Comics / Cult Favorite

Man of Steel in the Bronze Age

By Philip Schweier
June 11, 2013 - 13:44

I began reading comic books in 1972, and as many know, Superman was a perennial favorite. This was in the days when stories were usually told in a single issue, sometimes two. As a child, I didn’t care for those, having to come back next month and put down another 25¢ for the conclusion. And my local newsstand in Small Town, Indiana, was an unreliable supply for my drug of choice.

But in 1976, DC Comics did the unthinkable: a whopping four-part story that began in the pages of Superman #296. Written by Cary Bates and Elliot S! Maggin, and drawn by the legendary Curt Swan, “Who Took the Super Out of Superman?” capitalized on the mystery behind Mr. Xavier, an enigmatic neighbor of Clark Kent’s.

Xavier was sort of introduced in Superman #258; I say “sort of” because Xavier was only mentioned as Clark made the rounds of his building. Most of Kent’s fellow residents at 344 N. Clinton St. were created by Len Wein, who based them on his own neighbors.

According to Maggin, when Schwartz came up with the idea for the series he asked Len Wein to come up with a string of people to live in the apartment building. “Len wrote a long memo just listing them and who they were. There were characters in Clark Kent’s apartment that lived in Len’s apartment complex in Queens, and I never knew that until I got invited to a party at Len’s place. 

“Despite who wrote their first stories, Len was the real creator of most of these characters:  the Marigold twins, Mr. X, and so forth.  I don’t think Len’s ever really gotten credit for that stuff – probably because no one much remembers.”

The story begins with infant Kal-El’s arrival in Smallville, while elsewhere another alien being also arrives – Mr. Xavier. Unlike Kal-El, Xavier does not age as he eventually makes his way to Metropolis during Superman’s adult years, moving in next door to Clark Kent. There, he uses his alien technology to tamper with Superman’s home.

Soon after, Clark finds himself without his super powers, for no explicable reason. As he comes to believe he is no longer super, he finds himself liberated from his dual identity. Now free from having to play at being mild-mannered, he ends up telling off his boss, Morgan Edge, and sharing a romantic tryst with Lois Lane.

But then his powers return under equally mysterious circumstances – and he is compelled to choose between his two identities. Clearly he enjoys being the non-super Clark Kent, free from the burden of responsibility that Superman has become. But as Superman, he recognizes how much good he can accomplish, both directly and indirectly.

In time, Clark discovers the secret behind his on again/off again powers, and the source of all his troubles. Xavier forces him to confront nine of his worst enemies in battle, but even if Superman wins, he loses, for his ninth victory will result in the destruction of Earth.

The story delivers on plenty of action, as both Superman and a non-super Clark Kent demonstrate that mortal or not, this man has the stuff of heroes.

It wasn't until I began writing this article that I noticed the similarity the storyline has with another noteworthy arc published in 1982. Marv Wolfman wrote an eight-chapter story beginning in Action Comics #534, with assists from Mike W. Barr.

Time-travelling sorcerers Lord Satanis and his wife, Syrene, both sought the power of Merlin’s rune stone, which could be filtered through Superman. But in doing so, they split him into two beings, each endowed with different components of Superman’s abilities, meaning only one was invulnerable.

Syrene escapes with the invulnerable Superman, leaving Satanis to send the other back to 20th Century Metropolis, sealing the time stream off from all manner of access known to the Man of Steel. There, Superman attempts to return to the past, while at the same time encountering such foes as the Mole and Jackhammer.

Syrene is able to use her captive to tap into the energies of the rune stone. She becomes more powerful than Satanis, but her Superman dies, drained of all his essence. Challenging his wife, Satanis is able to merge his being with the dead Superman. Reawakened, Superman is able to convince Satanis their combined powers have destroyed Syrene.

But never underestimate the power of even half a Superman. The non-vulnerable version has learned of Rip Hunter, Time Master. Borrowing a time bubble, he is able to confront Satanis. Conflicted by his own lust for power and the virtue of the Superman inside him, Satanis is forced to expel Superman. Fueled by magic, the two Supermen are able to reunite and defeat Lord Satanis, restored to his full power.

Those two epics stand out to me, largely due their ambition in a time when most stories rarely went beyond two issues, three at the most. Which brings me to one of my favorites, a simple two-parter written by Marty Pasko in Superman #331-332, which introduced the villain the Master Jailer, who later became known as Lockdown.

Carl Draper was a former classmate of Lana Lang and Clark Kent's in Smallville, where he was nicknamed Moosie because he was fat, homely and clumsy. Once, when the Smallville High Geology Club was trapped by a cave in, he found a way out - but before he could tell anyone, Superboy came to the rescue. The Boy of Steel was also his rival for the affections of Lana. Following high school, Draper took steps to lose weight, underwent cosmetic surgery, and became an architect specializing in prisons.

His crowning achievement was the Mount Olympus Correctional Facility, designed to hold the most dangerous super-criminals. Lana was there to cover its dedication, as well as Superman who gave the facility his own personal touch by encasing it in a bubble and anti-gravity technology to keep it floating 20,000 feet above ground. Lana christened it "Superman's Island" in her news report and the name stuck, overshadowing Draper's accomplishments once more.

Anger and bitterness warped Draper's genius, turning him into the Master Jailer. He kidnapped Lana and ensnared Superman, but together the two captives manage to turn the tables on Draper, confining him in his own prison.

It sounds like a standard Superman plot of 1979, but what makes this story stand out to me is the epilogue. After their adventure together, Superman returns Lana to her apartment in Metropolis, where her callous attitude to their former classmate makes the Man of Steel realize Lana isn't too far removed from the shallow high school girl that Moosie Draper was in love with so many years ago.

"If you think you can 'have' me," Superman tells her, "you're making the same mistake with me that Draper made with you." Lana is shocked as he continues scolding her for ignoring her friends in Metropolis while living in Europe for several years, and tormenting Lois in an effort to ace out her competition following her return.

"You don't love me. You only think you do. You're a magpie. You see something shiny and you just have to swoop down and grab it. Well, I'm not yours for the grabbing – and it wouldn't be fair to let you go on fooling yourself. You're not in love. You're star-struck. You want reflected glory – what you imagine to be the glamor of being Mrs. Superman."

"And sometimes...I think that's all you ever wanted," Superman concludes as he flies away, leaving her pounding tearfully at the window.

What I find so refreshing is seeing Superman depicted not as a super-hero fighting for truth and justice, but coping with an unhealthy relationship that undoubtedly will cause one of his oldest friends heartache and anguish. For once, he's not a hero easing someone's troubles, but doing what's best for himself for a change. He resolves a very human predicament in which no one can legitimately claim a victory.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12