Super Homes!

 Hero Homes

            Fans of DC’s Silver Age are familiar with Superman’s Arctic Fortress of Solitude. Only super-muscles could lift the giant Golden Key to its door.

(When unused, the Golden Key was supposedly a directional marker for airplanes.) The Fortress held trophies from super feats; separate rooms dedicated to family and friends (including a decoy Clark Kent room); a lab full of exotic equipment and experiments; an armory (including the Phantom Zone Projector); and the miniaturized Bottle City of Kandor, which Supes had sworn to restore to normal size.

Many tales involved Fortress visitors ignoring safety protocols—firing a weapon or releasing a dangerous critter from Superman’s Interplanetary Zoo.

 Superman #187, from 1966, was an 80 Page Giant reprinting many Golden Age tales. The cover proclaimed “A Super-Scoop! Superman Unlocks Secrets of the Fortress of Solitude!” These stories included previous locations for Superman’s retreat, including underwater and the outskirts of Metropolis (for public tours, no less!).

PS I learned about the Fortress and Kandor at an early age.  I was 6½ when this photo was taken, holding the now-classic Superman #158.

PPS and here's a cheat sheet.

See you Thursday.