Cover: Curt Swan & Murphy Anderson

Action Comics #391

Aug 1970 · DC · 0.15 USD

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“The Punishment of Superman's Son!”

About this Issue

Action Comics #391 holds a place in Silver Age-to-Bronze Age transition history as part of the early Super-Sons cycle, an unusual corner of DC's "imaginary story" tradition in which Superman and Batman are depicted as fathers grappling with underachieving heirs. The lead story—in which Superman permanently strips his fourteen-year-old son's powers using Gold Kryptonite—represents one of DC's more strikingly bleak "imaginary" parenting narratives, and the issue later received retroactive placement in the multiverse when Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium designated it as occurring on Earth-391. The Legion backup, concluding a two-part Dark Circle espionage arc, is notable for centering Element Lad as the mission's decisive hero and for publishing the results of an in-comic Legion Leader election—an early example of reader-participation continuity that gave Mon-El the top post and Element Lad the deputy role.

In "The Punishment of Superman's Son!", young Jo faces the consequences of his reckless use of superpowers, prompting Superman to make a difficult decision—using gold kryptonite to strip his son of his abilities. Written by Robert Kanigher and brought to life by Ross Andru’s dynamic art and Mike Esposito’s inks, this 1970 classic explores the strain of responsibility through a heartfelt, high-stakes father-son moment. The cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson captures the emotional weight of the moment with striking clarity.

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writer Robert Kanigher · artist Ross Andru · inker Mike Esposito · letterer Gaspar Saladino · letterer Milt Snapinn · cover Curt Swan, Murphy Anderson

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History

The issue went on sale June 30, 1970, with an August 1970 cover date, under editor Mort Weisinger and assistant editor E. Nelson Bridwell—one of Weisinger's final editorial cycles before Julius Schwartz took over the Superman titles. The lead story was written by Robert Kanigher, penciled by Ross Andru, and inked by Mike Esposito, with Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson producing the cover; pencil and ink credits for the lead were not widely known at the time and were only confirmed in the letters page of the later Action Comics #395. Kanigher deliberately withheld the identity of Superman's wife—directing that her face appear only in shadow and that she wear a blonde wig—a storytelling choice that became a defining, much-discussed quirk of the entire Super-Sons sub-series.

Trivia · 8 facts

Cover date August 1970 (on sale June 30, 1970); published by National Periodical Publications (DC Comics).
Lead story: "The Punishment of Superman's Son!" — written by Robert Kanigher, penciled by Ross Andru, inked by Mike Esposito; cover penciled by Curt Swan, inked by Murphy Anderson.
Backup story: "The Ordeal of Element Lad!" — written by E. Nelson Bridwell, penciled by Win Mortimer, inked by Jack Abel; editor Mort Weisinger, assistant editor E. Nelson Bridwell.
The lead is an "imaginary story" in which Superman uses Gold Kryptonite to permanently remove the powers of his 14-year-old son, Superman Jr. (Clark Kent Jr.); the story continues and concludes in Action Comics #392.
Superman's wife appears but her face is never shown and her identity is never revealed—a deliberate creative choice by Kanigher maintained throughout the Super-Sons stories.
The Super-Sons (Clark Kent Jr./Superman Jr. and Bruce Wayne Jr./Batman Jr.) first appeared together in World's Finest Comics #154 (December 1965); their imaginary-story origins were later retconned in Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium as occurring on an alternate Earth (designated Earth-391 for this specific story).
The letters page publishes the results of an in-comic Legion Leader election: Mon-El won with 1,155 votes, with Element Lad elected Deputy Leader at 291 votes (tied with reserve member Superboy).
The lead story was reprinted in Superman Supacomic #140 (K.G. Murray, Australia, circa April 1971) and in Amazing Heroes #29 (Fantagraphics, August 15, 1983); the cover was reproduced in The Silver Age of Superman: The Greatest Covers of Action Comics from the '50s to the '70s (Abbeville Press, 1995).