ACTION COMICS 51 (1942)
by Jerry Siegel & John Sikela
cover by Fred Ray
I’ve been dreading this moment since I started the villain origin retrospective. I really, really don’t like the Prankster… but he was for a time Superman’s second greatest enemy.
Yes, REALLY.
It’s now 1942 and both Superman and Lois Lane resemble their Silver Age versions more closely, but especially Clark Kent.
We don’t waste much time before we meet the Prankster himself. I wouldn’t say we’re exactly supposed to take him seriously, since, well… just look at him!
I reluctantly admit he has SOME potential here. In future stories he will be completely and utterly harmless, but he’s ruthless here.
Also his organization has already stolen $200,851.25, which is equivalent to $3,408,174.62 in 2021.
His “big job” involves robbing a bank… by not robbing a bank.
I see the cops of Superman stories are not much better than those in Batman stories.
Remember when I said Lois is now closer to her Silver Age incarnation?
However the bag doesn’t actually hide a bomb, just a clock and a lot of cash.
Banks have not changed much since 1942.
Of course we have to go through the whole thing a second time.
You might be wondering how the hell this is supposed to make money. The Prankster’s goons wonder the same thing!
ALL OF THIS was just to gain the confidence of the bank so that the Prankster could walk into the vault and rob it blind.
He didn’t need to get that much attention!!! Couldn’t he just walk into the bank and ask to deposit the $200,000 personally? What bank would object!?!?
And speaking of unnecessary steps, he takes Lois hostage, getting Superman’s attention.
According to dc.fandom.com, this is the 20th time Lois has been kidnapped.
Unfortunately for Superman we are already at the last page, so there isn’t enough time to actually see him go through the Prankster’s traps… we’re supposed to just imagine them, I suppose?
And so we end with the Prankster managing to escape capture, although without a penny.
That’s actually pretty rare for Golden Age Superman villains to end their stories alive and free.
Historical significance: 6/10
The Prankster turned out to be surprisingly popular, showing up at least once a year throughout the 40s and 50s.
Silver Age-ness: 8/10
His plan is top Silver Age, but loses point for actually killing someone.
Does it stand the test of time? 5/10
As nonsensical as it is, the Prankster’s plan is actually surprisingly fun. I could accept the plan not making any sense, as Prankster is a silly villain and not very sane, but if it’s the story that makes little sense…
How close is this to the modern character? 0/10
The Prankster’s popularity didn’t survive the Golden Age: he disappears completely in the 60s and has only a few scattered appearances in the 70s and early 80s.
John Byrne took him back after Crisis, keeping his original design: 
Even that version didn’t make a lasting impression, leading only to a few more appearances.
He was completely re-imagined in 2000 with a great gimmick: instead of making pranks to get himself rich, he created his own service for other supervillains… if you wanted to commit a crime in Metropolis or Gotham City, you would pay the Prankster to make a big diversion to keep the heroes busy. That’s actually clever, and he got a redesign that made him at least somewhat credible.
This being DC Comics, however, they couldn’t resist throwing away a great concept with an unnecessary reboot, and in 2011 the Prankster was re-imagined as a Nightwing villain (???) with an incredibly generic design.
Look nearly anything is better than Golden Age Prankster, but you had a great reimagining RIGHT THERE!!! Why turn the Prankster into a cheap ripoff of Flash’s villain Trickster!?