Episode #187: Superman Family Comic Books Cover Dated March 1956: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #11 & World's Finest Comics #81!

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #11, March 1956, was published around January 12, 1956. It contained 32 pages for the cover price of 10¢. The editor was Mort Weisinger. Penciller Curt Swan and inker Ray Burnley were the art team for all three 8 page stories in this issue, which were written by Otto Binder. All three stories have been reprinted in Showcase Presents: Superman Family vol. I.

The first story was titled Superman's Seeing Eye Dog. It began when Superman brought Jimmy a new souvenir, a jar of meteor dust that emitted x-rays. The Man of Steel explained that he had examined an iron meteor with his x-ray vision when it exploded. His examination determined that the difference between the frequencies of the two separate x'ray beams caused the explosion.

After Superman left, Jimmy tripped while he was going to place his latest souvenir with the rest of his collection. The jar shattered, and some meteor dust got in his eyes. Jimmy discovered that he had x-ray vision. He found a lost gold stick pin, and later noticed an ice cream vendor carried a concealed weapon. Jimmy exposed him, which wasn't a good idea. He learned that the vendor was an undercover police officer, and was lucky not to be arrested for interfering with an investigation.

At the Daily Planet, Jimmy asked Lois if she had change for a dollar, but then noticed that she only had 87¢ in her purse. Before Jimmy could discover what was in Clark's pockets, Kent left the room, claiming he had an interview to conduct. Clark took the opportunity to change into Superman and build something that Jimmy would need.

Jimmy learned another lesson about x-ray vision not always being fun when he set the piece of typing paper on fire as he was typing his news story. Superman appeared in time to extinguish the flames and give his pal a pair of lead lined goggles. Otherwise, Superman would not be able to use his own x-ray vision, in order to avoid causing a second explosion. The Man of Steel took Jimmy to an eye specialist. After the examination, the doctor informed Jimmy that the x-ray vision would disappear when the meteor dust left his system.

Outside the doctor office, Jimmy saw a blind man walking with his seeing eye dog. That gave him an idea. Using a similar harness, Jimmy became Superman's Seeing Eye Pal. He found an underground gas leak, a lost jewel in a jewelry shop, and a giant idol stolen from the Metropolis Museum. When Jimmy found a red hair on the idol, it made crime boss "Red" Redding Superman's prime suspect. The Man of Steel had no luck finding him in Metropolis, but Jimmy was able to use his x-ray vision to see through the disguise of a man on the street and find Redding.

Red was not happy, and pulled out his gun and fired at Jimmy. Olsen was unhurt because his x-ray vision melted the bullets. The lead fumes of the melted bullets stung his eyes, and Jimmy discovered that his x-ray vision power was gone.After Superman took Redding to jail, Jimmy buried the rest of the meteor dust in the ground. Having x-ray vision was not all it was cracked up to be.

I had to wonder if it was a good idea for Superman to give Jimmy a souvenir that emitted x-rays. It would seem that Jimmy would have eventually collected cancer. Also, was it smart for Jimmy to just bury it in the ground? Wouldn't that contaminated the ground? The story developed nicely as Jimmy struggled with his new ability as the novelty wore off. It seemed humiliating to see Jimmy in a seeing eye dog harness, but he didn't seem to mind and actually wanted to help his Super Pal.

When Clark Kent changed into Superman at the corner of the alley, did he use his vision powers to check for peeping toms. He seemed too out in the open to keep his secret identity safe.

Once again Jimmy used his wits to catch the bad guy. Quick thinking saved him again when Redding shot at him and Jimmy used intense x-rays to melt the bullets. This was the first issue of Jimmy Olsen where he gained superpowers, not counting the flying dream in issue #2.

The reason for Superman not using his x-ray vision being because of the difference in the wavelengths of the two different x-rays was a good example of comic book science. From the little bit of research I did, the range of x-rays on the electromagnetic spectrum is from 0.01 - 10 nanometers.

Still, I enjoyed the story and give it 4 Superman Capes out of 5.

Jimmy Olsen, Clark Kent's Pal began as Jimmy temporarily moved in with Clark while his own apartment building was repaired. Clark had to do some quick thinking when Jimmy was about to put his belongings in the closet where Clark had his Superman uniform hanging. He used his x-ray vision to fuse the doorknob, then opened another closet for Jimmy.

Having Jimmy live with him presented some problems for Clark with his secret identity. That night, Clark learned that Jimmy talked in his sleep.

The next day, Clark was surprised when Jimmy declined a chance to fly to Mount Everest with Superman. Jimmy acted as if he was bored hanging out with the Man of Steel, and preferred being with Clark.

That created problems for Clark when he needed to respond to a fire across town. Clark told Jimmy that he was going to take a bath, filled it with water, and stirred it at super speed so that the sloshing water would make enough noise to make Jimmy think he was bathing.

When Superman had to respond to an emergency at night, the Man of Steel put a dummy in his bed to fool Jimmy into thinking Clark was still in his bed. It was a good thing that Superman kept an eye and ear tuned to Clark's apartment, because Jimmy got up and asked Clark if he could close the window. Superman used his super ventriloquism to tell Jimmy to go ahead. Clark was also losing sleep worrying about Jimmy discovering his secret identity.

Clark and Jimmy were witnesses to a jewel robbery. Clark ran away, acting like a coward, to cover for his changing into Superman. But he never had a chance, because he had to run back and shield Jimmy from bullets fired by one of the thieves. Clark secretly deflected a bullet to flatten one of the tires of the getaway car and allow police to capture the robbers. Another bullet had hit a nearby lamp post, so Jimmy never suspected that Clark was Superman.

Later, Perry gave Jimmy a choice of covering Superman's destruction of a dilapidated statue, or go with Clark to cover a hockey game with Clark Kent. To everyone's surprise, Jimmy chose the hockey game with Clark. To cover for himself when he needed to leave to take care of the statue, Clark "broke" his seat, so that the usher would have to find him one separate from Jimmy. I wondered how Clark could cover the hockey game while he had to demolish the old statue. Maybe he used his telescopic vision.

Jimmy's snub of Superman made the Metropolis gossip columns, noticed by mobster "Safety" Stone. He told his gang they would pull their jewel heist without his "safety play" or back up plan. Jimmy happened to be outside the target of Stone's planned heist. Jimmy activated his signal watch, but it failed as the gang approached. Superman still came to Jimmy's rescue and captured the gang.

Jimmy explained that his snub was fake. He explained that he had disguised himself as a blind beggar, and overheard Stone talking with one of his gang members, planning to kidnap Jimmy Olsen to use as a human shield against Superman. Jimmy pretended to snub Superman so that Stone would be convinced no to go with the plan. Olsen didn't want Superman to feel obligated to guard him 24 hours a day and neglect other duties.

As Jimmy typed up the story for the next edition of the Daily Planet, Clark decided not to tell Jimmy that he had revealed his plan when he talked in his sleep.

Jimmy's thinking made sense, but how he expected the gang to find out about his snub seemed like a stretch. We learned why Clark didn't have a roommate. Keeping a secret identity would be almost impossible. How Superman covered for his secret identity did seem silly, stirring the bath water at super speed and using super ventriloquism.

However, it was admirable for Jimmy risking his own safety in order to not take advantage of his friendship with Superman. Not everyone would be so noble. For that reason I give this story 3 Superman capes out of 5.

T. N. T. Olsen, The Champ, featured on the cover, began with Jimmy and Lois having lunch together at a Metropolis restaurant. Jimmy punched an overbearing stranger hitting on Lois, knocking the jerk out. "Pugs" Orten, boxing promoter, noticed that the guy had actually stepped on a banana peel, which was the real reason that the guy was knocked out.

This gave Pugs an idea. He whispered something to his friend Punchy, who sat at his table. Punchy charged at Jimmy, claiming the unconscious man was his friend. Jimmy hit Punchy on the chin, and Punchy went down also. But he wasn't knocked out. He took the fall at Pugs' suggestion. Jimmy signed with Orten to become a boxer.

Jimmy was unable to ask Superman for his advice because the Man of Steel was at a nuclear power plant as scientists repaired the atomic pile.

At the gym, Jimmy knocked the small punching bag off its chain. Orten had filed the chain to give Jimmy a false sense of confidence. Pugs also ordered all of Jimmy's sparring partners to take a dive.

This succeeded in giving Jimmy a swell head. When a gorilla escaped a zoo, Jimmy went after the ape and knocked it out with one punch. Actually, Pugs had shot the gorilla with a dart rifle just before Jimmy hit it. And, of course, Pugs used the publicity to build up Jimmy even more.

Superman returned to Metropolis in time for Jimmy's Lightweight Champion of Metropolis bout against Gorilla Gordon. The Man of Steel used his x-ray vision and super hearing to learn of Orten's scheme. As Clark Kent, he visited Jimmy and brought him down to Earth by asking Olsen to hit him on the chin. After giving Jimmy a dose of reality, Clark told him he couldn't back out of the contract. With that, Jimmy went to the boxing ring.

During the first round Jimmy got clobbered. Clark shot  a paper clip at the bell to end the round early, before Jimmy got knocked out. During the second round, Clark secretly used his super breath to keep Jimmy from falling  after being punched. Clark used his x-ray vision to slightly heat up the lens of a TV camera above the ring to shine a light into Gordon's eyes, causing him to miss, during the third round. To everyone's surprise, Jimmy still had some wits left in his head to notice Gordon's weakness, dropping his guard against a left hook. Jimmy punched Gordon with a left hook, knocking him out.

Orten fled with as much cask as he could grab, since he was unable to pay off his gambling debts. Superman captured him and forced him to confess to his scam in front of the boxing crowd. Superman told Jimmy he was proud of him for hanging in there, but Jimmy felt more like a chump than champ.

This was my favorite story of the issue, as Jimmy used his battered wits to beat the odds. Plus, what's not to like about a boxing story. It was another typical Jimmy story as he got in over his head and allowed himself to get an inflated ego. It captured the feel of a Jack Larson Jimmy Olsen story form the 1950's The Adventures Of Superman TV show. Why Clark/Superman would allow Jimmy into the ring after deflating his ego is beyond me. But it did make a great ending to the story. What's not to like about an underdog coming out on top, and I give it 4 Superman Capes out of 5.

World's Finest Comics #81, March/April 1956, was published around January 31, 1956. It contained 32 pages for the cover price of a dime. The editor was Jack Schiff and was drawn by Win Mortimer. The twelve page Superman/Batman story was titled The True History Of Superman And Batman, written by Edmond Hamilton, pencilled by Dick Sprang and inked by Stan Kaye. This story was reprinted in Batman In The Fifties and Showcase Presents: World's Finest vol. I.

The story began with Superman removing some animals he had previously brought to the Metropolis zoo. He then built an ark and brought them back to the zoo in the ship.

In Gotham City, Batman and Robin towed a single engine aircraft behind the Batplane, after previously saving it from crashing. They released the plane, allowing it to make a soft crash landing in the ocean. Then they submerged the Batplane, retracting its wings and towing the plane underwater back to the airport.

In a flashback, the previous night, historian Ka-Thar from the year 5956 appeared in the Batcave. Batman and Robin summoned Superman, and Ka-Thar revealed that his purpose for coming to the past was to settle a dispute with rival historians. He demanded that the heroes redo their deeds again as he had written them in his history, or Ka-Thar would reveal their secret identities to 1956 America.

Batman and Robin were concerned that Superman would be unable to redo his feat of saving both Gotham City and Metropolis from the same tornado.

Superman began his quest by replacing a dam built with blocks of stone with one built with one piece of stone he carved from a mountain, after freezing the river with his super cold breath. Lois met Ka-Tahr, and became very interested in his future history about Superman.

Batman and Robin purposefully sped up the planet display at a Planetarium to redo their rescue of the audience according to Ka-Thar's version of the event.

Next, Superman redid his move of an orphanage building, with the orphans still inside.

Bruce released a crook from jail and recaptured him according to Ka-Thar's history, by lassoing him from the Batmobile. It turned out that the crook was actually a disguised Batman, and Robin was disguised as Batman in the Batmobile. The real criminal had remained in jail.

Batman figured a way to keep Ka-Thar from forcing Superman to redo his tornado feat. when challenged, Ka-Thar admitted that his threat to expose their secret identities was a hollow threat. If they were exposed, his history would have been proven false. Superman reminded the future historian that he had saved the two cities by erecting a barrier, because he had formed a barrier of wind by flying around the tornado at super speed. Satisfied, Ka-Thar returned to his own era, having discovered that Superman and Batman had performed their super deeds according to both versions of the future's history.

Lois was disappointed, not because she didn't learn Superman's secret identity, but because she failed to learn who Superman would eventually marry.

I never got the point of this story. Making Superman and Batman redo their feats to fit his history was fraud. Worse than plagiarism, it was changing history. It was a silly story from beginning to end, almost as much of a waste of my time as it was for Superman, Batman and Robin.And what was it with people from the future, that Superman and Batman would feel compelled to believe someone just because they claimed to travel from the future, like the Earth Bureau of Investigation story we covered last episode. Usually I like Edmond Hamilton's stories, but this is the worst story he's written, so far. I wonder, was he pressed to meet a deadline and desperate to come up with a story? I would rate this story a 1, but with the great Dick Sprang art, I'll give it 2 Superman Capes out of 5.

Elsewhere in DC Comics, 32 titles carried the March or March/April 1956 cover date.

Next Episode: Superman Comic Books Cover Dated May 1959: Superman #129 & Action Comics #252! (This is the200th individual episode of this podcast!)

In 2 weeks: Superman Family Comic Book Cover Dated April 1956: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #12!


Join the Superman Fan Podcast and My Pull List groups or pages on facebook, and follow the podcast and blogs on twitter @supermanpodcast.

Superman Fan Podcast is a proud member of the League Of Comic Book Podcasters at http://www.comicbooknoise.com/league and the Comics Podcast Network! http://www.comicspodcasts.com/, and is now a proud member of the Superman WebRing of websites, and the Superman Podcast Network at http://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/supermanpodcastnetwork. Check it out to discover other fine Superman podcasts.

Superman Fan Podcast is at http://supermanfanpodcast.mypodcast.com/ . Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.

The theme of this podcast is Plans In Motion, composed by Kevin MacLeod, and part of the royalty free music library at http://incompetech.com.

My Pull List is my spoiler free comic book review blog of the titles I read every week. It can be found at http://mypulllist.blogspot.com/. Send e-mail about this blog to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman and all related characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics. Any cover art displayed with the show notes is done for entertainment and educational purposes only. I post these episodes to share my enjoyment of Superman comics and do not earn any money from this podcast.

Thanks for listening to the Superman Fan Podcast and, as always, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Episode #183: Superman Comic Book Cover Dated January/February 1956: World's Finest Comics #80!

World's Finest Comics #80, January/February 1956, was published around November 29, 1955. It contained 32 pages and sold for a dime. The editor was Jack Schiff, and the cover was drawn by Win Mortimer. The Superman and Batman story was titled The Super Newspaper Of Gotham City. Edmond Hamilton wrote the 12 page Story, which was illustrated by the classic Batman art team of penciller Dick Sprang and inker Charles Paris.

The story began outside the Editor's office of a newspaper. We hear a familiar refrain, Great Caesar's Ghost! What kind of reporters are you two? Get out and bring me a real story! The door opened and reporters Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne leave the office of editor Lois Lane?!

In a flashback, we saw Gotham Gazette editor John Hall being informed that the company's board of directors would close the newspaper because it was running out of money. Hall was working on a crime expose which would boost circulation, and so he talked to Bruce Wayne, who was a board member, for help, but Bruce could only convince the Board to keep the paper open for another 30 days.

Bruce then changed to Batman, and he and Robin called on Superman to help. The Man of Steel agreed to help save the Gazette, with a little strategy.

The next day, Clark discussed the Gazette's financial problems with Lois, and referred to it as "that old sheet" within Perry White's hearing. That annoyed the Planet's Editor-In-Chief, because he once worked at the paper. He assigned both Clark and Lois to help save the Gazette, but not to bother returning if they fail.

When they got to the Gazette offices, they saw Hall being carried to the hospital due to exhaustion and overwork. That is how Lois Lane became editor. Bruce convinced Lois to hire him as a reporter. He planned to use the opportunity to search Hall's desk for clues to what the expose was about. But Lois shooed him out of the office before he had an opportunity.

Luckily Clark had used his x-ray vision and found a note in Hall's desk mentioning about a mole who threatened Gotham City. Clark and Bruce then left for their separate beats.

Clark covered the story of a ship that had been stuck in arctic ice and then returned to Gotham Harbor because of a super fast current. Unknown to them, they had Superman's secret help in order to protect Clark's secret identity.

Bruce was to cover the opening of a riverside park, but called Robin, and the two went into action as Batman and Robin. They performed acrobatics over the Gotham skyline to lure the overflow crowd out of the park.

Superman later returned to the Batcave, where Robin had found a clue. A criminal nicknamed the mole had tunneled out of prison and was still at large.

The Dynamic Duo teamed up with Superman to save an engineer and fireman from an out of control and about to explode train, and Bruce Wayne beat Clark to turn in the story. As they changed into Batman and Superman in a broom closet, Robin alerted Batman that he had found a clue about the Mole, but ran into trouble.

In a flashback, Robin was checking one of the last construction sites in Gotham for clues about the Mole. He became suspicious of the foreman who didn't have calloused hands. The foreman was suspicious of Robin and had his men capture him.

Superman carried Batman, and was able to spot tunnels leading from the same construction company to Gotham's banks. While Batman followed the gang in the tunnel, Superman burrowed underground to detour the gang to a Gotham City jail cell.

Bruce Wayne turned in the story, and Superman distributed copies at super speed. A rejuvenated John Hall thanked the three reporters for taking a rumor he had picked up from the underworld and breaking the story which saved the Gazette. Bruce was able to return to his polo, and Lois to brag to Perry how she had edited a major newspaper.

But don't worry, Perry brought her back to Earth. The next day, back at the Daily Planet offices, when she turned in her story he bellowed, You call this a story? Great Caesar's Ghost! Has playing editor gone to your head?


Working in the production department of a newspaper, I noticed that there was not a regular Gazette reporter on the story. While Hall may have gotten the tip, he would have assigned the story to one of his reporters, not worked on it himself. And a subordinate editor would have taken his place.But then we wouldn't have had the trio of Clark, Bruce and Lois working together. Hall and the employee who informed him of the Board's decision are the only members of the Gazette staff we saw, other than the Board members themselves. I doubt the paper's staff would have welcomed these outsiders who thought they could save their paper when they couldn't.

Clark came up with a clever way to save the ship and report on the story as Clark without exposing his secret identity.

Bruce showed himself as a quick learner when it came to being a reporter. We saw Robin as the Boy Hostage again.

Superman showed some of his wild super powers, as he sealed the jail floor at super speed so the gang couldn't escape.

All comments aside, it was a fun story to read Lois, Clark and Bruce catching the bad guys and saving a major newspaper, all in the same day. The peril of the Gazette certainly strikes close to home today, as the news industry adjusts to the digital era. So I give this story 4 Superman Capes out of 5.

Green Arrow starred in the second story of the issue, The Bewitched Bow. The six page story was drawn by George Papp.

The final, six page, story starred Tomahawk in, The Brave Of Fort Fearless, drawn by Fred Ray.

Elsewhere in DC Comics, 32 titles carried the January, or January/February 1956 cover date.

Next episode: The Superman Comic Book Cover Dated March 1959: Action Comics #250!


In 2 weeks" The Superman Family Comic Book Cover Dated February 1956: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #10!


Join the Superman Fan Podcast and My Pull List groups or pages on facebook, and follow the podcast and blogs on twitter @supermanpodcast.

Superman Fan Podcast is a proud member of the League Of Comic Book Podcasters at http://www.comicbooknoise.com/league and the Comics Podcast Network! http://www.comicspodcasts.com/, and is now a proud member of the Superman WebRing of websites, and the Superman Podcast Network at http://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/supermanpodcastnetwork. Check it out to discover other fine Superman podcasts.

Superman Fan Podcast is at http://supermanfanpodcast.mypodcast.com/ . Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.

The theme of this podcast is Plans In Motion, composed by Kevin MacLeod, and part of the royalty free music library at http://incompetech.com.

My Pull List is my spoiler free comic book review blog of the titles I read every week. It can be found at http://mypulllist.blogspot.com/. Send e-mail about this blog to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman and all related characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics. Any cover art displayed with the show notes is done for entertainment and educational purposes only. I post these episodes to share my enjoyment of Superman comics and do not earn any money from this podcast.

Thanks for listening to the Superman Fan Podcast and, as always, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Episode #179: Superman Family Comic Book Cover Dated November/December 1955: World's Finest Comics #79!

World's Finest Comics #79, November/December 1955, was published around September 29, 1955. It contained 32 pages for the cover price of a dime. The editor was Jack Schiff, and the cover was drawn by Win Mortimer.
The Superman/Batman story in this issue was the 12 page tale The Three Magicians Of Bagdad, written by Edmond Hamilton, pencilled by Dick Sprang and inked by Stan Kaye. It was reprinted in World's Finest Comics Archive vol. I and Showcase Presents: World's Finest vol. I. (Today the city's name is spelled Baghdad. I will use the spelling of the city as it appeared in this story from the 1950's.)

Dr. Carter Nichols waved his hands in the air, but was unable to bring Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson from the past. Nichols' hypnotic time force had failed to bring them back to the present.

At the Daily Planet newsroom, Clark and Lois read a news item about Gotham City's Dr. Nichols asking for Superman's help. Superman flew to Dr. Nichols' lab in Gotham City, and learned that Bruce and Dick were stuck 1,000 years in the past in Bagdad of the Arabian Nights. Dr. Nichols was unaware that Bruce and Dick were Batman and Robin. The Man of Steel flew through the time barrier to retrieve his friends.

In a flashback, we saw Bruce and Dick volunteering to help Dr. Nichols solve the scientific mystery of a magnetic mountain of ancient Bagdad. The doctor hypnotized them, and Bruce and Dick vanished into the past.

When they arrived in Bagdad, they changed into their identities of Batman and Robin. They asked sailors for the location of the local Magnetic Mountain. They hired a boat and sailed to that location. As they approached the mountain, the metal in their utility belts was attracted to the mountain. The Dynamic Duo were snatched out of their sailboat and pinned to the mountain. To keep from being crushed by the impact, they held the ends of their capes as parachutes to slow their flight.

A rope descended from the mountaintop and Batman and Robin were rescued, after they got rid of the metal in their utility belts.The Dynamic Duo learned that their rescuer was none other than Aladdin. He did have a lamp, but it was not magical. Aladdin had been swindled out of his inheritance by Abdullah, the Great Magician of Bagdad, for the worthless lamp. Batman and Robin agreed to help him recover his inheritance.

Batman and Robin borrowed the lamp to attempt to fool Abdullah into thinking the lamp was magical after all.  Later, in front of a crowd in Bagdad, Robin rubbled the lamp to make a pile of trash begin to smoke. Batman secretly threw a smoke pellet from his utility belt into the trash. Abdullah had his men seize the Dynamic Duo and present them before the Great Caliph, ruler of Bagdad. He accused Batman and Robin of being false magicians and working for the mysterious 40 thieves. The Caliph gave them a chance to prove that they were magicians.

With no hope, Robin rubbed the lamp and commanded it to prove his magic was real. The Dynamic Duo were surprised to hear a voice outside a window respond, I hear and obey, Master! Superman had arrived at ancient Bagdad and lifted the palace. The Man of Steel told Batman and Robin the whole story, but the Dynamic Duo refused to leave until they helped Aladdin.

Abdullah was convinced that Superman was a genie and the lamp was magical, and conspired to get it back. He promised Robin that he would return Aladdin's inheritance to him if the Boy Wonder would go to his palace.Batman left to track down the 40 thieves. To insure that the genie would obey him, Abdullah asked Robin to have the genie bring a block of ice from the far north to keep him cool. Superman obeyed. As soon as the Man of Steel disappeared in the sky, Abdullah's men seized Robin. He learned that Abdullah and his men were actually the 40 thieves, and they took their boy hostage to their hideout.

Abdullah remained in his palace with the lamp. When Superman returned Abdullah ordered him to bring him gold from the depths of the earth. Superman obeyed, but not in the way Abdullah intended. The Man of Steel brought a stone container of molten gold, too hot to be useful to his new master.

Abdullah then ordered his genie to bring him the most powerful weapon in the world. Superman took a very long iron chain into a storm cloud, and a streak of lightning hit the palace through the chain.

Batman found Robin's chest emblem on the ground. The Boy Wonder had ripped it off his costume with his teeth. Thank goodness he was on a good dental plan. It lead Batman to their hidden lair. He listened to one of Abdullah's men order all but two men ride to raid Bagdad. The two men would guard Robin.

Abdullah ordered his genie to bring a Roc, a mythical bird. With his bare hands, Superman chopped down trees and split enough wood to build a giant wooden bird. Superman flew it over Bagdad and drove the thieves away from the city. They rode back to their hideout.

Batman had helped Robin escape, only to see the thieves return from Bagdad. Superman then broke off a large piece of Magnetic Mountain and carried it over the thieves. Their swords were attracted to the magnetic rock, and Superman threw it into space.

For revealing the real thieves, the Caliph restored Aladdin's inheritance, and Superman carried Batman and Robin back to Gotham City of 1955 on a flying carpet.

The first time travel story I read from World's Finest Comics was a reprint of The Three Super-Musketeers, which we'll cover later this year. This was just as much fun, a wild adventure story.

Professor Nichols was a recurring character in silver age Batman stories. He would send his friends Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson back in time, and sometimes Batman and Robin, using his time travel hypnosis.

When Batman and Robin were stuck to the magnetic mountain because of the metal in their utility belts, I wondered why they wouldn't have had to remove their utility belts, instead of just remove the metallic objects in their belts. Wouldn't their buckles be metallic also? I was amused that no one in Bagdad thought Batman, Robin and Superman were dressed strangely. I guess Superman got a pass since he was a "genie". The Man of Steel was very clever to obey Abdullah in ways that were useless to his master. But then, the silver age Superman is very sneaky that way. Maybe he's been hanging around Mort Weisinger too much. I give this story 4 Superman Capes out of 5.

I was only able to read the reprint of the Superman/Batman story, and wasn't able to read the other two stories in the issue. The only information I was able to find was from Mike's Amazing World Of DC Comics.

Green Arrow appeared in the six page story Archer From Across The Sea, written by George Kashdan and drawn by George Papp.

Tomahawk starred in the six page story, Weapon Of Peace, written by France E. Herron, pencilled by Bruno Premiani and inked by Ray Burnley.

Elsewhere in DC Comics, 29 titles carried the November or November/December 1955 cover date.

Next episode: Superman Comic Books Cover Dated January 1959: Superman #126 & Action Comics #248!


In two weeks: Superman Family Comic Book Cover Dated December 1955: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #9!


Join the Superman Fan Podcast and My Pull List groups or pages on facebook, and follow the podcast and blogs on twitter @supermanpodcast.

Superman Fan Podcast is a proud member of the League Of Comic Book Podcasters at http://www.comicbooknoise.com/league and the Comics Podcast Network! http://www.comicspodcasts.com/, and is now a proud member of the Superman WebRing of websites, and the Superman Podcast Network at http://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/supermanpodcastnetwork. Check it out to discover other fine Superman podcasts.

Superman Fan Podcast is at http://supermanfanpodcast.mypodcast.com/ . Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.

The theme of this podcast is Plans In Motion, composed by Kevin MacLeod, and part of the royalty free music library at http://incompetech.com.

My Pull List is my spoiler free comic book review blog of the titles I read every week. It can be found at http://mypulllist.blogspot.com/. Send e-mail about this blog to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman and all related characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics. Any cover art displayed with the show notes is done for entertainment and educational purposes only. I post these episodes to share my enjoyment of Superman comics and do not earn any money from this podcast.

Thanks for listening to the Superman Fan Podcast and, as always, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Episode #175: Superman Family Of Comics Cover Dated September/October 1955: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #7 & World's Finest Comics #78!

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #7, September 1955, was published around July 14, 1955. It contained 32 pages for the cover price of 10¢. The editor was Mort Weisinger, and the cover was pencilled by Curt Swan and inked by Stan Kaye. All three eight page stories were written by Otto Binder, pencilled by Curt Swan and inked by RayBurnley. They were reprinted in Showcase Presents: Superman Family vol. I.

The Amazing Mirages began with 3 young men saying goodbye to their friends. They were leaving to go to the Badlands Desert to strike it rich by uranium mining. Their jalopy barely made it down the street before breaking down. Undaunted, the three amigos put their packs on their backs and made their way on foot, as an amused Jimmy Olsen watched.

Later that day, Perry White assigned Jimmy to cover the story about rumored uranium strikes in the Badlands. Jimmy piloted the Daily Planet's Flying Newsroom helicopter, and recognized the three would be uranium prospectors. He gave them a ride to the Badlands Desert.

When he learned that they didn't even have a compass and map, Jimmy decided to tag along just to keep them from getting lost and dying in the desert. One of them used a geiger counter and thought he found some uranium. Jimmy figured out that the guy had detected the radium in the glow in the dark face of his own watch.  Later, Jimmy kept them from walking into a rattlesnake, and later from following a mirage they thought was water.

As they made camp for the night Jimmy asked them if they were ready to go back to Metropolis. They refused to turn back, if only to avoid being laughed at by their friends. After they fell asleep, Jimmy callled Superman with his signal watch.Superman wouldn't force them to go back, but together they devised a plan to make the guys want to return home.

The next day the hungry guys found a plant with some edible leaves. Jimmy told them it was loco weed, and would give them hallucinations, but the plant was harmless.That was Superman's signal to go into action.

The Man of Steel flew a fake pterodactyl he had made over the boys, but Jimmy pretended that he didn't see it. He chalked it up to the boys seeing things. Later, Superman hollowed out a cactus and wore it like a costume, becoming a dancing cactus. Finally, the Man of Steel took some cactus sap and made two crude rubber spider webs. When the guys walked near it, he used his super breath to blow them into one, bouncing them between the two webs. Jimmy told them they must be hallucinating.

That was the last straw. The three amigos were ready to tuck tail and go back to Metropolis, and Jimmy provided a ride once again. But he convinced them to admit their mistake to their friends instead of just sneaking back home. The guys found their neighbors admired them for taking responsibility for their error. Afterward, Jimmy told them of the tricks he and Superman had played on them, but they weren't mad. They were glad Jimmy and Superman saved them from themselves.

I liked how Jimmy looked out for the three guys in their ignorance, but the phrase that comes to mind about them is, "dumb as dirt." It's hard for me to feel sorry for these guys. Maybe it's just the old man in me, so "Get off my lawn." On the other hand, we've all done stupid things in out youth. The tricks Superman and Jimmy played on them were silly, but well deserved.

I did a quick search on uranium mining, and found that it was done through both tunneling and open pits. Uranium miners risk radioactive exposure from uranium dust in open pit mining, and exposure to radon gas in underground uranium mining. this made it more obvious that the three guys had no idea what they were getting into. It was hard for me to care about their situation, so I give this story 2 Superman Capes out of 5.

The Scoop Of 1869 began with Clark Kent escorting Jimmy Olsen to the Ink Aces Club, an exclusive club for newspaper reporters, which had been founded in 1843. Jimmy had been nominated by Superman. After submitting his application, Clark asked Jimmy to interview an inventor who claimed to have perfected a time traveling flying carpet.

Jimmy thought the inventor was a crackpot, but suddenly a mist formed around the carpet as Jimmy stood on it, and when the smoke cleared, he was in Midvale, Utah Territory in 1869. Jimmy found some old clothes to wear so that he would fit in better, and found a job at the local newspaper office. He thought it would be easy, until he found out he would have to set type by hand.

Later, Jimmy recognized the famous Union Pacific train, and after finding out the date, realized it was the day before the Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines met, to form the nation's first transcontinental railroad. He rode a horse and buggy to the site, but the buggy crashed before he got there. Jimmy then took parts of the buggy and improvised a crude bicycle. He finally arrived in time to watch history.

When he tried to telegraph the story back to the Midvale newspaper, he found that the telegraph lines were down. So he rented a hot air balloon to fly back to town. When the winds began to blow the balloon off course, he let air out of the balloon to land it, on top of the tree. Jimmy was able to safely climb down form the tree and made the rest of the way on foot.

Back at the newspaper office, Jimmy found that he hadn't traveled back in time, but it was his initiation to the Ink Aces Club. Fellow members took part in period dress. The mist contained a sleeping gas, and Jimmy was carried to the town, which was a permanent historical exhibit built by Superman himself. The Man of Steel had also built a treadmill that Jimmy rode the horse and buggy on. Superman used his super breath to kick up dust so that his Pal wouldn't notice. Then the Man of Steel made the buggy hit a rock and wreck, and later made sure Jimmy's balloon landed safely in the tree Superman also operated life size puppets, who were the railroad workers when the two trains met.

Jimmy thought he had failed the initiation because he didn't spot the ruse, but he discovered that wasn't the point. The whole scenario was to see if he could live up to the club's motto, Get the news or bust, which he did with flying colors.

While the tricks that were played on Jimmy were typical silver age silliness, like the treadmill and the life size puppets, it was a fun story about Jimmy not letting any obstacles get in the way of delivering the story. Of course it wouldn't be a Mort Weisinger story if someone wasn't having a trick pulled don them, especially when he was joining a club. Still, this was the most enjoyable story of the issue, and I give it 4 Capes out of 5.

The King Of Marbles, which was featured on the cover, began as Perry White announced that the Daily Planet would sponsor a boys' marble tournament, and would present a trophy to the winner.

When the boy who would represent the MIB Masters marbles brand fell ill, Jimmy volunteered to take his place. He found that he was a little rusty at his marble skills from his childhood, but Superman helped him find his game.

At the tournament, Jimmy and Superman met Cyrus Colby, promoter of the Target brand of marbles and sponsor of the Target kid. He seemed to rub Superman the wrong way. As Jimmy played several rounds, Colby secretly photographed Jimmy's favorite aggie he used.

At the championship round the next day, it was Jimmy vs. the Target Kid. Colby asked to photograph Jimmy's favorite aggie, this time with a regular camera. What he actually did was switch it with a duplicate he had made using a photo from his secret camera from the day before.

As part of the marbles tournament, Superman demonstrated his own marbles prowess, including throwing one up in the air and splitting it with another. He noticed a tiny metal ball fall out of the broken one, and recognized that it had been a Target marble.

Superman noticed Jimmy's aggie curve slightly as it missed during one of Jimmy's turns. Using hes x-ray vision, the Man of Steel discovered a small remote control magnet hidden under where the match was being played. Superman diabled it with his x-ray vision, and Jimmy was able to rally and win.

The Man of Steel exposed Colby of using a switch to turn on the hidden magnet when it was Jimmy's turn. After taking him to jail, Superman took the Target Kid home, and comforted him by telling him he had nothing to do with Colby's cheating. Except for the few times Colby used the magnet, he won most of his games on his own talent.

Colby was a scumbag to try and cheat at a marbles tournament just to raise publicity for his marbles brand. But it was hard to get excited about this story of Superman being involved in a marbles tournament. I did like how Superman went out of his way to talk to the Target kid, but otherwise I have to give this story 2 Capes out of 5.

World's Finest Comics #78, September/October 1955, was published around July 28, 1955. It contained 32 pages for the cover price of a dime. The editor was Jack Schiff, and the cover was drawn by Win Mortimer.

The Superman/Batman story was When Superman's Identity Is Exposed. The twelve page story was written by Edmond Hamilton, and drawn by the classic silver age Batman artists, penciller Dick Sprang and inker Charles Paris. This story was reprinted in World's Finest Comics Archives vol. I and Showcase Presents: World's Finest vol. I.

The story began with someone typing on Clark Kent's typewriter, Clark Kent is Superman. Clark then discovered a similar message on a poster in a hallway, and painted on the side of a car, as well as played at an electronics convention.

In Gotham City, after Batman and Robin nabbed a member of the Varrel Mob, they noticed a Bat Signal coming from the direction of Metropolis. They knew it was an alert from Superman.

When they arrived in Metropolis Superman shared his dilemma with them. Batman volunteered to help Superman solve the mystery.

They investigated several instances where a message was posted accusing Clark Kent of being Superman, including a dirigible. Batman discovered that it had been built using a high pressure, and that the rubber skin had been made with junk rubber.

Lois asked Batman at one point why Commissioner Gordon had said that Batman was turning Gotham City upside down when he was in Metropolis. Batman thought at the time that Gordon just didn't want to tip off the gang that Batman wa out of town.

Bruce Wayne impersonated Clark Kent, so that both Clark and Superman could both appear at an aquarium opening. Bruce sent Robin back to Gotham to find out if maybe there was a Bat-impersonator there. After the  aquarium opening, Robin radioed Batman that Gordon had seen a Batman operating in Gotham City. The Boy Wonder was also flying the Batplane to pick him up.

Back at Gotham City a second Batman was approaching a house he suspected as being the hideout for the Varrel gang. He entered, only to be knocked out by gas. When the gang remove his mask, they discovered that Batman's secret identity was -- Superman? The Man of Steel then took out the gang. Batman and Robin landed nearby and caught a few who were about to get away.

Batman discussed with Superman how he had put the clues together. The Man of Steel confirmed that he had secretly placed those messages about his secret identity, to draw Batman to Metropolis. He feared that the Varrel gang might try to set a trap for Batman, so Superman disguised himself as Batman to hunt for the gang himself.

The story did a good job of setting up the clues, and the classic Sprang/Paris art was fantastic. It was a variation of the theme of Superman playing a trick on Batman for his protection, because Batman was always obsessive/compulsive about catching the criminal. And of course Lois was confused at the end.I give this story 3 Capes out of 5.

Elsewhere in DC Comics, 32 titles carried the September or September/October 1955 cover date.

Next Episode: Superman Comic Books Cover Dated November 1958: Superman #125 & Action Comics #125!


In two weeks: Superman Family Comic Book Cover Dated October 1955; Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen!


Join the Superman Fan Podcast and My Pull List groups or pages on facebook, and follow the podcast and blogs on twitter @supermanpodcast.

Superman Fan Podcast is a proud member of the League Of Comic Book Podcasters at http://www.comicbooknoise.com/league and the Comics Podcast Network! http://www.comicspodcasts.com/, and is now a proud member of the Superman WebRing of websites, and the Superman Podcast Network at http://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/supermanpodcastnetwork. Check it out to discover other fine Superman podcasts.

Superman Fan Podcast is at http://supermanfanpodcast.mypodcast.com/ . Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.

The theme of this podcast is Plans In Motion, composed by Kevin MacLeod, and part of the royalty free music library at http://incompetech.com.

My Pull List is my spoiler free comic book review blog of the titles I read every week. It can be found at http://mypulllist.blogspot.com/. Send e-mail about this blog to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman and all related characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics. Any cover art displayed with the show notes is done for entertainment and educational purposes only. I post these episodes to share my enjoyment of Superman comics and do not earn any money from this podcast.

Thanks for listening to the Superman Fan Podcast and, as always, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Episode #173: Superman Family Of Comics Cover Dated July/August 1955: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #6 & World's Finest Comics #77!

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #6, July/August 1955, was published around May 19, 1955. It contained 32 pages for the cover price of 10¢, Mort Weisinger was the editor, and the cover was pencilled by Curt Swan and inked by Stan Kaye. The same creative team did all three eight page stories in this issue, writer Otto Binder, penciller Curt Swan and inker Ray Burnley. All three stories were reprinted in Showcase Presents: Superman Family vol. I.

The King Of Magic began at the Hotel Metropolis, where a magician was checking in for the Magician's Convention. He gave the bellhop his top hat, and a rabbit jumped out of it. The bellhop took the Magician's bags to his room, and in a thought balloon we learned that the bellhop was none other than Jimmy Olsen in disguise. He wasn't trying to uncover magicians' tricks for a feature story, but was looking for a swindler posing as a magician.

In his hotel room, the Magician tossed Jimmy a coin, which sprouted wings and flew away. The Magician then told Jimmy not to worry, he'd give him a real tip. Jimmy answered, "I know, don't trust magicians." Since Jimmy was a good sport, the Magician gave him a $5.00 bill.

In the hallway, Jimmy compared the bill to a chart of common counterfeit flaws and discovered that the $5 was indeed fake. So Jimmy had discovered his swindler, who was going by the stage name of "Trikko".

 In a flashback we were shown one of Trikko's victims. The man put $5,000 in a small device, which spit out double the amount. Unfortuneately for him, the $10,000 were all counterfeit bills, while Trikko pocketed the real money.

Jimmy called for Superman with his signal watch. When Superman appeared, Jimmy filled him in about Trikko. The Man of Steel informed Jimmy that it was only Trikko's word against his, and that they would need to catch the thief red handed. Jimmy continued to work as a bellhop, and was subject to their tricks. He didn't mind, because they tipped well for him being a good sport.

That evening, Jimmy put on a tuxedo and top hat, along with a mustache, to disguise himself as one of the magicians, to watch a "King Of Magic" contest among the magicians. If a magician stumped a panel of expert magicians with a magic trick, he would be declared a winner.

The ninth magician to perform went by the stage name of Mr. Magic, and picked Jimmy out of the audience for an assistant. For his first trick he planted a seed in a large container filled with dirt. After watering it and saying the magic words, a grown tree appeared in a puff of smoke, with Jimmy stock at the top of the tree.

To get Jimmy down, Mr. Magic walked up a flight of invisible stairs for his next trick. The expert panel could detect no wires or other invisible means of support. Then for his third trick, he had the panel inspect an ordinary rope. Then he tossed it into the air, and it became stiff enough for Jimmy to climb to the top of the rope. He noticed that there was a skylight above his head, which gave him clues about Mr. Magic's impossible trick.

Mr. Magic was crowned "King Of Magic", then proceeded to auction off his secrets to his tricks. Trikko won with a bid of $25,000. That gave Jimmy another clue about what was really going on. Mr. Magic gave Trikko a chance to back out of the deal, in case he was tricking Trikko, but the Magician refused. After taking the money, Mr. Magic opened his tuxedo to reveal that he was really Superman.

Trikko accused Superman of swindling him, but the Man of Steel reminded him that he was getting a taste of his own medicine. When Superman turned his back to listen to Jimmy talk about how the money would reimburse Trikko's victims, Trikko tried another sleight of hand and attempted to switch the money with a fake bag of $25 K's. But Superman's eyes were quicker than Trikko's hands, and so he nabbed the magical swindler in the act and took him to jail.

Back at Jimmy's home, Superman told him that the reason he picked him out of the audience was that if he realized who Mr. Magic was, he could trust his Pal to keep it under his hat during the act.

In a story on the next day's front page of the Daily Planet, Jimmy read the headline about the Magicians had elected Superman their Honorary King of Magic, for weeding a bad apple out of their group.

The thought balloon at the beginning of the story, where we learned the reason Jimmy posed as a bellhop, was necessary, but I had to wonder if he thought the same thing with every Magician he carried his bags for. It didn't seem likely. Also, it seemed unusual that someone with a lot of money could be so gullible, but I guess all of us can fall for a swindler if we're not careful. And I had to wonder if, when Superman used his super speed to pull off his magic tricks, wouldn't he cause gusts of wind through the auditorium? Finally, there's no two ways around it. Superman did swindle Trikko, even though he gave him a chance to back out of the deal. But it's hard to have any sympathy for someone who would swindle someone out of their money. I thought it was a clever story, and I give it 4 Superman Capes out of 5.

Jockey Olsen Rides Star Flash began with Superman saving Jimmy from a hamburger. Jimmy thanked the Man of Steel for helping him stick to his diet so that he can make his weight for a charity horse race on Star Flash. Superman has lunch with Jimmy, and cuts back his salad to make sure his Pal got the proper nutrition but not unwanted pounds.

After lunch they checked on Star Flash in a special stall in the Daily Planet's basement. I'm not sure a basement is the best place for a horse, even if zoning laws would allow it. I wonder how the horse could get any exercise downtown, much less how they will get the smell out of the basement when the race is over. Jimmy also tried on his jockey uniform.

Back at his office, Jimmy weighed himself, but hadn't lost any weight yet. Perry informed Jimmy that if he didn't lose enough weight in time for the race, he wouldn't have enough time to find another jockey.

While Superman extinguished a fire across town, Chuck Thomas, an ice cream salesman with Yummy Boy ice cream, tried to hijack Jimmy's weight loss by offering him a free sample ice cream bar. That was because Chuck had told his boss that he could fire him if he lost the race.The Man of Steel kept an eye on Jimmy, and used his x-ray vision to melt the ice cream bar. Chuck watched Jimmy weigh himself, and after Olsen went back to work, Chuck adjusted the scale to weigh three pounds lower than it should. Chuck thought that he had the race won.

Superman continued to share meals with Jimmy to help him stick to his diet. At night, Jimmy dreamed about Superman taking food from him, but he continued to gain weight. Finally, the day of the race, Jimmy weighed himself at the Daily Planet and he weighed 121 lbs. But at the official weigh in at the track, he was three pounds over. Superman went into emergency mode. He took Jimmy to the Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone National Park, and improvised a sweat box to help Jimmy lose weight. Then he took Jimmy to a Metropolis gym for a quick workout. Jimmy was still one ounce overweight. As he carried Jimmy, Superman told him that he had an idea how he could lose that last ounce, as they flew by a barbershop.

Just before post time, Jimmy made his weight, and Superman carried Jimmy and Star Flash to the gate just before the race started. Jimmy passed Chuck Thomas around the curve, and Chuck realized that cheating doesn't pay. That's the last we saw of Chuck and his horse, Yummy Boy.

Jimmy and Star Flash won by a nose, and Olsen kept his jockey helmet on for the victory photo. In a flashback we saw that Superman had shaved Jimmy's head to lose that final pesky ounce. Jimmy let the secret out when he took his hat off the next day when he arrived for work. His wig caught on the hat and came off of his bald head. Jimmy changed the headline on his victory to Jimmy Olsen And Star Flash Win By Nose Hair.


Finally, Jimmy celebrated his victory with a big lunch.

Superman's x-ray vision is an all purpose super power for the Man of Steel, working as both an ability to see through objects and as heat vision, when he melted Jimmy's ice cream. Jimmy had to feel silly when Superman bent a metal tray into a set of blinders at a restaurant so that Jimmy wouldn't see any other diners. How did Superman get Jimmy all the way to Yellowstone National Park and back so fast? I'm surprised that Jimmy didn't wind up with broken bones after using Superman for a tackling dummy during their final workout. It was a good, not great story, and I give it 3 Capes out of 5.

!00 Pieces Of Kryptonite began with Jimmy Olsen at a seismologist's office, who told Olsen that tremors would hit Metropolis around noon. They were caused by a meteorite hit in nearby mountains. Jimmy used his signal watch to alert Superman. As Jimmy filled in the Man of Steel, Superman spotted another meteor headed for Metropolis. He flew into the air to destroy it high enough above the city to avoid damage. As he approached the meteor Superman realized it was a kryptonite meteor. Undaunted, the Man of Steel crashed into the meteor, disintegrating it into small pieces.

Superman fell to Earth. When Jimmy came to his aid, a very weak Superman told his Pal that he was weak but otherwise unhurt. Kryptonite stole his strength, but not his invulnerability. I'm glad that Superman read the fine print of his continuity. The problem was that now, Metropolis was littered with many tiny pieces of Kryptonite.

Back at the Daily Planet, Perry White alerted all of the city's media outlets, while Jimmy used the Flying Newsroom to alert the general public to bring any kryptonite to the Daily Planet building. It needed to be done by noon, so that Superman would be unhampered in handling any emergencies.

"Angles" Archibald had other ideas, when he found a piece of kryptonite. Back at his hideout he told his henchmen to spread the word, that he would pay a grand for each piece of kryptonite that was brought to him.

When Jimmy landed the Flying Newsroom helicopter to pick up a piece of kryptonite, he was decked by a crook, who said that he was taking it to "Angles". As he rubbed his sore chin, Jimmy wondered who "Angles"  was. But he didn't have time to find out, because only half of the estimated amount of kryptonite had been gathered. He did have an idea.

Jimmy gave Superman a walkie talkie and a map, so that the Man of Steel could alert him when he began to feel weak as he flew low over the city. They were able to gather enough kryptonite so that Superman felt back at full power.

As Superman handled all of the emergencies as the tremors hit Metropolis, Jimmy put on a disguise, posing as a low level hoodlum. He painted some rocks with glowing green paint and started asking around the underworld for "Angles". He was taken to "Angles" and learned his motive, to lure the Man of Steel there and hold him there, while his gang pulled a big robbery. Jimmy was unable to leave to alert the police or Superman, because "Angles" wanted him there to help keep Superman from escaping their trap.

They lured Superman to their hideout with gunfire, but the Man of Steel was unaffected by the kryptonite. That was because Jimmy was covering the kryptonite in a safe with a lead sheet. Superman captured the gang and tossed the safe out of the window into the deep ocean. I just hope there weren't any ships in the area where the safe crashed into the water.

The next day, as Clark read the headline about how Jimmy helped save Superman, he reminded Olsen that he had a lot of guts to put himself in such danger. That was when it hit Jimmy just how much danger he had been in.

It;s a good thing "Angles" didn't have a geiger counter, or else Jimmy might have wound up sleeping with the fishes. While I liked the first two stories, this one was my favorite of the issue. I was curious how Superman couldn't recognized the danger from the green meteor before he got too close. He could have used his x-ray (heat) vision to vaporize the meteor, but then we wouldn't have had a story. I do enjoy these stories where Jimmy helps the Man of Steel. I give this story 4 Capes out of 5.

World's Finest Comics #77, July/August 1955, was published around May 31, 1955. It contained 32 pages for the cover price of a dime. The editor was Jack Schiff, and the cover was pencilled by Curt Swan and inked by Stan Kaye. The twelve page Superman/Batman story was The Super Bat-Man, written by Edmond Hamilton, pencilled by Curt Swan and inked by Stan Kaye. This story was reprinted in The Greatest 1950's Stories Ever Told, World's Finest Comics Archive vol. I and Showcase Presents: World's Finest vol. I.

The story began with the citizens of Gotham City looking up in the sky at a bird, no a plane, no it's Batman flying over the city like Superman.

In a flashback, we saw Clark Kent and Lois Lane leaving the Daily Planet building to have lunch. With his super hearing Clark overheard two men talking about Professor Pender's machine that was going to fix Superman. He broke his lunch date with Lois to follow the men and find out more about the Professor.

The Gotham City Police Department was also after Prof. Pender, and after a tip by Commissioner Gordon, Batman and Robin drove to Metropolis in the Batmobile.

Back at Metropolis, Superman crashed through the skylight of the Professor's lab, but was hit by a decharge ray. He found that he had lost his powers when the gang began beating up on him. Fortunately for the Man of Steel, Batman and Robin burst in. Batman was exposed to a super charge ray. When he tried to leap to Superman's assistance, Batman crashed through the wall, discovering he had super powers.

Prof. Pender escaped with his power cube. Before Batman could nab the gang, he had to save Superman from falling to the ground, when the Man of Steel, forgetting he no longer had powers, leaped out the window  on instinct.

After discussing their strategy, Batman and Superman decided to cover their respective cities to find the Pender and his gang. Since Superman had no powers, Batman modified the Batmobile to become a Supermobile, over ten years before the Supermobile story covered in Episode #156, December 8, 2010. Batman also gave Superman his spare Bat radio and created a Super Cave for the Man of Steel to use as a base, and carved a tunnel to drive out of. Then he picked up Robin and flew back to Gotham City.

Superman patrolled Metropolis in the Supermobile, and stopped a stolen truck by standing in front of it as it approached him. They fell for the bluff. Lois saw all of this, and wondered if Superman had lost his powers.

At the Batcave, Batman had a little trouble adjusting to his new super powers. He landed hard enough to skae Wayne Manor without harming Robin. As Bruce Wayne, he broke the dining room table by leaning on it. While Robin patrolled on the ground Batman handled several emergencies as he patrolled in the air.

In Metropolis, Lois followed Superman, suspicious about the Man of Steel's behavior. Superman followed a stationery truck that had the word misspelled stationary. It stopped at a ship at the docks, and the Man of Steel caught them trying to use a welding torch to cut a hole in the ship and rob it. The welder knew Superman was powerless and tried to torch Superman on the arm, but his invulnerable costume protected him. Superman was lucky that the crook didn't torch his face. The crooks started a fire with their welding torch to aid their escape. Superman used a hose to extinguish the fire, and Lois Lane concluded that this was a Superman impostor. Superman noticed that his arm felt stronger where he had been torched.

After performing another super deed, Batman was informed by Robin that he had received an alert from Superman. After they flew to Metropolis, the Man of Steel informed the Dynamic Duo about the crooks that knew he was powerless. Superman also noticed that the delivery truck tires were muddy, and the only rain in the area had been along the South Hill District.

The three heroes went to the power plant to find any areas that had heavy electrical usage. They found it along Smith Road. While Batman spun the dynamo serving that area fast to send a power surge, Superman flew Robin to Smith Road. The Man of Steel told Robin about being torched on his arm, and deduced that the ray that removed his powers imbedded tiny bits of kryptonite in his costume. After changing to another Superman uniform, his powers returned. Meanwhile Batman carried a box of fuses to reset tripped circuit breakers.

They followed the power line to an abandonded lead mine and fought the gang. Batman appeared in time to help finish off the gang, just as his powers wore off, after 24 hours.

Back at the Daily Planet building, Lois confronted Batman and Superman. She suspected that they had switched uniforms, and was going to print her story that way. Superman decided to play it safe and neither confirmed or denied her allegation. Lois stormed off, tricked again. Superman thought it would be best if the world believed just that, so other criminals would not try the same trick.

I thought Batman made some odd choices in some of his super deeds in Gotham City. He may have made things worse. I don't think that one dynamo would only affect the power line along one road only, but would affect a whole area. And of course, Superman and Batman put another one over Lois Lane. That's a little chauvinistic on their part. Otherwise it was a fun silver age story about Superman trading super powers with Batman. I give the story 4 Capes out of 5.

The second story of the issue was a six page Green Arrow story, The Million Dollar Arrow!, drawn by George Papp.

Tomahawk appeared in the final six page story of the issue, The Juggler Of Fort Cayuga!, drawn by Fred Ray, who drew the iconic Superman, Eagle and Stars and Stripes shield cover from Superman #14.

Elsewhere in DC Comics with the July or July/August 1955 cover date were 30 titles.

Next Episode: Superman Comic Book Cover Dated October 1958: Action Comics #245!


In Two Weeks: Superman Family Of Comics Cover Dated September or September October 1955: Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #7 & World's Finest Comics #78!


Join the Superman Fan Podcast and My Pull List groups or pages on facebook, and follow the podcast and blogs on twitter @supermanpodcast.

Superman Fan Podcast is a proud member of the League Of Comic Book Podcasters at http://www.comicbooknoise.com/league and the Comics Podcast Network! http://www.comicspodcasts.com/, and is now a proud member of the Superman WebRing of websites, and the Superman Podcast Network at http://www.fortressofbaileytude.com/supermanpodcastnetwork. Check it out to discover other fine Superman podcasts.

Superman Fan Podcast is at http://supermanfanpodcast.mypodcast.com/ . Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.

The theme of this podcast is Plans In Motion, composed by Kevin MacLeod, and part of the royalty free music library at http://incompetech.com.

My Pull List is my spoiler free comic book review blog of the titles I read every week. It can be found at http://mypulllist.blogspot.com/. Send e-mail about this blog to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman and all related characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics. Any cover art displayed with the show notes is done for entertainment and educational purposes only. I post these episodes to share my enjoyment of Superman comics and do not earn any money from this podcast.

Thanks for listening to the Superman Fan Podcast and, as always, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.