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Superman 139

SUPERMAN #139

Cover Date: August 1960
Cover Price: $0.10
Publication Date: 1960-06-16

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Cover Credits:
Pencils: Curt Swan
Inks: Stan Kaye


Story: "The New Life of Super-Merman" (9 Pages)

Credits:

StoryJerry Siegel
PencilsWayne Boring
InksStan Kaye
EditingMort Weisinger

Feature Character(s):

Superman (last in Action Comics #266/2; next in the second story in this issue)

Supporting Character(s):

Jimmy Olsen (last in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #46/3; next in the third story in this issue)
Lois Lane (last in Action Comics #268; next in the third story in this issue)
Lori Lemaris (last in issue #138/3; next in Action Comics #269/2)
Perry White (last in Action Comics #268; next in the third story in this issue)
Ronal (last in issue #138/3; next in Action Comics #269/2)

Other Character(s):

Brett Rand (first appearance; a college classmate of Lois Lane; now famous and wealthy; proposes to Lois)
the skipper and crew of Bret Rand's yacht (for appearance of all)

Location(s):

Atlantis (Tritonis)
Metropolis
Daily Planet

Story Reprinted in:

Showcase Presents Superman #2 (2006)


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Second Story: "The Jolly Jailhouse!" (8 Pages)

Credits:

StoryJerry Coleman
ArtAl Plastino
EditingMort Weisinger

Feature Character(s):

Superman (in between the first and third stories in this issue)

Villain(s):

Colonel Stradi (first appearance; cruel and corrupt warden of a prison with designs to become a dictator)

Other Character(s):

Judge Rafol (first appearance; a prisoner)
other prisoners
Voroda government officials
prison guards

Location(s):

Voroda (first appearance; a small island republic)

Story Reprinted in:

Superman Vol. 1 #201/2 (November 1967)
Showcase Presents Superman #2 (2006)


3

Third Story: "The Untold Story of Red Kryptonite" (9 Pages)

Credits:

StoryOtto Binder
PencilsCurt Swan
InksJohn Forte
EditingMort Weisinger

Feature Character(s):

Superman (last in the second story in this issue; next in Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #19; also in three flashbacks involving red kryptonite (see Comments) and another two flashbacks, Adventure Comics #255 and #270 as Superboy)

Guest Star(s):

Krypto (last in Action Comics #266/2; next in issue #140
Supergirl (in between Action Comics #266/2 and #267/2)

Supporting Character(s):

Jimmy Olsen (last in the first story in this issue; next in Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #19/2)
Lois Lane (last in the first story in this issue; next in Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #19)
Perry White (last in the first story in this issue; next in Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #19)

Other Character(s):

a Superman robot (destroyed)
the crew of the Neptune, an imperiled bathysphere (first appearance; voices only)
the Commander and crew of the Neptune's support ship (first appearance for all)

Location(s):

Arctic Circle
Fortress of Solitude (also in flashback)
United States of America
Metropolis
Daily Planet

Comment(s):

The Superman robot is crushed in the 10 mile depth of the ocean. Not that there's any known location that gets 10 miles deep, but this would be 1,593 atmospheres.
Red Kryptonite radiation is stated to be stronger than that of green kryptonite, with lead being unable to stop it, though this is disproven in other appearances.
The three flashbacks with Superman succumbing to red kryptonite are still being researched. These involve Superman sleepwalking and wrecking the Fortress of Solitude, Superman losing control of his heat vision, and Superman hallucinating, imperiling a ship.

Story Reprinted in:

Superman Annual #8/5 (Winter 1963-1964)
Superman from the Thirties to the Seventies (Crown Publishers) (1971) [black and white]
Best of DC #36 (May 1983)
Showcase Presents Superman #2 (2006)
Showcase Presents: Supergirl #1 ([November] 2007)


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