Action Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1970. It was published on October 29, 1970.
Synopsis for Superman: "The Secrets of Superman's Fortress"
Superman is giving a tour of his fortress to Lois Lane. Lois inquires about a locked door marked “prohibited” but Superman refuses to offer any details about what it contains. He later returns to the locked room revealing a shawl containing a single feathered plume. Superman plays a memory tape in which causes him to recall an adventure in which he encounters a jungle planet containing primitive humans who are fleeing from a pack of hunting dogs. He rescues the humans and carries the dogs away to safety. He is unaware that he is being observed by a race of Amazon women from the planet Vrandar who are using the humans to mine Ergonite. The Ergonite is used for energy on their home planet. Their leader is the beautiful captain Althera who seems taken by Superman's heroic actions and physique. Superman observes the Amazons and notices Althera right away. He promises the humans that he will protect them from the Vrandars. At one point he rescues the humans once more as they are trapped on a fruit tree which becomes magnetized by the Vrandars. The rescue is witnessed by Althera as she admires Superman's fantastic powers. She is warned by her peers that she is not allowed to respect or admire males. They are only fit to be servants and slaves. Superman then observes Althera one night carving his image into the side of a huge rock. He realizes that Althera is falling in love with him and he finds that he has similar feelings. Althera's leg suddenly sets off a booby trap and it seems that she will be crushed by a huge stone slab but Superman rescues her right away. Althera believes that his super strength must mean that Superman is a member of the Vrandar race and urges him to return to their planet to be her mate. He kisses Althera which causes her head to spin. She inadvertently removes her helmet revealing that her head is covered with plumes instead of hair. Althera explains that all Vrandars have plumes. Superman surmises that they are an Avian race related to birds. Althera then states that Superman has no plumes but he has the ability to fly just like the Vrandar forefathers. Superman explains that he is a Kryptonian and Althera realizes that she can never have a future with a member of another race. Superman later assists the Vrandars by helping them mine the rest of the Ergonite so they can transport it back to their planet. The Vrandan spaceship takes off as Superman notices a lone plume on the ground which belonged to Althera.
Appearing in Superman: "The Secrets of Superman's Fortress"
Featured Characters:
- Superman (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Lois Lane
- Jimmy Olsen (Flashback only)
- Althera (Single appearance) (Flashback only)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
- North Pole
- Fortress of Solitude (Flashback and main story)
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Supergirl: "The Credit Card of Catastrophe"
Superman visits Madame Mephisto, a gypsy fortune-teller at a carnival, who gives him a "credit card" that is good for three wishes. She says once he uses it three times, he will find out what it costs. Superman considers it a gag, until his power fades out three times and he regains it each time by using one of the wishes on the card. He goes to Madame Mephisto, who says she has erased his powers magically and will restore them for half the gold in Fort Knox. He agrees. She makes him super again, and he returns with half the gold in Fort Knox, given to him with a promise to the authorities to replace it, and dumps it all on Madame Mephisto. Seconds later, he digs her out and unmasks her as Supergirl. She said that she assumed the identity of the fortune-teller to see whether or not she or Superman could be hypnotized into comitting a super-crime, and used super-hypnosis to convince Superman he had lost his powers, while standing nearby when each crisis happened in which Superman used his card. Superman said he deduced her true identity when he wondered why Madame Mephisto didn't use her magic to get the gold herself, rather than using him to do the job, and then realized he had not lost all his powers. The two Kryptonians fly the gold back to Fort Knox, and Supergirl admits she still doesn't know if they can be hypnotized into committing crimes or not.
Appearing in Supergirl: "The Credit Card of Catastrophe"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
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Notes
- The people of Althera's world are descended from birds.
See Also