1. The Scientists of Sudden DeathSuperman daily newspaper strip (Apr 21 - May 22) The League to Destroy Superman gets an official moniker by way of The Scientists of Sudden Death – I told you it was a good name – and their chairman, crooked real estate magnate Ralph Roland, draws up the batting order: First it’s Dr.Carlos, then Coker, then three men with the unlikely surnames of Slag, Fant, and Sleez, and lastly the beautiful blonde big game hunter Liv Danvers, aka The Blonde Tigress! She blames Superman for the murder of her father and she is champing at the bit to have her chance at the Man of Steel! Dr.Carlos goes first, however, and becomes the first criminal to notice the apparent connection between Superman and Lois Lane. Abducting the star reporter, Carlos and his henchman place her in a glass-protected nook in the Doctor’s insidious hotbox, a steel-enclosed room which can have its temperatures raised high enough to kill even Superman! He may go down in the history books as the first baddie to use Lois as bait, but he doesn’t live to tell about it; succumbing to the terrible heat and helplessly watching as Lois’ glass-protected nook begins to buckle to the point of rupture, Superman has no choice but to break through the protective glass behind which Carlos, his henchman and the room’s temperature controls reside. Carlos doesn’t survive the tremendous heat now rushing into his control room, but the Scientists of Sudden Death have a whole roster waiting to take up the slack.

    The Scientists of Sudden Death
    Superman daily newspaper strip (Apr 21 - May 22)

    The League to Destroy Superman gets an official moniker by way of The Scientists of Sudden Death – I told you it was a good name – and their chairman, crooked real estate magnate Ralph Roland, draws up the batting order: First it’s Dr.Carlos, then Coker, then three men with the unlikely surnames of Slag, Fant, and Sleez, and lastly the beautiful blonde big game hunter Liv Danvers, aka The Blonde Tigress! She blames Superman for the murder of her father and she is champing at the bit to have her chance at the Man of Steel!

    Dr.Carlos goes first, however, and becomes the first criminal to notice the apparent connection between Superman and Lois Lane. Abducting the star reporter, Carlos and his henchman place her in a glass-protected nook in the Doctor’s insidious hotbox, a steel-enclosed room which can have its temperatures raised high enough to kill even Superman!

    He may go down in the history books as the first baddie to use Lois as bait, but he doesn’t live to tell about it; succumbing to the terrible heat and helplessly watching as Lois’ glass-protected nook begins to buckle to the point of rupture, Superman has no choice but to break through the protective glass behind which Carlos, his henchman and the room’s temperature controls reside. Carlos doesn’t survive the tremendous heat now rushing into his control room, but the Scientists of Sudden Death have a whole roster waiting to take up the slack.

  2. The League To Destroy SupermanSuperman Daily Newspaper Strip - March 10, 1941 to April 19, 1941 The daily newspaper strip will spend the better part of 1941 pitting Superman against a coterie of revenge-driven killers and madmen. Having put away a number of crooks and thugs, and having foiled no small share of inventive and insidious plots, Superman has easily acquired the ire of  all sorts of nefarious nogoodniks who have been, up to this point, merely sitting around and brooding about revenge. It takes a crooked real estate mogul named Roland to bring them together under a single roof, calling on his fellow crooks to contribute funds to make for a million dollar bounty on the Man of Steel’s head and then entertaining all comers as they pitch their schemes to kill Superman. It’s like Dragon’s Den for bad guys, an American Idol of super-assassins… Although the Superman Revenge Squad will become a popular set of adversaries later on in Superman’s Silver Age, Roland’s assembly predates them by a couple of decades - making them the FIRST team of baddies dedicated to Superman’s destruction (and possibly the first dedicated revenge squad in comics). They won;t have a name until the next chapter of the arc (it’s a good one, though), but they’ve already secured a place in Superman lore.

    The League To Destroy Superman
    Superman Daily Newspaper Strip - March 10, 1941 to April 19, 1941

    The daily newspaper strip will spend the better part of 1941 pitting Superman against a coterie of revenge-driven killers and madmen. Having put away a number of crooks and thugs, and having foiled no small share of inventive and insidious plots, Superman has easily acquired the ire of  all sorts of nefarious nogoodniks who have been, up to this point, merely sitting around and brooding about revenge.
    It takes a crooked real estate mogul named Roland to bring them together under a single roof, calling on his fellow crooks to contribute funds to make for a million dollar bounty on the Man of Steel’s head and then entertaining all comers as they pitch their schemes to kill Superman. It’s like Dragon’s Den for bad guys, an American Idol of super-assassins…
    Although the Superman Revenge Squad will become a popular set of adversaries later on in Superman’s Silver Age, Roland’s assembly predates them by a couple of decades - making them the FIRST team of baddies dedicated to Superman’s destruction (and possibly the first dedicated revenge squad in comics). They won;t have a name until the next chapter of the arc (it’s a good one, though), but they’ve already secured a place in Superman lore.

  3. The Meekest Man in the WorldSuperman Daily Newspaper Strip - December 2, 1940 to March 8 Spurred to action by a letter sent to the Planet’s reluctant agony aunt – a temporarily demoted Lois Lane - Clark Kent finds himself drawn to the plight of lovelorn Eustace Watson. More man than mouse, Eustace’s meek personality makes Superman’s faint-hearted alter-ego look like Sir Galahad on a rager; abused in equal measure by his landlady, his bus driver and fellow bus patrons, his local newsagent, his boss, his coworkers and – insult to injury – even the guy who runs the elevators, Eustace seems like a lost cause. When Superman steps in to take Eustace’s place, it must seem like a vacation for the Clark Kent side of his personality. Decked out in Eustace’s duds and using his every-now-and-again superpower of tensing his facial muscles with such expert skill that he takes on another person’s likeness, Superman puts himself in a brand-new scenario – dressed up like a gutless dandy but behaving like a lion. In short order, Superman sets Eustace’s many tormentors to rights – he barks the landlady into submission, physically threatens the bullying commuter into terrified submission, stuffs cheap cigars down the newsagent’s throat and bowls over his coworker. The guy who runs the elevators, though? Superman lets that guy get away with it. Maybe Superman has a soft spot for elevator operators, who knows? This story arc ends up running for more than three months, during which time Superman finds plenty of reasons to put “Eustace” in all sorts of daring and dangerous situations. As an artifact of the character, it’s a window into a world where the line between the Man of Steel and his shrinking violet of an alter-ego is blurred to the point of non-existence, and Clark Kent is as lion-hearted as Superman…

    The Meekest Man in the World
    Superman Daily Newspaper Strip - December 2, 1940 to March 8

    Spurred to action by a letter sent to the Planet’s reluctant agony aunt – a temporarily demoted Lois Lane - Clark Kent finds himself drawn to the plight of lovelorn Eustace Watson. More man than mouse, Eustace’s meek personality makes Superman’s faint-hearted alter-ego look like Sir Galahad on a rager; abused in equal measure by his landlady, his bus driver and fellow bus patrons, his local newsagent, his boss, his coworkers and – insult to injury – even the guy who runs the elevators, Eustace seems like a lost cause.

    When Superman steps in to take Eustace’s place, it must seem like a vacation for the Clark Kent side of his personality. Decked out in Eustace’s duds and using his every-now-and-again superpower of tensing his facial muscles with such expert skill that he takes on another person’s likeness, Superman puts himself in a brand-new scenario – dressed up like a gutless dandy but behaving like a lion.

    In short order, Superman sets Eustace’s many tormentors to rights – he barks the landlady into submission, physically threatens the bullying commuter into terrified submission, stuffs cheap cigars down the newsagent’s throat and bowls over his coworker. The guy who runs the elevators, though? Superman lets that guy get away with it. Maybe Superman has a soft spot for elevator operators, who knows?

    This story arc ends up running for more than three months, during which time Superman finds plenty of reasons to put “Eustace” in all sorts of daring and dangerous situations. As an artifact of the character, it’s a window into a world where the line between the Man of Steel and his shrinking violet of an alter-ego is blurred to the point of non-existence, and Clark Kent is as lion-hearted as Superman…

  4. Pawns of the MasterSuperman Daily Newspaper Strip - October 7, 1940 to November 30, 1940 Luthor debuts in the daily newspaper strips but with more than a few cosmetic changes.   Divested of his usual classy suit (or cultish robes), about half of his stocky body mass, his upright posture and – most notably – his scarlet tresses, this appearance marks Luthor’s debut as the iconic bald villain he’ll be known as for more than seventy years. The story usually bandied about is that the artist on this arc – specifically, Wayne Boring – mistook one of Luthor’s henchmen in a previous issue of Superman’s self-titled comic for Luthor himself. The only problem with that story is that the henchman in question – bald head aside – doesn’t much resemble this interpretation of Luthor. For one thing, the henchman was burly, powerful, possibly overweight, stocky and standing straight upright. Pawns of the Master’s Luthor, by contrast, is a shriveled, hunched-over and gaunt figure, with a witch-like maw for a mouth and wizened, clutching hands. If Boring has mistaken one of Luthor’s hirelings for the man himself, then he did a poor job re-rendering him. What other reasons could there be for the change? Well, there’s every chance that Boring mistook the early appearances of Superman’s original mad scientist foe The Ultra-Humanite as early Luthor appearances. In the same vein, it’s not impossible that Siegel asked for the change directly – Ultra had been his original stroke of villainous genius, he might’ve been interested in fusing the finer qualities of Luthor and Ultra now that the former was getting name recognition with the audience. Just as likely is that it wasn’t Luthor’s henchman who inspired Boring’s redesign, but another Superman foe. At the same time that the newspaper strips were being put together, artwork showing other gaunt, bald super-menaces were making the rounds at the studio; one, an ad for the radio show portraying the returning villain The Yellow Mask and, in the pages of Action, a similarly built figure calling himself Zolar (pictures coming soon). It’s easy enough to imagine that Boring mistook one of these fellas for Luthor…

    Pawns of the Master
    Superman Daily Newspaper Strip - October 7, 1940 to November 30, 1940

    Luthor debuts in the daily newspaper strips but with more than a few cosmetic changes.  

    Divested of his usual classy suit (or cultish robes), about half of his stocky body mass, his upright posture and – most notably – his scarlet tresses, this appearance marks Luthor’s debut as the iconic bald villain he’ll be known as for more than seventy years.

    The story usually bandied about is that the artist on this arc – specifically, Wayne Boring – mistook one of Luthor’s henchmen in a previous issue of Superman’s self-titled comic for Luthor himself.

    The only problem with that story is that the henchman in question – bald head aside – doesn’t much resemble this interpretation of Luthor. For one thing, the henchman was burly, powerful, possibly overweight, stocky and standing straight upright. Pawns of the Master’s Luthor, by contrast, is a shriveled, hunched-over and gaunt figure, with a witch-like maw for a mouth and wizened, clutching hands. If Boring has mistaken one of Luthor’s hirelings for the man himself, then he did a poor job re-rendering him.

    What other reasons could there be for the change? Well, there’s every chance that Boring mistook the early appearances of Superman’s original mad scientist foe The Ultra-Humanite as early Luthor appearances. In the same vein, it’s not impossible that Siegel asked for the change directly – Ultra had been his original stroke of villainous genius, he might’ve been interested in fusing the finer qualities of Luthor and Ultra now that the former was getting name recognition with the audience.

    Just as likely is that it wasn’t Luthor’s henchman who inspired Boring’s redesign, but another Superman foe. At the same time that the newspaper strips were being put together, artwork showing other gaunt, bald super-menaces were making the rounds at the studio; one, an ad for the radio show portraying the returning villain The Yellow Mask and, in the pages of Action, a similarly built figure calling himself Zolar (pictures coming soon). It’s easy enough to imagine that Boring mistook one of these fellas for Luthor…

  5. The Hooded SaboteurSuperman Daily Newspaper Strip - September 2, 1940 to October 5, 1940 Lois and Clark are joined by a new reporter just in time to uncover a factory fire and a hooded figure responsible for the sabotage. It’s not exactly difficult to guess at the masked firebug’s identity – there is, after all, only one new character introduced in this story – but at the very least he’s not acting alone, there’s an entire hooded society of secret saboteurs at work. It’s not only pretty easy to suss out the identity of the key saboteur, it also doesn’t take much in the way additional imagination to recognize the similarities between this group of white-hooded arsonists and the more pernicious, infamous one down South. The KKK was firmly on Siegel’s (and most of the nation’s) radar, and would become a target of the radio show in a pretty spectacular way a little bit down the road…

    The Hooded Saboteur
    Superman Daily Newspaper Strip - September 2, 1940 to October 5, 1940

    Lois and Clark are joined by a new reporter just in time to uncover a factory fire and a hooded figure responsible for the sabotage. It’s not exactly difficult to guess at the masked firebug’s identity – there is, after all, only one new character introduced in this story – but at the very least he’s not acting alone, there’s an entire hooded society of secret saboteurs at work.

    It’s not only pretty easy to suss out the identity of the key saboteur, it also doesn’t take much in the way additional imagination to recognize the similarities between this group of white-hooded arsonists and the more pernicious, infamous one down South. The KKK was firmly on Siegel’s (and most of the nation’s) radar, and would become a target of the radio show in a pretty spectacular way a little bit down the road…

  6. King of the Kidnapping RingSuperman Daily Newspaper Strip - July 8, 1940 to August 31, 1940 At this point in Superman’s origin, there is practically no end to the number of “firsts” contained in these early stories. In this case, it’s Superman’s first near-miss with a public undressing. Clark must go undercover – sans glasses – as a dirty and shiftless drifter in an attempt to infiltrate a kidnapping ring which has claimed, among its other victims, Lois Lane and a careless young heiress she’d been sent to interview. Choosing to wear his Superman togs under his hobo rags, Superman is in a pickle when the rest of the gang insists he change into something more presentable – without the benefit of a dressing room. It’s the first time Clark has found himself in a situation where he’s in danger of revealing the costume hidden beneath his clothes.  In later stories, it would become a common danger and Clark’s solutions typically involved removing it at super-speed (then compressing it down small enough to hide in a pocket or, at least on one occasion, compressing it to the size of a pill and swallowing it). In this case, he’s saved at the last moment – the gang was just hazing him, there actually was a dressing room available all along. Whew!

    King of the Kidnapping Ring
    Superman Daily Newspaper Strip - July 8, 1940 to August 31, 1940

    At this point in Superman’s origin, there is practically no end to the number of “firsts” contained in these early stories. In this case, it’s Superman’s first near-miss with a public undressing.

    Clark must go undercover – sans glasses – as a dirty and shiftless drifter in an attempt to infiltrate a kidnapping ring which has claimed, among its other victims, Lois Lane and a careless young heiress she’d been sent to interview. Choosing to wear his Superman togs under his hobo rags, Superman is in a pickle when the rest of the gang insists he change into something more presentable – without the benefit of a dressing room.

    It’s the first time Clark has found himself in a situation where he’s in danger of revealing the costume hidden beneath his clothes.  In later stories, it would become a common danger and Clark’s solutions typically involved removing it at super-speed (then compressing it down small enough to hide in a pocket or, at least on one occasion, compressing it to the size of a pill and swallowing it). In this case, he’s saved at the last moment – the gang was just hazing him, there actually was a dressing room available all along. Whew!

  7. The Unknown StrikesSuperman Daily Newspaper Strip - May 13, 1940 to July 6, 1940 Metropolis is besieged by a crime wave the likes of which Daily Planet reporters Lois Lane and Clark Kent have never seen – and worse yet, the police are actively ignoring it! Robberies are being carried out under the nose of Metropolis’ Finest with even Lois and Clark’s stalwart ally in the police force, Sergeant (sometimes Captain) Casey choosing to police a fender-bender rather than curtail a bank crime in progress. It’s discovered that the city is secretly being held hostage by “The Unknown”, a mysterious figure who has planted explosives randomly throughout Metropolis and threatens to set them off unless the city allows him his crime-spree. This is one of the most fast-paced, thrilling and complicated stories from Superman’s early newspaper years, told in the trademark breakneck Siegel style. There’s car chases, intrigue in high office, and explosions wracking the city – which results in a multi-episode arc where Superman must save an abandoned infant from the highest floors of a hotel building even as flames and explosion bring it shuddering to the ground. The rescue is one of at least two great scenes from this storyline (not to even mention the revelation of The Unknown’s identity), not the least of which because it marks a turning point in Superman’s reputation. Once a shadowy and little-known figure mistrusted by the police and held in suspicion an disbelief by the few who met him, now even the cops recognize him as not just a force for good but as a bonafide super-hero. The real star of the episode, though, may be Lois Lane. When Clark convinces city editor George Taylor to shelve Lois’ expose on the city’s capitulation to The Unknown, Lois explodes; she’s firmly in the right and she lets Clark have it with both barrels, verbally and with a potently rendered slap across the face. 

    The Unknown Strikes
    Superman Daily Newspaper Strip - May 13, 1940 to July 6, 1940

    Metropolis is besieged by a crime wave the likes of which Daily Planet reporters Lois Lane and Clark Kent have never seen – and worse yet, the police are actively ignoring it! Robberies are being carried out under the nose of Metropolis’ Finest with even Lois and Clark’s stalwart ally in the police force, Sergeant (sometimes Captain) Casey choosing to police a fender-bender rather than curtail a bank crime in progress.

    It’s discovered that the city is secretly being held hostage by “The Unknown”, a mysterious figure who has planted explosives randomly throughout Metropolis and threatens to set them off unless the city allows him his crime-spree.

    This is one of the most fast-paced, thrilling and complicated stories from Superman’s early newspaper years, told in the trademark breakneck Siegel style. There’s car chases, intrigue in high office, and explosions wracking the city – which results in a multi-episode arc where Superman must save an abandoned infant from the highest floors of a hotel building even as flames and explosion bring it shuddering to the ground.

    The rescue is one of at least two great scenes from this storyline (not to even mention the revelation of The Unknown’s identity), not the least of which because it marks a turning point in Superman’s reputation. Once a shadowy and little-known figure mistrusted by the police and held in suspicion an disbelief by the few who met him, now even the cops recognize him as not just a force for good but as a bonafide super-hero.

    The real star of the episode, though, may be Lois Lane. When Clark convinces city editor George Taylor to shelve Lois’ expose on the city’s capitulation to The Unknown, Lois explodes; she’s firmly in the right and she lets Clark have it with both barrels, verbally and with a potently rendered slap across the face. 

  8. “The Big Boss”Superman Daily Newspaper Strip - April 22, 1940 to May 11, 1940 It’s been a long time since Lois has accepted one of Clark’s doggedly persistent dinner invitations solely for the purpose of getting closer to a potential story, so it’s nice to see the trope pop up again in this short yarn. Prohibition-era big shot Pinelli is out of jail and assembling a new gang from the back room of a seedy restaurant. Lois arranges for an abashed Clark to get in a scuffle with a tough waiter in order to create a distraction during which our fearless lady reporter manages to get the scoop of the ensuing plan for crime – and also get into deep trouble when her snooping is discovered. Superman, for his part, saves the day by shrugging off not just bullets but a truck, a tank, a two-pound cannonball and a room full of explosives.  More importantly, though, the Man of Steel briefly gives in to panic when an explosion seems to have ended Lois’ life an lets his emotions briefly show. It’s only a panel, but it adds a little fuel to the romantic fire…

    “The Big Boss”
    Superman Daily Newspaper Strip - April 22, 1940 to May 11, 1940

    It’s been a long time since Lois has accepted one of Clark’s doggedly persistent dinner invitations solely for the purpose of getting closer to a potential story, so it’s nice to see the trope pop up again in this short yarn. Prohibition-era big shot Pinelli is out of jail and assembling a new gang from the back room of a seedy restaurant. Lois arranges for an abashed Clark to get in a scuffle with a tough waiter in order to create a distraction during which our fearless lady reporter manages to get the scoop of the ensuing plan for crime – and also get into deep trouble when her snooping is discovered.

    Superman, for his part, saves the day by shrugging off not just bullets but a truck, a tank, a two-pound cannonball and a room full of explosives.  More importantly, though, the Man of Steel briefly gives in to panic when an explosion seems to have ended Lois’ life an lets his emotions briefly show. It’s only a panel, but it adds a little fuel to the romantic fire…


  9. “Trouble in the Tenements”Superman Daily Newspaper Strip - March 4, 1940 to April 20, 1940 Clark Kent takes up a crusade – in print, on the radio and even on newsreel – to raise awareness of the tragic living conditions in Metropolis’ ramshackle tenements while Superman takes care of the slumlords and racketeers who profit from the victims of this poverty.  Also encouraging Clark in his tireless campaign for safer housing may be the affectionate attentions of the lovely Barbara, whose young and troubled brother Clark takes under his wing, installing him as a trusted gofer at the Daily Planet.  Barbara’s affection for Superman’s alter ego occasionally seems to exceed mere gratitude — much to Lois’ annoyance. We have here, possibly for the first time, if not a rival for Lois’ affections then at least the first woman to show interest in Clark Kent solely for himself.  It also changes Lois’ relationship – suddenly faced with a rival for Clark’s hangdog affection, our Miss Lane finds that she seems to miss her Mister Kent’s hopeless devotion… Outside of the romantic subplot, there’s a slick three-fer of Superman’s graceful problem-solving tactics at display here; he terrifies one crooked official into going straight, forces a landlord to recant his errant ways by exposing him to the horrors of his own tenements, and gives Barbara’s disheartened brother a chance to find his self-confidence. 

    “Trouble in the Tenements”
    Superman Daily Newspaper Strip - March 4, 1940 to April 20, 1940

    Clark Kent takes up a crusade – in print, on the radio and even on newsreel – to raise awareness of the tragic living conditions in Metropolis’ ramshackle tenements while Superman takes care of the slumlords and racketeers who profit from the victims of this poverty. 

    Also encouraging Clark in his tireless campaign for safer housing may be the affectionate attentions of the lovely Barbara, whose young and troubled brother Clark takes under his wing, installing him as a trusted gofer at the Daily Planet. 

    Barbara’s affection for Superman’s alter ego occasionally seems to exceed mere gratitude — much to Lois’ annoyance. We have here, possibly for the first time, if not a rival for Lois’ affections then at least the first woman to show interest in Clark Kent solely for himself.  It also changes Lois’ relationship – suddenly faced with a rival for Clark’s hangdog affection, our Miss Lane finds that she seems to miss her Mister Kent’s hopeless devotion…

    Outside of the romantic subplot, there’s a slick three-fer of Superman’s graceful problem-solving tactics at display here; he terrifies one crooked official into going straight, forces a landlord to recant his errant ways by exposing him to the horrors of his own tenements, and gives Barbara’s disheartened brother a chance to find his self-confidence. 

  10. “Superman Goes To War”Superman Daily Newspaper Strip - December 18, 1939 to March 2, 1940 The daily newspaper strip wraps up 1939 with a dynamic story of sabotage and danger. Clark Kent uncovers enemy agents staging disasters around the United States in order to draw the country’s considerable forces into the world war which was dramatically announced at the end of the last arc.  Reminiscent of his desperate efforts the save the town of Valleyho way back in Action Comics #5, Superman here must save Elmore from the intentional bursting of its own dam. A few of Superman’s familiar - if not terribly often-used - powers and tactics make debuts in this arc, including his mighty “super-shout” and his ability to carve deep trenches in the Earth in the blink of an eye - changing, as it were, the course of mighty rivers …

    “Superman Goes To War”
    Superman Daily Newspaper Strip - December 18, 1939 to March 2, 1940


    The daily newspaper strip wraps up 1939 with a dynamic story of sabotage and danger. Clark Kent uncovers enemy agents staging disasters around the United States in order to draw the country’s considerable forces into the world war which was dramatically announced at the end of the last arc. 

    Reminiscent of his desperate efforts the save the town of Valleyho way back in Action Comics #5, Superman here must save Elmore from the intentional bursting of its own dam. A few of Superman’s familiar - if not terribly often-used - powers and tactics make debuts in this arc, including his mighty “super-shout” and his ability to carve deep trenches in the Earth in the blink of an eye - changing, as it were, the course of mighty rivers …