Action Comics #363-364

Action Comics #363 (1968)
by Leo Dorfman & Ross Andru
cover by Neal Adams

We’ve seen Virus X being introduced as a red herring for a remake of a Golden Age story, and we’ve seen it being used as part of an hoax. So basically Virus X has been around since 1962 but it’s never been technically used.
So this 1968 storyline asks the question: what if we actually used this idea for real?

We begin in jail, where Lex Luthor is… oh for the love of Professor Potter, STOP GIVING SUPERVILLAINS ACCESS TO PRISON LABS!!!

Case in point: Lex has managed to recreate Virus X! Which he apparently did by exposing Earth viruses to Kryptonite.

Sounds legit.

How does Lex know Virus X even existed? My guess is that its existence became common knowledge on Earth during Superman #156, where Superman thought he was dying from the disease. Which was actually caused by Jimmy Olsen’s camera.
So throughout this storyline, remember that in a way it’s Jimmy’s fault. Then again, you should ALWAYS assume anything bad that happens in a Superman comic is somehow Jimmy’s fault.

But jokes aside, Virus X is some seriously scary stuff. Not only it can kill Superman even when he has his powers…

…but THIS form of Virus X is even more dangerous than the original Krypton version, because it can affect Earth organisms as well.

Even Lex Freaking Luthor is afraid of the stuff!!!

Also: yes this is a Silver Age Superman story that shows a rabbit basically being tortured. I have no doubts this storyline gave some kids nightmares in 1968.

Okay at this point you KNOW Lex is going to escape from prison, right? That’s kind of his thing.
But… nope! Lex is going to stay in prison throughout this issue.

So you’re probably thinking he’s going to smuggle the virus out of prison in some way, and you’d be correct. What you DEFINITELY cannot guess is HOW Lex does it.
Because Lex Luthor smuggles the vial of Virus X out of prison… by having an accomplice do a ventriloquist show for the prisoners using a Superman puppet, and then throwing a shoe at him.

That was one of the stupidest things I’ve seen in a Superman story.
UNTIL THE NEX PAGE.

To summarize, THIS is Lex Luthor’s master plan.

A) re-create Virus X in a more deadly version
B) hire a hypnotist to hypnotize Clark Kent into hating Superman
C) have the hypnotist do a puppet show in your prison
D) throw a shoe at the hypnotist containing the Virus X vial
E) have Clark Kent infect Superman with Virus X

Sounds legit. I would’ve gone with a slightly simplified version:
A) re-create Virus X in a more deadly version
B) ask to see Superman by making up any excuse
C) infect Superman yourself
But I’m no criminal mastermind.
_{(Or at least you can’t prove I am.)}

Obviously this kind of works, but think about it: wasn’t this a huge and completely unnecessary risk on Luthor’s part?

Clark accidentally infects himself. If (spoiler alert) he wasn’t actually Superman himself, this would mean he would’ve lost the only sample Luthor made of the stuff.

Soon Clark remembers who he really is, but it’s too late: now he’s contracted Virus X.

In the previous stories we didn’t know much about Virus X, other than it was lethal and there wasn’t a cure. This comic goes into much further detail, revealing that it’s not even native to Krypton…

…and it’s not afraid to show its most horrifying effects.
While I’m not a fan of how everyone on Krypton seems to be an expert on everything Earth-related, this is very effective at selling how dangerous Virus X truly is.

To top off Luthor’s masterplan, he’s able to send a signal to the world where he boasts how he’s infected Virus X.

Panic spreads pretty quickly, and honestly I can’t blame the public for being deathly afraid of a disease that can infect Superman.

How bad is it? The slightest touch from Superman can infect anyone. Even cats!!!

Oh yeah. This comic DEFINITELY gave some kids nightmares.

Superman decides he’s too dangerous to stay on Earth. But in a touching scene, before he decides to leave the planet for good, he visits the Daily Planet as Clark Kent for the last time.

Well Supes, if things don’t work out you can still find a job as a stunt double for Two-Face.

And we end with the cliffhanger of Lois being in danger of being infected.
Also, Silver Age Superman is more concerned about the possibility of someone being injured than in keeping his secret identity? That’s the clearest possible indication that this might seriously be his last story!

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Action Comics #364 (1968)
by Leo Dorfman & Ross Andru
cover by Neal Adams

It goes without saying that all Neal Adams covers are great, but this is just fantastic.

Normally I skip the teaser page in my reviews because I would just have to repeat myself later on, but this time there’s something interesting: we get to READ Superman’s testament this time, or at least part of it.

Yeah sure, leave your souvenirs to Jimmy Olsen, what could possibly go wrong?
It’s also telling that his final gift to Lois is something material, but for Perry it’s the greatest scoop of his life. I guess it’s sweet, but wouldn’t it have been more profound if the scoop was his last gift to Lois instead?

Last issue’s cliffhanger is immediately made moot by Superman changing clothes at super-speed.

Virus X might completely ruin Superman’s life before ending it painfully, but it has its upsides!

Also, thought you could escape the nightmares if you only bought this issue? THINK AGAIN.

In a surprising move, Earth’s citizens now take the hero’s role and try everything they can to cure Superman.

Aaaaand they fail two panels later.

Luthor then makes a public statement again: he has the cure for Virus X.
This is getting kind of ridiculous now… at this point just give him a regular broadcast!

He proves he’s not lying by having his goons recover the infected cat from earlier, and curing him in front of journalists.

That cat knows better than to stick around. In this comic, no animal is safe!

Luthor blackmails Metropolis into giving him 1 million dollars to cure Superman, which… come on Lex, even in 1968 a million is too low for something like this!

Lex then pretends to cure Superman, but of course there is no cure. Lex is just being Lex.

Also, in case there was any doubt: the cat from the previous issue is dead.
The “cured” cat was just a relatively simple scam.

Supergirl has a solution that I’m honestly surprised hasn’t occurred to Superman: instead of flying off into space and die there, couldn’t he just wait in the Phantom Zone until a cure is discovered?

But that would kind of defeat the purpose of this storyline, so the Phantom Zone criminals SOMEHOW manage to prevent Superman from going there.

Superman then traps Supergirl in Kandor, which just baffles me. Why would he do this? I suppose he’s afraid that she’ll try to stop him from leaving Earth?

This is the part of the story I could do without, as it shows that Superman CLEARLY doesn’t respect Supergirl as a hero.

And so Superman leaves on a rocket headed for the Sun (why doesn’t he fly there himself!?), but before he leaves he has to do something completely pointless: putting on a rubber mask.

And that’s the end of this issue as well. Surprisingly for the era, this is a FOUR PART storyline!!!

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Historical significance: 6/10
The storyline doesn’t have a ton of impact, but it’s referenced a few times. Virus X even gets a couple of mentions in other continuities.

Silver Age-ness: 6/10
At this point why even put Lex in jail? Also, while I nitpicked some stuff for comedy… there HAD to be a less ridiculous way to infect Superman, right?

 Does it stand the test of time? 9/10
Not what you’d typically expect from the Silver Age, isn’t it? Particularly from a normally very traditional writer by Dorfman. But this was awesome!
This comic doesn’t pull its punches. While the horror aspect is relatively tame by today’s standards, I can only imagine this made quite an impression in 1968.
But the sense of dread is sold exceptionally well, and I’m pleasantly surprised at how much Superman cares for his Clark Kent life. That’s not always a guarantee in Silver Age stories.
This is also a great moment for Lex Luthor: he’s rarely been this rotten, and he’s able to outsmart Superman in several crucial moments.
Will the storyline keep this lever of quality in its last two parts? We’ll see in the next review.