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"The Superman from Outer Space": This story is reprinted from Action Comics #265.

Superman #207 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 1968. It was published on April 9, 1968.

Synopsis for "The Superman from Outer Space"

This story is reprinted from Action Comics #265.

While out visiting Professor Heath, Clark Kent and Lois Lane learn that he has built a robot detector device that would allow someone to tell if robot is really posing as someone. Clark ducks out so that he can attend a charity event as Superman, making Lois suspicious of Clark's double identity again. Hoping to prove that Clark Kent is Superman, she borrows the professors robot detector. Superman sees this with his x-ray vision, he is about to stop his Clark Kent robot from meeting with her when suddenly another costumed hero who resembles Superman flies out of the sky and smashes the robot and takes it's place, this mystery hero then covers for Superman, once again tricking Lois into believing that Clark is not Superman. Superman picks up "Clark Kent" and takes him to a private location.

He learns that the his "twin" calls himself Hyper-Man, and that he came from the planet Zoron, which suffered a fate similar to Krypton and he was its last survivor. Shot in a rocket to the planet Oceana where he would be adopted by the King family and take on the name Chester King. Living in the city of Marcopolis he would get a job as a newspaper reporter. Just like Superman, Hyper-Man has one weakness: Zoronite. He also has a girlfriend named Lydia Long. Having learned about Earth and it's Superman, Hyper-Man became curious of the Earth. He had also come to ask Superman to help protect his secret identity on Oceana. Before going Superman computers Hyper-Man's future in his Univac computer before leaving with Hyper-Man to Oceana. Hyper-Man is unaware that Superman secretly intends to reveal Hyper-Man's secret identity.

There, the two secret away to Hyper-Man's Fortress of Secrecy that is located in one of the planets oceans. There, he shows Superman a strange blue meteor that he had found before showing him the reason for bringing Superman to Oceana: His very own Hyper-Man robot is malfunctioning. Superman agrees to repair it while Hyper-Man resumes his civilian identity. When Superman finishes repairing the robot, he sends it to meet with Chester King and Lydia Long, but purposely rigs it to fall apart, making Lydia suspect that Chester is really Hyper-Man.

Next Hyper-Man has Superman dress up as him to participate for a 4th of July spectacular that both Hyper-Man and Chester King are expected to appear. The display involves shooting fireworks in space in front of a large audience flown up in an air-tight dome. During the festivities, Superman purposely brings a Zoronite meteor into the area to weaken Chester enough for people to notice and find his Hyper-Man costume underneath. With his secret identity exposed, Hyper-Man explains his plan to everyone, and doesn't begrudge Superman for "accidentally" revealing his secret identity. However, when Hyper-Man tries to fly off, he finds that his powers are gone. Now a normal man, Hyper-Man decides to marry Lydia.

Returning to Earth, Superman is visited by Supergirl, whom he relates his story. When Supergirl asks why Superman exposed Hyper-Man's identity he shows her what the Univac computer told him: That the blue meteor was a variant of Zoronite that was slowly poison him, it was going to strip him of his powers than kill him within a year. Superman revealed Hyper-Man's identity so that he could live at least a year of a normal married life with the woman he loved.

Appearing in "The Superman from Outer Space"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Other Characters:

  • Supergirl
  • Professor Heath (Single appearance)
  • Lydia Long (Single appearance)

Locations:


Synopsis for "The Trio of Steel"

This story is reprinted from Superman #135.

Superman has suddenly become a super-menace, in the same day he has used his x-ray vision to evaporate the water in a lake children are swimming in, messing up a television reception, humiliates Perry White at a dinner party, and takes Lois to Niagara Falls where he leads Lois on to the possibility of a proposal but ultimately "falls in love" with an ugly girl before laughing in Lois's face and leaving her there.

Superman meets up with Mr. Mxyzptlk, who has returned from the 5th Dimension to use his magic on Superman and make his life a nuisance, and used his powers to manipulate the Man of Steel. Mxyzptlk tells Superman he will leave him alone if the Man of Steel gives him a Superman robot to take back with him to the 5th Dimension to give to his girlfriend as a gift. Wanting nothing more but to be rid of Mr. Mxyzptlk Superman flies off to his Fortress of Solitude. Instead of one Superman robot coming later, three do, each a different incarnation of Kal-El: Superman, Superboy, and Superbaby.

The three troublesome robots initially don't want to go, however each one changes their mind and competes over which one will go to the 5th Dimension with Mxyzptlk. However, when the Superbaby robot begins to cry, Superman makes giant alphabet blocks out of stone. When Superbaby spells out the word Kltpzyxm, he begins reading out the wrong letter, the irritable Mr. Mxyzptlk corrects him, accidentally spelling his name backwards and being shunted back to the 5th Dimension.

Later, Clark Kent returns to the Daily Planet to relate the story to Lois.

Appearing in "The Trio of Steel"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:



Synopsis for "The Captive of the Amazons"

This story is reprinted from Action Comics #266.

Clark Kent and Lois Lane are sent on assignment to learn what they can about the mysterious actress named Jenna, who is appearing in Ajax Film's latest science fiction film "Journey Into the Asteroid." Boarding a new experimental space craft, Lois tries to prove Jenna about which actor she will pick for her lead in the film when the jets sputter out. Pretending to eject from the ship, Clark changes into Superman and saves them all from a crash. In gratitude for saving her life, Jenna asks Superman to be the male lead in the film. Racing back to the ejection seat to resume his Clark Kent guise when rescuers come for him, Clark learns that Jenna has selected Kent to be her male lead.

Thinking this will go great for his story, Clark soon finds himself aboard a real ship, and the women -- knowing his true identity of Superman -- weaken him with Kryptonite and they bring him to their planet Adora. Jenna demands that Superman be her new husband (she had five that were all killed fighting rebel robots) and in order to insure his loyalty, she demonstrates their planet destroying weapon to insure he does what they tell him. When Superman doesn't show any passion or love towards her romantic advances, the bitter Jenna has one of her planets scientists create a love potion to make him love her. Superman appears to be effected by the potion however, he becomes exceedingly careless with his powers causing lots of property damage when he goes to get her things, and later when she asks her fathers permission to marry her.

When Superman is told to quell a robot rebellion he destroys the rogue machines but destroys the planets water supply in the process. Fed up with his bungling, Jenna annuls their marriage. Superman, having been pretending the whole time simply goes into space and gets a large chunk of ice to replace the water that was lost. In return she agrees to destroy the planet destroyer and allow Superman to return home. Watching him from her telescope, Jenna wonders what Superman sees in Lois Lane.

Appearing in "The Captive of the Amazons"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Princess Jena (Single appearance)
  • Rog (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

Locations:

  • Adoria

Synopsis for "Superman's New Uniform"

This story is reprinted from Action Comics #236.

Lex Luthor disguises himself and approaches Superman. He tricks Superman into surrendering his costume to him for experimental purposes. As a substitute, he provides Superman with a bright yellow and purple replacement costume. The costume is fitted with an anti-Kryptonite belt.

While Superman fights crime in his new costume, Luthor sheds his disguise and dons Superman's original red and blue garb. He begins parading about as the new Superman, and accuses the true Man of Steel of being a sham. Superman's anti-Kryptonite belt malfunctions and begins leaking deadly radiation, weakening Superman. Jimmy Olsen arrives to help out his old pal, and together Superman and he manage to surpass their most recent calamity and stop Lex Luthor.

Appearing in "Superman's New Uniform"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • None

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

  • None

Synopsis for "The Super-Family of Steel"

This story is reprinted from Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #15.

Van-Zee was a scientist from Krypton who lived in the Bottle City of Kandor and a relative of Superman. While Van-Zee wore an identical Superman costume and bathed in Hyper-Zeta Rays, Superman coincidentally looked into Kandor with his x-ray vision. The combination caused a freak accident that transported Van-Zee outside the Bottle City and restored him to full size. Van-Zee confided in Superman that he had fallen in love with Lois Lane, and asked Superman's permission to court her and take her back to Kandor where she would be safe. With his first duty to safe guard the Earth, and wanting Lois to be happy, the Man of Steel consented to his relative to try and court Lois Lane.

Van-Zee confronted Lois and told her the truth -- he was not Superman but his distant relative, but Lois turned him down, telling Van-Zee that she loved only the real Superman. Lois suggested that since Van-Zee was a near twin of his relative, there must be a woman somewhere that looked like Lois Lane as well. Van-Zee decided to seek this woman out. Sure enough, Van-Zee found her: millionaire heiress Sylvia DeWitt who was being forced into a marriage with Sir Essex of England by her father. Not finding Essex attractive in the least, Sylvia fled home and assumed the alias Jane Brown.

She took a cruise on a ship and met a woman named Laura Barton who was convinced that "Jane Brown" was Lois Lane. Not wishing to be recognized, Sylvia deflected any suspicions until Laura left the ship. When Sylvia accidentally fell overboard, she was rescued by Van-Zee who proposed to her. Sylvia initially thought it was a trick orchestrated by her father, and she demanded that Van-Zee prove that he really was a Kryptonian. He made true by getting her Queen Cleopatra's ring, Helen of Troy's wedding dress, and he searched the Earth to get her flowers from the Garden of Eden. Having accepted the gifts Sylvia agreed to marry Van-Zee and the two flew off to a remote island and were married by a native chief.

The pair took a rocketship into space where Van-Zee showed her the sights and made a monument of their love by hurling meteors at two moons to carve out their images. Van had made a home on the planet Venus, and showed her all the technology he had setup and gave her a hypersonic signal watch to use if there was ever trouble. Trouble ensued when alien invaders arrived and captured Sylvia, but Van-Zee rescued her and decided to make a super-serum to endow her with super powers. Before this happened however, she became pregnant and months later Van-Zee took her to the planet Urth's Hospital Satellite where she gave birth to twins. The twins were endowed with super-powers which proved to be difficult for Sylvia to discipline when they acted up.

Van-Zee used rare element Korium-66-Beta to perfect the super-serum and when Sylvia drank it she received super-powers so that she was able to look after Lyle and Lili. When Van-Zee went on a mission to Urth, Sylvia mistakingly spied on Earth with her telescopic vision. She saw Superman saving Lana Lang's life, and when Lana thanked Superman with a surprise kiss, Sylvia believed that Lana had kissed her husband Van-Zee, and when Van returned home she lashed out at him, took the children, and left their home to go to Urth.

When Lyle said that he had seen his father Van-Zee destroying satellites around Urth, Sylvia asked a native of Urth where her husband was. He confirmed that Van-Zee never left Urth. Sylvia tracked down her husband, they reconciled, and returned to Earth. The pair met with their doppelgängers Superman and Lois Lane and decided that, to avoid future confusion, Van-Zee and his family would return to the bottle city of Kandor. Reduced in size by Brainiac's Shrinking Ray, the family was parachuted into the city where they resumed their happy marriage.

Lois took Van-Zee's super-formula and drank it to get super-powers, only to find that it didn't work because his serum only worked on Sylvia's blood type.

Appearing in "The Super-Family of Steel"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Two Menacing Aliens (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Laura Barton (Single appearance)
  • Cleopatra (Statue only)
  • Helen of Troy (Mentioned only)
  • Adam (Mentioned only)
  • Eve (Mentioned only)
  • Prince Charming (Mentioned only)
  • Romeo (Mentioned only)
  • Cruise Ship's Officer (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
  • Native Islanders (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
  • Native Chief (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
  • Brainiac (Mentioned only)
  • Tom Thumb (Mentioned only)
  • Jor-El (face carved on an asteroid)
  • Lara Lor-Van (face carves on an asteroid)
  • Miss Jingles (Robot Maid) (Destroyed)
  • Urthians (Single appearance)
    • Two Expectant Fathers (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
    • Doctor (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
    • Nurse (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
    • Man (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
  • Kandorians
    • Man (friend of Van-Zee) (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
  • Sylvia's Chauffeur (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
  • Mr. DeWitt (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)
  • Sir Essex (was to wed Sylvia DeWitt) (Unnamed) (Cameo) (Single appearance)

Locations:

Items:

  • Daily Planet Newspaper
  • Cleopatra's Wedding Ring
  • Silk from Helen of Troy's Wedding Dress
  • Wedding Bouquet (made from flowers from the Garden of Eden)
  • Superman (Statue only)
  • Brainiac's Shrinking Ray
  • Venus Canary
  • Lois Lane's Signal Watch
  • Jimmy Olsen's Signal Watch (Mentioned only)
  • Ray Guns
  • Translator Helmets
  • Zulium-449
  • Illium 349 (Mentioned only)
  • Korium-66-Beta
  • Stone Model of Earth (Destroyed)
  • Old Satellite (Destroyed)
  • Anti-Space Microbe Gas
  • Van-Zee's Telescopic Viewer
  • Duplicator Loom
  • Hyper-Zeta Ray
  • Superman Robot
  • Zak-Kul's Enlarging Ray
  • Parachute

Vehicles:

  • Cruise Ship (Unnamed)
  • Sunken Ship of Ancient Troy (In ruins)
  • Spaceship (built by Superman)
  • Flying Saucer

Synopsis for "The Bride Gets Super-Powers"

Part II of The Super-Family of Steel from Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #15

Appearing in "The Bride Gets Super-Powers"

See the appearance list of The Super-Family of Steel.

Synopsis for "The Secret of the Super-Family"

Part III of The Super-Family of Steel from Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #15

Appearing in "The Secret of the Super-Family"

See the appearance list of The Super-Family of Steel.

Notes

  • An all reprint issue.



See Also


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