An Open Secret, Part 2

An Open Secret

PART 2

by Mark Alfred

            1)        Action #237 (February, 1958) tells of newspaper magnate Henry Furst’s greatest scoop.  Years of secret research have convinced Furst that Clark Kent is secretly Superman.  So the rich man uses a powerful drug to fake his own death, conning Clark into revealing the secret to “a dying man.”  Imagine the reporter’s chagrin upon receiving a phone call from the “dead man” gleefully detailing the EXTRA! edition his papers will be carrying.

            Thankfully, by a strange twist of fate, the same drug that induced Furst’s simulated death ends up scrambling his memories, to the point that he eventually decides that the memory of Clark’s confession is a muddled vignette from a clouded mind.

            Sadly, just three years later, Superman falls for the same dying-man trick, in Action 276.  This time the trickster is wealthy philanthropist John Kiley, really the head of the Anti-Superman Gang.  He’s not after the journalistic scoop of the century; he uses the info to spring a Kryptonite trap on the Man of Tomorrow, a snare from which Superman (of course) barely escapes.

            But how to reverse Kiley’s fateful knowledge?  It takes the combined efforts of the Superman Emergency Squad and (then-unknown) Supergirl to convince the mobster that he’s seeing superbeings everywhere ... a sure sign of pharmaceutical delirium.  It stands to reason that Kent couldn’t be Superman, either.  Whew!

            2)        Not all who learn the Great Secret have criminal intentions, of course.  Superboy #90 (July 1961) narrates the momentous camping trip of Clark and best friend Pete Ross.  A clap of thunder awaken Pete just in time to reveal his friend Clark switching to Superboy. 

            

            However, in a refreshingly compassionate twist, Pete vows silence.  “I’ll never betray him or even tell Clark I know!  He mustn’t be disturbed or hampered in any way by my knowledge!”  Over the intervening years, Pete has even “accidentally” provided opportunities for his friend to slip away and change, undetected.

            Years later, as told in 1976’s Action #457, a grown-up Pete is divorced, living in Metropolis with his young son Jon.  Superman arrives at Truman Memorial Hospital to be told that Jon is dying, and has “lost the will to survive!”  Pete takes the Man of Steel aside to inform him, “Jon always said the one thing he wanted more than anything in the world is to know your secret identity!”

 

            So, in an attempt to save Jon’s life, Superman confesses his secret to the boy.  Imagine his consternation when the youngster bursts into tears of disbelief, in the scene shown on the cover:  “How do you expect even a kid to believe Superman is Clark Kent?”  Eventually, Jon gets better, and is convinced by a strange sight:  Clark Kent’s empty medicine cabinet. After all, Superman needs no toothpaste, aspirin, or bandages!

            4)        From 1959, Action #247 chronicles how the adult Clark is suddenly visited by the long-dead Ma and Pa Kent, here for a day by means of a time bubble on loan from a scientist friend.  The subsequent evening of reminiscences completely convinces Clark that they are truly the Kents, and he freely discusses both identities with them.

            It’s only after his beloved foster parents have departed, that Superman recalls a flaw in their story.  Sure enough, the next morning he receives a phone call from Cedric and Millicent Carson, who through shrewd research into Smallville town records have deduced the secret.  Superman has just confirmed their theory!  They demand five million dollars as a down-payment for their continued silence.

            In desperation, Superman fabricates a pair of Carson lookalike robots with super-hypnotic powers, and each automaton catches its opposite-sex Carson off-guard.  The result, as Superman thinks to himself:  “Thanks to my super-hypnosis, they’ll never remember having visited Clark as Mom and Dad Kent!  My Secret Identity is safe!”

End of Part Two

See you next Monday for more!

 

An Open Secret, Part 1

An Open Secret

by Mark Alfred

            In 1969, a reader wrote to DC asking for a story on the people who knew Superman’s Secret Identity.  In the letter column of Superman #219, the editors replied:  “We assume you mean those who live on Earth in the present time.  If we were to include people of other worlds, the inhabitants of Kandor, the Phantom Zone villains, people of the future, and so on, the result wouldn’t be a story, but a whole library!”

            Before riffling through a few pages of that library, let’s briefly review the reasons given by Superman for so jealously guarding his secret.

            The most commonly heard reason is, he’s protecting his family and/or associates.  Many’s the time when the Man of Steel has “regretfully” told Lois Lane that he dare not marry her, for fear that criminals would harm her to get revenge on him. 

            Frankly, I wouldn’t want to run the actuarial tables on ANY of Superman’s near-and-dear.  They’re constantly being threatened, kidnapped, and so on.  Is Lois more safe from a wrathful underworld by virtue of being only Superman’s “girl friend,” not his wife?  Doubtful.

            Another handy use for Clark Kent, the guy who is DEFINITELY NOT Superman, becomes plain when a character tells the reporter something which they wouldn’t pass along to Superman.  This is similar to the concept that there are things you’d tell your barber, but not your wife.  One example of this practice is in Action #306, when Clark feigns amnesia to uncover “The Great Superman Impersonation.”

            I have always held that the most important benefit for the Clark/Supes split is that the Daily Planet reporter may interact with people on the same human level.  Kent is allowed preferences, likes and dislikes, and leisure time; a 24-hour Superman would encounter many problems trying to express such views.  Clark can relax with his friends as peers, freed for a moment from (dare I say it?) the world’s dependence on him.

            For a well-written and absorbing look at the Secret Identity question, read the fun, in-depth “Why Superman Needs a Secret Identity,” in Action #305.  (You may read my page-by-page posting and discussion of this classic Silver Age comic book, beginning here.)

            What a secret it has been, come to think of it.  One riff on the Kryptonian ode to duality is narrated in Action Comics #371-375.  Not even Superman knows his civilian identity, after he’s been zapped by an alien computer-ray machine.  After finally latching onto his own resemblance to Clark Kent, an exposure to Bizarro Amnesium restores his memory.

            With an eye to balance silliness with existential angst, in this article we'll survey a Bizarro’s Dozen (and more!) of my favorite Secret Identity stories and situations.

 End of Part One

See you next Monday for more!
 

Super Clothes #5

In this instalment of Super Clothes, we’ll take a look at some super PJs.

This long-sleeve flannel-esque getup is size 3T.  It’s by Billy the Kid, from the 1980s.  As an aside ... did you know that the first time the real Billy the Kid was arrested, it was for stealing clothes from a laundry?  Perhaps that story inspired the name of the clothing line!

This Superman pajama set has Velcro tabs for a cape.  No manufacturer label survives.  It’s size 7.  I like the depiction of Superman’s belt across the front of the shirt, don’t you?

Here’s something similar, also with cape tabs, but no belt art.  For a little more creativity, check out ...

 

  

This set is from PCA, size 5.  For the life of me, I’m not sure if the “fly back in time” is an attempt to reference the Back to the Future films.  To me the Super Phizzog is reminiscent of the work of Ross Andru, for instance this page from 1968’s Superman 204.

That’s all for this week, friends.  Come on back next Monday for who knows what!