Action Comics #397 is an issue of the series Action Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 1971.
Synopsis for Superman: "The Secret of the Wheel-Chair Superman!"
In the 1990s man gives a coin to a beggar who is revealed to be Superman. Superman manages to escape the resulting mob (wanting to have his autograph and such) and goes to the slum he now lives in. Someone knocks on the door and Superman is greeted by Jimmy Olsen. Superman explains that for some reason one day his superpowers started to fade. Eventually Clark Kent is fired from his job and looses his apartment (Superman's robots are damaged beyond repair one by one). Superman reveals that he is begging not for himself but for Dr Carl Reynolds and his wife who have been infected by a virus deadlier then any known disease leaving them with weeks to live. It is figured out that Superman is suffering from mental hysteria brought on by his not being needed thanks to improvements in technology. An accident forces Superman to push through his mental hysteria to save the Reynolds from a fire but the virus has taken its toll and they die anyways. After burying them a mile underground Superman leaves Earth to look for a world that still needs a Superman.
Appearing in Superman: "The Secret of the Wheel-Chair Superman!"
Featured Characters:
- Superman (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Jimmy Olsen
- Morgan Edge (Flashback only)
Other Characters:
- Carl Reynolds (Dies)
- Lisa Reynolds (Dies)
- King Arthur (Mentioned only)
- Washington (Mentioned only)
- Lincoln (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for Untold Tales of the Fortress: "The Super-Captive of the Sea!"
A pink pollution cloud engulfs the earth and affects Superman's powers. In order to escape its deadly influence, Superman submerges himself under the ocean. He continues to fulfill his super duties from deep beneath the water but every time he responds to an emergency he notices a pair of mysterious shadows observing him. When he investigates the shadows, they turn up to be ordinary marine animals. The two shadowy figures turn out to be aliens from an aquatic planet known as Quor. They admit that they were responsible for creating the pink cloud so that they could drive a Superman underwater to study him. It is their hope to have a Superman of their own for their planet. The aliens also reveal that they have metamorphic powers and Superman uses this knowledge to free himself from their trap. He then freezes the aliens and hurls them back into space towards Quor.
Appearing in Untold Tales of the Fortress: "The Super-Captive of the Sea!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Unnamed aliens from planet Quor
Locations:
- Fortress of Solitude
- Superman's undersea Fortress
Notes
- Leo Dorfman is credited as "Geoff Brown" in this issue.
- "The Secret of the Wheel-Chair Superman!" is an Imaginary Story and does not take place within standard Earth-One continuity. It follows "The Super-Panhandler of Metropolis" (Action Comics #396) which gave some more back story.
- Unlike the majority of other Imaginary Stories, "The Super-Panhandler of Metropolis"/"The Secret of the Wheel-Chair Superman!" was not assigned to an alternate Earth in Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Superman Family Recommended Reading
- Action Comics (Volume 1)
- Adventure Comics (Volume 1)
- DC Comics Presents (Volume 1)
- Superboy (Volume 1)
- Superboy (Volume 2)
- Supergirl (Volume 1)
- Supergirl (Volume 2)
- Superman (Volume 1)
- Superman Family (Volume 1)
- Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane (Volume 1)
- Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen (Volume 1)
- World's Finest (Volume 1)