Superman's Pal, Sid Sharp

"**Superman's Pal, Sid Sharp**" is the thirty-fifth episode of Justice League Action.

## Summary

Reporter Sid Sharp decides to become a superhero to match Clark Kent's association with Superman but only attracts the attention of Darkseid through mistaken identity.

## Story

Superman flies to intercept robbers at a bank in Metropolis but is shot at from below by ray weapons. After this robbery by everyday gangsters has been foiled, he and Batman examine one of the captured weapons and conclude that it is of alien origin and must have some purpose other than to aid a bank job. Later, the self-centred and opinionated journalist Sid Sharp of the Daily Planet is rushing to cover the story but finds that his colleague (and rival), Clark Kent, has somehow got there first. Clark gives the advice that a good source is essential for a scoop.

Returning to the Daily Planet, Sid wonders how Clark always manages to get the scoop before him, until another colleague, Jimmy Olsen, points out that Clark is likely to receive tip-offs from his friend Superman. This gives Sid the hare-brained idea of dressing his portly figure in a superhero costume - complete with oversized underpants worn over it. He tells sanguine editor Perry White that the paper needs its own superhero (Sid) to provide story leads but White does not follow the confused logic.

Light-years away on planet Apokolips, Darkseid complains that providing humans with weapons to kill Superman has only resulted in a bank robbery. He asks his entourage (Granny Goodness, Desaad, Kanto and Kalibak) to dispose of Superman for him, so Desaad steps forward to state that the superhero has been located at the Daily Planet and that a squad of parademons should be sent to capture him. At the newspaper, Clark is radioed by Batman who tells him that the alien weapon originates on Apokolips. Clark goes to a small room to change identity but finds Sid there also changing into (or out of) his uniform. Just at that moment a 'Boom Tube' opens in the corridor outside, and parademons arrive to detonate a kryptonite bomb. The blast knocks Clark and Sid on top of one another, and the parademons detect that one of them is Kal-El (Superman) and naturally take the one that is in uniform (Sid) before they leave. Clark wakes to be told of the abduction by Jimmy Olsen.

Zooming through space, Superman is radioed by Batman to inform him that Sid was taken to Darkseid's throne room. At that place, motor-mouth Sid Sharp blusters that he is Superman's pal which encourages Darkseid to have him chained up as bait. When Superman bursts in, he is ambushed by the entourage and sprayed with kryptonite gunk. Weakened, he manages to tell Sid that he needs time to recover, and the latter thinks about what he can do to help. He listens while Kanto pompously tells the others that he will take the good tidings to Darkseid. Sid, to gain time, plays on the rivalries of the group telling them not to let Kanto have all the glory (the latter says he is one of 'Darkseid's Elite' as presumably are the other three). Sid also tries to switch suspicion onto Desaad, but Darkseid appears and tells them to stop bickering and present him with Superman. Sid continues to stall for time by berating Superman for his failure to rescue him, but the latter is now recovered and punches Darkseid away into the distance. In the battle that follows, Superman gets the better of the other four and smashes their weapons. Darkseid's response is to shoot red beams from his eyes that track Superman, twisting around corners to try to reach him as the latter races to collect Sid. Eventually, Superman snatches a device from Desaad that opens up a Boom Tube to allow him and Sid to escape just as the beams destroy Darkseid's throne room.

Back at the Daily Planet, Sid Sharp presents his copy of the story as a scoop, but Perry White rejects it in favour of Clark Kent's version. But Sid is content when he sees that the front page has a message from Superman thanking him for saving his life.

## Notes

* The title of the episode is a reference to an old Superman comic series, *Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.*
* \*Sid’s own Superman costume bears a resemblance to the Man of Steel’s iconic classic suit from the comic books.