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Mild Mannered Reviews - Classic Pre-Crisis Superman Comics

Superman #240

Cover date: June 1971

"To Save a Superman"

Writer: Denny O'Neil
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: Dick Giordano

Back-Up Story: "The Man Who Cheated Time"

Writer: Cary Bates
Penciller: Michael Wm. Kaluta
Inker: Michael Wm. Kaluta

Cover: Neal Adams and Dick Giordano

Reviewed by: James Lantz

Click to enlarge

Superman, despite his decreased powers, has rescued a woman and her two children from a burning building. The landlord has asked him to save the structure, but it falls on the Man of Steel as he makes the attempt. News of Superman's failure is all over Metropolis. The public is teasing him, and the criminal element is using this to its advantage. With tremendous effort, the Last Son of Krypton is able to stop a bank robbery. However, he is constantly worried about the continuing loss of his abilities.

I-Ching, an Asian wise man who has become a friend to Diana Prince, has entered the office of reporter Clark Kent. Ching is aware that Clark is Superman and wishes to aid him in regaining his superhuman gifts. Knowing that Ching went to speak to Kent, an underworld spy has others in his gang follow the mild mannered anchorman to Ching's home. The criminals watch as Ching puts Superman into a trance-like sleep and use this moment to attack both the mystic and the Kryptonian. The dormant body of the Man of Tomorrow is bruised as Ching is knocked unconscious. This rouses our hero from his slumber. He has no powers, but Superman takes on the group of thugs. Now, with the bad guys out of commission, Superman is pondering whether or not he needs his special abilities to be a hero.

Story - 4: It honestly deserves a five because the story itself is fantastic. However, it honestly feels like some things were left out that really could have enhanced this incredible chapter to "The Sandman Saga." It would have been great to see more of the supporting characters' reactions to Superman's failure. Lois, for example, was so curious about why he took so long to save the people from Quig in issue #238, yet she doesn't even appear in this book. Her reporter's instincts would want to get to the bottom of things and follow every lead to the truth about the Man of Steel's problem. That particular element could have probably given this twenty-two pages instead of fifteen. Still, I really enjoyed this one in spite of a few things missing from the overall content.

Art - 5: When I reviewed issue #237, some folks had mentioned how great and overlooked the team of Curt Swan and Dick Giordano is. I have to say you were all right. It's a pity these two fine artists didn't work together more often. Their collaboration gives every page some clean and amazingly lush visuals. Thanks to everyone who pointed out how amazing their images are in this tale.

Back-Up Story: "The Man Who Cheated Time"

Under Krypton's Scarlet Jungle, there is a bunker filled with condemned inventions, including something called a Tempor. Its creator Mal-Va and his assistant Zol-Mar had worked many hours on it. However, Zol's intentions for the machine are rather unusual. He plans to use it to go back one thousand years into Krypton's past to become the right hand man of General Dar-Nx, the planet's ruler in that period. Zol-Mar will have devices from his present and take credit for their conception to aid him in his quest. His methods of acquiring them include theft, deception and even murder.

We now come to the day the Tempor is being tested in front of Krypton's science council. Everything starts out well until Zol-Mar, fearing that Dar-Nx's men will believe he's a spy and kill him, uses something called the Ilusicon to assume the form of Dar-Nx himself. However, the machine's activation causes an energy flux that sends the Tempor into the future instead of the past.

The Kryptonian Science Council has hereby forbidden time travel as Mal-Va's experiment is considered a failure. The Tempor is to be placed in cold storage. What everyone in the demonstration chambers does not realize is that Zol-Mar did go fifty years into the future as computer readings suggested. However, Zol-Mar arrived exactly one day after the planet Krypton had exploded.

Back-Up Story - 5: The last issue's back-up left a bad taste in my mouth, and I expected the worst from this. Fortunately, this was a lot better than I had anticipated. The ending especially impressed me. It was an overall stupendous piece of storytelling.

Back-Up Art - 5: I'm a big fan of Kaluta's work. It was a real treat to see his stunning visuals accompany this story. His style is incredible as usual.

Cover Art - 5: If any cover dares the viewer to read its comic book, this one does it. This is perhaps the best image Adams has done for the Man of Steel.

Pre-Crisis Superman Comic Book Reviews

1938-1949

Action Comics #1 (June 1938)
Action Comics #2 (July 1938)
Action Comics #3 (August 1938)
Action Comics #4 (September 1938)
Action Comics #5 (October 1938)
Action Comics #6 (November 1938)
Action Comics #7 (December 1938)
Superman Archives: Volume 1 (1939)
Superman #1 (Summer 1939)
Action Comics #8 (January 1939)
Action Comics #9 (February 1939)
Action Comics #10 (March 1939)
Superman #13 (November/December 1941) - “The Archer”
Superman #19 (November/December 1942) - “Case of the Funny Paper Crimes”
Action Comics #60 (May 1943) - “Lois Lane - Superwoman”
Superman #30 (September/October 1944) - “The Mysterious Mr. Mxyztplk”
Action Comics #80 (January 1945) - “Mr. Mxyztplk Returns”
Superman #38 (January/February 1946) - “The Battle of the Atoms”
Superman #42 (September/October 1946) - “The Death of Clark Kent”
Superman #45 (March/April 1947) - “Lois Lane, Superwoman”
Superman #53 (July 1948) - “The Origin of Superman”
Action Comics #124 (September 1948) - “A Superman of Doom”
Superman #60 (December 1949/January 1950) - “The Two Identities of Superman” & “Superman Fights the Super-Brain”

1950-1959

Superman #76 (May/June 1952) - “The Mightiest Team in the World”
Superman #80 (January/February 1953) - “Superman's Lost Brother”
Superman 3D (1953) - “The Man Who Stole the Sun”, “Origin of Superman” and “The Man Who Bossed Superman”
Superman #87 (February 1954) - “The Prankster's Greatest Role”
Superman #88 (March 1954) - “The Terrible Trio”
Superman #89 (May 1954) - “Captain Kent the Terrible”, “Superman of Skid Row”, and “One Hour to Doom!”
Superman #91 (August 1954) - “The Superman Stamp” and “Great Caesar's Ghost”
World's Finest #88 (May/June 1957) - “Superman and Batman's Greatest Foes”
Superman #115 (August 1957) - “The Midget Superman!”
Superboy #65 (May/June 1958) - “The Amazing Adventures of Krypto Mouse”
Action Comics #242 (July 1958) - “The Super-Duel in Space”
Superman #123 (August 1958) - “The Girl of Steel”
Superman #127 (February 1959) - “Titano the Super Ape”
Action Comics #252 (May 1959) - “The Menace of Metallo” and “The Supergirl From Krypton”
Superman #129 (May 1959) - “The Girl in Superman's Past”
Superman #130 (July 1959) - “The Curse of Kryptonite!”, “The Super-Servant of Crime!”, and “The Town that Hated Superman!”
Jimmy Olsen #40 (October 1959) - “Jimmy Olsen, Supergirl's Pal”

1960-1969

Superman #134 (January 1960) - “The Super-Menace of Metropolis”
Jimmy Olsen #42 (January 1960) - “The Big Superman Movie!”, “Perry White, Cub Reporter!”, and “Jimmy the Genie!”
Jimmy Olsen #44 (April 1960) - “The Wolf-Man of Metropolis”
Adventure Comics #271 (April 1960) - “How Luthor Met Superboy”
Jimmy Olsen #46 (July 1960) - “Jimmy Olsen, Orphan”
Superman #141 (November 1960) - “Superman's Return To Krypton”
Superboy #85 (December 1960) - “The Impossible Mission”
Jimmy Olsen #51 (March 1961) - “The Girl with Green Hair”
Jimmy Olsen #52 (April 1961) - “Jimmy Olsen, Wolf-Man”
Superboy #89 (June 1961) - “Superboy's Big Brother!”
Action Comics #279 (August 1961) - “The Super-Rivals”
Superman #147 (August 1961) - “The Legion of Super Villains”
Superman #149 (November 1961) - “The Death of Superman!”
Jimmy Olsen #57 (December 1961) - “Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl”
Superman #155 (August 1962) - “Superman Under the Green Sun” and “The�Downfall of�Superman”
Justice League of America #13 (August 1962) - “Riddle of the Robot Justice League”
World's Finest #129 (November 1962) - “Joker-Luthor, Incorporated”
Superman #158 (January 1963) - “Superman in Kandor”
Superman #160 (April 1963) - “The Mortal Superman”
Superman #161 (May 1963) - “The Last Days of Ma and Pa Kent”
Superman #162 (July 1963) - “The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue”
Superman #163 (August 1963) - “Wonder-Man, the New Hero of Metropolis” and “The Goofy Superman”
Justice League of America #21 & #22 (August/September 1963) - “Crisis on Earth-One!” and “Crisis on Earth-Two!”
Superman #164 (October 1963) - “The Showdown Between Luthor and Superman”
Superman #165 (November 1963) - “The Sweetheart Superman Forgot”
Superman #166 (January 1964) - “The Fantastic Story of Superman's Sons”
Superman #167 (February 1964) - “The Team of Luthor and Brainiac”
Superman #168 (April 1964) - “Luthor - Super Hero” and “Lex Luthor, Daily Planet Editor”
Superman #169 (May 1964) - “The Man Who Stole Superman's Secret Life”
Action Comics #314 (July 1964) - “The Day Superman Became The Flash”
Justice League of America #29 & #30 (August/September 1964) - “Crisis on Earth-Three!” and “The Most Dangerous Earth of All!”
Superman #173 (November 1964) - “The Triumph of Luthor and Brainiac”
Action Comics #318 (November 1964) - “The Death of Luthor”
Action Comics #319 (December 1964) - “The Condemned Superman”
Superman #175 (February 1965) - “Clark Kent's Brother”
Superman #181 (November 1965) - “The Superman of 2965”
The Legion of Super-Heroes - Archives Volume 4 (1965)
Superman #184 (February 1966) - “The Demon Under the Red Sun”
Action Comics #338 (June 1966) - “Muto - Monarch of Menace”
Action Comics #339 (July 1966) - “Muto versus The Man of Tomorrow”
Superman #189 (August 1966) - “Krypton Lives Again”
Action Comics #346 (February 1967) - “The Man Who Sold Insurance to Superman” and “The Case of the Superman Imposter”
Superman #194 (February 1967) - “The Death of Lois Lane”
Superman #196 (May 1967) - “The Star of Steel”
Superman #199 (January 1967) - “Superman's Race With The Flash”
Superman #200 (October 1967) - “Super-Brother Against Super-Brother”
The Flash #175 (December 1967) - “Race to the End of the Universe”
Justice League of America #63 (June 1968) - “Time Signs a Death Warrant for the Justice League”
Superman #211 (November 1968) - “The Name of the Game is Superman!”
Superman #215 (April 1969) - “Lois Lane� Dead� Yet Alive”

1970-1979

Superman #224 (February 1970) - “Beware the Super-Genius Baby”
Action Comics #393 (October 1970) - “Superman Meets Super-Houdini!” and “The Day Superboy Became Superman!”
Jimmy Olsen #133 (October 1970) - “The Newsboy Legion”
Action Comics #394 (November 1970) - “Midas of Metropolis” and “Requiem for a Hot Rod!”
World's Finest #198 (November 1970) - “Race to Save the Universe!”
Action Comics #395 (December 1970) - “The Secrets of Superman's Fortress” and “The Credit Card of Catastrophe”
Jimmy Olsen #134 (December 1970) - “The Mountain of Judgement!”
World's Finest #199 (December 1970) - “A Race to Save Time!”
Superman #233 (January 1971) - “Superman Breaks Loose!”
Jimmy Olsen #135 (January 1971) - “The Evil Factory!”
Superman #234 (February 1971) - “How to Tame a Wild Volcano”
Jimmy Olsen #136 (February 1971) - “The Saga of the D.N.Aliens”
Superman #235 (March 1971) - “The Sinister Scream of the Devil's Harp”
Superman #236 (April 1971) - “Planet of the Angels” and “The Doomsayer”
Jimmy Olsen #137 (April 1971) - “The Four-Armed Terror!”
Superman #237 (May 1971) - “The Enemy of Earth”
Superman #238 (June 1971) - “Menace at 1000 Degrees”
Jimmy Olsen #138 (June 1971) - “The Big Boom!!”
Superman #240 (July 1971) - “To Save a Superman”
Jimmy Olsen #139 (July 1971) - “The Guardian Fights Again!!!”
Superman #241 (August 1971) - “The Shape of Fear”
Superman #242 (September 1971) - “The Ultimate Battle”
Jimmy Olsen #141 (September 1971) - “Will the Real Don Rickles Panic?!?”
Jimmy Olsen #142 (October 1971) - “The Man from Transilvane!”
Jimmy Olsen #143 (November 1971) - “Genocide Spray”
Jimmy Olsen #144 (December 1971) - “A Big Thing in a Deep Scottish Lake!”
Superman #247 (January 1972) - “Must There Be A Superman”
Jimmy Olsen #145 (January 1972) - “Brigadoom!”
Jimmy Olsen #146 (February 1972) - “Homo-Disastrous!”
Jimmy Olsen #147 (March 1972) - “A Superman in Super-Town!”
Jimmy Olsen #148 (April 1972) - “Monarch of All He Subdues!”
Superman #292 (October 1975) - “The Luthor Nobody Knows!”
Action Comics #458 (April 1976) - “Make Me a Super-Hero!” and “Masquerade of the Nutty Kid!”
Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (Spring 1978)
Action Comics #484 (June 1978) - “Superman Takes a Wife!”
Superman #328 (October 1978) - “Attack of the Kryptonoid”
Action Comics #489 (November 1978) - “Krypton Dies Again” and “Where There's a Will... There's a Fray”
Superman #329 (November 1978) - “I Have Met The Enemy... And He Is Me!” and “The Secret of the Talking Car”
Superman #330 (December 1978) - “The Master Mesmerizer of Metropolis!”
Action Comics #490 (December 1978) - “No Tomorrow For Superman”
Action Comics #491 (January 1979) - “A Matter of Light and Death”
Superman #331 (January 1979) - “Lockup at 20,000 Feet”
Action Comics #492 (February 1979) - “Superman's Secret Afterlife”
Superman #332 (February 1979) - “The Eternity Cage”
Action Comics #493 (March 1979) - “The Metropolis UFO Connection”
Action Comics #494 (April 1979) - “The Secret of the Super S”
Action Comics #495 (May 1979) - “Attack of the Ultimate Warrior”
DC Comics Presents #14 (October 1979) - “Judge, Jury... and No Justice!”
The Superman Story (1979) - “The Life Story of Superman”

1980-1986

DC Comics Presents #57 (May 1983) - “Days of Future Past”
DC Comics Presents #67 (March 1984) - “'Twas the Fright Before Christmas”
DC Comics Presents Annual #3 (1984) - “With One Magic Word”
Superman: The Secret Years #1 (February 1985) - “Dreams and Schemes and Feeling Proud!”
Superman: The Secret Years #2 (March 1985) - “Reach Out and Touch”
Superman: The Secret Years #3 (April 1985) - “Terminus”
DC Comics Presents #80 (April 1985) - “A World Full of Supermen!”
Superman: The Secret Years #4 (May 1985) - “Beyond Terminus”
DC Comics Presents #85 (September 1985) - “The Jungle Line”
Superman Annual #11 (1985) - “For The Man Who Has Everything”
World's Finest #323 (January 1986) - “Afraid of the Dark”
DC Comics Presents #97 (September 1986) - “Phantom Zone: The Final Chapter”
Superman #423 & Action Comics #583 (September 1986) - “Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow?”

Compilation Volumes

Showcase Presents: Superman Family - Volume 1 (October 2005)
Superman/Batman: Saga of the Super Sons (December 2007)

Miscellaneous

Not Brand ECHH #7 (April 1967) - “The Origin of Stuporman”

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