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Superman Vol 1 187

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""Superman's Fortresses of Solitude"": This story is reprinted from Action Comics #261.

Superman #187 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 1966. It was published on April 14, 1966.

Synopsis for "Superman's Fortresses of Solitude"

This story is reprinted from Action Comics #261.

Superman temporarily moves his Fortress of Solitude from the Arctic to the outskirts of Metropolis to conduct tours through it for charity, but the Anti-Superman Gang plots to blow it to pieces.

Appearing in "Superman's Fortresses of Solitude"

Featured Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Anti-Superman Gang
    • Big Bob Kruger (Single appearance)
    • Urko the Terrible (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:


Synopsis for "The Boy in the Bottle"

This story is reprinted from Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #53.

Jimmy Olsen exchanges places with Kandorian, Van Zee, while he helps Superman with an experiment. Jimmy meets Van Zee's family and explores Kandor, but when the exchange ray breaks, Jimmy cannot be restored to normal. While in Kandor, Jimmy observes Lucy Lane with several other men and is painfully reminded that he is now seperated from her. A Kandorian scientist removes Jimmy's memories of her, so that he is not haunted by them. Superman eventually fixes the exchange ray and Jimmy returns to normal size. Lucy is intrigued by Jimmy's newfound indifference to her, but when Superman restores his memory he returns to his old ways which bores Lucy.

Appearing in "The Boy in the Bottle"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:


Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

  • 3D Image Enlarger
  • Memory blocking potion
  • Superman's Exchange Ray

Vehicles:

  • Kandorian rocket transport

Synopsis for "Superman's Hall of Trophies"

This story is reprinted from Action Comics #164.

As a world renowned explorer, Stefan Andriessen, arrives at Metropolis airport, he is accosted by a gang of crooks who threaten him in order to take his valise he carries which is rumored to contain ancient relics worth millions of dollars. Clark Kent, having been assigned to cover the adventurer's arrival, informs Andriessen that the crooks do not actually have any weapons and to not turn over the case. Clark worries about his slip up by his knowing they didn't carry any weapons, which he could only have known if he had X-ray vision. Before anyone has a chance to put that information together, more crooks, who do in fact have guns, show up in a helicopter to finish up the robbery. Clark slips off & changes to Superman who quickly defeats the entire gang by creating a crystal ball and blinding the crooks. Andriessen, afterwards, seems befuddled as reporters barrage him with questions, to which he gives no answers. Later, it is reported that Andriessen is embarking on a new adventure. Though many reporters show up, he says that he will only speak with Clark Kent. Andriessen surprises Clark by asking for his autograph, but then Andriessen squirts ink on Clark's face. Andriessen takes Clark's glasses to clean them. Days later, Clark realizes that his glasses are more snug than normal and begins to suspect that Andriessen may have switched glasses with him. He uses his x-ray and telescopic vision to check on Andriessen. He scans Andriessen's residence and discovers that the explorer has a vast number of memorabilia from Superman's exploits, including the glasses he took from him and the crystal ball he had created to defend Andriessen from the crooks just days earlier. He also notices that the crystal ball also contained one of Clark Kent's business cards that got mingled with the sand he had used to mold it. Thinking that Andriessen must be now trying to prove Clark Kent is Superman, he begins to fly about the Earth getting rid of any evidence that could be used to link him with Clark Kent. After he finishes, he later discovers that Andriessen was not trying to prove Superman's identity, but, rather he was collecting the items as artifacts for a brand new Superman Museum. Lois Lane notices some discrepancies in the mementos and declares that she believes them to be forgeries. Clark realizes he must convince Lois that there are sufficient explanations to account for the inconsistencies and as Superman he helps her out in a manner that makes her understand there could be a reasonable means for the details in question and she recants her objections to the items and the Museum is opened successfully.

Appearing in "Superman's Hall of Trophies"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • A gang of criminals (Rocky named)

Other Characters:

  • Stefan Andriessen (Explorer/Adventurer) (Single appearance)
  • Rubitan Company employee (Flashback only)
  • Young Mexican woman (Flashback only)
  • Cruise Ship crew (First Mate Hendricks named)

Locations:

Items:

  • Crystal Ball
  • Clark Kent's glasses
  • Various mementos from past Superman adventures
  • Diamond Dragon Ring (Flashback only)

Vehicles:

  • Passenger Airplane
  • Criminal's Helicopter
  • Cruise Ship (Flashback only)

Synopsis for "Three Nights in the Fortress of Solitude"

This story is reprinted from Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #14.

Lois Lane is taken by Superman to his Fortress of Solitude in order for Lois to take pictures for the Daily Planet. There she snaps photos of Superman fighting a creature in his Interplanetary Zoo to get some exercise, and sees other interesting creatures. She is temporarily turned into glass by a strange gem and shown around some more. Later in Superman's observatory, Superman cautions Lois not to look into his telescope because the stellar rays are harmful to anyone but him. He explains that the rays would make anyone disintegrate if they came into contact with direct sunlight. To punctuate this, a Venusian butterfly flies into the path of the beams and then past a skylight and disintegrates.

Wanting to prove that she'll be safe living in the Fortress of Solitude if they were to be married, Lois looks through the telescope forcing Superman to have to keep her in the Fortress for the next three days until the star-rays wear off. Left alone in the Fortress, Lois spends the night in a room fashioned with Kryptonian household items. When the anti-gravity bed she is sleeping on suddenly goes wild, Lois crashes into the Superman Robot that is guarding the Fortress, and it suddenly starts spanking her.

The next day Superman warns her that it should get cold outside but the indoor heaters should keep her warm. However, they fail and Lois first tries to keep warm with a yellow coat, however it angers one of the alien creatures that roam the Fortress, and she is forced to abandon it and tough out the cold. Warmed up, Lois decides to snoop around the Fortress and finds a closet full of Christmas gifts for all of Superman's friends. Each box lists only the initials on the box and Lois snooping in the two marked "L.L." she finds two different autographed photos. The first simply signed to "a friend" and the other "the only girl who knows my secret identity", which leaves Lois to wonder which photo is going to her and which one to Lana Lang.

Lastly, while reading a book on Kryptonian plant people, Lois is horrified to find that she is turning into a plant. Superman rushes in and reveals that it's really the illusion jewel that is making it look like that. With the three days up, Superman offers to take her home but also offers to let her stay longer. Lois has been so shaken by the experience she asks Superman to bring her back to Metropolis. Along the way home, Superman muses to himself how he learned of Lois' plot after reading her diary with his x-ray vision and orchestrated all the events in order to dissuade her from wanting to stay at the Fortress. Back in Metropolis, Lois confides to Clark Kent about the personalized photographs she found and begins to wrack her brain trying to figure out who they are for. This gives Clark another laugh, as he muses that the signed photo is for neither Lois or Lana, but Linda Lee, who is secretly his cousin Supergirl.

Appearing in "Three Nights in the Fortress of Solitude"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Other Characters:

  • Dark Orange Creature (Single appearance)
  • Light Purple Creature (Single appearance)
  • Venus Butterfly (Single appearance)

Locations:

Items:

  • Fortress of Solitude Key
  • Jor-El (Statue only)
  • Lara (Statue only)
  • Krypton (model)
  • Dancing Plant (from Mars)
  • Big Glass Coin (from a distant planet)
  • Illusion Jewel
  • Superman Robot
  • Space Radio (SOS messages transmitted from Metropolis to the Fortress of Solitude)
  • Floating Anti-Gravity Bed of Krypton
  • Lois Lane Mannequin

Concepts:

Synopsis for "The Super-Merman of the Sea"

This story is reprinted from Action Comics #244.

Preparing for a well-earned two-week vacation, Clark Kent says goodbye to Lois and Jimmy. What they do not realize however, is that even though "Clark" is taking some time off, he will still be active as Superman.

While flying across the Atlantic, Superman spots a rocket ship that slams into the ocean. Investigating, he finds two mer-people trapped inside. Superman tears the metal door off, allowing the man and the woman to swim free. The man introduces himself as Vul-Kor and his companion is his daughter Lya-La. As the two alien mermaids cannot breathe normal air, Superman decides to exile himself undersea to help them acclimate. He uses nameplates from sunken vessels to create a floating message to explain his absence. A passing mariner finds the signs and alerts the world that Superman is now living under the sea.

No one can understand why Superman would elect to exile himself. One scientist theorizes that the air may contain Green Kryptonite dust particles, thus forcing the Man of Steel underwater, but upon further testing, discovers that no such particles exist in the atmosphere. The scientist is just as perplexed as everyone else.

Jimmy Olsen takes it upon himself to find out why Superman left. He hires a deep-sea diver to loan him some equipment, and begins searching beneath the waves. Jimmy finds that Superman has created an underwater Fortress of Solitude. Superman sees him, but waves Jimmy away. He obviously wishes to be left alone.

Lois decides to look into the matter as well. She rents a bathysphere and travels towards Superman's new undersea kingdom. She sees Superman arm in arm with Lya-La, and it is apparent to her that the two are in love. She even notices a placard above his new fortress that reads, "Home of Mr. and Mrs. Superman". Broken-hearted, Lois returns to the surface.

News of Superman's exile reaches the United Nations, and the assembly decide that it is necessary to bring Superman back by force; if for no other reason, than to at least find out why he left. They order a sea dragnet, and a submarine armed with a Kryptonite-tipped torpedo forces Superman to react. He uses the inky discharge of a nearby octopus to avoid the torpedo, then hides inside of a giant mechanical whale (that he created to help him with his underwater studies). He then uses an old ship propeller to force other bathyspheres away from him.

Superman returns to Vul-Kor who is building an Infra Coil that will melt the polar ice caps. By flooding the world, he will make the planet more habitable for his people. Superman, professing to harbor no love at all for humankind, agrees to help him. When construction is completed, Vul-Kor asks Superman to activate the machine. He does so, but the Infra Coil does not perform its prescribed task. Instead of generating a deadly beam that would melt the icecaps, the Coil instead only produces a dazzling rainbow of lights. Suddenly, both Vulk-Kor and his daughter begin to feel ill. They suspect that the high salt content of Earth's oceans was the cause, and that no one from their home world could ever hope to live on Earth. With no choice but to leave, the two aliens climb into their rocket ship and blast off.

Superman never intended on allowing Vul-Kor's plan to come to fruition, but he needed to gain the merman's trust, or else Vul-Kor might have been inclined to summon his home world's war fleet. During his courtship of Lya-La, Superman secretly stockpiled large volumes of salt and hid them throughout his "kingdom", producing a much higher salt content than this region of the ocean would normally contain. Theorizing that excess salt would prove detrimental to the aliens, he counted on the fact that their sudden illness, would force them leave.

Appearing in "The Super-Merman of the Sea"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Ly-La (Single appearance)
  • Vul-Kor (Single appearance)

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

Synopsis for "The Land of a Million Supermen"

This story is reprinted from Action Comics #233.

When Clark Kent is accidentally stranded in the nation of Borgonia, he discovers that everyone there, including himself, must wear a Superman costume on pain of death... which is a giant trap the dictator of Borgonia has set for the real Superman.

Appearing in "The Land of a Million Supermen"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Torm (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Gault (Single appearance)
  • Henrick (Single appearance)

Locations:

Notes

  • Issue #23 of the 80 page Giants.
  • All Reprints issue



See Also


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