Superman Meets Superman

To be fair, Superman has met Superman before....that sounds strange, doesn't it?

But, in this case, it is the Superman of Earth-1 (the one who was Superboy and a member of the JLA), and the Superman of Earth-2 (the one who started his career before World War II and was a member of the JSA), having their first one on one team-up, in Superman Family.

Time to take a look at what they did!

Save My Friend, Kill Your World

This solo team-up started simple enough, with the Superman of Earth-1 taking his friend, Professor Potter up to the Justice League of America's satellite, and showing him the Transmatter Machine in Superman Family #186 (November-December, 1977) by Gerry Conway, Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson (under a cover for the Lois Lane story of the issue by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez). 

Of course, just as Professor Potter touches it, someone is coming through....so, a short circuit happens, bringing in interdimensional menace, Krogg, to Earth-1.  Krogg proves mightier, than Superman, and even airless space was of no problem to him.  

Meanwhile, on Earth-2, that Superman is dealing with his Jimmy Olsen dying from a rare disease that is eating one of his organs....doctors could use a duplicating device to save the man, but this Jimmy has a rare blood and no living relatives.  Superman thinks quickly, knowing Jimmy has a younger duplicate on Earth-1, and heads to the JSA's Transmatter Machine in their Brownstone....but, as he is heading to Earth-1, a short circuit opens a dimensional breach....which allows Krogg to go to Earth-1 in Superman of Earth-2's place. 

Navigating his way through some interdimensional space, the Earth-2 Superman finds a spacial rift to Earth-1....and arrives just in time as Krogg got back to the JLA Satellite, intent on destroying the Transmatter Machine and Professor Potter, so he cannot be exiled again (like an old wizard did long ago)....

A Phoenix Of Steel

Superman Family #187 (January-February, 1978) by Gerry Conway, Curt Swan and Jack Abel (with a cover relating to this story by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez)...but, that's jumping a head a bit.

Superman of Earth-2 doesn't have any better luck against Krogg...who leaves the JLA Satellite, heading to Earth below.  The Earth-2 Superman rescues the Earth-1 Superman from space, and Professor Potter suggests they need to combine their power against Krogg. 

Both Superman don't think just teaming up will do it....and that's not Potter's idea.  The Professor wants to use the Transmatter Machine to combine them into a Super-Superman to take on Krogg.  The Men of Steel agree....and the combination works, and they fight with Krogg, overloading him so he explodes, and doing it quickly, so they can get back to the JLA Satellite to be split apart again (or they would also explode) and Superman of Earth-1 goes to retrieve his Jimmy Olsen so the Superman of Earth-2 can take him to save his Jimmy (this is reflected in the Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane stories of the issue).

The Superman of Earth-1 muses philosophically at the end....pledging to keep a bit of distance from his other dimensional duplicate because they were just a little too close for comfort (who actually was busy at this time in the 1970s All-Star Comics revival with his cousin, Power Girl).

Of course, Superman had met Superman before, in the seventh JLA/JSA team-up (where they looked very similar, and powers were about equal), worked together against Solomon Grundy in the ninth JLA/JSA team-up, and had a massive team-up well after this story in DC Comics Presents Annual #1 in 1982 with their respective Luthors, as well as a flashback to a time when Superman was Superboy and Clark Kent, as explained in two issues of the New Adventures of Superboy....all before the Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Batman Marries Catwoman

It isn't a hoax, imaginary story or any other such phony plot device, but a real wedding for Batman and Catwoman....or, technically for Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle.

It happened long ago, on a place called Earth-2, where the original Batman (who was a member of Justice Society of America) and the Golden Age Catwoman lived....

The Autobiography Of Bruce Wayne

Brave and the Bold #197 (April, 1983) by Alan Brennert, Joe Staton and George Freeman (with a stunning cover by Jim Aparo), presents the story where Bruce and Selina finally admit their love for each other in 1955.

Batman worries about being alone as one of Bruce Wayne's former girlfriends gets marries, and, thanks to a recently paroled Scarecrow, that fear manifests, as Robin, Batwoman, then Alfred, Gordon, even Lois Lane and Superman disappear.  Batman goes for help from an old enemy, Catwoman, serving time as Selina Kyle after turning herself in (and claiming amnesia for most of her time as Catwoman).  During their search for Scarecrow, the two open up to each other about how much life had hurt them, and that they had both needed someone...so that they both conquered their fear of being alone by trusting each other.  The story ends with a quick summary of their wedding, as well as the events which happened in the decades following.

This story is one of the best Batman stories ever written, and has been reprinted many times, including in the Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told of 1988, Catwoman: A Celebration of 75 Years of 2015, and in Tales Of The Batman: Alan Brennert of 2016.  This tale alone almost makes any of those collections worth buying, and the other tales around it are just a bonus.

The Kill Kent Contract

Bruce and Selina get married in Superman Family #211 (October, 1981) by E. Nelson Bridwell, Kurt Schaffenberger and Dan Adkins, with guests like Dick Grayson (Robin), Alfred Beagle, Commissioner James Gordon, Harvey Kent (the former Two-Face), and Clark Kent and Lois Lane (Mr. and Mrs. Superman).

This tale starts with Clark and Lois getting an invitation of Bruce and Selina's wedding (via Batplane, no less), and the pair heading to Gotham City to attend (revealing Lois knows both parties secret identities as well as how Selina gave up, about her brother Kyle, the King of Cats).  A phone mix up allows Lois to hear that a plot to kill Kent is afoot at the wedding.  The ceremony shows Dick Grayson as Bruce's best man, Karl Kyle giving Selina away, and Bruce's butler, Alfred Beagle (the Golden Age version of Alfred Pennyworth), Com. James Gordon (with wife Barbara and son Tony).  Afterward, at the reception, Clark and Lois meet Harvey Kent, former Gotham District Attorney (and Two-Face, before cured with plastic surgery), who as the Kent who was the target.

Superman foils the criminal's plans, and later, when Lois, Clark, Bruce and Selina are alone, Lois and Clark reveal their secret to Selina, hoping the couples would be best of friends (but it was Bruce and Dick who returned for a second appearance in the Mr. and Mrs. Superman feature in Superman Family #216). 

Sadly, this tale, like most of the Mr. and Mrs. Superman tales other than Lois and Clark's wedding from Action Comics #484, has not been reprinted, but this whole run from Superman and Superman Family, along with the Action Comics issue cries out to be collected, as writer E. Nelson Bridwell really fleshed out the differences between the Earth-1 and Earth-2 versions of Superman (and Batman) with entertaining tales of a married Clark and Lois set in the 1950s.

From Each Ending....A Beginning

A quick peak at Bruce and Selina's wedding happens in DC Super-Stars #17 (November-December, 1977) by Paul Levitz, Joe Staton and Bob Layton, as well as a little look at Bruce and Selina's life after getting hitched, including how both retired their costumed identities for a while, as they raised a daughter, Helena Wayne.

The majority of this issue is about Helena, and Bruce and Selina's life at that time, but this does have that first flashback to her birth in 1957, as well as a little time of her growing up, as well as establishing many of the guests at Bruce and Selina's wedding, setting up for the later tales which help fill in the holes of the details.  The issue also introduces Silky Cernak, and the catastrophe he will introduce into the lives of Bruce, Selina and Helena Wayne in 1976, which the title of the tale suggests, leading to the introduction of the Huntress and her costume which looks like a hybrid of Batman and Catwoman's (though Huntress appeared only days earlier in All-Star Comics #69, technically her first appearance in a cameo in the JSA tale, though this story happened first).

This tale has been reprinted a few times, in Batman In The Seventies from 1999, Huntress: Darknight Daughter from 2006 (which cries for a follow up volume to finish the Huntress reprints from the 1970s/1980s from the back of Wonder Woman as her history shows, almost all her other tales have been reprinted), and in Catwoman: A Celebration of 75 Years from 2015), completing our look back at the first time Batman and Catwoman got married.

Remembering Noel Neill and Lois Lane

Taking a moment to remember Noel Neill (November 25, 1920 to July 3, 2016).


Noel was most famous for playing Lois Lane in the two Superman movie serials, Superman in 1948 and in Atom Man vs. Superman in 1950 with Kirk Alyn as Superman...

...then coming back to the role starting with the first episode of season 2 of the Adventures of Superman, "Five Minutes To Doom" on September 18, 1953 and playing Lois until the end of the series, with "All That Glitters" on April 28, 1958, with George Reeves as Superman.

Lois Lane premiered in Action Comics #1 in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, as a female reporter that Superman/Clark Kent was fascinated with.  Over the years, the character developed, getting two tryout issues of Showcase (#9  with a cover by Al Plastino and #10 in 1957), leading to a 137 issue Lois series that started as the Adventures of Superman show was ending (and, Lois' series didn't really end, as much as fold into Superman Family, which continued on with Lois's adventures, alternating with Supergirl and Jimmy Olsen).  Lois Lane even had two annuals, the second of which from the Summer of 1963 with a cover by Kurt Schaffenberger featured a story on Noel Neill!

But, that wasn't the entirety of Noel's time with Superman.  Noel returned in a small part playing Lois Lane's mother (with Kirk Alyn as Lois' dad) in Superman the Movie in 1978, and playing a part in a Superboy episode with Jack Larson (Adventures of Superman's Jimmy Olsen),  with Gerard Christopher as Superboy called "Paranoia" in 1991.  Noel even made it into Superman Returns in as the woman Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor swindled out of her fortune (and made you want Brandon Routh's Superman to beat Lex that much more!).

Better still, Noel was active with the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, IL, where they dedicated a statue to her version of Lois Lane in 2005.

As you can see, Noel smiled a lot.  She seemed a very happy person, as many people have been reporting since news of her passing.  She embraced being a part of the Superman Family, as the family of fans embraced her.

Lois was the woman who stood behind Superman to help make him super, and Noel was the first woman to bring Lois Lane to life, and she was super!

Supergirl Supporting Character Superman

Supergirl has been a major player in Superman's life for decades.  After all, Supergirl is Superman's cousin, and arrived on Earth in Action Comics #252 (May, 1959) in "The Supergirl From Krypton" by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, under a Curt Swan/Stan Kaye cover, where Superman helped young Kara Zor-El find a life as Linda Lee in Midvale.  Superman kept her as his secret weapon, until Action Comics #285 (February, 1962), where Supergirl's existence was revealed to the world in "The World's Greatest Heroine" by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney, under a cover by Curt Swan and George Klein.

Supergirl's Adventure Comics

Supergirl stayed close to her cousin, as a back-up feature in Action Comics until Action Comics #376 (May, 1969), and then...

.....Supergirl had her own series in Adventure Comics, starting with Adventure Comics #381 (June, 1969), where Supergirl faced off against "The Supergirl Gang" by Cary Bates, Win Mortimer and Jack Abel (with a cover by Neal Adams).  Superman's appearance was a small one, as this was more of a team-up of Supergirl and Batgirl, bringing down a school of female thieves.

Superman often appeared in a supporting role in Supergirl's Adventure Comics adventures, and other guests included Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Mr. Mxyzptlk and the Phantom Zone villains like Jax-Ur and General Zod. 

This continued on until Supergirl's run in Adventure Comics ended in Adventure Comics #424 (October, 1972), but Supergirl did work with the Justice League of America, including Superman, Flash, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Atom, Hawkman and more in Adventure Comics #423 (September, 1972) in "Treachery" by E. Nelson Bridwell, Steve Skeates, Mike Sekowsky and Bob Oksner under a cover by Bob Oksner.

Supergirl On Her Own

Superman stopped by Supergirl's 10-issue solo series of the 1970s, with likely the most notable being Supergirl #8 (November, 1973) where the girl of steel sprouted "A Head Full Of Snakes" in a story by Cary Bates and Art Saaf (under a Bob Oksner cover), and the story also featured appearances by JLAers Batman, Green Lantern and Hawkman (well, okay, it was only a quick one page cameo, but still, it is an awesome cover, and it ties in nicely with our theme....). 

There is also issue #9, by Cary Bates and Art Saaf with a cover by Bob Oksner, which has Supergirl working with Wonder Woman's mom, Queen Hippolyta, and step-sister, Nubia, as Supergirl becomes "The Super-Amazon!" for an issue.


Supergirl also had team-ups with Zatanna, the mistress of magic, and Prez, the teen-age President, during this run (both of whom will likely get more coverage in a later column...).

Supergirl In Superman Family

Supergirl moved over to the combined Superman title of Superman Family, with her first new story in Superman Family #165 (June-July, 1974), which Superman had a small part in, but Superman and the JLA had a major part in Superman Family #171 (June-July, 1975) fighting against "Cleopatra Queen Of America" by Elliot S! Maggin, Curt Swan and Vince Coletta (under an Ernie Chan cover), which featured Batgirl as well.

Supergirl took part in a multi-issue epic, crossing over with Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and even the Kryptonian Nightwing and Flamebird (Kandor's answer to Batman and Robin), ending in the "Finale" in Superman Family #190 (July-August, 1978) by Jack C. Harris, Jack Abel and Frank Giacoia.

Later issues of Superman Family had Supergirl facing Superman foes like Lex Luthor, Blackrock and the Master Jailer, as well as future Suicide Squad member, the Enchantress, before Superman Family ended with Superman Family #222 (September, 1982) as Supergirl slowly took over the title.

The Daring New Adventures Of Supergirl

Supergirl started her new series, the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl in November, 1982 (with Lois Lane back-up through issue #12), and this was the series that introduced Psi, the Gang, Reactron, and Blackstarr...even facing off against new Superman foe, Ambush Bug!

Supergirl even met up with Superman in Action Comics #555 (May, 1984) in a "Reunion" with Superman (by Paul Kupperberg, Curt Swan, and Dave Hunt) facing off against the Parasite, with the Justice League and the New Teen Titans having a "Celebration" for the anniversary of Supergirl's arrival on Earth in Supergirl #20 (June, 1984) (by Paul Kupperberg, Carmine Infantino and Bob Oksner), before that Supergirl title ended with Supergirl #23 (September, 1984).

So, for those worried about Superman being a supporting character for Supergirl....he already has been! 

It's no Crisis!