1. Action Comics vol.1 #34 - cover date March 1941 By 1941, Lois in near-constant peril has become a staple of the Superman stories. Kidnapped by crooks, imprisoned by petty tyrants, threatened with poisonous gas, death traps and super-scientific raybeams of all varieties and not to mention nearly becoming the victim of everyday tenement fires and collapsing buildings any given day of the week, threats to Lois’ life and limb happen so frequently that it runs the risk of becoming so much white noise in the background – ho-hum, she’s fallen off a building again. To keep Lois’ danger fresh, Superman’s writers had a few tools at their disposal; most often, they chose to simply replace Lois with another damsel they could conveniently distress. Having just engineered some timely escapes in a rustic setting for Miss Lane in the last issue of Action, it would have been repetitive to have Lois wander from trouble in the logging camp to trouble in the mines. Enter Doris Laurey, daughter of a coal magnate and recent inheritor of his profitable mines. The blonde Miss Laurey stands in well enough for Lois in terms of stepping blithely before her insidious uncle’s attempts to have her snuffed out, but substituting for Lois only seems to accentuate the unique qualities Lois brings to the table; the quick lip, the defiant chin, the stubborn self-reliance and her unsettling forwardness. More than that – in these early years, particularly – Lois has the luxury of becoming somewhat jaded about Superman, so while substitute women are fainting and gasping in their peril, we lose Lois’ easy quips in the face of danger…  

    Action Comics vol.1 #34 - cover date March 1941

    By 1941, Lois in near-constant peril has become a staple of the Superman stories. Kidnapped by crooks, imprisoned by petty tyrants, threatened with poisonous gas, death traps and super-scientific raybeams of all varieties and not to mention nearly becoming the victim of everyday tenement fires and collapsing buildings any given day of the week, threats to Lois’ life and limb happen so frequently that it runs the risk of becoming so much white noise in the background – ho-hum, she’s fallen off a building again.

    To keep Lois’ danger fresh, Superman’s writers had a few tools at their disposal; most often, they chose to simply replace Lois with another damsel they could conveniently distress. Having just engineered some timely escapes in a rustic setting for Miss Lane in the last issue of Action, it would have been repetitive to have Lois wander from trouble in the logging camp to trouble in the mines. Enter Doris Laurey, daughter of a coal magnate and recent inheritor of his profitable mines.

    The blonde Miss Laurey stands in well enough for Lois in terms of stepping blithely before her insidious uncle’s attempts to have her snuffed out, but substituting for Lois only seems to accentuate the unique qualities Lois brings to the table; the quick lip, the defiant chin, the stubborn self-reliance and her unsettling forwardness. More than that – in these early years, particularly – Lois has the luxury of becoming somewhat jaded about Superman, so while substitute women are fainting and gasping in their peril, we lose Lois’ easy quips in the face of danger…

     

  2. Action Comics vol.1 #33 - cover date February 1941 It wasn’t all that long ago – Action Comics #25, in fact – that Superman found himself totally vulnerable to the hypnotic power of the hateful Medini. A year later and Superman has added his own brand of super-hypnotism to his bag of tricks – to the detriment of the character, I might argue. Clark Kent and Lois Lane are investigating what appears to be a deliberate slow-down in production at a nearby lumber camp – the owner’s late brother had promised to donate all proceeds from the camp to charities for needy youths, but the current owner doesn’t intend to follow through on the promise. In the course of their journalistic snooping, Lois and Clark are captured, tied up and left to burn to death as the cabin surrounding them is set on fire! Clark, naturally, wracks his brain – how to change to Superman and save the day, but not reveal his dual identity to Lois? It’s the stuff of literally hundreds of Superman stories, a chance to pepper the action with a story-specific brain teaser; sometimes comic, generally dependent on specific circumstances, often the result of white-knuckle timing between life, death and chance. Despite the possibilities that present themselves in this scenario – smoke hides Clark’s transformation, Lois passes out from lack of oxygen, a crashing timber divides them – what happens is that Clark hypnotizes Lois. By his mental command, she will not remember what she is about to see. With that, Clark changes to Superman and saves the day, a briefly amnesiac Lois remains none-the-wiser to her meek co-worker’s dual identity, and this gimmick is ruined forever; If Superman can simply hypnotize potential witnesses into forgetting his dual identity, then why doesn’t he do that all the time? A world without worry awaits the Man of Steel and his powerful mental commands. Super-hypnotism remains on the books, albeit used infrequently, through the remainder of Superman’s career, for the better.  

    Action Comics vol.1 #33 - cover date February 1941

    It wasn’t all that long ago – Action Comics #25, in fact – that Superman found himself totally vulnerable to the hypnotic power of the hateful Medini. A year later and Superman has added his own brand of super-hypnotism to his bag of tricks – to the detriment of the character, I might argue.

    Clark Kent and Lois Lane are investigating what appears to be a deliberate slow-down in production at a nearby lumber camp – the owner’s late brother had promised to donate all proceeds from the camp to charities for needy youths, but the current owner doesn’t intend to follow through on the promise. In the course of their journalistic snooping, Lois and Clark are captured, tied up and left to burn to death as the cabin surrounding them is set on fire!

    Clark, naturally, wracks his brain – how to change to Superman and save the day, but not reveal his dual identity to Lois? It’s the stuff of literally hundreds of Superman stories, a chance to pepper the action with a story-specific brain teaser; sometimes comic, generally dependent on specific circumstances, often the result of white-knuckle timing between life, death and chance.

    Despite the possibilities that present themselves in this scenario – smoke hides Clark’s transformation, Lois passes out from lack of oxygen, a crashing timber divides them – what happens is that Clark hypnotizes Lois. By his mental command, she will not remember what she is about to see.

    With that, Clark changes to Superman and saves the day, a briefly amnesiac Lois remains none-the-wiser to her meek co-worker’s dual identity, and this gimmick is ruined forever; If Superman can simply hypnotize potential witnesses into forgetting his dual identity, then why doesn’t he do that all the time? A world without worry awaits the Man of Steel and his powerful mental commands.

    Super-hypnotism remains on the books, albeit used infrequently, through the remainder of Superman’s career, for the better.

     

  3. Superman vol.1 #8 - cover date Spring 1941 A trio of largely pedestrian menaces dominate the page-count in this issue of Superman; The Man of Steel battles fifth columnists, carnival con men and the gun-toting operatives of an insidious heroin ring, but it’s the book’s first tale - The Giants of Professor Zee - which stands out for its science fiction and gonzo body horror motifs. Zee (not to be confused with post-Crisis Superman villain Mister Z, nor - I’m informed by Wikipedia – the scientist who invented Justice Society baddie Per Degaton’s time machine) and his associate Dr.Cardos invent a device which turn men and animals into terrible giants. Sending his unstoppable, idiot colossi on bank-raiding missions into civilization, the mad scientists ultimately attract the attention of the Daily Planet and the Man of Tomorrow. Following a deathtrap ultimatum in which they threaten to turn Lois Lane into a mindless giant (for some reason they choose not to, but fake the transformation with a trick  mirror), the scientists are shut down by Superman and die ironically at the hands of their own invention. It’s a shame Zee didn’t survive or, like Luthor, only seemingly die and return later. He had the bonafides for a good mad scientist villain – an ominous name, a specific gimmick (even if he was preceded there by the Sunday strip’s Dr.Grout and his Giants of Doom Valley), and a wonderful habit of communicating with Superman by way of a powerful loudspeaker which rang bold, black letters off the sides of mountains…

    Superman vol.1 #8 - cover date Spring 1941

    A trio of largely pedestrian menaces dominate the page-count in this issue of Superman; The Man of Steel battles fifth columnists, carnival con men and the gun-toting operatives of an insidious heroin ring, but it’s the book’s first tale - The Giants of Professor Zee - which stands out for its science fiction and gonzo body horror motifs.

    Zee (not to be confused with post-Crisis Superman villain Mister Z, nor - I’m informed by Wikipedia – the scientist who invented Justice Society baddie Per Degaton’s time machine) and his associate Dr.Cardos invent a device which turn men and animals into terrible giants. Sending his unstoppable, idiot colossi on bank-raiding missions into civilization, the mad scientists ultimately attract the attention of the Daily Planet and the Man of Tomorrow. Following a deathtrap ultimatum in which they threaten to turn Lois Lane into a mindless giant (for some reason they choose not to, but fake the transformation with a trick  mirror), the scientists are shut down by Superman and die ironically at the hands of their own invention.

    It’s a shame Zee didn’t survive or, like Luthor, only seemingly die and return later. He had the bonafides for a good mad scientist villain – an ominous name, a specific gimmick (even if he was preceded there by the Sunday strip’s Dr.Grout and his Giants of Doom Valley), and a wonderful habit of communicating with Superman by way of a powerful loudspeaker which rang bold, black letters off the sides of mountains…

  4.  Action Comics vol.1 #32 - Cover date January 1941 From the mercantile perspective, there’s always been something missing from the Superman equation, and that was accessories. Sure, you could slap Superman’s face or insignia on anything from paddle-ball games to roller skates, you could roll out tee-shirts and wind-up toys, but what about all that sweet dough from accessories? If you wander down the toy aisle at your local megastore, you’ll see the opportunities that assorted geegaws provide a franchise; Captain America’s shield and helmet, Thor’s hammer, even Hulk hands – and then there’s Batman. A souped up car, a utility belt full of gadgets and weapons, a cave HQ, and a variety of costumes in every color of the rainbow for every specialized need, Batman’s got it all – In action figures alone, you could line up a dozen variations on the basic theme and never repeat so much as a seam. Superman, though, gets through life in one costume, no mask, no vehicle, no weapons, and a cape most kids are happy to duplicate with a red towel. This may be why Action Comics #32 introduces THE KRYPTO RAY-GUN, a device which Superman invents and employs against criminals. Despite its impressive handle, the Krypto Ray-Gun is basically a glorified all-in-one camera and slide projector, and its real-world analogue – for which the gun’s in-canon appearance was undoubtedly the impetus – did even less. On the toy shelves, kids could pick up a Krypto Ray-Gun of their own and flash pictures of Superman’s daring deeds onto the walls of their homes, for as long as its battery and light bulb lasted anyway. The Krypto Ray-Gun, as you might expect, never made another appearance, and additional toy-etic additions to Superman’s arsenal against crime remained exceptionally few and far between.

     Action Comics vol.1 #32 - Cover date January 1941

    From the mercantile perspective, there’s always been something missing from the Superman equation, and that was accessories. Sure, you could slap Superman’s face or insignia on anything from paddle-ball games to roller skates, you could roll out tee-shirts and wind-up toys, but what about all that sweet dough from accessories?

    If you wander down the toy aisle at your local megastore, you’ll see the opportunities that assorted geegaws provide a franchise; Captain America’s shield and helmet, Thor’s hammer, even Hulk hands – and then there’s Batman. A souped up car, a utility belt full of gadgets and weapons, a cave HQ, and a variety of costumes in every color of the rainbow for every specialized need, Batman’s got it all – In action figures alone, you could line up a dozen variations on the basic theme and never repeat so much as a seam.

    Superman, though, gets through life in one costume, no mask, no vehicle, no weapons, and a cape most kids are happy to duplicate with a red towel. This may be why Action Comics #32 introduces THE KRYPTO RAY-GUN, a device which Superman invents and employs against criminals.

    Despite its impressive handle, the Krypto Ray-Gun is basically a glorified all-in-one camera and slide projector, and its real-world analogue – for which the gun’s in-canon appearance was undoubtedly the impetus – did even less. On the toy shelves, kids could pick up a Krypto Ray-Gun of their own and flash pictures of Superman’s daring deeds onto the walls of their homes, for as long as its battery and light bulb lasted anyway.

    The Krypto Ray-Gun, as you might expect, never made another appearance, and additional toy-etic additions to Superman’s arsenal against crime remained exceptionally few and far between.

  5. The Howling CoyoteThe Adventures of Superman Radio Serial - December 1940 Clark and Jimmy are sent off by Perry White to investigate strange – and seemingly supernatural – happenings at the oil fields of Perry’s good friend Comanche Joe (who’s not SO good a friend that he doesn’t prank Perry with a death threat and a water pitcher-centric take on the old William Tell routine). Comanche Joe’s properties are under secret assault from a pair of crooks trying to scare him into selling his land cheap, rigging avalanches and disasters and utilizing an old myth about a banshee-like coyote spirit who howls in advance of certain death. What follows is a mash-up of Native American practices so generalized as to effectively be made of whole cloth, including Jimmy and Clark being ceremonially inducted into the local tribe (Jimmy’s “Comanche name” is appealingly “Little Laughing Squirrel”, and Clark’s is essentially “Ol’ Coke Bottles”). Excepting the cultural portmanteau, the portrayal of native culture in this serial stands head-and-shoulders above the previous portrayals of Incas, Mayans and Inuits, owing in no small part to the fact that the Comanche are the good guys this time around (Joe himself is one of the nation’s richest men, for that matter). Still, it’s far from complete redress of the ethnic excesses of the serial to date. Prior to that, Jimmy suffers a serious injury and becomes the second cast member (after Lois, in the comics) to receive an emergency blood transfusion from Superman himself. Nothing except sudden health and vitality results from the transfusion – Jimmy isn’t leaping over tall buildings or anything – but still Superman’s blood appears to harbor some pretty spectacular curative properties.

    The Howling Coyote
    The Adventures of Superman Radio Serial - December 1940

    Clark and Jimmy are sent off by Perry White to investigate strange – and seemingly supernatural – happenings at the oil fields of Perry’s good friend Comanche Joe (who’s not SO good a friend that he doesn’t prank Perry with a death threat and a water pitcher-centric take on the old William Tell routine).

    Comanche Joe’s properties are under secret assault from a pair of crooks trying to scare him into selling his land cheap, rigging avalanches and disasters and utilizing an old myth about a banshee-like coyote spirit who howls in advance of certain death. What follows is a mash-up of Native American practices so generalized as to effectively be made of whole cloth, including Jimmy and Clark being ceremonially inducted into the local tribe (Jimmy’s “Comanche name” is appealingly “Little Laughing Squirrel”, and Clark’s is essentially “Ol’ Coke Bottles”).

    Excepting the cultural portmanteau, the portrayal of native culture in this serial stands head-and-shoulders above the previous portrayals of Incas, Mayans and Inuits, owing in no small part to the fact that the Comanche are the good guys this time around (Joe himself is one of the nation’s richest men, for that matter). Still, it’s far from complete redress of the ethnic excesses of the serial to date.

    Prior to that, Jimmy suffers a serious injury and becomes the second cast member (after Lois, in the comics) to receive an emergency blood transfusion from Superman himself. Nothing except sudden health and vitality results from the transfusion – Jimmy isn’t leaping over tall buildings or anything – but still Superman’s blood appears to harbor some pretty spectacular curative properties.

  6. Luthor, Master of EvilSunday Newspaper Strips - December 22, 1940 to March 2, 1941 Terrible storms assault the city of Metropolis, masking a crimewave of epic proportions. Behind the flooding, robbery and ruin, Superman finds the malevolent LUTHOR - making his second exfoliated appearance as a gaunt, leering figure of abject menace.  With two shorn and shaved appearances under his belt, we don’t see the shaggy red-headed version of Lex Luthor again until he returns as an “alternate Earth” Luthor another thirty-plus years down the road…

    Luthor, Master of Evil
    Sunday Newspaper Strips - December 22, 1940 to March 2, 1941

    Terrible storms assault the city of Metropolis, masking a crimewave of epic proportions. Behind the flooding, robbery and ruin, Superman finds the malevolent LUTHOR - making his second exfoliated appearance as a gaunt, leering figure of abject menace. 

    With two shorn and shaved appearances under his belt, we don’t see the shaggy red-headed version of Lex Luthor again until he returns as an “alternate Earth” Luthor another thirty-plus years down the road…

  7. 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…

  8. Superman vol.1 #7 - Cover date Winter 1940 In this issue, Superman confronts a group of masked highwaymen calling themselves “The Black Gang” and headed by a sensation-seeking journalist. He also helps a crusading lawyer friend of Clark Kent’s surf the troubled waves of a crooked election for City Prosecutor.  These four original stories begin, however, with Superman playing the unusual role of detective, made even more extraordinary as he works in close collaboration with the police to clear one man’s name and send another to the electric chair. Although routinely advertised as equally powerful in intellect as physical strength, it’s rare to base a story around Superman’s deductive capabilities.  As for his chummy behavior with the boys in blue, Superman is at this point in his publishing history not only a household name but a bonafide cultural phenomenon. Rather than risking the ire of persnickety parents who might balk at Superman’s cantankerous cat-and-mouse game with Johnny Law, the powers-that-be at National begin to have Superman working side-by-side with legitimate authorities, so as to make sure he remains a positive role model for impressionable minds. A fourth story in this issue is notable because it involves a science fiction premise - A deadly imperceptible gas which turns people to glass is unleashed in Gay City, rendering Lois effectively immobile inside a bus station for fear of accidentally smashing her suddenly fragile, glass-transformed hand. Superman upends the crooks who released the gas as well as the scientist responsible, and is able to provide Lois an antidote in the nick of time.

    Superman vol.1 #7 - Cover date Winter 1940

    In this issue, Superman confronts a group of masked highwaymen calling themselves “The Black Gang” and headed by a sensation-seeking journalist. He also helps a crusading lawyer friend of Clark Kent’s surf the troubled waves of a crooked election for City Prosecutor. 

    These four original stories begin, however, with Superman playing the unusual role of detective, made even more extraordinary as he works in close collaboration with the police to clear one man’s name and send another to the electric chair. Although routinely advertised as equally powerful in intellect as physical strength, it’s rare to base a story around Superman’s deductive capabilities. 

    As for his chummy behavior with the boys in blue, Superman is at this point in his publishing history not only a household name but a bonafide cultural phenomenon. Rather than risking the ire of persnickety parents who might balk at Superman’s cantankerous cat-and-mouse game with Johnny Law, the powers-that-be at National begin to have Superman working side-by-side with legitimate authorities, so as to make sure he remains a positive role model for impressionable minds.

    A fourth story in this issue is notable because it involves a science fiction premise - A deadly imperceptible gas which turns people to glass is unleashed in Gay City, rendering Lois effectively immobile inside a bus station for fear of accidentally smashing her suddenly fragile, glass-transformed hand. Superman upends the crooks who released the gas as well as the scientist responsible, and is able to provide Lois an antidote in the nick of time.

  9. Action Comics vol.1 #31 - Cover date December 1940 A super-scientific crime wave strikes a town through which Lois and Clark happen to passing. Using an advanced sleeping gas to knock out the whole town, crooks bedecked in gas masks are robbing banks freely. Luckily Clark finds some spare masks, Superman is immune to the stuff anyway, and Lois is pretty susceptible to Superman’s Kryptonian Nerve Pinch when circumstances require that her gas mask “fail” and she sleep while an important quick-change takes place. In the end, the scientist responsible for the sleeping formula repents and hands it over to the US Government , which – along with the now-captured crooks - is what constitutes a happy ending for this tale.

    Action Comics vol.1 #31 - Cover date December 1940

    A super-scientific crime wave strikes a town through which Lois and Clark happen to passing. Using an advanced sleeping gas to knock out the whole town, crooks bedecked in gas masks are robbing banks freely.

    Luckily Clark finds some spare masks, Superman is immune to the stuff anyway, and Lois is pretty susceptible to Superman’s Kryptonian Nerve Pinch when circumstances require that her gas mask “fail” and she sleep while an important quick-change takes place.

    In the end, the scientist responsible for the sleeping formula repents and hands it over to the US Government , which – along with the now-captured crooks - is what constitutes a happy ending for this tale.

  10.

    The Five Million Dollar Gold Heist
    The Adventures of Superman Radio Serial - November

    Clark – this time, with Lois in tow – finds himself back on a train with another 5 million dollar payday in jeopardy.  Facing down a clandestine organization of thieves and murderers led by a mysterious ringleader known only as “The Boss”, Clark’s problems are multiplied when he almost gives his secret identity away to Lois. Pulled out of the path of runaway truck, Lois muses on Clark’s iron-like grip - is there something more to her timid partner than meets the eye?

    The Five Million Dollar Gold heist ends with the crooks getting their comeuppance and an ominous lead-in - an Indian “death-symbol” of stones on Perry White’s desk, a deadly arrow shattering a water pitcher - to the next serial.

    You can listen to this episode - and many others - via Internet Archive.