Superman #65

Superman #65 (1950)
by William Woolfolk & Al Plastino

Superman learned he was an alien just four issue ago, and he’s already meeting Kryptonian villains.

We begin in Metropolis, where SUDDEN EARTHQUAKE!!!

I know he’s Superman, but the fact that this disaster doesn’t kill at least a few hundred people might be the least believable part of this story.

That was the landing of our three villains: Kizo, Mala and U-Ban.
The naming conventions of the Silver Age are not in place yet, so you can’t tell they’re brothers.

These are the first Kryptonian Superman ever meets! Well, in the present at least.
If he JUST noticed they’re Kryptonian, what language were they speaking earlier?

The three brothers were scientists back in Krypton, and even worked with Superman’s father.

Specifically they’re evil scientists, interested only in taking over the planet.
Which put them in conflict with Jor-El, because he was the leader of the Science Council that used to rule the planet.
This is interesting: Jor-El is always shown to be an influential figure on Krypton, but I believe this is the only time where he’s basically the planet’s leader.
I’m not surprised this is a rare depiction, considering that in virtually all versions of Superman’s origin Jor-El is acting against the decisions of the ruling class.

The bad guys’ plan is to make Krypton’s air unbreathable through hydrosulphuric acid, another name for hydrogen sulfide.

Little known fact, Kryptonians can speak even when they can’t breathe.

Blackmailing the planet to put them in charge can work because Kryptonian law works on the honor system.
Sounds legit.

I’m no scientist, but I fail to understand how a machine powered by acid employs the principle of centrifugal force.

So Jor-El has just saved the whole planet…

…and yet, according to Superman #61, they STILL didn’t believe him when he said the planet was going to explode. I would have given at least the benefit of the doubt to the guy who saved the planet!

So, uhm, you know how Superman is the only survivor of Krypton because his rocket was the only one available to leave the planet?
Well according to THIS story, Krypton had the technology to send as many as three people into space!

Krypton explodes only a few years later, so… was this the ONLY rocket they had!?!?

Eventually the three brothers were revived from suspended animation and THROUGH SHEER COINCIDENCE have now landed on Earth.

Villains who are a physical threat to Superman are EXTREMELY rare in this period, and now he has to deal with three of them at once!

Which is why they immediately flee. Wait, what!?

Unable to find the villains, Superman just goes on with his Clark Kent life… or at least he tries.

Wait, the Kryptonians are completely invulnerable and can break the planet with a sneeze, plus they outnumber the only one who could potentially do anything to them… so why do they even bother with this plan?

A 1950 story that was probably written for pocket change has more thought than a 2013 movie that cost more than 200 million dollars.

Yes, despite the silliness, this is a more well-thought-out story.
It’s still a silly story.

Superman doesn’t win the fight, but he’s not defeated.

Thankfully, the old “make the villains fight each other because they argue about who is the boss” always works.

This would probably make even more sense today, after Superman’s powers have been clearly linked to how much solar energy he has absorbed.

So Superman puts them in suspended animation and throws them into space on a rocket.
It’s a family tradition.

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Historical significance: 1/10
The three brothers will return (more on that in a bit), but despite being the original Kryptonian villains they’ve been forgotten.
Although “Mala” was re-used in “Superman: The Animated Series” as the name of a Kryptonian would-be conqueror that lands on Earth and tries to take over. Although that one was a woman.

Silver Age-ness: 3/10
Does Earth have a magnet that attracts rockets from Krypton or something!?

Does it stand the test of time? 7/10
Not a bad premise (in fact the animated series I mentioned basically has the same plot), but it’s held back by the inconsistent use of the villains. Either make them scientific threats, as Supergirl will eventually do with Lesla-Lar, or make them physical threats, or go all-out and make them both at the same time. Having them declare their physical superiority, immediately switch to a super-science plot and only THEN resorting to violence doesn’t really sell why they are dangerous.

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The brothers, also known as the Evil Three, return in 1954 on Action Comics #194.

And their plan involves taking Clark Kent’s place…

…after throwing HIM into space!!!

The villains don’t know Clark is Superman, and they didn’t meet him in his civilian identity in the 1950 story.

Mala controls his powers so little that he ends up revealing himself as Superman.

All of this just to lure Superman away from Earth, once he shows up to save Lois.

Once Superman comes back, he discovers every human has disappeared from Earth…

…so he just BLOWS UP THE EARTH.

Nah, that was just a fake Earth.
Who would be insane enough to actually do this in a comic?

Also take a moment to consider that the three Kryptonians BUILT A WHOLE PLANET FROM SCRATCH, without Superman noticing.

If the plan was to destroy Earth all along, was this really necessary? Couldn’t you just have Superman chase one of you three while the other two destroy it?

Luckily these scientific geniuses are dumb.

All so that Superman can dump Kryptonite on them. Wait, how do they even know what Kryptonite is!? Well they were on Earth for a couple of days, maybe they read the news.

I don’t see why the Evil Three couldn’t return from this, but since they never do… did Superman just murder them?

This story also has “Joe”, a Daily Planet employee whose entire deal is making fun of Clark in the most obnoxious way possible.
So basically he’s the Golden Age Steve Lombard.

Congratulations Joe, I didn’t think I could like a Superman supporting character LESS than Steve Lombard, but you made it.
Must be the Jimmy Olsen bowtie he’s wearing.

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What else was in Superman #65 ?

There’s a story where a scientist is trying to identify Superman’s limits.

Good luck with that, considering that he can generate a million decibels… which wouldn’t just be enough to destroy the universe, this might be even too much for a multiverse to take.

The second story is about Lois’s roommate Peggy, who has a crush on Clark Kent.

Because of various shenanigans, Superman ends up rescuing Peggy more than Lois…

…which is enough to make Lois throw herself off a roof.

Even Superman is already tired of her clinginess.

He tricks her into believing he didn’t come to save her, by building a net at super-speed.
This story is not exactly trying to make Lois sympathetic.

A psychiatrist would have a field day trying to examine how Lois always seems convinced that Superman only saves women he loves.

Forget the Kryptonians, Superman should have thrown Lois into space.

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Bonus: sometime comics had extra “fun activities” that I never talk about because I have nothing to say about them… but this time I have to mention this one.

Two things.

First: that is a crappy “cartoon”.
Second: a bit of research tells me that in 2003, someone paid 1,782 dollars for a near-mint copy of Superman #65.

So if you really did cut over that page, adjusted for 2025 you lost 3,128 dollars for a two-frame “cartoon” of Superman playing a girder like an accordion.