September 1954Editor: Whitney EllsworthCover: Win Mortimer (Pencils and Inks) 1. The Adventures of Mental Man! Script: Bill FingerPencils: Wayne BoringInks: Stan Kaye A new comic strip runs in the Daily Planet featuring Mental-Man, a superhero who uses his mind-over-matter powers to fight crime. The new strip is so popular no one notices Superman anymore. Strangely, a cartoonist named “Inky” who is … Read More
Strange Adventures #48
September 1954Editor: Julius SchwartzCover: Murphy Anderson (Pencils and Inks) 1. The Human Phantom Script: Otto BinderPencils: Gil KaneInks: Joe Giella Some dude drinks some water he pumped up from deep inside the earth and acquires the ability to pass through solid objects. He discovers the water has turned him into “negative matter” making it possible to walk through walls and for … Read More
World’s Finest Comics #72
September-October 1954Editor: Whitney EllsworthCover: Curt Swan (Pencils) Stan Kaye (Inks) 1. Fort Crime Script: Alvin SchwartzPencils: Curt SwanInks: Stan Kaye Superman and Batman appeared together on all the covers of World”™s Finest Comics since it”™s beginning in 1941 but it wasn”™t until the issue just before this one (#71) that the comic would feature a story of the two heroes … Read More
Adventure Comics #204
September 1954Editor: Mort WeisingerCover: Win Mortimer (Pencils and Inks) 1. The Super Brat of Smallville! Script: Otto BinderPencils: John SikelaInks: John Sikela Bradley Ashton is a rich orphan with a pet cheetah who has just moved to Superboy’s hometown of Smallville. Unfortunately, his penchant for cruel practical jokes is causing headaches for the Boy of Steel. Before long, Superboy’s had … Read More
Superman #92
September 1954Editor: Whitney EllsworthCover: Win Mortimer (Pencils and Inks) 1. The Impossible Headlines! Script: UnknownPencils: Wayne BoringInks: Stan Kaye In just the first two panels three preposterous things happen: (1) Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White leaves on vacation but doesn’t inform anyone until he’s walking out the door (2) He brings in George Earns as his replacement from outside the … Read More
Batman #86
Sept. 1954Editor: Jack SchiffCover: Win Mortimer (Pencils and Inks) 1. The Voyage of the First Batmarine! Script: Edmond HamiltonPencils: Dick SprangInks: Charles Paris Batman and Robin are scuba diving to retrieve a submerged shipment of highly explosive nitroglycerin but they stay underwater too long (only an hour!) and now they have to stay there for two days or they’ll die. … Read More
House of Mystery #30
Sept. 1954Editor: Whitney EllsworthCover: Ruben Moreira (Pencils and Inks) 1. The Demon Gun! Script: UnknownPencils: Jim MooneyInks: Jim Mooney Right away we can tell this story is quite unusual—and I’m not talking about the rifle chasing a man under it’s own power. It’s written in the rarely used second-person mode, referring to the protagonist as “you”. I’m intrigued. Our “hero” Jim Fulson … Read More
Superboy #35
Sept. 1954Editor: Mort WeisingerCover: Win Mortimer (Pencils and Inks) 1. Clark Kent, Dog Catcher! Script: UnknownPencils: Curt SwanInks: Sy Barry Could any story, no matter how silly, live up to that title?!? Let’s see! The drawing of Superboy in the splash page wonderfully conveys his awkward nervousness with Lana Lang’s accusations. (Superboy is so cute on those rare occasions when … Read More
The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #17
Sept.-Oct. 1954Editor: Julius SchwartzCover: Gil Kane (Pencils), Bernard Sachs (Inks) Looking back, it seems odd that in 1952 DC would rather take a chance on an unknown canine adventure series than give a new title to an established superhero like Green Arrow or Aquaman. Those heroes had been toiling away as back-up features in various magazines for a decade, but … Read More
Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #1
Sept.-Oct. 1954Editor: Mort WeisingerCover: Curt Swan (Pencils), Stan Kaye (Inks) The character of Jimmy Olsen, cub reporter at the Daily Planet, originated on the radio show The Adventures of Superman in 1940. Superman”™s creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster brought the character to comics in 1941, fleshing out his personality and physical appearance, but after using Jimmy in a handful … Read More