Superman (Vol.1) No's. 296-299 Cover Date(s): Jan.1976-May 1976 Written By: Cary Bates and Elliot S! Maggin Pencils: Curt Swan Inks: Bob Oksner With this four-part epic (a relatively rare event in the Superman books of the time), Cary Bates and Elliot Maggin presented our hero with an impossible choice; whether to live the rest of his life as Superman, full-time defender of Earth with powers far beyond those of mortal men, or permanently retire to a relatively carefree life as a powerless Clark Kent. The plot device that necessitates this choice is, ultimately, pretty standard comics fare, but it allows the writers to address issues central to the Superman mythos, and results in what is perhaps Clark Kent's finest hour. Does Superman owe the world 24-hour protection? Is Earth's greatest protector worthy of the occasional break? What kind of man might Clark Kent have been, if not for his double life? Can Lois, Jimmy and the rest of his "friends" really ever understand Superman, much less support him in his time of need? All questions examined in this storyline...

Part I: Who Took The Super Out Of Superman?

It is revealed that on the same day baby Kal-El arrived on Earth, another spacecraft landed elsewhere in the US, this one bearing what looks like a human male in a business suit. His intentions are far less altruistic than Kal-El's however, as he disintegrates the men who find his ship. Over the years, the alien follows the career of Superboy, then Superman, and reports back regularly to his alien masters.

Cut to the present. WGBS sportscaster Steve Lombard is nearly hit by a cab when he runs impulsively into the street to catch a child's football. Clark Kent knocks Steve clear of danger and takes the hit himself. Later, Clark regains conciousness in a hospital bed and is astonished to learn he really was hurt in the accident, and that a doctor has successfully injected him with a tranquilizer via hypodermic needle.

Left alone briefly, Clark changes to his Superman outfit (conveniently compressed to the size of a wad of gum and held under his tongue! No kidding!) and walks out of the hospital. Spotting a crime in progress, he finds his powers returned and captures the bad guys. Heading to his apartment, he deduces that due to some mysterious effect, he is now powerless as Clark, but as powerful as ever when dressed as Superman. He realizes it's time to decide which identity to live in for the rest of his life.

Watching over all these events is the mysterious Mr. Xavier, Clark's next door neighbor whom neither he nor the other building tenants have ever seen. We readers have, though...he is the mysterious alien from the beginning of the story!

Part II: Clark Kent Forever...Superman Never!

After one last super-feat, Superman decides to hang up his costume and live a full seven days as plain old Clark Kent. "Hopefully," he muses, "I'll learn what the real Clark Kent is like in the process!"

Later, Clark and Lois are in a restaurant when Steve Lombard shows up, acting his normal arrogant, bullying self. This time, however, Clark has had enough and sends Steve tumbling from his chair with the dinner table and its contents spilling over him! Leaving the restaurant, Clark witnesses a crisis as the Metropolis subway is flooded with water. Immediately tossing aside his promise to himself, he begins to change to Superman, only to remember he left his costume in his apartment, and lacks the superspeed needed to fetch it, or to help in any way.

Fortunately, emergency crews are able to handle the crisis, and Clark resolves to stick to his week-long "experiment." That night Lois Lane, impressed with Clark's earlier display of backbone, shows up at his apartment and cooks him dinner. Clark sweeps her off her feet and the two make out (and perhaps more!) on his couch!

Whatever happened on that date, it sure left Lois happy! Check out Great Rao's site for more images.

The next day, Clark tells off his insufferable boss Morgan Edge and when Steve Lombard makes more trouble, he decks him! Then, hot on the trail of the mafia-like "Inter-Gang," the de-powered Kent goes on a dangerous evidence-gathering mission and ends up defeating several hoodlums in combat. Meanwhile, that mysterious Mr. Xavier has stolen space jewels from Clark's apartment, and is still up to no good...

Part III: Clark Kent, Get Out Of My Life!

Superman is troubled by dreams in which tragedies and injustices go unprevented while he indulges in a selfish life as Clark Kent. He vows to spend 24 hours a day in his Superman persona to see if he can do without Clark forever.

There are plenty of crises to keep him busy, and meanwhile the world wonders what's become of Clark Kent. Lois, now in love with Clark, is worried he's been killed by Inter-Gang. The gang's leaders are due to go on trial, and without Clark's testimony, the outcome of the case is very much in doubt. In fact, an Inter-Gang hitman is sent to Kent's apartment, but he has the misfortune of finding Mr. Xavier instead, and is blasted to atoms.

Superman approaches Lois, then later Jimmy Olsen, to discuss a problem, but finds little sympathy. A supervillain is on the loose; why isn't Superman on the job? After a spectacular battle, Superman outwits the villain (who uses a solar-powered costume to match Superman's powers) and muses that he now knows which identity to hold onto for all time. (But we don't!)

Back at Clark's apartment building, Mr. Xavier is ready for the final phase of his plan; the destruction of Earth (As if it could be anything less. This is a Superman comic, you know).

Part IV: The Double-Or-Nothing Life of Superman!

We learn the details of Xavier's mission; he's to destroy the Earth to make way for a teleportation route through our solar system. His job is to find the planet's greatest power source to make this happen, and he has; Superman's body! Using the space jewels he stole from Clark's apartment, he will somehow harness that power towards his goal.

Off at the Fortress of Solitude, Superman prepares for his future life in one of his identities (we still don't know which!) when an alarm goes off. Using his X-ray vision, he spies nine of his greatest foes hanging out in Clark Kent's apartment! Speeding to Metropolis, he finds the villains have left, but a sudden hunch sends him to the Egyptian pyramids, where he defeats three of them: Toyman, Terra-Man and the Prankster.

Stopping off at the WGBS offices for a spare suit of clothes, Superman goes to court to deliver the essential Inter-Gang testimony as Clark Kent, and discovers he still has super-powers, even though he's dressed in Clark's clothes! He then realizes that someone has tampered with all the clothes in his apartment, somehow treating them to block the rays of Earth's yellow sun, thus making him powerless as Clark. But whoever it was could not have treated his spare suit at the office, so the plot is revealed.

In the Rocky Mountains, Superman subdues the next three villains; Mxyzptlk, Luthor and the Parasite. Then he's off to a forest to battle Amalak and Brainiac. Finally he takes on Kryptonite Man. Out in space, Xavier's alien masters wait for Earth to blow up, but Superman has tumbled to their plot. He has deduced that Xavier is manipulating events to keep Superman expending great amounts of energy, and that by punching Kryptonite Man, he'll trigger the blast that shatters Earth. To get around this, he's put on his treated Kent clothes under his super-suit, so when he kayoes Kryptonite Man, it's as a normal man, not a Superman.

With Earth saved, Clark goes back to his old ways as a perpetual milksop, leaving Lois -- and probably a lot of readers -- frustrated. But balance is restored as Clark Kent and Superman once again exist together in one body.

My Thoughts

It's probably hard for today's readers to understand the appeal this story held 24 years ago. In today's comics, Clark Kent is a football hero, a prize-winning author and a fashion plate. But in 1976, Clark was an utter wimp, and had been for decades. For all us Walter Mitty types, he was a point of identification, the long-suffering nice guy who wasn't very coordinated or athletic, was awkward around women and generally got the short end of every stick.

Having Clark finally punch out Steve Lombard, much less date Lois Lane, was akin to having Charlie Brown finally find a Valentine in his mailbox, or kick that darned football before Lucy could pull it away. Somehow we knew that at story's end, everything would go back to normal, but it was fun while it lasted. At least we'd always have that one week when Clark cut loose, and that night when Lois showed up to cook a romantic dinner (to this day, the words "beef bourguignon" will get a smile from fans who were there!).

Aside from the wish-fulfillment, however, this storyline served as a thoughtful examination of why the Clark/Superman arrangement works. Many writers and readers had struggled for years wondering why an all powerful being would want to pose as a powerless wimp. Was he mocking Lois and the others, laughing up his sleeve at their inability to see through the disguise? Was he trying to teach himself something about humility? Was he in fact deranged, actually believing he was more than one person?

Here Bates and Maggin offer perhaps the most appealing and logical answer: Clark Kent is what keeps Superman grounded, and maybe even what keeps him sane. The Clark Kent disguise allows Superman to interact with human beings on their own level, to talk to them as an equal. As Superman, he is expected to have all the answers and work constantly on everyone else's problems. But as Clark he is allowed to relax and take comfort in the company of friends. Is that a selfish indulgence? Does Superman even have the right to relax while even one life, somewhere, may be in danger? The answer given here is "yes." Without the occasional break, being a Superman would be too hard for even Kal-El.

Besides, he's earned it.