Time to Pay the Bills!

Yes, after Superman fixes London Bridge's imminent downfall and flies away, we now pause for this brief message from a sponsor, Trix.

Is it an artist's mistake that the groceryman's clamp goes "CLANK!" around The Rabbit's neck, but in the next panel it's around The Rabbit's ears? That clamp looks a lot less like a choking hazard when it's around the ears.

The bottom quarter of the page is taken up by one of DC's recurring text boxes of background info. Who wrote these? My first bet would be E Nelson Bridwell, DC's resident brain trust when it came to Super-Lore. Of course, perhaps I'm saying that because ol' ENB was from Oklahoma City!

The art for this text piece is by Wayne Boring, proof again that Boring's art could be more cartoonish than Curt Swan's.

And, don't forget that here again we have the CORRECT pronunciation of Mxyzptlk. Not a "Spit-lick" to be found, unlike some mispronunciations I've heard on TV.

At Least He Didn't Say "Ashes, All Fall Down"!

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Next, Superman flies to England and again shoots his mouth off. It is a great and charming touch that the Man of Steel finds the time to play kiddie games with some little ones.

Still, it looks as if once again Supes didn't watch his Ps and Qs. We should be happy that he didn't sing about a dish running away with a spoon, or Tolkien's poem, "The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon"!
But what is he going to do? He keeps forgetting about "The Curse of Magic" and, with a mere slip of the tongue, creating a mishap that only quick Super-Action can fix.
Boy, wait until Superman catches that Mr Mxyzptlk, he's going to give him such a pinch!

That Rascally Rabbit! -- umm, Imp!

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Aha! Now we know why and how Clark Kent was walking on air (unintentionally that is). It was that demented goofball from the Land of Zrfff in the 5th Dimension, Mr Mxyzptlk! Doesn't it do your heart good to see somebody who really enjoys his work? NOT!

Once again, notice how Curt Swan's art enlivens this story. Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, who wrote this story's script, probably did not specify HOW Mxyzptlk would look when he popped in on Superman in the first panel of this page. No, it was probably Sir Swan who decided that Mxy would fly out doin' the ole flappy-ears schtick.

OK, so now Supes has "The Curse of Magic," and since the Imp is who he is, Superman can't use that power intentionally. He can't simply decree, "Forest fire die away," or, "Bank robbers walk to the police station and surrender." No, it only works when Superman makes an unintentional, off-the-cuff remark.

And somehow, when Mxyzptlk voluntarily says his name backwards and is yanked home to the Fifth Dimension, his magical curse remains.


Like, "I'm as hungry as a horse!" Ummm, oopsie. The story doesn't tell us what Superman did with the horse. Maybe put him to pasture on the dark side of the moon ...


We leave the Man of Steel in the final panel once again zooming around the world "on patrol," and wondering what in tarnation he's going to do.


Tune in next time to see if Supereman can figure out a way around dem ol' vocalizin' blues!