SUPERMAN #161 (1963)
by Leo Dorfman & Al Plastino
cover by Curt Swan
In the Silver Age, Superman’s adoptive parents were dead in the present… but they were important supporting characters in Superboy stories.
So it’s natural that people wondered: how exactly did they die?
We actually begin in the present, with Superman mourning his parents on the anniversary of their death.
And so we transition to the Superboy story, where we learned that he built a “pleasure cruiser” for his parents. That’s nice to send them on vacation, but… is Pa Kent operating an entire cruiser on his own!?
A vacation which turns into a pirate treasure hunt. (!?!?!?)
This is probably the first time I’ve ever seen the Kents asking Superboy to use his powers just to let them have fun.
So they travel to the past, where they meet Blackbeard. Let’s hope they don’t discover he’s actually the Thing or Marvel might sue.
To reiterate: the Kents are very weird this issue.
Now, if this was where the story ended, it’d be like hundreds of other Silver Age stories.
But things take a turn for the worst as, once they’re back to the present, the Kents have THE PLAGUE.
The rest of the story will try to give some justification to Superboy… but still it’s very hard to argue against him being responsible!!!
Most of what follows is about Superboy trying all sorts of tricks to cure his parents… and failing repeatedly.
But even if he can’t cure them, at least he can put them in the Phantom Zone, right? Well… no, because the Phantom Zone Projector ™ is plot-sensitive.
Superboy’s adoptive mother dies without any last words.
We don’t get to hear a single word she says after she gets ill. Her last words could be these, from the scene where they get back to the present:
Pa Kent, on the other hand, has a whole Uncle Ben monologue ready.
Understandably, this is quite a lot for Superboy.
Things get so bad that he decides to stop being a hero.
When did Superboy become Spider-Man? This is great stuff!!!
When Superboy brings the letter found by his father to a museum, however, he discovers the second part of the text which explains that it’s not his fault.
Yeah but… you DID bring them to that island, so it’s still technically your fault!!! At least partially.
And we couldn’t possibly end a Silver Age Superman story without him doing something a little creepy.
Historical significance: 10/10
If it wasn’t for this story, in theory we would have the Kents alive and well into Superman’s adulthood, like in the post-Crisis era.
Silver Age-ness: 10/10
Despite veering into more adult territory later, the premise oozes Silver Age.
Does it stand the test of time? 8/10
It takes a while to get going, but it’s one of the little gems of the era. Especially because, for once, the story is not afraid to show us an emotionally fragile Superman.
Interesting letters: a letter from future comic book historian Don Markstein.
