[Superman Fan Club] Presents: Challenge of the Super Fans: Season 2! Week 11 ADVENTURE COMICS (1938-) #385

[Don-El]

Challenge of the Superfans Season 2 Week 11 ADVENTURE COMICS (1938-) #385

Welcome to Week 11 of Season 2 of a very special challenge / contest , reading one single issue a week from the currently- digitized DC Universe Infinite collection of Silver and Bronze Age Superman and Family comic over an interesting space of time!

This time around: Silver Age featuring Supergirl Linda Danvers and Super Artist Kurt Schaffenberger!

ADVENTURE COMICS (1938-) #385 OCTOBER 1ST, 1969

Adventure Comics (1938-) #385

(link is blurred to avoid spoilers for this 54 year old story)

Q & A:

1. First story, “Supergirl’s Big Sister.” Why do you think neither Supergirl nor Superman had siblings, regardless of the current continuity?

2. Second story (yes, two, two for the price of one!) “The Jilting of Supergirl.” Were you surprised by the ironic twist?

ADVENTURE COMICS (1938-) #385

• Yes I did

• Oops, I did not

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And be sure keep an eye out for our once a month first Thursday evening of the month Listen A Longs of the classic 1940’s Superman Radio Show adventures (in the Watchalong aisle), the next one being Thursday June 1st!!

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[Don-El]

Are these the greatest stories ever written in the Silver Age?

[RexRebel]

I not sure they are the greatest, but both were definitely fun to read.

[patterson65.37405]

I have not heard of the challenge for the past several weeks, otherwise I would have begun reading these stories. Sorry.

[Don-El]

We took a super break

[Don-El]

Actually you’ve only missed one issue and you’re welcome to catch up on that one.

[RexRebel]

1. Well depending on which Krypton you look at, birth was regulated by the Science Council, so their parents didn’t have a choice, doesn’t mean they weren’t schedule to have some later however.
2. It was set up perfectly with Lois at the beginning. I. Knew they would not work out but the reason why was a nice twist.

[TheCosmicMoth]

@Don-El

First story, “Supergirl’s Big Sister.” Why do you think neither Supergirl nor Superman had siblings, regardless of the current continuity?

Probably because it would make them less “special.” The whole Superman gimmick used to be that he was THE SUPER man. His powers and abilities make him capable of things beyond ordinary men. That’s why he’s the ultimate problem solver in his stories. Giving him a sibling undercuts that. Now, in the Silver Age, they were actively undercutting that with Supergirl and Krypto and Beppo and etc. However a sibling just undercuts it in a way that goes beyond this and it’s hard to explain why. It just doesn’t feel right. There is a certain piece of Superman media that did this very recently and it just bothered me. So… yeah, no super siblings for Kal and Kara, please!

This was a classic, Silver Age “spot the BS” story, though. We get presented with a reality that we know can’t be true and then we need to spot the moment that outs the lie. I like these stories because they give you a little puzzle to solve while reading. It’s fun!

@Don-El

Second story (yes, two, two for the price of one!) “The Jilting of Supergirl.” Were you surprised by the ironic twist?

Not really. As soon as I saw this:

I was like: “That’s not natural, yellow sunlight! She’s going to lose her powers.” That’s one of those Silver Age tip-off moments. I didn’t see the Red K explanation coming, but it’s fitting since Red K has robbed Kara of a lot. When Supergirl first met the Legion of Superheroes in Action Comics #267, Red Kryptonite temporarily aged her out of contention for Legion membership. She’d get to join later, but still… Red K really doesn’t like Kara.

It kind of serves her right, though, because this was savage:

Comforting Lois one minute and then being like “well, she’s totally right because Supermen need Superbrides” the next is just… yowch, Kara!

This story was definitely Kara at her most savage. This moment made me laugh out loud:

OUuuuuuuuch! Someone needs to take Phil to the burn ward after that one.

Though, in Phil’s defense, Kara later says this:

And I said, “Kara, what are you talking about? He looks almost EXACTLY like Phil.” She definitely had a type in the late Silver Age/early Bronze Age: Brown-haired and boring. Thank god for Brainiac 5 being a unique love interest.

All in all, a couple of late Silver Age classics!

[Don-El]

Speaking of how Supergirl looks in her secret identity to her suitors, I’m wondering how she pulls off her eyebrow color when she puts on this wig as well as the color of her irises, which I’m thinking, often that’s different between blondes and brunettes, although I haven’t deeply studied the matter.

[TheCosmicMoth]

Kara is secretly a natural brunette, but Kryptonite bleaches her hair…?

Also, contact lenses made from the glass on her rocket… probably…

[patterson65.37405]

Thanks for clearing that up.

[patterson65.37405]

The thing that surprised me most was the last page. Who’d ever think flagpole sitting was still a thing by the late 1960’s?

[Don-El]

Oh boy I got to go look at that panel again, good eye @patterson65.37405 !

[Don-El]

I totally missed that last page, this is like something in a Golden Age comic!

Pretty funny too.

[patterson65.37405]

Anyone recall Richard Lamparski’s Whatever Became Of series of books? Well, he also had a radio show in the 60’s and 70’s in which he interviewed many stars of old time radio, and I have provided a link to a late 60’s episode in which the original Superman and Lois, Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander, are interviewed. Check it out:

Whatever Became Of 1966 Superman and Lois Lane B Collyer, Old Time Radio

[Don-El]

Thanks for sharing, looking forward to listening to this in a bit.

[Don-El]

It’s neat hearing the voices of Superman and Lois Lane from the radio show in a different context like this and maybe 17 years or so after the radio show stopped.

[patterson65.37405]

It was pretty cool to hear Bud Collyer mention his grandkid going trick or treating as Batman, since the live action show was so big at that time.