Superman #146
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSuperman #146 stands as the most thorough retelling of Superman's origin published during the Silver Age, weaving together the accumulation of mythos elements — Krypton's fate, Krypto's launch, Jor-El's warning to his brother Zor-El, the Kents' role in forging Clark's identity, and his transition from Superboy to Superman — into a single, continuous narrative. By the time writer Otto Binder tackled it, Superman had been around for 23 years and had accumulated substantial contradictions in his published history; this issue represented editor Mort Weisinger's deliberate effort to consolidate the Silver Age canon into one authoritative account. The backup story, 'Superman's Greatest Feats!' by Jerry Siegel, adds another layer of significance: Superman's time-travel adventure inadvertently takes him to a parallel Earth where history can be changed, an early Pre-Crisis brush with the DC Multiverse concept that was retroactively named Earth-146 in the Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition (2005). The issue also helped codify the yellow-sun explanation for Superman's non-strength powers, a detail that would become foundational to the character's mythology.
In "The Story of Superman's Life!" from Superman #146, the Man of Steel's journey from a child fleeing Krypton's doom to a young hero raised by the Kents unfolds with heartfelt clarity. From his early days as Superboy in Smallville to the pivotal moment he leaves home for Metropolis, the story traces his growth with quiet dignity and a sense of purpose.
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The issue was edited by Mort Weisinger, who had overseen the Superman titles since the early 1940s and was at the height of his systematic expansion of the Superman mythos in 1961. Weisinger had previously commissioned an origin retelling in Superman #53 (1948); #146 expanded that ten-page story to a 12.5-page account that could accommodate more than a decade's worth of newly introduced characters and concepts. Both interior stories were illustrated by Al Plastino, with the iconic cover — depicting baby Kal-El's rocket departing the doomed Krypton — penciled by Curt Swan and inked by Sheldon Moldoff. The backup story by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel was mistakenly blurbed as an 'Extra' on the cover of Action Comics #277, a production error noted in the Grand Comics Database.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-dated July 1961 (on-sale May 4, 1961); published by DC Comics under the National Comics Publications indicia.
- Lead story 'The Story of Superman's Life!' written by Otto Binder, art by Al Plastino — the most complete Silver Age retelling of Superman's origin, running from Krypton's destruction through Clark Kent joining the Daily Planet.
- Backup story 'Superman's Greatest Feats!' written by Jerry Siegel, art by Al Plastino — Superman is diverted to a parallel Earth where he can alter history; this world was retroactively designated Earth-146 in Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition (November 2005).
- Cover penciled by Curt Swan, inked by Sheldon Moldoff; lettered by Ira Schnapp — Swan did not draw the interior stories, which were both handled by Plastino.
- The issue contributed to codifying Earth's yellow sun as the source of Superman's non-strength powers (flight, durability, etc.), building on the groundwork laid in Action Comics #262 (1960).
- The origin retelling integrates multiple established mythos figures: Jor-El's test rocket carrying Krypto (struck by a meteor and lost in space), Jor-El's warning to his brother Zor-El (father of Supergirl/Alura's husband), and Lyla Lerrol (who debuted in Superman #141).
- 'The Story of Superman's Life!' was reprinted in 80 Page Giant Magazine #8 (March 1965) and in a DC Golden Story Teller Record Comic (1966); 'Superman's Greatest Feats!' was reprinted in Superman #252 and DC 100-Page Super Spectacular #DC-13 (both June 1972); both stories appear in Showcase Presents: Superman #3 (2007, black and white).
- Edited by Mort Weisinger, whose editorial tenure on the Superman titles ran from the early 1940s through 1970 and during which writers Otto Binder and Jerry Siegel — both contributors to this issue — introduced the bulk of the concepts defining the Silver Age Superman.
Cast · 18 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in 80 Page Giant Magazine #8 (1965), Superman #1 (1965), Superman [Golden Story Teller Record Comic] #[nn] (1966), Superman #1/1966 (1966), Superserien spesialnummer #[nn] (1967), Superman Annual #1968 (1968), Superman #252 (1972), Superman #19/1972 (1972), Superman Supacomic #177 (1974), Superman #14532 (1978), Superman Official Annual #1979 (1978), Supermann #[nn] (1981), More Secret Origins Replica Edition #1 (1999), Superman in the Sixties #[nn] (1999), Superman: Cover to Cover #[nn] (2006), Showcase Presents: Superman #3 (2007), DC Universe Secret Origins #[nn] (2012), DC Universe: Secret Origins #[nn] (2013), Stålmannen #11/1961, Stålmannen presentalbum [The Album] #[nn], سوبرمان [Subirman Kawmaks / Superman Comics] #7
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