The Criminal Superman

Superman...a criminal?  Say it ain't so!

Yet, here he is...accused of killing Lex Luthor.

How did the heroic Superman find himself in this situation?

Action Comics #318 (November, 1964)

Starting off with "The Death Of Luthor!" by Edmond Hamilton, Curt Swan and George Klein.  To be fair, it starts on Earth, where prisoner Lex Luthor escapes prison...and heads to a rocket launch, to end up on the planet Lexor, where Luthor is considered a hero, and is under a red sun. While there, he marries a native woman, Ardora, whom he had known before.  

Superman, getting a spaceship to follow Luthor, does, ending up on Lexor (where the red sun makes him powerless). There, after chasing down Luthor, the two fight...with Superman seemingly killing Luthor.  The local establishment take Superman into custody, where he is to be tried for murder.

Action Comics #319 (December, 1964)

Picking up where the last issue left off, "The Condemned Superman!" by Edmond Hamilton, Curt Swan and George Klein.  On trial, it goes badly for Superman.  Superman escapes jail before a verdict is rendered, with the man of steel finding one of Luthor's secret laboratories, therein he finds proof of a formula that Luthor invented that a person could take to simulate death.  

Going on that theory, Superman tries to revive Luthor...and is successful.  Luthor faked his death to get the authorities to sentence Superman to death.  Though this clears Superman, the Lexorians do not believe Luthor to be guilty.  Superman leaves Lexor, banished, while Luthor stays there with his new wife.    

DC Special Wanted Joker Luthor Sinestro And More

Wanted -- The World's Most Dangerous Villains!  

And they were!

Joker, Luthor, Mirror Master, Sinestro, Shadow-Thief....this issue of DC Special, (#8 of July-September, 1970) was a chance for editor, E. Nelson Bridwell, to put together stories of the greatest villains of the DC Universe, all under a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

So, as villains are quite impatient folks, let's get at them!

Joker-Luthor, Incorporated!

First up is the second team up of Luthor and Joker in World's Finest Comics #129 (November, 1962) by France Herron, Jim Mooney and Sheldon Moldoff, under a cover by Mooney and Moldoff.

Joker started to work Metropolis, bringing Superman into the mix.  Joker had some help from Luthor, with Lex using a new ray beam to turn Superman into a stream of atoms.  Batman and Robin show up, but the villains escape.  The villainous duo, inspired by success, try again, transforming Superman again, with the Dynamic Duo unable to stop the villains alone.  The third time, Superman had figured out the villains plan, capturing a disguised Luthor before he could grab the loot, allowing both villains to be captured.

Luthor and Joker would have their individual origins reprinted later in a treasury edition.

Who Doomed The Flash?

Next up is a bit of a mystery for Flash #130 (August, 1962) by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella, with cover by Infantino and Murphy Anderson.

Central City seemed to be plagues by many of Flash's old villains, but, when Barry checked up on each of them, they were all still in prison.  Tracing back the connections of his foes, the only name in common was attorney Paul Bennett.  Investigating him, Flash came to be knocked out.  Putting on a Flash costume, Bennett goes to break out Mirror Master, who was the mastermind behind this scheme.  Working his way freem from a trap Mirror Master put him in, Flash goes and defeats the villain and free the lawyer from Mirror Master's control.

This story sets up for the eventual team up of Flash's Rogues.

The Day 100,000 People Vanished

This story by John Broome, Gil Kane and Joe Giella from Green Lantern #7 (July-August, 1961, under an original cover by Kane and Giella), sets up major storylines for Green Lantern Hal Jordan!

After the population of Valdale vanish, Green Lantern goes to investigate (as he had business there as Hal Jordan, but was delayed).  While on his way there, Hal's astral form is summoned by the Guardians of the Universe, who tell him the tale of the renegade Green Lantern - Sinestro - who tried to take over his own space sector of 1417, until the Guardians stripped him of his ring, and banished him to the anti-matter dimension of Qward, where Sinestro came to work for the Weaponeers of Qward.  That was why the population of Valdale was taken, in an attempt to get at Hal. 

Returned to his body with memories intact for the first time, Hal gets to work to trying to attract Sinestro's attention by making the citizens of Coast City disappear.  Hal is successful, as Sinestro brings Green Lantern to Qward.  Thinking Hal helpless, Sinestro is surprised when Green Lantern uses his ring against him.  Green Lantern makes a deal with Sinestro, himself and his ring for the citizens of Valdale. 

Sinestro sends them home, with Green Lantern in a yellow bubble trap, waiting for his ring charge to deplete in 24 hours.  Green Lantern is able to use his ring to speed up the Qwardian clock, making them think his ring was decharged, and after being let out of the bubble, uses the ring to escape.


Sinestro would return, uniting with other villains over time, and even gaining a special yellow power ring of his own.

Shadow-Thief Of Midway City!

Last but not least is the last of the introductory stories of the Silver Age Hawkman from Brave and the Bold #36 (June-July, 1961) by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert (with original cover by Kubert), introducing Hawkman's main Silver Age foe.

Katar and Shayera Hol were being recalled to Thanagar to give their report on Earth, when a shadow started to rob banks in Midway City.  Becoming Hawkman and Hawkgirl to investigate, they also were unable to beat the Shadow-Thief.  Investigating, they found that he was Carl Sands, a low level thief, fascinated by light, who found a way to another dimension, and meeting Thar Dan there, got an invention of his that would allow Sands to become a shadowy being. 

Problem was, over use of the device would plunge Earth into an ice age, but Sands was unconcerned about Thar Dan's warnings.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl do figure out that gravity still works against him, and find away to suspend him in air, so that he has to get rid of his Dimensionmeter to save his own life, which also saves the Earth from an ice age.


Shadow-Thief would also return with other villains, in both the Injustice Gang of the World and the Secret Society of Super-Villains (both with Mirror Master), to menace Hawkman and the Justice League of America over the years.

Plus, in addition to those stories, there was a page dedicated to A Gallery Of Batman's Deadliest Foes, and one to Flash's Rogue's Gallery (which had appeared before, in 80 Page Giant Magazine #4 from October, 1964).  All in all, a nice start to what would be a longer series focusing on DC's villains.

Superman Times Two Plus One

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  That's true wherever you might go, even across the reaches of the DC Multiverse.

Not sure about that?  Well, here's a look at that philosophy in action, with DC Comics Presents Annual #1 (September, 1982), by Marv Wolfman, Rich Buckler and Dave Hunt, all under a cover by Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano.

Crisis On Three Earths

It all stars with a battle between Superman and Luthor, as Lois watches.  But, it plays out a little differently depending on which Earth you live on.

On Earth-1, reporter Clark Kent has to avoid Lois Lane to go and fight bald Lex Luthor as the JLA's Superman, saving the Daily Planet (a subsidiary of WGBS Communications) from his attack.

On Earth-2, editor Clark Kent gets help from Lois Kent to go and fight red haired Alexei Luthor as the JSA's Superman, saving the Daily Star from the extreme attack.


Still, the Luthors end up captured and in jail, with the Supermen victorious, and Metropolis safe.

But, a new twist...in jail, the Earth-1 Luthor plans his escape, by switching places with the Earth-2 Luthor....leading to each Luthor taking on the other's Superman...with similar results, and the two Superman deciding to imprison the two Luthors in the Limbo dimension between worlds.

Still, the Earth-1 Luthor was ready....and using equipment in his green and purple suit, take the two to a third Earth, Earth-3, which has its own version of Superman... Ultraman.  But, this is no hero, he's a member of the evil Crime Syndicate of America, and is powered by Kryptonite.

The three villains go off to make plans, observed by this Earth's Lois Lane.  This Lois goes to warn Earth-3's Alexander Luthor....who calls in the two Supermen for aid, and, spurred on by Lois, puts on a super suit of his own, to finally give Earth-3 its first hero.

Meanwhile, the villains have continued their plan, albeit working against each other as much as together.  While the Earth-1 Luthor was looking to conquer the world, the Earth-2 Luthor planned on destroying Earth-1 and Earth-2 (while Ultraman was to betray them both).

Still, the heroes united battle their foes, with Alexander taking out Ultraman while Superman-2 takes down both Luthors, and the Superman-1 prevents the two Earths from merging into the same space.

The villains defeated, the heroes each end up dealing with their own version of Lois, with slightly different results.

All the while, awaiting an approaching bigger Crisis On Infinite Earths..... 

Giant Superboy Menace

Back to the happier days of Smallville, at a time when Superboy (Superman as a boy) patrolled the city, keeping it safe from those who might wish it harm.

Here, in 80 Page Giant #10 (May, 1965), is a collection of some of Superboy's greatest foes....the worst of the worst menaces the young Boy of Steel had to face as he grew into Superman-hood, all under a cover by Curt Swan and George Klein.

Adventure Comics #205

The adventure starts off with "The Journey Of The Second Superboy" from Adventure Comics #205 (October, 1954) by Bill Finger, Curt Swan and Sy Barry, with Curt and Sy also providing the cover.

This story has Superboy meeting up with Kral, a young lad from Titan, Saturn's moon, who lands at the Kent homestead.  The lad, like Superboy, is an orphan, but Kral is also an advance scout for an invasion fleet from Titan.  Kral works with Superboy, learning of Earth's defenses and Superboy's weaknesses, and takes the Boy of Steel to Titan, planning to expose him to Kryptonite.  While on Titan, Superboy shows the moon's leaders his powers, claiming all Earthmen have them.  Kral, who was touched by his time on Earth, doesn't expose Superboy's lie to prevent a war neither want, and the two super-powered lads part as friends.

Adventure Comics #250

Next up is another invasion of Smallville, but on a smaller scale.  It is "The Imposter From The Year 2958" from Adventure Comics #250 (July, 1958) by Bill Finger and John Sikela, with a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.

This time around, the invader is from the future, a criminal called Lorac-7, who has come to the past to steal cobalt.  Superboy is ready, protecting the cobalt of Smallville, but can't help but suspect those around him, including his principal, Professor Lang, and even the mayor....until he realizes Lorac-7 is disguised as Lana Lang, whom he catches, and sends back to the future, but without her getting any cobalt for her evil plans.

Oddly, this villain had no connection to the Legion of Super-Heroes, but, to be fair, they had only appeared once before this, three issues prior.

Superboy #83

"The Dreams Of Doom" is the next reprint, from Superboy #83 (September, 1960) by Jerry Siegel and George Papp, under a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, introducing Superboy to his greatest menace of the time!

Superboy and Krypto are both having dreams of a menace, that of the Kryptonite Kid and his dog, but this nightmare proves to be real, as the Kryptonite Kid and his dog show up to chase the Boy and Dog of Steel out of Smallville.  Clark and his pet won't go, but a villain with the power to turn things into Kryptonite almost proves too much of Kal-El, at least until Mxyzptlk shows up, banishing the villain and his mutt, as Mxyzptlk wants the honor of finishing off Superboy one day (which he can't do if this new villain does).

Along with Kryptonite Kid's dog, Krypto faced other canine menaces, which they detail in a one page feature here, including Luthor's dog, Destructo.

Adventure Comics #271

From Adventure Comics #271 (April, 1960) with a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, and story by Jerry Siegel and Al Plastino, is a story of an event that would change all of Smallville..."How Luthor Met Superboy".

It's an origin as old as time.  Boy saves superhero from Kryptonite meteor, superhero creates boy (who is a fan) a super scientific lab, boy makes big breakthrough, but is careless and starts a fire, superhero breaks into lab to stop the blaze, causing the boy's hair to fall out, creating his greatest foe!

Luthor, of course, is the biggest threat to Superboy, and later, to Superman, and even rated his own Giant (though, it was battles with Superman), and this tale was also reprinted larger than life in a Limited Collectors' Edition (as well as other places).

Adventure Comics #264

Next up is the reprint from Adventure Comics #264 (September, 1959) by Otto Binder and George Papp, all under a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, with Superboy encountering an alien menace that would make him into "The Hapless Hero".

Superboy faces off against Space-Boy, the alien Zall-Dix, who has come to Earth, looking to exchange minds, with this new alien taking the place of Superboy.  Superboy obviously objects to this, so Space-Boy causes Superboy's powers to malfunction, making the Boy of Steel a menace to his town.  Superboy finally does agree to the mind-swap, but, Clark's dad, Jonathan Kent, interferes, which impresses Space-Boy, who heads out into space towards home.

Adventure Comics #255

Last but not least, readers get to see "The Splitting Of Superboy" from Adventure Comics #255 (December, 1958) by Otto Binder and George Papp, with a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.

Kozz, an alien from Mars, uses Red Kryptonite to split the Boy of Steel into two...Superboy and Clark Kent!  Superboy has powers (and morals) while Clark Kent has neither.   This causes problems, with Clark leaving the Kent household (with Kryptonite).  Superboy takes on a new identity, as Flying Spirit, a native American.  Clark uses the Kryptonite and even Lana Lang to search for Superboy, and eventually the two battle, using Superboy robots.  Clark wins by cheating, but damages his robot control device, which explodes, killing him, allowing Superboy to go back to being Clark Kent.

This wasn't the first time Clark Kent would face off against his heroic alter ego, and wouldn't be the last, as Superman and Clark Kent had many fights over the years!

This isn't the only collection of Superboy tales, the Boy of Steel had an Annual, a few 100 Page DC Super Spectaculars, and many oversized issues of his own title as well, committed to his adventures, as well as those of other young heroes.

Secret Origins Of Super Villains 1

Looking back at all those Secret Origins, they all seemed to be heroes, though the title did promise there would be a few villains along the way.


Villains, having such big egos and working their own schedule (not willing to give up too many origins in Wanted: The World's Most Dangerous Villains), instead appeared in an oversized treasury edition, that of Limited Collectors' Edition C-39 of October-November, 1975, under this fighting cover by Dick Giordano, featuring Luthor, Joker, Captain Cold, Sivana (and a few more), facing their foes of Superman, Batman, Flash and Captain Marvel!

Joker

The Joker was first up, in Detective Comics #168 (February, 1951) by Bill Finger, Lew Sayre Schwartz and George Roussos, with "The Man Behind the Red Hood!", with Batman battling the Joker again, as well as a mysterious figure behind a red hood in a tuxedo.

Batman had to due some detective work to find out who was underneath the Red Hood, with a little help from Robin and some students, which led back to one of Batman's earliest cases where he faced this dastardly criminal before at a chemical plant near the Monarch Playing Card Company where his foe escaped by diving into a pit of chemicals.  This all lead up to a modern confrontation at State University with the Red Hood, and learning a little about how the Joker became the Joker, with the part Batman played in the clown prince of crime's origin. 

Luthor

Adventure Comics #271 (April, 1960) by Jerry Siegel and Al Plastino explains "How Luthor Met Superboy!", as it seemed Superman and Lex Luthor's feud went all the way back to Smallville.

When Superboy first met Lex Luthor, Lex had a full head of brown hair, and was a fan of the Boy of Steel, saving him from a Kryptonite meteor.  To return the favor, Superboy builds Lex a laboratory!  Lex invents a formula to make Superboy immune to Kryptonite, as well as a living protoplasm....yet, gets absent-minded, setting the lab on fire.  Superboy comes in and blows out the fire with his Super-breath, which ruins the protoplasm, and causes young Luthor's hair to fall out.  Luthor then vows to avenge his misfortune on Superboy, inventing items to help the residents of Smallville, to take the spotlight away from Superboy (but his quick plans only make menaces, that Superboy fixes them, infuriating Luthor more).  Luthor tries to kill Superboy with Kryptonite, but fails, leaving Superboy to only hope they can be friends again.  (Spoiler, their battles continue on and on....and even include Batman and the Joker).

Captain Cold

"The Coldest Man On Earth!" premiered in Showcase #8 (May-June, 1957) by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Frank Giacoia, that man being Captain Cold (though Cold gave Flash, and readers the finger, by not being on the cover!).

Leonard Snart was a small time thief, who accidentally creates a cold gun to take out the Flash, using this weapon to rob a bank, which causes the Flash to show up to stop him.  Snart stops Barry Allen by freezing the street below his feet, then escapes to make more plans against the Flash as Captain Cold.  Using Helium, Captain Cold finds he can create cold illusions, then faces off against the Flash at a lake nearby Central City.  The Flash was too quick to be fooled by these tricks, and captures Captain Cold!

Sivana

Though he premiered with Captain Marvel, Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana had his origin told in Whiz Comics #15 (March, 1941) by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck.

Captain Marvel fought some villains, trying to escape them with Beautia Sivana leads him to say "Shazam!" and change back to Billy Batson, who then gets captured by Sivana and fights Gloppos, (Venusian Frog-Men) who lived on Venus, and Sivana's daugther, Beautia, explained how her father tried to invent items to help people on Earth, but was ridiculed, so built a spaceship to take her and her brother, Magnificus, to Venus, conquering its jungles.  Sivana returned to Earth to face Captain Marvel, many times, but this time Dr. Sivana has Billy trapped unable to turn into Captain Marvel using a device, that Billy eventually breaks, and faces Magnificus Sivana in a battle, injuring the scientist, whom Beautia wants to take back to Venus, where he will be no harm (though Beautia means well, that doesn't stay true, though at least Magnificus and Beautia remain Cap's friends, but Sivana's other kids, Junior and Georgia, join him to fight the whole Marvel Family).  

Terra-Man

Outlaw cowboy Jess Manning was training his son, Toby, to be just like him, at least until the pair came across an alien being and his spacecraft in "The Origin Of Terra-Man", the second story of Superman #249 (March, 1972) by Cary Bates, Dick Dillin and Neal Adams.

The spaceman killed Toby's father, but the alien took the young cowboy into space, adapting him to be a space cowboy, training him to be a thief, giving him devices that have an old west feel, and even Nova, a flying horse.  Toby settles up with the alien, figuring out a message his dying father left him, that the alien killed Jess.  After killing the alien, Toby, taking on the name, Terra-Man, returned to the modern Earth to take on the planet's top lawman in the modern age, who happened to be Superman.

The two then faced off many times....and more!

There was also an incredible center spread of some of DC's nastiest villains by Dick Giordano, including foes of Captain Marvel like Mr. Atom, Mr. Mind, King Kull, Aunt Minerva, Black Adam, Ibac and Sivana; Batman villains Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Blockbuster, Catwoman, Joker, Riddler, Penguin, R'as Al Ghul and Talia; Superman foes Luthor, Mr. Mxyzptlk, and Toyman; and Flash Rogues including Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Pied Piper, Heat Wave, the Top, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, Trickster, Mr. Element, Grodd, Reverse-Flash and Abra Kadabra...

...and, a text page summarizing the battles between Wonder Woman and Cheetah, Green Lantern and Sinestro, Hawkman and Shadow-Thief, and Atom and Chronos.  Some of these villains combine, in groups like the the Monster Society of Evil, the Injustice Gang of the World, the Flash's Rogue's Gallery, and later in groups like the Secret Society of Super-Villains and the Suicide Squad.

If you love DC's bad guys, this treasury is the one for you!

A Celebration Of The JSA, Green Lantern, Catwoman And Luthor

With this, the last week of the year, yet another chance to look back at collections of stories of your favorite DC heroes....

...with a focus on long lasting teams, heroes, and even a couple of villains, with the four DC Celebration anthologies of Justice Society of America: A Celebration of 75 Years, Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years, Catwoman: A Celebration of 75 Years and Luthor: A Celebration of 75 Years....

...gathering heroes, expanding into space, and featuring a pair of fearsome foes that have bedeviled the heroes for decades!

Justice Society Of America

The first gathering of DC heroes happened in All-Star Comics #3 (Winter, 1941) by writer Gardner Fox and artists Everett Hibbard, Sheldon Moldoff, Bernard Bailey, Sheldon Mayer, Chad Grothkopf, Howard Sherman, Ben Finton and Mart Nodell, with a meeting of the members of the Justice Society Of America, though, that story did not find its way into this collection of the JSA that came out in July, 2015.

Issues reprinted:
All-Star Comics #4 (March-April, 1941) "For America And Democracy!"
All-Star Comics #37 (October-November, 1947) "The Injustice Society Of The World!"
All-Star Comics #55 (October-November, 1950) "The Man Who Conquered The Solar System"
Justice League of America #21 (August, 1963) "Crisis On Earth-One!"
Justice League of America #22 (September, 1963) "Crisis On Earth-Two"
Justice League of America #30 (September, 1964) "The Most Dangerous Earth Of All" 
Justice League of America #47 (September, 1966) "The Bridge Between Earths!"
Justice League of America #82 (August, 1970) "Peril Of The Paired Planets" 
Justice League of America #83 (September, 1970) "Where Valor Fails...Will Magic Triumph?"
Adventure Comics #466 (November-December, 1979) "The Defeat Of The Justice Society!"
Justice League of America #193 (August, 1981) "All-Star Squadron" 
All-Star Squadron #67 (March, 1987) "The First Case Of The Justice Society Of America"

Justice Society Of America #10 (May, 1993) "JSA No More?"
JSA Returns: All-Star Comics #2 (Late May, 1999) "The JSA Returns, Conclusion: Time's Arrow"
JSA #25 (August, 2001) "The Return Of Hawkman: Seven Devils"
Justice Society of America #10 (December, 2007) "What A Wonderful World"
Earth-2 #6 (January, 2013) "End Times"

A truly epic collection, gathering a few important tales of the Golden Age (though not the first, though that was just a meeting and retelling of individual tales, not the JSA's first case), as well as the first Injustice Society of the World's appearance, and the first Crisis (JLA/JSA team-ups, sadly with a couple and only their second half), a lot of retroactive continuity (detailing the JSA's first ending, and the World War II super-group, the All-Star Squadron, as well as a meeting of the JSA and a few extras), as well as tales taking the JSA into the modern day.

Green Lantern

Green Lantern made his first Golden Age appearance in All-American Comics #16 by Bill Finger and Mart Nodell, but the focus of this collection that came out in October, 2015 was on the second Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, as well as those who followed him into the emerald ranks, with Hal making his first appearance in Showcase #22 by John Broome, Gil Kane and Joe Giella.

Issues reprinted: 
All-American Comics #16 (July, 1940) [Introducing Green Lantern]
Comic Cavalcade #6 (Spring, 1944) "They Are Invincible"
Green Lantern #30 (February-March, 1948) "The Saga Of Streak"
Showcase #22 (September-October, 1959) "S.O.S. Green Lantern"
Green Lantern #7 (July-August, 1961) "The Day 100,000 People Vanished"
Green Lantern #11 (March, 1962) "The Strange Trial Of Green Lantern"
Green Lantern #16 (October, 1962) "The Secret Life Of Star Sapphire"
Green Lantern #40 (October, 1965) "The Secret Origin Of The Guardians"
Green Lantern #59 (March, 1968) "Earth's Other Green Lantern"
Green Lantern #76 (April, 1970) "No Evil Shall Escape My Sight"
Green Lantern #87 (December-January, 1971/1972) "Beware My Power"
Flash #237 (November, 1975) "Let There Be Darkness"
Flash #238 (December, 1975) "The Day Of The Falling Sky"
Flash #240 (March, 1976) "The Floods Will Come"
Green Lantern #188 (May, 1985) "Decent Exposure"

Justice League #1 (May, 1987) "Born Again"
Green Lantern #50 (March, 1994) "Emerald Twilight Part Three: The Future"
Green Lantern #51 (May, 1994) "Changing Of The Guard"
Green Lantern/Green Lantern #1 (October, 2000) "Against The Dying Of The Light"
Green Lantern: Rebirth #1 (December, 2004) "Blackest Night"
Green Lantern Secret Files And Origins 2005 #1 (June, 2005) "Flight"
Green Lantern #0 (November, 2012) "The New Normal"

A galaxy of tales shrunk to fit in one volume, with the first appearances of Green Lanterns Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner and John Stewart, as well as villains Sinestro, Star Sapphire and Krona, as well as appearances by the Green Lantern Corps and Kyle Rayner, and even New 52's Simon Baz, and the origins of the DC Universe and the Guardians of the Universe as well.  Epic!

Catwoman

Catwoman has been bedeviling Batman since Batman #1 (by Bill Finger and Bob Kane), but Selina Kyle was so much more than a femme fatale with a feline fetish, she developed into a foe for many, as well as befriending other heroes and villains, and becoming the love of Batman's life, as detailed here in this collection of stories from November, 2015.

Issues reprinted: 
Batman #1 (Spring, 1940) [The Cat]
Batman #3 (Fall, 1940) "The Batman vs. The Cat-Woman"
Batman #65 (June-July, 1951) "Catwoman -- Empress Of The Underworld"
Batman #69 (February-March, 1952) "The King Of Cats"
Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #70 (November, 1966) "The Catwoman's Black Magic!"
Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #71 (January, 1967) "Bad Luck For A Black Super-Cat!"
Wonder Woman #201 (July-August, 1972) "The Fist Of Flame"
Wonder Woman #202 (September-October, 1972) "Fangs Of Fire"
DC Super-Stars #17 (November-December, 1977) "From Each Ending...A Beginning!"
Batman #323 (May, 1980) "Shadow Of The Cat!"
Batman #324 (June, 1980) "The Cat Who Would Be King!"
Brave And The Bold #197 (April, 1983) "The Autobiography Of Bruce Wayne!"

Catwoman #1 (February, 1989) "Metamorphosis"
Catwoman #28 (January, 1996) "Larceny Loves Company"
Solo #1 (December, 2004) "Date Knight"
Catwoman #20 (August, 2003) "Other Cats"
Catwoman #52 (April, 2006) "Backward Masking"
Gotham City Sirens #1 (August, 2009) "Union"
Catwoman #35 (December, 2014) "Comfort To The Hunt Of The King"
Batman '66 #5 (January, 2014) "Tail Of The Tiger Topaz"
Batman: Gotham Adventures #4 (September, 1998) "Claws"

Catwoman has an odd collection, being a villain, then supporting character for Batman (though popping up in issues of Lois Lane and Wonder Woman), having an alternate Earth marriage to Batman (with a daughter, no less), while slowly developing as a character herself, getting her own mini-series, then multiple titles of her own, or some shared with fellow Bat-villains like Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, Catwoman is truly a diamond taken from its owner to shine well on its own.

Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor had been a thorn in the side of Superman for longer than both of them would like, starting with their original first meeting as shown in Action Comics #23 by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster and Paul Cassidy, and from then on, it was brains versus brawn, as shown in this collection of tales from December, 2015.

Issues reprinted:
Action Comics #23 (April, 1940) [Europe At War, Part 2]
Superman #4 (Spring, 1940) [The Challenge Of Luthor]
Superman #17 (July-August, 1942) "When Titans Clash"
World's Finest Comics #59 (July-August, 1952) "Superman's Super Hold-Up"
World's Finest Comics #88 (May-June, 1957) "Superman And Batman's Greatest Foes"
Adventure Comics #271 (April, 1960) "How Luthor Met Superboy!"
Action Comics #277 (June, 1961) "The Conquest Of Superman"
Superman #164 (October, 1963) "The Showdown Between Luthor And Superman"
Superman #248 (February, 1972) "The Man Who Murdered Earth"
Action Comics #544 (June, 1983) "Luthor Unleashed"
Superman #416 (February, 1986) "The Einstein Connection"

Superman #2 (February, 1987) "The Secret Revealed"
Superman #9 (September, 1987) "Metropolis - 900 Miles"
Action Comics #678 (June, 1992) "Talking Heads"
JLA #11 (October, 1997) "Hostile Takeover"
President Luthor: Secret Files And Origins #1 (March, 2001) "The Why"
Lex Luthor: Man Of Steel #3 (July, 2005) "Lex Luthor: Man Of Steel Part 3"
All-Star Superman #5 (September, 2006) "The Gospel According To Lex Luthor"
Action Comics #894 (December, 2010) "The Black Ring Part 5"
Justice League #31 (August, 2014) "Injustice League Part 2: Power Players"

Whether he was a dictator, scientist, Smallville student, Metropolis businessman or even United States President, Luthor saw himself as a hero, fighting off Superman...and that's a good portion of what this collection presents Luthor as, as some of his best stories over the years was with Lex trying to do good (though usually for himself), but either being foiled by Superman, or something more powerful, his own ego.  As much as the collection of Superman stories didn't hit home, this one of his arch-nemesis did.

There's still a few left, collections of Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Batgirl and Harley Quinn, as well as the Spirit and Wildstorm which DC Comics collected when they had the rights to do so....but, those might wait until well into next year.

Superboy's Bad Dog Days

Superboy lucked out and got himself a good dog with his buddy, Krypto, who premiered in Adventure Comics #210 (March ,1955 by Otto Binder, Curt Swan and Sy Barry).  Krypto was a superdog, and battled evil along with his master....but, as Superboy had foes of his own, so, too, did Krypto develop his own little four-legged rogue's gallery.

Here's a couple of the evil pets that arrived to menace the Dog of Steel!

Kryptonite Dog

Superboy was weakened by Kryptonite...so he would have no more dangerous foe that a kid who could turn ordinary objects into Kryptonite...like the Kryptonite Kid!  The Kryptonite Kid premiered in Superboy #83 (September, 1960,  by Jerry Siegel and George Papp) with "The Dreams Of Doom", where Superboy and Krypto had dreams of a Kryptonite Kid and his dog, causing trouble for the duo....and then appearing in reality to really cause trouble!  The Kryptonite Kid had been a criminal sent into space as part of an experiment, and he and his dog were exposed to a cloud of Kryptonite, changing them into beings which could change other things into Kryptonite.  The Kid wanted to settle on Earth, and thus Superboy and Krypto had to go.  Things looked bleak for the Boy and Dog of Steel....until a young Mr. Mxyzpltk showed up and banished the Kryptonite duo to the 5th Dimension for a time (which also changed all the items back from Kryptonite), saving the Smallville super-hero and his best friend.  Why would his enemy save him?  Because....if Superboy and Krypto died, who would Mr. Mzyzpltk torment?

The Kryptonite Dog and his master return in "The Kryptonite Kid" of Superboy #99 (September, 1962, by Jerry Siegel and George Papp), having gotten out of the 5th Dimensional prison. The Kryptonite duo attack Superboy, paralyzing him, but Superboy does escape....but has to turn Krypto over to the Kryptonite Kid.  Superboy does, but on board his ship, Krypto seems unaffected by Kryptonite....and when the Kryptonite Kid and his dog come out of a red cloud, they appear much nicer, returning to Earth to congratulate Superboy, and return Krypto (who was really a Krypto robot....Superboy had robots of himself at this time, so why not Krypto too?).  The red cloud changed Kryptonite Kid and his dog into Red Kryptonite, which has strange, temporary qualities, and in this case, turned the two good for a time. 

Would that it had lasted.....

The Kryptonite Dog never returned, but the Kryptonite Kid did, appearing in Adventure Comics #454 (November-December, 1977) and later, grown up, to menace Superman, in Superman #299 (May, 1976), and both of those times, Lex Luthor was present....

Destructo

Luthor is Superboy's greatest menace, but, he's only human, and would have a pet of his own.  Destructo premiered in Superboy #92 (October, 1961 by Otto Binder and George Papp, and a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye) as "Krypto's Arch Enemy".  Luthor made a machine to give himself super-powers, but his dog got in front of it instead.  Luthor, ever the schemer, made his dog look like Krypto, and sent him to cause mischief, getting Krypto blamed, causing the Dog of Steel trouble in Smallville.   Krypto brings the police to Luthor's hideout, where they figure out the truth, but not before Luthor is able to remove Krypto's powers via the machine...which forces Krypto to be smart, using Kryptonite against Destructo, until Luthor returns Krypto's powers.  Then, Superboy returns from a mission in space, and uses the machine to remove Destructo's powers, and takes Luthor off to reform school (which also seemed to make Luthor abandon pets, as Destructo never appeared again...).

Superboy #83 was reprinted in 80 Page Giant #10 (May, 1965) and in the Superboy Spectacular #1 of 1980, Superboy #99 was reprinted in the Best of DC #7 (September-October, 1980) and Superboy #92 was reprinted in Superboy #138 (May-June, 1967) proving that even bad dogs get to have their day....at least twice!

Giant Luthor Issue

Okay, it wasn't really Luthor's issue, but a collection of Superman-Luthor battles in 80 Page Giant #11 (June, 1965) with a cover by Curt Swan and George Klein.

Collected here are a few of the best of the fights between these eternal foes, as well as a more than a little bit of Kryptonite, and even just a few other foes as well. 

Let's dive right into the collection, and see what evil plans Luthor unleashed on the Man of Steel....

Action Comics #249

Superman faces "The Kryptonite Man" from the story originally presented in Action Comics #249 (February, 1959 by Otto Binder and Al Plastino).

Luthor returns with a new plan, having made a formula that allows the scientist to radiate Kryptonite from his body, which forces Superman to go on the run to stay away from Luthor, eventually making a lead suit to shield himself from the rays and approach Luthor.  Luthor ups the ante by turning all lead on Earth into glass using a satellite...which forces Superman to go to the moon to make another lead suit, with Luthor in pursuit...Superman destroys the satellite as Luthor destroys the new lead suit, and Superman appears to be unaffected by Luthor's Kryptonite radiation, so he takes an antidote to the formula (to allow the scientist to sneak up on the Man of Steel as he was glowing from the formula....Superman is now able to capture Luthor; having hidden how much the Kryptonite was weakening him).

Superboy #85

Back to Superman's youth, with a story of Superboy and "The Impossible Mission" from Superboy #85 (December, 1960) by Jerry Siegel and George Papp (though this story isn't reflected on the original cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye).

Superboy gets the bright idea of going back in time to save President Abraham Lincoln from assassination at Ford Theatre....but, an adult Lex Luthor arrives back in time (escaping Superman from other battles), with Luthor incapacitating Superboy with Red Kryptonite (thinking the Boy of Steel was there to capture him).  Only after Lincoln was assassinated did Luthor realize his error, heading back to his own time, as Superboy then did himself as the effects of the Red K wore off.

Superman #88

Technically, the story of "The Terrible Trio" from Superman #88 (March, 1954) by William Woolfolk, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye was a tale of the original, Golden Age Superman instead of the Silver Age Superman....but it was still a heck of a read!

This story saw a team-up of Superman's most dastardly villains of the time...Luthor (who was Alexei Luthor, not Lex....who had kept his red hair, though not depicted as such in this story), the Prankster (Oswald Loomis), who used practical joke items (usually laced with Kryptonite or set to endanger others to occupy Superman), and the Toyman (Winslow Schott), who used toys (again, sometimes with Kryptonite) to menace Superman (and innocent victims around him) resulting in giving Superman the opportunity to capture three of his foes at once!

Action Comics #277

"The Conquest Of Superman" was the lead story of Action Comics #277 (June, 1961) by Bill Finger, Curt Swan and John Forte, and what a story it was (though it didn't make the original cover, which was quite a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye).

While Superman was on a space mission, Luthor escapes and heads to one of his "Luthor's Lairs" in Metropolis (his version of Superman's Fortress of Solitude, but Luthor's version has statues of his "heroes"...Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Captain Kidd and Al Capone).  While relaxing there, Luthor comes up with a plan to rob Fort Knox of its gold, which Luthor was successful, turning Superman away with artificial Kryptonite.  Problem is, Luthor finds out it wasn't Superman, but one of the Man of Steel's robots, that the scientist defeated.  Dejected he didn't defeat Superman, Luthor returns the gold he grabbed, as he didn't want reminders of his failure to defeat Superman!

Superboy #86

Back to the days when Superman (and Luthor) were boys, with "The Army Of Living Kryptonite Men" from Superboy #86 (January, 1961) by Jerry Siegel and George Papp (under a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye).

Luthor comes up with one of his most dastardly plans, inventing a helmet that allows him to animate stone, and he uses it to animate Kryptonite to attack Superboy, luring the Boy of Steel to an asteroid in a plan to kill his nemesis.  Luthor's plan seemed to be fool-proof, as it took help from the future, specifically Lightning Lad of the Legion of Super-Heroes, to help defeat Luthor (to enable Superboy to grow up, and the future of the Legion to exist).  But, Luthor wonders, if the future has a Legion of Super-Heroes...might it not also have a Legion of Super-Villains?

Action Comics #210

Our next adventure has plenty of action, as it has "Superman In Superman Land", which was originally presented in Action Comics #210 (November, 1955) by Bill Finger, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye.


Reporters Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen were at the opening of a new amusement park, Superman Land....which has a motif reflecting the Man of Steel.  While touring the area, Clark performs a few low key rescues, then finally appears as Superman to sign autographs.  Not likely the fact that Superman is getting so much love, Luthor arrives to try to kill Superman with synthetic Kryptonite, planning to launch the Man of Steel into space, until Superman foils Luthor's plans.

Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #23

The last (but not least) of the reprints of this giant was from Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane #23 (February, 1961) by Jerry Siegel and Kurt Schaffenberger, dealing with "The Curse Of Lena Thorul" (though an imaginary story makes the cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye).

This story introduces Luthor's sister, Lena Thorul, in the town of Cardiff.  Lois meets her first, with the young woman thinking she is being beset by strange occurrences (as she does resemble Louella Thompson, whom had been sentenced as a witch in the area, and Lena might have been her reincarnation).  Instead, Superman and Lois found out it was a recently escaped Luthor that was vexing the girl, but he didn't want her identity revealed to the girl, whose parents told her that her brother died in a fire and changed their name, moving to this area away from their original home, to allow Lena not to grow up with the burden of being Luthor's sister.

Now, this 80 Page Giant also had a few special features on Superman's vision powers and Superman's family from Superman Annuals, and quite a few of these stories found themselves reprinted in other collections featuring Superman's most deadly foe....Lex Luthor!