Superman Comics Index (1938-1986)

1980

• Superman #343 (January)
  "The Last Days of Metropolis!"
  Denny O'Neil; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  An ancient wizard, who predicted and failed to stop the destruction of Pompeii, awakens and tries to prevent a vision of the devil destroying Metropolis from happening. The devil he sees is Superman.

• Action Comics #503 (January)
  "A Save in Time!"
  Cary Bates; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  A disruption in the time stream causes Superman to inadvertently alter history by saving someone. He has 48 hours to correct the time flow to save the future.

• DC Comics Presents #17 (January)
  "The Ice Slaves of Killer Frost!"
  Gerry Conway; J. L. Garcia Lopez & Steve Mitchell
  Killer Frost takes control of Superman and intends to construct a super-freezer atop the World Trade Center to enslave all men. Firestrom must free Superman and stop her.

• Superman #344 (February)
  The Monsters Among Us!
  Paul Levitz & Len Wein; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  A sŽance brings Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster into the world. Superman stops Dracula and the monster, who are then banished by the Phantom Stranger.

• Action Comics #504 (February)
  "The Power and the Choice!"
  Cary Bates; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  A petty thief uses hypnosis to steal super powers from a reluctant recipient of them, Toby Williams. Superman defeats her and at Williams request uses super-hypnosis to make him forget his powers.

• DC Comics Presents #18 (February)
  The Night it Rained Magic!
  Gerry Conway; Dick Dillin & Francisco Chiaramonte
  Simultaneous experiments in the world of magic and on Earth by Superman and Zatanna result in a flow of magic to Earth empowering the powerless. Superman must use magic to stop a magic empowered man seeking revenge and return Earth to normal.

• Superman #345 (March)
  "When Time Ran Backward!"
  Gerry Conway; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Superman must stop an alien, who is stealing chronal energy and causing time on Earth to run backwards. Superman is unaffected because of the vast number of times he has traveled through time.

• Action Comics #505 (March)
  "The Creature that Charmed Children!" - The Creature that Charmed Children! - Part 1 of 2)
  Cary Bates; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  An super-powered alien with the power to control children comes to Earth. A prisoner in the phantom zone informs Superman the alien is his creation and it will destroy the Earth's children unless he is released to stop it.

• DC Comics Presents #19 (March)
  "Who Haunts this House?"
  Denny O'Neil; Joe Staton & Frank Chiaramonte
  Clark Kent and Barbara Gordon are among the celebrity guests invites to visit a house that has appeared in the desert. A presence induces madness in the guests and Superman and Batgirl must save them.

• Superman #346 (April)
  "Superman's Streak of Bad Luck!"
  Gerry Conway; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Superman uncovers a scheme to defraud wealthy game show contestants by using a device that causes bad luck.

• Action Comics #506 (April)
  "The Children's Exodus from Earth!" - The Creature that Charmed Children! - Part 2 of 2)
  Cary Bates; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Jorlan's creator explains that he was created to evacuate the children of Krypton, but failed and now intends to take the children of earth. Superman uses time travel and his own programming to destroy Jorlan.

• DC Comics Presents #20 (April)
  Inferno from the Sky!
  Denny O'Neil; Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez & Joe Giella
  Superman and Green Arrow must stop a murdering ex-politician, who wants to trade a new energy source for the White House.

• Superman #347 (May)
  "The Sleeper of of Time!"
  Gerry Conway; J. L. Garcia Lopez
  When an alien, who crashed on Earth hundreds of years ago, begins to emit a telepathic phantom to repair his damaged ship, it creates a potential disaster to Superman and Metropolis.

• Action Comics #507 (May)
  The Miraculous Return of Jonathan Kent! - The Return of Jonathan Kent - Part 1 of 2)
  Cary Bates; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Superman is shocked to find Pa Kent suddenly appear alive and well and visiting him in Metropolis. A young hippie has the power to have his commands granted.

• DC Comics Presents #21 (May)
  The Alien Epidemic!
  Gerry Conway; Joe Staton & Frank Chiaramonte
  A deathly ill Elongated Man arrives in Clark's office seeking help. Superman takes the delirious hero to his fortress to cure him and learns the disease is - Part of an alien attack that will transform all humans into the invading aliens.

• Superman #348 (June)
  "The Master of Wind and Storm!"
  Gerry Conway; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Clark is sent to investigate an old Indian, who appears to control rain, and finds Arizona under a siege of rain. Superman discovers the cause is an entity from another dimension trying to retrieve its medallion.

• Action Comics #508 (June)
  "The Secret World of Jonathan Kent!" - The Return of Jonathan Kent - Part 2 of 2)
  Cary Bates; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Aliens, who were saved by Jonathan Kent many years before have repaid him by allowing him to spend 30 hours with his future son. A side effect was the empowering of Starshine.

• DC Comics Presents #22 (June)
  "Plight of the Human Comet"
  Mike W. Barr; Dick Dillin & Frank McLaughlin
  Superman helps Captain Comet recharge his failing power by coming into contact with the comet that created him. At the same time Starstriker attains the same powers and uses them to try to dominate the Earth.

• Superman #349 (July)
  "The Turnabout Trap!"
  Martin Pasko; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Superman returns to Earth to find all sex roles reversed and he is a wanted criminal hunted by Superwoman, Superboy, Wonder Warrior and the Justice League. Mxyzptlk is responsible.

• Action Comics #509 (July)
  The Great Space-Travel Hoax! - 28 Page Radio Shack insert story on computers.
  Cary Bates; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Aliens trapped on Earth begin to mentally project a physical entity to destroy space travel and Superman.

• DC Comics Presents #23 (July)
  "The Curse out of Time!"
  Denny O'Neil; Joe Staton & Vince Colletta
  An imp casts a spell on an ancestor of Dr. Fate's wife turning her into a monster. The ancestor is given magical powers and sent to Earth 1, where he imprisons Superman.

• Notable Issue: Superman: The Computers That Saved Metropolis (July)
  Cary Bates, Jim Starlin, Dick Giordano
  Radio Shack Giveaway. Two school kids using the Radio Shack's TRS-80 microcomputer aid Superman, whose brain is 'fuzzed over' when he inhales 'nearly invisible' kryptonite crystals, in averting several major disasters integrated by the villain, Major Disaster.

• Superman #350 (August)
  "Clark Kent's Vanishing Classmates" - The Matter from the Mind Machine - Part 1 of 2)
  Gerry Conway; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  An old college professor of Clark's invents a device that creates matter from the human mind, however, it doesn't function properly and affects nine former classmates creating a creature.

• Action Comics #510 (August)
  "Luthor's Last Stand!" - The Good Luthor - Part 1 of 3)
  Cary Bates; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Lex Luthor falls in love with a dying woman. He kidnaps her and cures her, vowing to change his life for the better. Superman does not know what to believe as Luthor tries to apprehend Metropolis' crime lords.

• DC Comics Presents #24 (August)
  The Man who was the World!
  Len Wein; Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
  A scientist links his failing heart to the Earth's core in an attempt to regulate it, however, the core's balance is upset threatening Metropolis. Superman and Deadman battle different sides of the same fight to save the city and the man.

• Superman #351 (September)
  "The Fiend with Nine Faces!" - The Matter from the Mind Machine - Part 2 of 2; Backup story: Mister Mxyzptlk's Circus Caper!
  Gerry Conway; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  One of Clark's college professor conducted an experiment some students to create a psychic link matter generator. It creates a an energy creature that threatens the world. Mxyzptlk pranks a circus.

• DC Comics Presents #25 (September)
  Judgement Night - Backup story: Whatever Happened to Hourman?
  Paul Levitz; Dick Dillin & Frank McLaughlin
  Superman suffers physical pain caused by a spell cast on him exploiting his guilt in failing Jon Ross. Superman rescues Jon Ross and unknowingly helps the Phantom Stranger saves souls, including his own, from the Queen of Darkness.

• Action Comics #511 (September)
  "Luthor Fights for Good!" - The Good Luthor - Part 2 of 3; Backup story: "A New Costume for Airwave!"
  Cary Bates; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Luthor performs numerous beneficial acts, including repairing the ozone layer, nuclear disarmament and curing disease. He convinces Superman of his benevolent intent and helps him defeat Terra-Man.

• Superman #352 (October)
  Dat of Destiny! - Backup story: The Fabulous World of Krypton: "The Mark of a Citizen!"
  Marv Wolfman; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Destiny prevents Superman from acting for a time to teach him the need of letting people act for themselves. Superman's tale from Krypton provides a lesson on the need for being a good citizen.

• DC Comics Presents #26 (October)
  Between Friend and Foe! - Backup story: Whatever Happened to Sargon the Sorcerer
  Marv Wolfman; Jim Starlin & Steve Mitchell
  An alien, N'Gon, steals Green Lantern's ring and duplicates his appearance and memories to capture and kill Superman to gain his powers.

• Action Comics #512 (October)
  "Luthor's Day of Reckoning!" - The Good Luthor - Part 3 of 3; Backup story: Air Wave: "Sinister Spectacle of Sunspotter"
  Cary Bates; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Luthor's reform is revealed to be - Part of an insidious plot to destroy Superman, however, it results in not only Luthor's defeat, but in a broken heart as well.

• Superman #353 (November)
  "The Fantastic Foe Superman Could Never Meet!" - Backup story: Imaginary Tale: The Secret Origin of Bruce (Superman) Wayne
  Cary Bates; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  An alien from another dimension has found a way to switch with Superman so he can commit crimes on Earth without interference. Superman's rocket lands outside Gotham City and he is adopted by the Waynes and mentored by Jim Gordon.

• DC Comics Presents #27 (November)
  The Key that Unlocked Chaos! - Warworld - Part 1 of 3. Backup story: Whatever Happened to Congrilla?
  Len Wein; Jim Starlin & "Quickdraw"
  Superman is forced by Mongul to defeat the Martian Manhunter and recover a key to allow Mongul to take control of a super-weapon called Warworld. Mongul escapes with the key.

• Action Comics #513 (November)
  "- -The Return of Superman Island" - Backup story: The Atom and Air Wave: "The Red Dart's Deadly Arts!"
  Marv Wolfman; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  An island in Superman's image, created by him years ago, filled with kryptonite and exiled into space returns to Earth. Homeless aliens living there are helped by Superman to find a home, but H.I.V.E. steals the kryptonite.

• Superman #354 (December)
  "Twice Upon a Time!" - Backup story: Superman 2020: "The Debut of Superman III!"
  Cary Bates; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  Superman must help reunite a time traveler and his love by rescuing her from a crime boss. In 2020, as the grandson of the original Superman prepares to make his debut in the orbiting New Metropolis a racist group plans to destroy both.

• DC Comics Presents #28 (December)
  Warworld! - Warworld - Part 2 of 3. Backup story: Whatever Happened to Johnny Thunder?
  Len Wein; Jim Starlin & Romeo Tanghal
  Superman and Supergirl defeat Mongul and destroy Warworld, but Supergirl is missing in the aftermath.

• Action Comics #514 (December)
  "Countdown of the Killer Computer!" - Backup story: The Atom and Air Wave: Sunspotter's Crime Collection!
  Marv Wolfman; Curt Swan & Frank Chiaramonte
  When computers all over the would malfunction, Superman returns to his fortress to find Brainiac has returned intent on destroying Superman and increasing his intelligence. Superman manages to reprogram him to work for good.

Superman Comics Index (1938-1986)

Introduction

This listing is done in the order for when a comicbook issue was published. Remember, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic was on sale.

Where possible, the Writer, Penciller and Inker for each issue is listed under the Comic's Title and Date.

We also suggest DarkMark's excellent Comic Index lists.

CONTENTS:

Back to Comic Index Contents Page.

You can read reviews of various Superman related comics (from 1938-1986) in the Mild Mannered Reviews section of this website.