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"Superboy: "Clark Kent's Super-Father"": This story is reprinted from Adventure Comics #289.

Superboy #185 is an issue of the series Superboy (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1972.

Synopsis for Superboy: "Clark Kent's Super-Father"

This story is reprinted from Adventure Comics #289.

Jonathan Kent is cleaning the house while Martha Kent is away visiting relatives. He accidentally touches a space jewel in Clarks trophy room which gives him super powers. The jewel gives him super strength, invulnerability and the power of flight. Since he now has these powers, he informs Clark that he no longer wants him to risk his life as Superboy. Jonathan will assume the super duty role in order for Clark to have a normal boyhood. Jonathan fashions a new costume and dons a mask to hide his identity. Even though Clark wants to obey his father it is difficult for him to give up his role as Superboy altogether. At one point Clark sees professor Lang falling to his death on a hot air balloon and immediately sets off to rescue him only to have Jonathan show up suddenly and take over. Jonathan even goes as far as to paint the Kent residence with an invisible coat of lead paint to limit Clark's super vision. One afternoon, Jonathan and Clark are working together at the general store when a call comes in regarding three rangers who are trapped by a forest fire in a state park. Jonathan is handling a delivery and Clark offers to respond to the call. Jonathan refuses and hastily signs for the delivery so he can answer the call himself. As Jonathan is about to leave he instructs Clark to file the receipt and that is when Clark notices the signature that Jonathan has signed. Clark then uses his supervision to check up on Jonathan and sees him rescuing the forest rangers. He also observes that Jonathan is using a Superboy robot to collect kryptonite. Clark short circuits the robot with his x-ray vision and causes it to sink into quicksand along with the kryptonite. He then confronts Jonathan Kent as Superboy and unmasks him. It is revealed that he is really Jax-Ur an escaped criminal from the Phantom Zone . Jax-Ur had abducted the real Jonathan Kent and held him hostage while he assumed his identity to carry out his plan to eliminate Superboy using kryptonite. Since Jax-Ur is from Krypton he naturally had super powers on Earth. Superboy sends Jax-Ur back to the phantom zone and rescues Jonathan Kent. He then reveals that he had noticed that Jax-Ur had signed the general store receipt using his real name and that tipped him off that he was not the real Jonathan Kent.

Appearing in Superboy: "Clark Kent's Super-Father"

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  • Professor Lang's Balloon


Synopsis for Star-Spangled Kid: "The Jigsaw Puzzle Murder"

This story is reprinted from Star-Spangled Comics #55.

An artist named Pudgy Malone is on the run for his life from a group of mobsters. The mobsters want Pudgy to use his artistic skills to help them create counterfeiting plates but Pudgy refuses to help them. He wanders into a Jigsaw puzzle warehouse where he hopes to phone police but he is shot before he can complete the call. Knowing that he only has minutes to live, Pudgy decides to draw a caricature of his killer who calls himself Baldy as well as the two henchmen that assisted in his murder. He draws the caricature on the back of a jigsaw to avoid detection by the mobsters so they won't destroy the clue. The mobsters find Pudgys dead body and decide to leave him at the warehouse confident that there will be no connection leading back to them. In the meantime, Mr Pemberton informs his employee Pat Dugan that he will be working for police commissioner Dunn as a butler since his usual butler is out sick. Commissioner Dunn then explains that he likes to get different viewpoints on cases from amateur persons in hopes of gaining different insights and he proceeds to tell Dugan about the death of Pudgy Malone. Dugan is determined that the Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy will be able to uncover meaningful clues in the case. The scene then changes back to the jigsaw company where workers are preparing a giant puzzle that is to be scattered by plane in a publicity stunt. The public will help locate the pieces and help put it back together in a contest. As the pieces are dispersed in the air, Stripsey and Star Spangled Kid notice that that pieces have pictures on both sides. They also notice that one of the pieces also has a signed message from Pudge Malone. The duo quickly realizes that this is the clue they need to solve the murder mystery. At the same time, the mobster named Baldy also notices that the puzzle pieces falling from the sky have pictures and one of them is him! He realizes that the puzzle pieces will incriminate him but the Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy are hot on his trail. The crime fighting duo realize that Baldy needs the puzzle pieces so they head to the jigsaw factory where the public is turning in the found pieces to put the puzzle together. Baldy and his gang predictably arrive on the scene to confiscate the puzzle but Stripesy and Star Spangled Kid easily subdue the mobsters and hand them in to the authorities.

Appearing in Star-Spangled Kid: "The Jigsaw Puzzle Murder"

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  • Baldy

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Synopsis for Teen Titans: "The Astounding Separated Man"

This story is reprinted from The Brave and the Bold #60.

The town of Midville has decided to have itself a "Teen Day" and the mayor elects a "Teen Mayor" for the next 24 hours to celebrate, choosing local boy Tommy Holmes. However, while most of the people of Midville enjoy the celebration, there are some in the town that dislike teenagers and have issues against Tommy Holmes because his father is in jail. Although Teen Day begins well -- with teens taking on city jobs -- Tommy is upset that his father cannot be there to see how well things are going. Suddenly, a menace the towns folk known as the Separated Man attacks again, sending a giant hand to terrorize the city.

With this danger on the loose, Tommy calls in the newly formed Teen Titans: Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash and Wonder Girl to come and rescue the city. Each team member (with permission from their mentors) go from their respective locations to go and investigate the strange attacks of the Separated Man.

Back in Midville, the townsfolk blame Tommy for the attacks because his father is a criminal and he is saved at the last minute by his girlfriend Judy who drives him away from the angry mob on a motorcycle. They are soon attacked by parts of the Separated Man's body. They seek refuge in the nearby teen club house where all the local teens are waiting for the arrival of the Teen Titans. When the Titans arrive, Tommy explains to them that his father was a scientist who created a means of turning himself into a giant molecule. This in turn created the Separated Man, when the effects worse off his father was held criminally responsible and incarcerated. After Tommy had finished his story, they find that the feet of the Separated Man is storming toward the club house.

The Teen Titans and local teens work together to try to stop the Separated Man, tripping up it's feet with Wonder Girl's lasso. They then go into the town proper where the towns folk are trying to stop the Separated Man's hand, the Teen Titans and local kids tie ropes to all of it's fingers and drag it away on mini-bikes. When a giant eye appears and begins dropping flaming tears, Tommy's father appears telling the mayor he has a way to stop the Separated Man, however the mayor orders him to be arrested. This is stopped when the flaming tears being to cause fires around the town, prompting Kid Flash to use his super-speed to stop the flames.

Professor Holmes explains that while he was in jail he was trying to perfect his Separated Man formula to expunge any criminal tendencies, however the formula was stolen by his cell mate Jake Trask had stolen it the day he was paroled. Having developed an antidote, he tells them that the Separated Man must be looking for more of the serum to remain in his current state. Telling them that he has to inject the anti-serum into the creatures heart, the Teen Titans and local kids go out looking for the heart of the Separated Man.

They trick the Separated Man's ear into eaves dropping on them and send it away by cranking up their portable radios sending it flying away in pain. Wonder Girl goes after the ear only to be assaulted by the Separated Man's mouth, she quickly defeats it by throwing a billboard into it's maw. Later attempts to catch other parts of Separated Man's body also fail, the Teen Titans tripping up each time.

When Professor Holmes reveals the location of more of the serum (in a lighthouse down by the water) the Separated Man attacks the town in his full body. The Teen Titans and the local kids then attack the creature out in the water, knocking him over, causing him to sink into the water below. The Titans then rope up the Separated Man long enough for Robin to inject the anti-serum into his heart, changing him back into Jake Trask. After Jake is turned over to the police, the town's people celebrate, and Tommy's father returns to jail to finish his sentence. Afterwards, the Titans, their first mission together as a team a total success, part company.

Appearing in Teen Titans: "The Astounding Separated Man"

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  • Queen Hippolyta
  • Prof. Brian Holmes (Single appearance) (Flashback and main story)
  • Judy (Single appearance)
  • Aunt Martha (Single appearance)
  • Tommy Holmes (Single appearance)

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Synopsis for Kid Eternity: "Kid Eternity Hoax"

This story is reprinted from Hit Comics #46.

Kid Eternity uses his powers to break up a purse snatching by having Davy Crockett beat up on the thief. The incident is witnessed by Lally Lawton, a rich young girl that is accompanied by her guardian Mr Hardeel. She introduces herself to the Kid and he is immediately smitten with her. The scene changes to Lally Lawtons home where she is conversing with her guadian recounting the days events. Hardeel states that he is familiar with Kid Eternity's powers and was about to call on him to help Lawton. He then contacts an acquaintance and has him dress up as Alexander Hamilton. Hardeel is secretly trying to steal the girls inheritance and he sees this experience with Kid Eternity as an opportunity to influence the rich young girl. Hardeel announces that Kid Eternity has given him part of his power and produces the fake Hamilton. Hamilton then starts to implore the young girl to listen to Hardeels advice, listening to him will double her income. The scene is suddenly interrupted by Kid Eternity who enters the house. He sees the fake Hamilton and summons the real Hamilton to come subdue the imposter. Hardeel then plays it off by thanking Kid Eternity for exposing the fraud who he believed was sent by Eternity himself. Kid Eternity then invites Lally Lawton to a a picnic giving the two young people a chance to get to know each other. As the Kid is led away by Byron who is giving him romantic advice, Lawton is suddenly abducted by someone driving a mysterious car. The Kid summons Tecumseh to help track him down which leads them to an isolated cottage. The Kid then summons Belle Boyd to go inside the house and keep the kidnappers occupied. In the meantime he summons Jesse James to go in the house and subdue the gang. Lally is rescued and her evil guardian is arrested when he confesses to his fraudulent scheme.

Appearing in Kid Eternity: "Kid Eternity Hoax"

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  • Mr. Hardeel
    • Cheesey
    • Jarrick

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Synopsis for Legion of Super-Heroes: "The Eight Impossible Missions"

This story is reprinted from Adventure Comics #323.

Saturn Girl announces that her one year term as Legion leader has come to an end. She suggests using a computer to help select the next leader but Brainiac 5 voices his protest. He feels that selecting a leader by computer would give him an unfair advantage and he would be selected. Proty II intervenes and suggests that he be allowed to construct a puzzle. The first Legionnaire clever enough to guess the correct solution would become the next leader. All the members unanimously agree. They observe as Proty changes his shape into Bizarro form and fashions a medallion for himself with his name written backwards on it. Proty then sends Saturn Girl on mission to the planet Rorbis where she is instructed to win the most difficult event at its Interplanetary Rodeo. Saturn Girl travels to the planet and readily wins the Kangobronc race. Ultra Boy is assigned the next mission where he is instructed to capture crooks that have escaped to a certain asteroid but have taken an invisible form. Ultra Boy arrives on the asteroid and uses his flashvision to heat up the rocky surface. The villains cry out in pain as their feet are burned by the hot surface thus revealing their location. Phantom Girl is the next to be selected for a mission. She is instructed to find Jor-Els greatest award that he received on Krypton. She is not to use a timescope or time bubble to find her answer. Phantom Girl enters the Phantom Zone to interview an old villain named Gazor who reveals that Jor-El was awarded the brain of Garf-Og and that turned out to be his highest honor. Proty then turns to the Legion members and asks them if any of them has figured out the solution to his clues. No one speaks up so Proty continues with his puzzle. Element Lad is then instructed to travel to Doom Crater where he is to use his powers to turn a block of marble into Uranium. He is then to remain in the crater for ten minutes without changing the block back to marble. The other Legion members express their concern that this task is rather deadly but Proty states that he has confidence in Element Lads abilities. Element Lad arrives at the site and changes the block into Uranium but he also attaches an anti-gravity belt to the block to get it to streak away a safe distance to allow Element Lad to stay in the crater unharmed. Despite Element Lads success, no one is able solve the puzzle and the contest continues. Proty then asks Pete Ross to display a super power. Everyone is taken aback because Pete Ross does not have any powers. Pete then uses his resourcefulness to take out a lead tablet and he scrawls Clark Kents name on it. He then shows it to Proty and tells him that he has used his mind reading abilities to find out Superboys secret identity. Proty sees that the secret identity is correct but no one is able to solve the puzzle with this additional clue. Brainiac 5 is then instructed to defeat three different computers at Chess at the same time. He easily completes his task but notes that there is a broken wire and that the computers were not functioning at their peek ability. Jimmy Olsen is given task, he is instructed to entertain the group in his Elastic Lad identity. Elastic Lad performs an amusing marionette show using his unique stretching abilities. Once the show comes to an end, Proty asks once more if there is anyone in the group that can solve his puzzle. This time Saturn Girl speaks up and announces that she has figured out the solution. She then asks the Legionnaires to line up in according to completed mission order. Once in line she then gives them cards with the first letter of their first or last name. They easily see that their cards spell out SUPERBOY with Protys medallion completing the last letter. He had turned into Bizarro earlier to indicate that his name is to be written backwards to highlight the Y in his name. The puzzle was meant as a tribute to mark Superboys anniversary of joining the Legion. Since Saturn Girl solved the puzzle, she earns the right to remain leader of the Legion once more.

Appearing in Legion of Super-Heroes: "The Eight Impossible Missions"

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Synopsis for Little Boy Blue: "The Origin of Little Boy Blue"

This story is reprinted from Sensation Comics #1.

Big City experiences a crime waive in which storekeepers are forced into buying protection services from mobsters. The victimized business owners pay the mobsters but they are hopeful that the election of a new district attorney, Dan Rogers will bring about change. Rogers immediately calls a town meeting and urges business owners to testify against the criminals that have been victimizing them. That is the only way he can bring them to trial and put them away. In the days that follow, a mobster named Lupo gathers his men and intimidates local storekeepers into not cooperating with Rogers. Everyone seems reluctant to testify against Lupo except a lone store owner named Mr Kraus. Kraus is then kidnapped by the mob and held hostage as an example of what happens to those that cross Lupo and his mob. The scene changes to the home of the District Attorney who is discussing the details of the case with his wife. His young son Tommy listens and offers his help but his father tells him this is a man's job. Tommy then visits his friend Tubby who is busy reading comics. Tommy then gets the idea of creating costumes to fight crime just like the characters that they read about in the stories. They rummage through their homes to come up with blue material to create their costumes complete with masks. As they enter their clubhouse, they stumble onto a group of mobsters that are holding Mr Kraus hostage. The two boys jump into action and they are joined by a third boy named Toughy. They manage to subdue the mobsters including Lupo himself. The police soon arrive and ask Krause about who rescued him. Krause merely replies “Boys in Blue.” The final panel shows the happy District Attorney reading about Lupos downfall as he tells his young son that he wants him to be like the three boys that broke up the gang.

Appearing in Little Boy Blue: "The Origin of Little Boy Blue"

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  • Wolf Lupo

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Synopsis for Superboy: "The Rip Van Winkle of Smallville"

This story is reprinted from Adventure Comics #208.

Clark Kent learns the details of a story involving a man named John Blair. Blair had been a brilliant scientist who was working on a new invention in the area of electrical engineering. While working with his device he gets an electrical shock and falls into a deep coma. His nervous system is stunned and the doctor declares that it could be years before he awakens. His girlfriend Mary Norton promises that she will wait for him to wake up no matter how long it takes. In the meantime, Blairs invention was successful and earned him a fortune while he slept. His cousin Henry Vanning was appointed to manage his finances while Blair was in a coma. Many years passed and Mary Norton inquires about a specialist in stunned nerves. She is told that the doctor lives too far and is much too busy to help Blair. Clark overhears the conversation and offers to contact Superboy to fly the doctor over to the Blair residence. He delivers Dr Harris to Smallville and the Dr is able to shock Blairs nervous system with Superboys assistance in harnessing enough energy from lightning bolts. Blair awakens but the Dr announces that Blair must not yet learn that he has been asleep for 20 years. The mental shock might cause him to relapse into a coma once again. Mary Norton realizes that she must not let Blair see her since she has visibly aged. Superboy also helps by removing any signs that time has progressed by 20 years. As he removes all tell tale signs he accidentally drops a tray on the floor that falls harmlessly to the floor without breaking. As the days follow, Superboy has quite a challenge hiding newspapers and radio programs that would tip Blair off that time has progressed. He wonders how those items keep showing up unexpectedly resulting in close calls. Blair becomes increasingly insistent that he wants to see his girlfriend Mary Norton. At one point Blair manages to escape from his house to look for Mary. As Blair walks towards Mary's house, Superboy constructs various canvas scenes giving Blair the impression that the city has not changed. He arrives at Mary's house but it turned back when Mary announces she does not want to see him. The next morning Superboy examines the key that Blair used to access the outside area. He notices that is contains traces of soap. In the meantime cousin Henry Vanning is seen calling Mary and telling her that John has been badly hurt and is calling for her, Mary states that she will be right over. Superboy then confronts Vanning and notices that he is carrying a duplicate gate key in his pocket. He comes to the conclusion that Vanning had copied the key and left the gate open allowing Blair to escape the previous day. Superboy further surmises that Vanning was trying to shock Blair back into a coma to cause his to go back into a coma. This would allow Vanning to continue managing his financial affairs. Mary Norton suddenly arrives and Blair declares that she is as beautiful as ever. Blair reveals that he figured out that he has been out 20 years from the unbreakable tray that was left in his room. He managed to study it and figured out that its chemical composition did not exist in his time. Studying the problem gradually was a good way of lessening the shock that he had been in a coma for so long. Blair and Norton embrace each other as Superboy hauls Vanning away to the authorities.

Appearing in Superboy: "The Rip Van Winkle of Smallville"

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  • Henry Vanning (Single appearance)

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  • John Blair (Single appearance)
  • Mary Norton (Single appearance)
  • Dr. Harris (Single appearance)
  • Mr. Hawkins (Single appearance)

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