Spider-Man Teams With Hawkeye And Ant-Man

A little truth in advertising.  Spider-Man didn't team up with Hawkeye AND Ant-Man in any of the 150 issues of Marvel Team-Up, but he did team up with both heroes separately (and someone related to one of them)...

...so let's take a look back at those team ups, and let you decide how much you liked them....

First Shot

Spidey and Hawkeye had worked together before, but Hawkeye first showed up to work with Spider-Man in Marvel Team-Up #22 (June, 1974) where the two heroes faced off against "The Messiah Machine!" by writer Len Wein, penciller Sal Buscema and inkers Frank Giacoia and Dave Hunt.


Hawkeye had just left the Defenders (who he briefly worked for during the Avengers/Defenders War, having just left the Avengers before that), and called on Spidey for some help with a problem he had encountered, and following the thieves back to their HQ led the heroes to a confrontation with Fantastic Four/Silver Surfer foe, Quasimodo!  With a little of Hawkeye's archery daring-do, the heroes were able to stop the villain and go back to their normal lives.

New Hero, Old Villain

Spider-Man was expecting to encounter either the Human Torch or Iceman in Marvel Team Up #59 (July, 1977) by writer Chris Claremont, penciller John Byrne and inker Dave Hunt, as "Some Say Spidey Will Die By Fire...Some Say By Ice!".

Spider-Man thought he was attacked by the Human Torch and Iceman while swinging through the city (and was saved from drowning by Hank Pym, known then as Yellowjacket).  Hank took Spider-Man back to his apartment (with his wife, Janet Van Dyne, aka the Wasp, who was none to happy to have their romantic night ruined), but soon recounting the details, Spidey realizes it was the villain Equinox (whom the Torch and Iceman fought in an earlier issue of MTU), and the three heroes went in search of the villain, with potentially catastrophic results for Hank Pym to end the issue... 

Thankfully, Marvel Team Up #60 (August, 1977) continued the tale of "A Matter of Love...and Death!" (also by Claremont, Byrne and Hunt), with Wasp a little upset that her husband was dead (and seemed to manifest new powers when she shrunk down).  As the heroes head to the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building (currently vacant, but able to access thanks to the Wasp's Avengers ID) with Margay Sorenson in tow (the scientist who created Equinox, and also his mother), and after defeating the Baxter Building's security, make a device to stop Equinox (and get a little help from Yellowjacket, who survived, and had not had a chance to tell his wife of improvements he made to her powers as Spidey's plight had interrupted them in the previous issue).  This also let into next issue's Spider-Man/Human Torch team-up...but that didn't involve the former Ant-Man or his wife....though it did involve someone else who could duplicate the Torch's powers!

New Villain, Old Name

Marvel Team Up #92 (April, 1980) had Spidey and Hawkeye encounter "Fear"....well, Mr. Fear (a villain who had faced Daredevil before....and died a few times facing DD....yet someone new always picked up the mantle, as it happened in this story, written by Steven Grant, pencilled by Carmine Infantino and inked by Pablo Marcos).

This story starts out with Hawkeye attacking Spidey, not wanting to let Spidey hurt him.  After soon dealing with an unconscious, overworked Hawkeye, Spidey talks to the former Avenger, who was now working for Cross Technological Enterprises as security chief, he encountered thieves, including the new Mr. Fear, who dosed Hawkeye with his fear gas.  The two heroes face their fears and Mr. Fear, eventually defeating the villain after they realize that there are emotions more powerful than fear....

New Villain, Hero With Old Name

All this, and still no Ant-Man?  Well, new Ant-Man, Scott Lang, showed up to meet Spider-Man in Marvel Team Up #103 (March, 1981) where the two heroes faced off against the villain with the photographic reflexes, the Taskmaster, and his business, "The Assassin Academy!" by writer David Michelinie, penciller Jerry Bingham and inker Mike Esposito.

This time around, Ant-Man was busy fixing his daughter's ROM doll (but had to do it under cover, as Cassie didn't know her dad was Ant-Man), when he has an old friend of is approach him to help him find work (as someone recruits ex-cons to pull jobs, and pays for success or failure).  Since Scott gave up that life, he declines, but gets involved when he reads in the Daily Bugle his friend had died the night after approaching him.  Peter Parker is also snooping around, looking for photos to sell to J. Jonah Jameson...and the two heroes encounter the Taskmaster, and his newest scheme to train the criminal element.  Spidey and Ant-Man do defeat Taskmaster (who uses skills learned from watching Daredevil and Hawkeye against the two heroes), mostly by Ant-Man using his own powers in an unexpected way (that of enlarging an ant to attack), but while the heroes stopped the villain's plans, Taskmaster got away.

As Taskmaster duplicated Hawkeye, it was almost like having Spidey, Ant-Man and Hawkeye in an issue, and there are more related Spider-Man and Avenger member team-ups to come!

Guide To Golden Age Green Lantern Reprints

Alan Scott first picked up the green lantern that would define his life in All-American Comics #16 (July, 1940) by Bill Finger and Martin Nodell, continuing on in that title until All-American Comics #102 (October, 1948), as well as spinning off into his own 38 issues of Green Lantern from the Fall of 1941 to May-June of 1949, as well as 29 issues of Comic Cavalcade, and being a member of the Justice Society in All-Star Comics.

Let's shine a light on where to find these 1940s tales a little closer to modern times!

Green Lantern

Starting with Green Lantern's own title (but it also has that first appearance, as well as another Golden Age story...), is Green Lantern #30 (February-March, 1948) by Robert Kanigher and Alex Toth, and "The Saga of Streak" introducing a pet dog for Alan Scott, and partner to the Green Lantern!  Streak even got his own feature in Green Lantern #34 to #38, as well as Sensation Comics #91 to #93!


Though having more stories focused on Hal Jordan, Green Lantern #30 is reprinted in Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years of 2015, which also features Hal's first appearance, the first appearances of Sinestro, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Itty, Kyle Rayner (as Green Lantern) and the first solo meeting of Hal and Alan, which gives the origins of the Guardians (and the first appearance of Krona and "the cosmic hand", which could be the earliest recorded look at the DC Universe as well as a hint of how the scientific Green Lanterns of Earth-1 related to the magical Green Lantern of Earth-2!).

Next up is Green Lantern #37 (March-April, 1949) with "Too Many Suspects" by writer Robert Kanigher, penciller Alex Toth and inker Frank Giacoia.  This story has Green Lantern going into action to save his friend, Doiby Dickles from a crime he didn't commit (nor does he remember what he was doing at the time of the crime!).  Alan Scott finds six more people who are suffering the same fate and must save them all!

This story was first reprinted in Detective Comics #440 (April-May, 1974) under a Jim Aparo cover, with a new Batman story and new Manhunter story, as well as a Silver Age Hawkman and Golden Age Doll Man and Golden Age Manhunter reprint.  This story was also reprinted in the Green Lantern Annual #1 that looks like it came from 1963, but was really made in 1998 (and focuses more on Hal Jordan, and meetings with Star Sapphire, Sinestro and the Flash!).

Last, but not least, is the last story from Green Lantern #38 (May-June, 1949) where Alan Scott of Station WXYZ faces off against "The Impossible Mr. Paradox", a villain who fights Green Lantern using illusions based on scientific paradoxes in a story by Robert Kanigher with art by Irwin Hasen and inks by Frank Giacoia.

Ironic then that it should be reprinted in Green Lantern #89 (April-May, 1972), under a cover by Neal Adams, featuring the last of the Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and Green Arrow team-ups in their own title by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams.

But, not unlike Hal and Ollie, Alan Scott has more stories to tell (and a few more solo Green Lantern tales reprinted....though way too few!).

Comic Cavalcade

From Alan's issues that he shared with the Golden Age Flash and the Golden Age Wonder Woman, Comic Cavalcade #6 (Spring, 1944) with "They Are Invincible" by writer Alfred Bester and artist Paul Reinman, featured a story about writer Al Bester, who gave Doiby and Alan hypothetical problems to solve (and saw the creation of the more modern Green Lantern Oath).



This story was reprinted in the Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years in 2015.

Green Lantern's first three stories from Comic Cavalcade #1 to #3 from 1943 can be found with rest of those issues in the Comic Cavalcade Archives #1 of March, 2005, with Green Lantern's pre-JSA solo tale from All-Star Comics #2 (Fall, 1940) facing the robot men of Baron von Zorn was reprinted with all of All-Star Comics #1 and #2 in All-Star Comics Archives #0 of March, 2006, and a story of Green Lantern and Doiby where "Heroes Are Born -- Not Made" by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman from the Big All-American Comic Book of 1944 making into a collection of DC Comics Rarities Archives #1 of December, 2004 along with stories about Wildcat, Mr. Terrific, Johnny Thunder, Atom, and more!

All-American Comics

Back to the beginning, with All-American Comics #16 (July, 1940) and the origin of Green Lantern by writer Bill Finger and artist Mart Nodell, where train engineer Alan Scott survives a train wreck, holding onto a Green Lantern, that tells the story of how this mystical power came into his hands!

This story was reprinted in  The Great Comic Book Heroes of 1965, Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes of 1976, and leading off Green Lantern: A Celebration of 75 Years in 2015.  Amazing how Alan was allergic to appearing on covers of his reprints!

Next up of Golden Age Green Lantern reprints is All-American Comics #61 (October, 1944) with "Fighters Never Quit" by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman, which introduced a menace that would go beyond Green Lantern, facing the JSA, Superman, Batman, Green Arrow and more (as well as joining the Injustice Society of the World), the reanimated swamp monster called Solomon Grundy!

This tale was reprinted in Wanted, The World's Most Dangerous Villains #4 (December, 1972) under a cover by Nick Cardy (and with a reprint of Kid Eternity facing his foe, Master Man, as well).  It was in the 1970s that Solomon Grundy became more well known to the world as a member of the Legion of Doom on the Super Friends cartoon!

For all the foes the Golden Age Green Lantern had, he could have taken up all the issues of Wanted, but the tale to focus on now is All-American Comics #89 (September, 1947) with the introduction of "The Harlequin" by Robert Kanigher and Irwin Hasen.  This was the first appearance of the Harlequin, who was Alan Scott's secretary, Molly Mayne, and he used her to hype a department store over the radio.  The things we do to keep our day jobs.

This tale was reprinted in World's Finest Comics #211 (May, 1972) under a cover by Neal Adams (and an odd Superman/Batman story at a time when Superman was teaming up with everyone BUT Batman).  Sadly, this is Harlequin's only solo GL reprint (her appearance in All-Star Comics was collected), but at least you can read about where to find her original tales here!

Another foe of Green Lantern's was the Icicle, and it is his second appearance from All-American Comics #92 (December, 1947) where "The Icicle Goes South" by Robert Kanigher and Alex Toth that is the topic now.  Green Lantern has to stop the Icicle from taking over a South American country....pretty good for a guy with an ice gun.

This story has been collected twice, once in Green Lantern #86 (October-November, 1971) under a cover by Neal Adams,  and later in the Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told of 1990 under a Jerry Ordway cover (along with tales from Black Canary, Dr. Mid-Nite, Johnny Quick, and more).  Wouldn't it be great to see the Icicle's first tale reprinted as well?

The last of the Golden Age Green Lantern stories to get a solo reprint is All-American Comics #98 (June, 1948) with "The End Of Sports" featuring the Sportsmaster being a menace to Gotham City in a story by Robert Kanigher and Alex Toth.

This story is found in Detective Comics #443 (October-November, 1974) under a cover by Jim Aparo, with Batman and the Manhunter in battle with the Council, and reprints including the first appearance of the Creeper and a Golden Age Spectre reprint.  Sportsmaster also joined the ISW, and sadly, has Golden Age appearances not reprinted as well.

Thankfully, a few more Golden Age Green Lantern appearances have been collected as well.

 

Green Lantern Archives

The Golden Age Green Lantern got two Archives.  The Green Lantern stories from All-American Comics #16 to #30 (September, 1941) as well as Green Lantern #1 (Fall, 1941) were collected in the Golden Age Green Lantern Archives #1 of 1999.  The Green Lantern stories of All-American Comics #31 (October, 1941) to #38 (May, 1942), as well as Green Lantern #2 (Winter, 1941-1942) and #3 (Spring, 1942) were all in Golden Age Green Lantern Archives #2 of January, 2002.  Great stories (especially if you are a fan of Mart Nodell) but a little lacking in signature Green Lantern villains like Vandal Savage and the Gambler....

Unpublished Golden Age Green Lantern tales

There were a few Golden Age Green Lantern stories created but not published.  One tale did end up in Green Lantern #88 (February-March, 1972) under a cover by Neal Adams.  The story featured "The Menace Of The Marching Toys" with no identified writer, and art by Carmine Infantino and Bernard Sachs, had Alan Scott facing off against the Tin Soldier, who battled Green Lantern with his mechanical toys!  Four other Golden Age Green Lantern tales were reported as well, but none of them were ever collected for print.

Odder still was Green Lantern's part in an unpublished Golden Age Flash story, featuring the Thorn, of which two pages were reprinted in an issue of Lois Lane (this had a huge impact on Alan's future, as well as the life of Jade and Obsidian of Infinity, Inc.).

At least all of the Golden Age Green Lantern's appearances with the Justice Society of America were collected when all 57 Golden Age issues of All-Star Comics were collected in the multiple volumes of the All-Star Comics Archives!  Would that we get more reprints of Golden Age Green Lantern stories to shed their light on the evil of not being reprinted....

Spider-Man Teams With Captain America

Back in the day, Spider-Man was a friendly, neighborhood guy, and teamed up with various Marvel heroes over 150 issues (and 7 Annuals) from 1972 to 1985 in the title Marvel Team-Up.

Spidey met many Avengers there (though he usually met them before MTU as Spidey was always out and about in the Marvel Universe), and some had repeated visits.

So, let's take a look back at the times that Captain America visited Marvel Team-Up as a star....

A Rocky Start

The star-spangled Avenger first appeared in MTU in Marvel Team-Up #13 (September, 1973), with "The Granite Sky!", in a story by writer Len Wein, penciller Gil Kane and inkers Frank Giacoia and David Hunt...


...when Cap was helping out Nick Fury and his agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. by taking on the Grey Gargoyle (a Thor foe who had the power to turn people into stone, who also faced Iron Man as well, and Cap just recently in Captain America #142, where Steve faced him with his partner, the Falcon, though Falcon only appears here in flashback) and the agents of A.I.M. (scientists with evil plans who are the foes of S.H.I.E.L.D.).  Cap and Spidey chase down the stony foe, though Peter was a little off his game, dealing with the death of Gwen Stacy at this time.

A Kick In The Head

Next up for Spidey and Cap is Marvel Team-Up #52 (December, 1976) with "Danger: Demon On A Rampage" by writer Gerry Conway, penciller Sal Buscema on breakdowns, with Mike Esposito on finished art on the figures and Dave Hunt on backgrounds as well as inking.

This time around, Cap and his friends including Falcon, Texas Jack, Leila Taylor and the Night People come back from the Dark Dimension (and Captain America #203), though the two heroes don't speak much at this point and go about their lives.  Meanwhile, Cap's foe, Batroc The Leaper, heads out as well, and finds one of the creatures from the Dark Dimension, and attempts to befriend it to use to steal uranium from S.H.I.E.L.D., but Cap and Spidey happen to show up, and defeat Batroc, with the irradiated creature wandering off, with Cap later killing it to save Spider-Man.  Peter Parker later sees Cap, thinking how good the American hero has it, knowing nothing of Cap's moral dilemnas.  

 

Dropped From The Sky

Slightly less serious was the next meeting of these heroes in Marvel Team-Up #106 (June, 1981) with "A Savage Sting Has -- The Scorpion" which has old Spider-Man (and occasionally Captain America) foe, the Scorpion, return in this tale by writer Tom DeFalco, penciller Herb Trimpe and inker Mike Esposito.

This time around, Scorpion was losing his mind at a mental hospital, until the well meaning doctors give him his costume back (allowing mental patient Mac Gargan) access to his powers and to escape, to track down J. Jonah Jameson (who originally had Mac experimented on, to make a man to bring down Spider-Man).  Scorpion puts into play an attack against the Daily Bugle, which succeeds in driving business away from the newspaper, but not people seeking employment, as artist (and secretly Captain America) Steve Rogers comes in looking for work, and meets Peter Parker.  Later, the two heroes face the Scorpion again (who shows off his new tail-blaster weapon) and they save J. Jonah Jameson from the foe (though, Spidey does it under protest, as JJJ has increased his headline attacks against the wall-crawling hero!).

Photo Finish

Last but not least from the days of MTU, is Marvel Team-Up #128 (April, 1983) with "Sweet Temptation" by writer J.M. DeMatteis, penciller Kerry Gammill and inker Mike Esposito.

This time, Peter encounters Steve Rogers on a date with his girlfriend, Bernie Rosenthal, at a carnival...but the good times are interrupted as the venomous Vermin (a rat like being who has faced Cap before) shows up to send the crowds into a panic, and the heroes into action, eventually tracking down the villain and still making amends to their friends in the process.

Cooler still was this early photo cover by Eliot R. Brown, and there's even a small essay and some unused shots in the issue...with letter John Morelli as Spider-Man and artist Joe Jusko as Captain America (ironic, as Steve Rogers himself was making a living as an artist at the time!).

Check back for more coverage of Spidey meeting with various Avengers in Marvel Team-Up all this month!

Superman's Marvelous Team-Ups!

Superman has made quite a splash in the movies lately, working with Batman and Wonder Woman....

...but, being a great guy, Superman also worked with various Marvel heroes back in the day.

Here's a look at a few of those intercompany crossovers between DC Comics and Marvel!

One With Four

First up, is the tale from  Superman / Fantastic Four #1 from April of 1999 by writer/artist Dan Jurgens and inker Art Thibert with "The Infinite Destruction".

A meeting of the first super-hero and the first family of comics should be large....and this one was indeed, with a throwback to tabloid size no less.  It also started with a large concept....what if Galactus caused the destruction of Krypton?  No Elseworlds here, as Superman found an old computer message from Jor-El stating so, but it did send Superman in search of the world-eater, even resulting him Superman becoming a herald of Galactus, no less, and giving the Fantastic Four and the Cyborg Superman (himself with origins tied to the Fantastic Four) a bit to content with.  A bit odd, as it was hard to match Superman with all four members (the Thing, Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch and the Invisible Girl) of the team, but still a galaxy full of fun reading.

Gamma Back In Time

Next, going back to a simpler time for both members of the team-up, is writer Roger Stern, penciller Steve Rude and inker Al Milgrom for July of 1999's Incredible Hulk vs. Superman #1 and "Double Lives".

This was a story told in flashback, with Superman thinking back to the early days of his (and Hulk's) career....with Lex Luthor being contracted to build a Gamma Ray device by  General Thunderbolt Ross of the U.S. Army to stop the Hulk (though Clark Kent knows he'll use Bruce Banner's device to stop Superman).  Cooler still was a little encounter between Rick Jones and Lois Lane....  A tale that looks back at a simpler time in comics, sadly in a more regular sized comic instead of a larger one, but still it has a good time showing readers a different view on super-hero intercompany crossovers, and should leave most readers satisfied as well.

Surfing The Crossover

It's a battle in space and across dimensions with "Pop" for Silver Surfer/Superman #1 (November, 1996) by writer George Perez, penciller Ron Lim and inker Terry Austin.

The story says it's a team-up of Superman and the Silver Surfer, but the best part of the issue is that it is a battle of Fantastic Four foe, the Impossible Man, and Superman's 5th dimensional menace, Mr. Mxyzptlk.  The two cause quite a bit of trouble by switching the heroes in time and space, and this is truly a chance to sit back and enjoy the shenanigans that these two tricksters get up to.  Odder still is how easily Superman fits in the world of the Fantastic Four, as both Silver Surfer and Impossible Man both got their start in Marvel's first family title....

Twice With Webs

Spider-Man met with Superman twice, first in Marvel Treasury Edition #28 (July, 1981) by writer Jim Shooter (with plot suggestions by Marv Wolfman), pencils by John Buscema, and inks by Joe Sinnott (for the characters) and Terry Austin, Klaus Janson, Bob McLeod, Al Milgrom, Steve Leialoha, Walt Simonson, Bob Layton, Brett Breeding, Joe Rubenstein and Bob Wiacek for the backgrounds, and a front cover by John Romita and Bob Larkin with "The Heroes And The Holocaust".

Quite the collection of the Marvel Bullpen here....though quite a few of these folks would go on to have success at DC Comics as well!

This was the second team-up of Superman and Spider-Man, this time around facing off against Superman foe, the power-draining Parasite, and sometime Spidey foe but better known for facing the Fantastic Four, Latverian monarch, Dr. Doom.  Better still, this tale also included a few other characters from Marvel and DC Comics, giving us the treat of seeing Superman face the Hulk for the first time, as well as seeing your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man encounter Wonder Woman....

....and you can see that on the back cover by John Buscema and Joe Sinnott.  A little leaning towards Marvel with this team-up (as Parasite was more of a stooge, manipulated by Dr. Doom), but seeing DC heroes dealing with these problems still made for a great read.

The start of it all, the tabloid sized Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man #1 of 1976 with "The Battle Of The Century!" by writer Gerry Conway, penciller Ross Andru and inker Dick Giordano (with Neal Adams touching up some Superman images, John Romita Sr. doing the same for Peter Parker, and Terry Austin inking the backgrounds...with Carmine Infantino doing a rough design on the cover, and it being finished by Ross Andru, and inked by Dick Giordano and Superman being touched up by Neal Adams, and Terry Austin inking the backgrounds as well).

With all that, you'd think the book would be nothing but credits....but, there was a story there as well.

Superman puts Lex Luthor in prison, while Spider-Man does the same with his foe, Doctor Octopus...just so happens, it is the same prison and the two escape together, and end up working together, just as WGBS/Daily Planet and the Daily Bugle are working together (which results in Clark Kent meeting Peter Parker, as well as Morgan Edge and J. Jonah Jameson), as well as putting both Lois Lane and Mary Jane Watson together....to be kidnapped by what looks to be Superman.  It was really Luthor in disguise, but that brings out the real Superman, as well as Spider-Man, and after a brief brawl (where Luthor helps Spider-Man with a dose of red sun radiation to make him closer a match for the man of steel....), the two heroes realize who the real villains are, and team-up to take them down (and save their ladies) at the orbiting HQ of the Injustice Gang.  All in all, exactly how a big team-up should go down, all the way through to the back cover by Ross Andru (with Neal Adams redrawing Superman), and inked by Dick Giordano.

Best of all, these stories were all reprinted in 4 volumes of DC/Marvel Crossover Classics from 1991 to 2003, along with a few other crossover tales as well. 

Most of those stories involve Batman meeting various Marvel heroes, like Spider-Man, Daredevil, the Punisher, Captain America and the Hulk, but there are a few more, with Green Lantern meeting Silver Surfer, Darkseid meeting Galactus, and even the New Teen Titans working with the X-Men.

More details on Batman's various team-ups are here, and likely we'll cover the rest sometime soon.  It seems Batman and Superman are enough to worry the rest of the Marvel universe on most days.... 

Of course, there was a meeting of the JLA and the Avengers as well, but that also deserves a looking into all on it's own, as this team up had history long before it happened in 2003.

Marvel Legends 2016 2 Packs 3 and 3 Quarters

A few new figures have hit the shelves for Hasbro's new Marvel Legends 3 and 3/4ths line....but this time they've doubled up, as they are two-packs!

This time, it's related heroes, with Shield Wielding Heroes (Vance Astro from the Guardians of the Galaxy and Sam Wilson's version of Captain America), Mechanical Masters (Machine Man and the "Superior" Iron Man), and Defenders of Asgard (Jane Foster's version of Thor and a rougher Thor Odinson).  Variations on classic Avengers...

Obnoxio The Clown

What's more appropriate on April Fool's Day than a clown?


How about Obnoxio the Clown killing the X-Men?


Yes, this was a real comic in the 1980s at the height of the X-Men comic craze.

The comic, Obnoxio The Clown (April, 1983) was written and drawn by Alan Kupperberg, with the nasty, cigar-smoking clown giving the X-Men trouble, all the while facing off against Eye Scream (a villain that turns into ice cream.  No, really....).

Obnoxio was a mascot and feature in Marvel's Crazy Magazine, which parodied movies and comics of the time, at least until the magazine ended in April, 1983 with it's 94th issue. 

Superman The Night Of March 31st

Back in the Silver Age, it was not uncommon to have multiple stories in any one issue, and Superman #145 (May, 1961) was one of those!

In the first story, Superman faces off against the anti-Superman gang with "The Secret Identity of Superman", story by Jerry Siegel and art by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, and the second (featured on the cover) dealt with the time "The Interplanetary Circus" came to Metropolis and tried to recruit Superman (cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, and this story by Robert Bernstein and Al Plastino).

The third story was "The Night of March 31st!" by Jerry Siegel, Curt Swan and Sheldon Moldoff....oh, and what a story it was!


Lori Lemaris the mermaid has legs? 

Clark keeps a diary? 

Clark has telepathic powers he uses on a telephone when he awakens the next day? 

Clark changes to Superman with an audience as Mr. Mxyzptlk woos Lois? 

Lana Lang attacks Superman, with Luthor, Brainiac and Bizarro coming to his rescue?

What is going on here? 

What, what day is after March 31st?


This story has been reprinted a few times, in Adventure Comics #339 (December, 1965), The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told from 1987, and in glorious black and white in Showcase Presents Superman Volume #2 in 2006. 

Here's the explanation, and winners of "The Great Superman Boo-Boo Contest" from Superman #149 (November, 1961)...



....but I'll leave it to you to find the story and list the errors!