assassin.

Lois Lane stumbles upon virtually irrefutable evidence linking Clark Kent with Superman when she discovers a highly sophisticated Clark Kent robot hidden behind a secret panel in a supply room at the Daily Planet in May 1958. Correctly deducing that this must be the robot Clark Kent uses to stand in for him at the Daily Planet whenever it is necessary for him to be elsewhere as Superman, Lois devises a scheme to trap Superman into openly admitting his secret. The Man of Steel succeeds, however, by means of an intricately convoluted ruse, in convincing Lois that she has not really learned his secret after all.

Clark Kent deliberately reveals his secret identity to Lois Lane in September 1958 when the two find themselves marooned on an island from which even Superman cannot escape, due to the fact that the island's volcano, which has a fallen kryptonite meteor lodged in its crater, is spewingfine particles of kryptonite dust into the surrounding air. Believing himself trapped on the island for life, Superman decides to make Lois's life a happy one by divulging the secret of his dual identity and arranging for them to be married by the island's local native chief. On the day of the scheduled wedding, however, Superman discovers that the volcano is no longer filling the air with kryptonite dust and that escape from the island is therefore possible. Ultimately, through an elabo­rate ruse, he succeeds in persuading Lois to withdraw from the marriage voluntarily as well as in tricking her into believing that Clark Kent had. only been deceiving her when he confided to her that he was secretly Superman.

Lois Lane successfully tricks Superman into divulging his secret identity to her in April 1959 by concealing her true identity beneath a blond wig and Kryptonian-style clothing and, employing the alias Rama, posing as a survivor of the exploded planet Krypton. Realizing soon afterward, however, that Lois Lane has duped him, Superman enlists the aid of his friend Bruce Wayne, the man who is secretly Batman, in an elaborate and ultimately successful ruse designed to persuade Lois that Clark Kent and Superman are two different men and that Superman was only playing a prank on Lois when he "pre­tended" to tell her his secret identity.

Throughout the years, numerous individuals besides Lois Lane have attempted to learn the secret of Superman's identity, or to confirm their suspicions that Clark Kent is Superman, only to be outwitted by the Man of Steel, often through the use of elaborate ruses.

Lana Lang has strongly suspected that Clark Kent is Superman ever since their childhood days in Smallville, but Superman has always managed to convince her that her suspicions were groundless, or at the very least not conclusively proven.

Inspector Erskine Hawkins of Scotland Yard has made a series of ingenious attempts to prove that Clark Kent is Superman, but Superman has always managed to outwit the great sleuth, often through the use of elaborate ruses.

Lex Luthor learns Superman's secret identity in October 1948 when one of his henchmen sees Clark Kent change to Superman in a darkened alley. Captured sometime later by Superman, the criminals attempt to use their secret knowledge to blackmail the Man of Steel into giving them their freedom, but, through a ruse, Superman succeeds in convincing them that Clark Kent and Superman are two different persons.

Newsman Vince Ellery, a reporter for a Metropolis newspaper that is a rival of the *Daily Planet*, attempts to prove his conviction that Clark Kent is Superman by forcing Kent to wear, for a twenty-four­ hour period, a pair of electronic ankle bracelets whose "mechanism (...) will register (...) if you leave the ground to fly in the air- -or if you race at a speed faster than can a normal man!" Wearing the special ankle bracelets greatly limits Superman in the use of his super-powers, but he manages to perform his customary super-chores during the twenty-four hours without betraying his dual identity.

Metropolis gangster "Hatchet" Kaims is offered $50,000 by the city's underworld chieftains to unravel the secret of Superman's identity, but the Man of Steel apprehends Kaims and his cohorts when they start a fire in Clark Kent's apartment building in an unsuccessful effort to discover which of its tenants is secretly Superman.

Joe Harris becomes convinced that he has learned Superman's secret identity when a complex series of circumstances combine to persuade him that the Man of Steel is secretly an F.B.I. agent named Henry Smithers. Harris confides his conclusions to Superman and promises faithfully to keep his secret, and Superman, for his part, allows Harris to go on thinking that he has unraveled the secret of his dual identity.

In September-October 1952 a gang of criminals, convinced that one of the members of the Atlas Club must secretly be Superman, begins trying systemati­cally to murder them all in an effort to determine which of them is invulnerable. However, Superman­ – who is not a member of the club in either of his identities – thwarts the various murder attempts and ultimately apprehends the criminals.

An unidentified former gangster residing in Mapleville attempts to unravel the secret of Superman's identity by making him a gift of a bloodhound named Sniffer in hopes of later using the dog's acute sense of smell to root out Superman in his civilian identity. The dog succeeds in pursuing Superman's scent as far as the Daily Planet Building – where Superman works in his Clark Kent identity – but Kent throws the canine off his trail by means of a ruse and thereby thwarts the gangster's attempt to learn his secret identity.

Mr. Mxyzptlk attempts to sabotage Superman's super-heroic career in May-June 1953 by forcing him to publicly divulge his secret identity, but Superman successfully outwits the imp and banishes him back into his home dimension.

The members of the Round Table Club, of which Clark Kent has recently become a member, learn that Kent is secretly Superman when Kent's suit of knightly armor is burned away by the breath of a fire­ breathing prehistoric monster, revealing his Super­man costume underneath. By means of an elaborate ruse, however, Superman successfully dupes the club members into believing that he was impersonating Clark Kent at the time Kent was seemingly exposed as Superman.

The Professor attempts to track down Superman in his alternate identity in March 1954 with the aid of a dog that has developed an unbounded affection for Superman, but the Man of Steel apprehends the Professor and his henchmen and finds the dog a new home in France, where his unflagging devotion will pose less of a hazard to Superman's secret.

While impersonating Clark Kent in July 1954, the super-powered villain Mala – who does not suspect that Clark Kent is secretly Superman – proclaims to the world that he, "Kent," is Superman as a means of throwing the public off the track concerning his own villainous identity while at the same time creating what he imagines will be a minor nuisance for Superman. The widespread conviction that Kent is Superman presumably vanishes, however, when the public learns that, at the time the "revelation" was made, Kent was being impersonated by a villain with super-powers.

Professor Snelling, the author of a forthcoming book entitled *The Life and Times of Superman*, nearly uncovers Superman's secret while residing in Small­ville, but Superman intervenes successfully to pre­vent the professor from learning his secret.

"The Thinker" learns Superman's secret identity when one of his henchmen, in the act of impersonat­ing Jimmy Olsen, stumbles upon evidence indicating Clark Kent is Superman. Through an elaborate ruse, however, Superman convinces the criminals that the evidence they have obtained is inauthentic.

Journalist Mona Miles becomes suspicious that Clark Kent is Superman and launches a one-woman investigation to prove her suspicion correct. Through an elaborate ruse, however, Superman manages to persuade the resourceful newswoman that he has no single secret identity, but rather that he assumes new identities at random, changing to a different one every few days.

Mr. Mxyzptlk becomes suspicious that Clark Kent is Superman and attempts to trick Kent into betray­ing his secret in September 1955, but Kent successfulIy outwits the imp and, as Superman, succeeds in banishing Mr. Mxyzptlk back into his home dimen­sion.

Floyd Fowler correctly establishes that Clark Kent is Superman by comparing Kent's fingerprints with those of the infant Superman found embedded in a fragment of the rocket ship that first brought Superman to Earth from Krypton. Superman ulti­mately outwits Fowler and safeguards his secret, however, by altering the fingerprint evidence with his X-ray vision so as to make it appear that Fowler has erred in identifying Kent with Superman.

In May 1956, while working as a reporter at the *Daily Planet* under a secret identity, Mr. Mxyzptlk becomes suspicious that Clark Kent is secretly Superman and attempts to trick Kent into betraying his secret. Kent successfully outwits the imp, however, and, as Superman, succeeds in banishing Mr. Mxyzptlk back into his home dimension.

Dandy Jim learns Superman's secret identity in August 1956 when two of his henchmen see the watery reflection of Superman changing to Clark Kent beneath a deserted wharf. By means of an elaborate ruse, however, Superman manages to dupe the criminals into believing they have made a mistake.

Professor Martin, a "notorious criminal scien­tist," perpetrates an elaborate hoax on Superman in September 1956 in an attempt to unravel his secret identity, but Superman thwarts Martin's efforts and takes him into custody. During this same period, a group of Metropolis policewomen make a series of resourceful attempts to verify their suspicion that Clark Kent is Superman, but Superman adoitly outwits them at every turn, thereby preserving the secret of his dual identity.

Thad Linnis tricks Superman into believing that he has learned his secret identity as part of a scheme to blackmail the Man of Steel into leaving Metropolis while he and his henchmen loot the city with a powerful "super-tank." Superman ultimately learns that Linnis is only bluffing, however, and joins forces with Batman and ROBIN to take the gangster and his henchmen into custody.

In February 1957, during a period when Super­man's personality is imprisoned in the mind of Jimmy Olsen, and vice versa, as the result of both men's having unwittingly exposed themselves to the effects of a Saturnian "mentality exchanger," Jimmy Olsen uncovers evidence that convinces him that Clark Kent is secretly Superman. By means of an elaborate ruse, however, Superman succeeds in tricking his young pal into believing that he has made a mistake.

Judd Kent, who actually stumbled upon the secret of Superman's identity while masquerading as Clark Kent's cousin many years ago, attempts to blackmail Superman into breaking him out of prison by threatening to reveal his secret to the world. Super­man defies Kent's blackmail attempt, however, and successfully neutralizes the effects of Kent's claim by ingeniously amassing a body of bogus evidence calculated to refute the suggestion that Clark Kent and Superman are one and the same man.

"Many-Faces" Fulton concocts an elaborate scheme to learn Superman's secret identity in hopes of collecting the $1,000,000 being offered for the secret by an underworld syndicate. Superman thwarts the scheme, however, and apprehends Fulton in August 1957.

After acquirng temporary super-powers in September-October 1957, Batwoman makes a deter­mined effort to uncover the secret identities of Batman, Robin, and Superman. The three crime­-fighters outwit her at every turn, however, and before long Batwoman's super-powers have faded and vanished, without her having learned the secrets she sought.

Torm learns Superman's secret identity in October 1957 by comparing Superman's fingerprints with those of Clark Kent, but Superman succeeds ultimate­ly in destroying the fingerprint evidence, leaving Torm with no proof whatever that Clark Kent is Superman.

Professor Thaddeus V. Maxvell, "one of the most brilliant men in the world," made a series of ingenious attempts to unravel Superman's secret identity while Clark Kent was a student at Metropolis University. The Man of Steel successfully thwarted those attempts, however, and prevented Professor Maxwell from learning his secret.

Cedric and Millicent Carson, a pairof "scheming actors," successfully dupe Superman into revealing his secret identity by impersonating his foster parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent. The Carsons attempt to extort $5,000,000 from the Man of Steel as their price for keeping their knowledge secret, but Superman thwarts the extortion scheme by using his command of "super-hypnotic forces" to erase all memory of his secret identity from the villainous actors' minds.

Television interviewer John Bates invites Clark Kent to appear on his talk show, "*The Eye of Metropolis*," with the clear intention of using the occasion as an opportunity to confirm his suspicion that Clark Kent is Superman. Bates's penetrating interview provides Clark Kent with some uncomfort­able moments, but Kent nevertheless succeeds in convincing his interrogator, and millions of televi­sion viewers as well, that mild-mannered Clark Kent could not possibly be Superman.

The entire world learns Superman's secret identity in January 1961 when a blast o f"fire-breath" belched forth by a Kryptonian "flame dragon" scorches away Clark Kent's street clothes in full view of Lois Lane and other onlookers, revealing his Superman costume underneath. Superman manages to preserve his secret, however, by means of an elaborate ruse involving Batman, Supergirl, and Krypto the Superdog.

John Kiley successfully tricks Clark Kent into revealing his secret identity as the first step in a diabolical scheme to lure Superman to his doom in a kryptonite deathtrap, but Superman thwarts the scheme – and protects the secret of his dual identity­ by enlisting the aid of Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad in an elaborate ruse designed to persuade the villain that when he thought he saw Clark Kent changing to Superman he was actually only experiencing a drug-induced hallucination.

Two members of the Anti-Superman Gang learn Superman's secret identity in April 1962 with the aid of a tiny television transmitter that they have concealed inside a "special medallion" that Superman has agreed to wear around his neck to help promote a Greater Metropolis Fund charity drive. The villains attempt to cap their scheme by killing Clark Kent with kryptonite, but the Man of Steel thwarts the attempt on his life and, through an elaborate ruse tricks the criminals into believing they have erred in identifying Clark Kent with Superman.

Ex-convict Hal Colby attempts to unravel the secret of Superman's identity, both to wreak ven­geance on Superman for a past defeat and to collect the $1,000,000 reward being offered him for the secret by "the leaders of the nation's crime syndicate," but the Man of Steel thwarts the scheme in May 1962.

General Pedro Valdez and his cohorts stumble upon the secret of Superman's identity and attempt to lure him into a kryptonite deathtrap, but the Man of Steel thwarts the attempt on his life and, with the aid of Superman look-alike Manuel Baeza, succeeds in convincing the villains that Clark Kent and Super­man are two different persons.

"Mysterious gangland czar" Herb Farr threatens to murder Lois Lane unless Clark Kent – who is widely known as a close friend of Superman – agrees to divulge Superman's secret identity. By means of an elaborate ruse, however, Superman succeeds in apprehending Farr and his henchmen and in rescuing Lois Lane from their clutches.

A number of trusted individuals are actually privy to Superman's secret, including Batman and Robin, Supergirl, Krypto the Superdog, and Superman's vari­ous Superman robots. Pete Ross knows Superman's secret, but Superman does not know he knows it.

Other individuals or groups of individuals have learned Superman's secret or been entrusted with it, but they have invariably been inhabitants of distant planets, alien dimensions, other eras, or remote civilizations not likely to communicate their knowledge to Superman's contemporaries.

William Shakespeare deduces that Clark Kent is Superman – and even contemplates writing a play about it – during a time-journey by Superman to the city of London in the year 1601. Superman manages to convince the renowned dramatist, however, of the importance of keeping his dual identity secret.

The inhabitants of the planet Skar, including Vitor Vall and his family, know that Clark Kent is Superman as the result of having observed his exploits by means of sophisticated space "scanners".

The people of the sixtieth century A.D., including the historian Ka Thar, know that Clark Kent is Superman.

The Superman of 2956 is fully aware that Clark Kent is secretly Superman.

Superman reveals his secret identity to Zoll Orr and his son Kell Orr during a visit to the planet Xenon in February 1958.

Lori Lemaris knows that Clark Kent is Superman as the result of having read his mind by means of her telepathic powers. Since all Atlantis's mer-people possess powers identical to Lori's, it is entirely possible that every Atlantean is privy to the secret of Superman's dual identity.

Because Bizarro possesses "a dim copy of Superman's memory," he knows that Clark Kent is secretly Superman. Moreover, since all the male inhabi­tants of the planet Htrae are duplicates of the original Bizarro, it is virtually certain that every one of them is privy to Superman's secret.

Princess Jena, of the planet Adoria, is fully aware that Clark Kent is secretly Superman.

Jan-Dex and Zo-Gar, a pair ofevil extraterrestrial "chameleon men" from the thirtieth century A.D., know that Clark Kent is Superman as the result of having been told the secret by Cosmic King and Lightning Lord, two members of the Legion of Super-Villains, an organization of twenty-first century A.D. super-criminals who also know the secret.

All of the members of the Superman Revenge Squad know that Clark Kent is Superman, as do all the members of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

The inhabitants of the Phantom Zone know that Clark Kent is Superman as the result of their unique ability to observe everything that takes place in the physical universe.

Rokk and Sorban, a pair of "interplanetary gamblers" from the planet Ventura, are fully aware that Clark Kent is Superman.

Superman reveals his secret identity to Peter Fry, one of the inhabitants of secluded Crater Valley, during a visit there in May 1965.

In addition, Superman's secret identity is known to all the inhabitants of the bottle city of Kandor.

More than a dozen individuals have deduced or otherwise come into possession of Superman's secret, but they have all taken their knowledge to the grave with them or developed amnesia before they could betray the secret.

Superman's foster parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, encouraged him to maintain the secrecy of his dual identity and guarded the secret faithfully until their deaths.

An unidentified burglar stumbles upon Super­man's secret identity in September-October 1940 when, while hiding in a closet in Clark Kent's apartment, he sees Clark Kent change into Super­man. The burglar dies moments later, however, when, while racing frantically out of the apartment building in a desperate effort to escape from Superman, he trips down a flight of stairs and breaks his neck.

When young Latin American intern Pedro Carlos, who is dying of the ghastly "yellow plague" (see Quasmania) that has broken out in Metropolis, refuses to tell Clark Kent what he knows of the plague and its origins, Kent wins the dying man's confidence by opening his shirtfront to reveal his Superman costume underneath. Carlos readily provides Super­man with the information he seeks, then dies moments later, within seconds of having learned Superman's secret.

Window washer John Forrest stumbles upon the secret of Superman's identity when he peers through a window at the Daily Planet and sees Superman changing to Clark Kent. The shock of this discovery sends Forrest reeling backward off his window ledge and plummeting toward the pavement, but Super­man rescues him before he hits the sidewalk. The unconscious Forrest is rushed to the hospital, with Superman fearful that he will reveal his identity the moment he regains consciousness. Awakening in his hospital bed, however, Forrest identifies himself as Eric Joyce, a Metropolis banker who vanished years ago after a blow on the head afflicted him with temporary amnesia. Now cured by the trauma of his recent fall, Joyce recalls nothing of his life as window washer "Forrest," including his briefly held knowledge of Superman's identity.

Susan Semple, a switchboard operator at the *Daily Planet*, learns Superman's secret identity when "a strange experiment" endows her with extraordinary extrasensory powers. Twenty-four hours later, however, Susan Semple's powers vanish, leaving her with no recollection whatever of Superman's secret.

The infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Roger Bliss learns Superman's secret identity when, after having acquired temporary super-powers as the result of ingesting the contents of some Kryptonian "condensed food" cylinders, he peers through Clark Kent's street clothes with his X-ray vision and sees Kent's Superman costume underneath. Before long, however, the infant's temporary super-powers have faded and vanished, and Clark Kent expresses confidence that the child will have forgotten everything he learned during the period he was endowed with super-powers.

Newspaper tycoon Henry Furst dupes Clark Kent into revealing his secret identity by means of an elaborate ruse in February 1958. Fortunately for Superman, however, a special drug Furst ingested to enable him to carry out his ruse turns out to have "hallucinatory side-ffects," and Furst recovers from its influence with only a mistaken recollection of what Clark Kent revealed to him.

Super-Girl, a lovely blond super-heroine who materializes out of nowhere in August 1958 in response to Jimmy Olsen's wish on a magic totem, learns Superman's secret identity when she peers through Clark Kent's street clothes with her X·ray vision and sees his Superman costume underneath. Soon afterward, however, in an ultimate act of heroism, Super-Girl sacrifices her existence in order to save the life of Superman.

Super-Menace has learned, by means of his own super-powers, that Clark Kent is secretly Superman, but his knowledge vanishes with him when he abandons his human form and transforms himself into "pure energy".

While inhabiting the body of Perry White, the diabolical "plant intelligence" Xasnu learns the secret of Superman's identity when it peers through Clark Kent's street clothes with its X-ray vision and sees Kent's Superman costume underneath. Supergirl ultimately destroys Xasnu, however, with a chunk of white kryptonite, and Perry White, recovering from his ordeal, retains no recollection whatever of the events that occurred during the period when the sinister "plant alien" was inhabiting his body.

Quex-Ul has learned the secret identities of both Superman and Supergirl as the result of having observed them while serving out his term in the Phantom Zone, but Quex-Ul is afflicted with "permanent amnesia" in November 1962 as the result of his exposure to gold kryptonite and retains no recollection whatever of his origins or of Superman's and Supergirl's dual identities.

Perry White discovers Superman's secret identity during a period when he is suffering from temporary amnesia. With some help from Clark Kent, White soon regains his memory, but he retains no recollection whatever of Superman's secret or of the events that occurred while he was afflicted with amnesia.

Wonder-Man knows that Clark Kent is secretly Superman as the result of having once been one of Superman's Superman-robots, but Wonder-Man perishes, taking Superman's secret with him, as the result of the Superman Revenge Squad's having deliberately endowed him with a defective "android body".

Superman entrusts President John F. Kennedy with the secret of his dual identity so that the President can impersonate him briefly by appearing on a television show disguised as Clark Kent. President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, in November 1963, and presumably guarded Superman's secret faithfully until his death.

Joe Meach learns Superman's secret identity when a freak accident transforms him into the Composite Superman, but Meach's powers ultimately vanish, leaving him with no recollection whatever of the secret he learned.

Adam Newman knows that Clark Kent is secretly Superman as the result of having been originally created by Superman as a Superman android, but Adam Newman perishes, taking Superman's secret with him, after being mortally wounded while battling a runaway nuclear pile.

Metropolis billionaire "Sad Sam" Smith should know that Clark Kent is Superman, because an unexpected emergency forces Kent to change to Superman directly in front of Smith in April 1960. Smith, however, cannot even imagine Clark Kent being Superman, and he assumes that Kent's change of costume was only an ingenious attempt to make him laugh.

Interestingly, several dogs have learned Super­man's secret identity in the sense that they have recognIzed, by means oftheir canine sense of smell, that Clark Kent and Superman are one and the same man.

Lois Lane's dog Flip, a black-and·white spaniel, knows that Clark Kent is Superman and once put his knowledge to good use by sumonning Clark Kent to the rescue after Lois Lane had been taken captive by a gang of dognappers.

A bloodhound named Sniffer learns that Clark Kent is Superman when an unidentified gangster gives him to Superman as a pet during the period when Superman is residing in the town of Mapleville. The gangster attempts to use the dog to sniff out Superman in his other identity, but Kent throws Sniffer off his trail by means of a clever ruse and the gangster fails in his attempt to learn Superman's secret.

Reginald Chauncey Applethwaite III, a golden-haired cocker spaniel belonging to a criminal known as the Professor, becomes so grateful to Superman for rescuing it from a caved-in rabbit burrow that it wags its tail exuberantly whenever it senses Super­man in the vicinity. The Professor attempts to capitalize on the spaniel's affection for Superman by using it to sniff out Superman in his other identity, but Superman apprehends the Professor and his henchmen and finds Reginald a new home in France, where his unflagging devotion will pose less of a hazard to the secret of his dual identity.

## The Texts

### Developments

#### The Later Adventures

1. ↑ (S No. 128/1, Apr '59: chs. 1-2-"Superman versus the Futuremen"; "The Secret of the Futuremen")
2. ↑ (S No. 21/4, Mar/Apr '43: "The Ghost of Superman!")
3. ↑ (S No. 130/3, Jul '59: "The Town That Hated Superman!")
4. ↑ (S No. 181/2, Nov '65: "The Superman of 2965!")
5. ↑ (Act No. 45, Feb '42)
6. ↑ (WF No. 8, Win '42: "Talent, Unlimited!")
7. ↑ (WF No. 1 1 6 , Mar '61: "The Creature from Beyond!"; and others)
8. ↑ (Act No. 310, Mar '64: "Secret of Kryptonite Six!")
9. ↑ (Act No. 91 , Dec '45: "The Ghost Drum!")
10. ↑ (Act No. 18, Nov '39)
11. ↑ (Act No. 177, Feb '53: "The Anti­ Superman Weapon")
12. ↑ (Act No. 210, Nov '55: "Superman in Superman Land")
13. ↑ (S No. 13/1, Nov/Dec '41)
14. ↑ (S No. 121/1, May '58: "The Bride of Futureman!")
15. ↑ S 128/1 (Apr '59: chs. 1-2-"Superman versus the Futuremen"; "The Secret of the Futuremen")
16. ↑ (WF No. 6, Sum '42: "Man ofSteel versus Man ofMetal!")
17. ↑ (Act No. 1 3 1 , Apr '49: "The Scrambled Superman!")
18. ↑ (Act No. 282, Nov '61: "Superman's Toughest Day!")
19. ↑ (S No. 160/1, Apr '63: pts. I-II-"The Mortal Super· man!"; "The Cage of Doom!")
20. ↑ (Act No. 143, Apr '50: "The Bride of Superman!")
21. ↑ (S No. 12/3, Sep/Oct '41)
22. ↑ (S No. 10/4, May/Jun '41)
23. ↑ (S No. 130/3, Jul '59: "The Town That Hated Superman!")
24. ↑ (Act No. 319, Dec '64: "The Condemned Superman!")
25. ↑ (Act No. 4, Sep '38)
26. ↑ (Act No. 280, Sep '61: "Brainiac's Super-Revenge!")
27. ↑ Apr '64, pts. I-II–"Luthor - Super-Hero!", "Lex Luthor, Daily Planet Editor!"
28. ↑ (Nov '63: pts. I-lI-"Beauty and the Super-Beast!"; "Circe's Super-Slave")
29. ↑ (Apr '61: "Superboy's First Public Appearance!" )
30. ↑ Action Comics No. 6, November 1938
31. ↑ Action Comics No. 7, December 1938; and others
32. ↑ Action Comics No. 8, January 1939
33. ↑ Action Comics No. 27, August 1940
34. ↑ Superman No. 10/4, May-June 1941
35. ↑ Superman No. 16/4, May-June 1942: "Racket on Delivery"
36. ↑ Superman No. 25/1, November-December 1943:

"The Man Superman Refused to Help!"
37. ↑ Superman No. 64/1, May-June 1950: "Professor Lois Lane!"
38. ↑ Action Comics No. 204, May 1955: "The Man Who Could Make Superman Do Anything!"
39. ↑ Superman No. 96/1, March 1955: "The Girl Who Didn't Believe in Superman!"
40. ↑ Superman No. 120/3, March 1958: "The Human Missile"
41. ↑ Superman No. 152/2, April 1962: "Superbaby Captures the Pumpkin Gang!"
42. ↑ (S No. 70/2, May/Jun '51: ''The Life of Superman!")
43. ↑ (S No. 84/2, Sep/Oct '53: "A Doghouse for Super­ man!")
44. ↑ (Act No. 284, Jan '62: "The Babe of Stee!!")
45. ↑ Act No. 309, Feb '64: "The Superman Super­ Spectacular!")
46. ↑ (S No. 15/2)
47. ↑ (8 No. 176/2, Apr '65: ''Tales of Green Kryptonite No. 2")
48. ↑ (8 No. 176/3, Apr '65: "Superman's Day of Truth!")
49. ↑ (SNo. 17/1, JullAug '42: "Man or Superman?")
50. ↑ (S No. 153/3: ''The Town of Supermen!")
51. ↑ (S No. 171/1: "Super­ man's Sacrifice!")
52. ↑ (S No. 136/2: "The Secret of Kryptonite!")
53. ↑ (WF No. 91, NovlDec '57: ''The Three Super-Sleepers!")
54. ↑ (S No. 122/1, Jul '58: ''The Secret of the Space Souvenirs")
55. ↑ (S No. 9/1, MarlApr '41)
56. ↑ (S No. 13/4, NovlDec '41)
57. ↑ (S No. 18/3, SeplOct '42: "The Man with the Cane")
58. ↑ (S No. 25/1, :NovlDec '43: "The Man Superman Refused to Help!")
59. ↑ (S No. 38/1, JanlFeb '46: "The Battle of the Atoms!")
60. ↑ (S No. 40/2, May/Jn '46)
61. ↑ (S No. 65/3, Jul/Aug '50: ''Three Supermen from Krypton!")
62. ↑ (Act No. 150, Nov '50: "The Secret of the 6 Superman Statues!")
63. ↑ (Act No. 171, Aug '52: ''The Secrets of Superman!")
64. ↑ (Act No. 178, Mar '53: "The Sandman of Crime! )
65. ↑ (ActNo. 181,Jun'53: "The New Superman")
66. ↑ (Act No. 182, Jui '53: "The Retum of Planet Krypton!"; and others)
67. ↑ (Act No. 225, Feb '57: ''The Death of Superman")
68. ↑ (Act No. 235, Dec '57: ''The Super-Prisoner of Amazon Island")
69. ↑ (Act No. 242, Jul '58: "The Super-Duel in Space")
70. ↑ (Act No. 247, Dec '58: "Superman's Lost Parents!"; and others)
71. ↑ (Act No. 269, Oct '60: ''The Truth' Mirror!")
72. ↑ (Act No. 287, Apr '62: "Perry White's Manhunt for Superman!")
73. ↑ (ActNo. 327, Aug '65: ''The Three Generations ofSuperman!")
74. ↑ (Act No. 328, Sep '65: "Superman's Hands of Doom!")
75. ↑ (S No. 164/1, Oct '63: pts. I-II-" 1'he Showdown Between Luthor and Superman!"; ''The Super-Due!!")
76. ↑ (S No. 178/2, Jul '65: ''When Superman Lost His Memory!")
77. ↑ (S No. 146/1, Jul '61: "The Story of Superman's Life!")
78. ↑ (Act No. 63, Aug '43: "When Stars Collide!").
79. ↑ (Act No. 1 , Jun '38).
80. ↑ (Act No\_ 189, Feb '54: "Clark Kent's New Mother and Father!")
81. ↑ (S No. 1, Sum '39)
82. ↑ (WF No. 57, MarlApr '52: ''The Artificial Superman!")
83. ↑ (S No\_ 146/1, Jul '61: "The Story of Superman's Life!"; and others)
84. ↑ (Act No. 269: "The Truth Mirror!")
85. ↑ Action Comics No. 61, Jun '43: 'The Man They Wouldn't Believe!"
86. ↑ (Feb '59: "When There Was No Clark Kent!")
87. ↑ (Oct '63: "Why Superman Needs a Secret Identity!")
88. ↑ (Act No. 171, Aug '52: "The Secrets of Superman''')
89. ↑ (S No. 102/2, Jan '56: 'The Midget Menace")
90. ↑ (S No. 126/1, Jan '59: "Superman's Hunt for Clark Kent!")
91. ↑ (Act No. 297, Feb '63: ''The Man Who Betrayed Superman's Identity!"; S No. 1B011, Oct '65: "Clark Kent's Great Superman Hunt!")
92. ↑ (Mar'59: "TheEyeof Metropolis!")
93. ↑ (Act No. 1, :J'un '38; and others)
94. ↑ (Act No. 22, 'Mar '40)
95. ↑ (May '65: "The Secret Life of Clark Kent!")
96. ↑ (Act f'l{p. l66, Mar '52:The Three Scoops of Death!")
97. ↑ (May '62: ''The Man Who Exposed Superman!")
98. ↑ (Feb '60: "When Lois First Suspected Clark Was Superman!")
99. ↑ (Act No. 1)
100. ↑ (Act No. 25)
101. ↑ (S No. 712)
102. ↑ (S No. 11/1)
103. ↑ (S No. 1711: "Man or Superman?")
104. ↑ (S No. Apr '52: "The Man 75/3, Mar/Apr '52: "The Man Who Stole Memories!"; and others)
105. ↑ (S No. 78/3, Sep/Oct '52: "The Girls in Superman's Life!", and others)
106. ↑ (May '61: ''The Secret Identity of Superman!"; see also Act No. 198, Nov '54: ''The Six Lives of Lois Lane!")
107. ↑ (S No. 75/3: "The Man Who Stole Memories!")
108. ↑ (S No. 81/2, MarlApr '53: "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Superman")
109. ↑ (Act No. 139, Dec '49: "Clark Kent . . . Daredevil!"; and many others)
110. ↑ (Act No. 26, Jui '40; and others)
111. ↑ (8 No. 104/3, Mar '56: "The Super-Family from Outer Space"; and others)
112. ↑ (Act No. 282, Nov '61: "Superman's Toughest Day!"; and others)
113. ↑ (Act No. 269, Oct '60: ''The Truth Mirror!")
114. ↑ (S No. 6/4, Sep/Oct '40; and others)
115. ↑ (S No. 19/2, Nov/Dec '42)
116. ↑ (S No. 34/2, May/Jun '45: ''The Canyon That Went Berserk!")
117. ↑ (S No. 12/3)
118. ↑ (S No. 135/1, Feb '60: ''When Lois First Suspected Clark Was Superman!")
119. ↑ (Act No. 61, June 1943: "The Man They Wouldn't Believe!"
120. ↑ (Act No. 154: "Miss Robinson Crusoe!")
121. ↑ (Act No. 195: "Lois Lane--Wanted!")
122. ↑ (Act No. 198: "The Six Lives of Lois Lane.''')
123. ↑ (Act No. 202: "Lois Lane's X­ Ray Vision!")
124. ↑ (Act No. 240: "Secret of the Superman Sphinx")
125. ↑ (S No. 12412: "Mrs. Superman")
126. ↑ (S No. 128/2: ''The Sleeping Beauty from Krypton!")
127. ↑ (S No. 78/3, Sep/Oct '52: "The Girls in Superman's Life!"; and others)
128. ↑ (Act No. 100, Sep '46: "The Sleuth Who Never Failed!"; and others)
129. ↑ (Act No. 125: "The Modern Nostradamus!")
130. ↑ (Act No. 157, Jun '51: ''The Superman Who Couldn't Fly!")
131. ↑ (S No. 74/3, JanlFeb '52: ''The Secret of Superman's Home!")
132. ↑ (S No. 76/2, MaylJun '52: "The Misfit Manhunter!")
133. ↑ (S No. 7812: "The Strong Man Club!")
134. ↑ (Act No. 179, Apr '53: "Super Manor!")
135. ↑ (S No. 82/2: "The Unem­ ployed Superman")
136. ↑ (S No. 86/1, Jan '54: "The Dragon from King Arthur's Court!")
137. ↑ (S No. 8812: ''The Dog Who Loved Superman!")
138. ↑ (Act No. 194: "The Outlaws from Krypton!")
139. ↑ (S No. 90/2, Jul '54: "Superman's Secret Past!")
140. ↑ (S No.93/2, Nov '54: "Jimmy Olsen's Double!")
141. ↑ (S No. 99/2, Aug '55: "The 1,000 Lives of Superman!")
142. ↑ (Act No. 208: "The Magic of Mr. Mxyztplk")
143. ↑ (S No. 100/3, Sep '55: "The Clue from Krypton")
144. ↑ (S No. 105/2: "Mr. Mxyztplk's Secret Identity")
145. ↑ (S No. 107/2: "The Impossible Haircut")
146. ↑ (S No. 108/1: ''The Brain from the Future")
147. ↑ (8 No. 108/3, Sep '56: "The Girl Cops of Metropolis!")
148. ↑ (WF No. 84, Sep/Oet '56: ''The Super-Mystery of Metropolis!")
149. ↑ (S No. 11111: "The Non-Super Superman")
150. ↑ (S No. 111/2, Feb '57: "Clark Kent's Crooked Cousin")
151. ↑ (S No. 115/2: "Jimmy Olsen's Lost Pal")
152. ↑ (WF No. 90: "The Super-Batwoman!")
153. ↑ (Act No. 233: "The Land of a Million Supermen")
154. ↑ (S No. 125/2, Nov '58: "Clark Kent's College Days")
155. ↑ (Aet No. 247, Dec '58: "Superman's Lost Parents !")
156. ↑ (Act No. 250, Mar '59: ''The Eye of Metropolis!")
157. ↑ (SNo. 142/3: "FJame-Dragon from Krypton")
158. ↑ (Act No. 276, May '61: "The War Between Supergiri and the Supermen Emergency Squad!")
159. ↑ (S No. 152/3: "The TV Trap for Superman!")
160. ↑ (Act No. 288: ''The Man Who Exposed Superman!")
161. ↑ (Act No. 306, Nov '63: ''The Great Superman Impersonation!")
162. ↑ (5 No. lBO/I, Oct '65: "Clark Kent's Great Supennan Hunt!")
163. ↑ (S No. 7611, May/Jun '52: "The Mightiest Team in the World!"; and others)
164. ↑ (Act No. 285, Feb '62: ''The World's Greatest Heroine!"; and others)
165. ↑ (S No. 142/1, Jan '61: "Lois Lane's Secret Helper!"; and others)
166. ↑ (S No. 163/1, Aug'63: "Wonder­ Man, the New Hero ofMetropolis!"; and others)
167. ↑ (Act No. 309, Feb '64: ''The Superman Super-Spectacular!")
168. ↑ (S No. 44/3, Jan/Feb '47: "Shakespeare's Ghost Writer!")
169. ↑ (S No. 104/3, Mar '56: "The Super-Family from Outer Space")
170. ↑ (WF No. 81, Mar/Apr '56: "The True History of Superman and Batman!")
171. ↑ (Act No. 215, Apr '56: "The Superman of Tomorrow")
172. ↑ (S No. 119: "The Second Superman!" chs. 1-3-"The World That Was Kryp­ ton's Twin"; "A Double for Superman"; "Superman's Mightiest Quest")
173. ↑ (S No. 129/3, May '59: "The Girl in Superman's Past!"; and others)
174. ↑ (S No. 13512, Feb '60: "Superman's Mermaid Sweetheart!"; and others)
175. ↑ (Act No. 255, Aug '59: "The Bride of Bizarro!")
176. ↑ (Act No. 263, Apr '60: ''The World of Bizarros!"; and others)
177. ↑ (Act No. 266, Jul '60: "The Captive of the Amazons")
178. ↑ (Act No. 283, Dec '61: "The Red Kryptonite Menace!")
179. ↑ (S No. 147/3, Aug '61: "The Legion of Super­ Villains!")
180. ↑ (Act No. 286, Mar '62: "The Jury of Super-Enemies!"; and others)
181. ↑ (S No. 152/1, Apr '62: "The Robot Master!"; and others)
182. ↑ (S No. 157/1, Nov '62: "'The Super­-Revenge of the Phantom Zone Prisoner!")
183. ↑ (8 No. 171/1, Aug '64: "Superman' s Sacrifice!")
184. ↑ (Act No. 324: ''The Secret Life of Clark Kent!")
185. ↑ (S No. 179/2, Aug '65: "The Menace of Gold Krypton­ ite!")
186. ↑ (8 No. 105/I, May '56: "Superman's 3 Mistakes!"; and others)
187. ↑ (S No. 6/3; see also S No. 48/3, Sep/Oct '47: "The Rarest Secret in the World!")
188. ↑ (S No. 11/3, JullAug '41)
189. ↑ (S No. 48/3, Sep/Oct '47: "The Rarest Secret in the World!")
190. ↑ (Act No. 163, Dec '51: "The Girl of Tomorrow")
191. ↑ (Act No. 217, Jun '56: "The Amazing Super-Baby")
192. ↑ (Act No. 237: "Superman's Exposed Identity")
193. ↑ (SNo. 123: chs. 1·3-"The Girl of Steel"; "The Lost Super·Powers"; "Super· man's Return to Krypton")
194. ↑ (S No. 137, May '60: chs. I·IlI­ "The Super-Brat from Krypton"; "The Young Super· Bully"; "Superman vs. Super·Menace!")
195. ↑ (ActNo. 278, Jul '61: "The Super Powers of Perry White!")
196. ↑ (S No. 157/1: "The Super· Revenge of the Phantom Zone Prisoner!")
197. ↑ (Act No. 297, Feb '63: "The Man Who Betrayed Superman's Identity''')
198. ↑ (S No. 163/1, Aug '63: "Wonder-Man, the New Hero of Metropolis!")
199. ↑ (ActNo. 309, Feb '64: "The Superman Super-Spectacular!"; see also S No. 170/1, Jul '64: "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy!")
200. ↑ (WF No. 142, Jun '64: "The Origin of the Composite Superman!" pts. I-I1-"The Composite Superman!"; "The Battle Between Titans!")
201. ↑ (S No. 174/1, Jan '65: pts. 1-2-"Clark Kent's Incredible Delusion!"; "The End of a Hero!,,)
202. ↑ (S No. 136/3: ''The Super-Clown ofMetrop­olis!")
203. ↑ (S No. 3112, Nov/Dec '44: "A Dog's Tale!")
204. ↑ (Act No. 179, Apr '53: "Super Manor!")
205. ↑ (S No. 88/2, Mar '54: "The Dog Who Loved Superman!")