Superman #304
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSuperman #304 earns its place in the Bronze Age record books as the first appearance of Dr. Jenet Klyburn, the sharp, capable S.T.A.R. Labs scientist who would become one of Superman's most reliable civilian allies for over a decade—and whose name appears to have been coined as a quiet tribute to incoming DC publisher Jenette Kahn, who joined the company that same year. The issue also delivers a notable moral wrinkle for the Man of Steel: the DC Database records that Superman appears to deliberately engineer the Parasite's destruction here, a pointed challenge to his code against taking life. Both threads—the introduction of a durable supporting-cast member and a willingness to stress-test Superman's ethics—make this a more substantive Bronze Age package than its modest numbering suggests.
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The issue was written by Gerry Conway and drawn by the longtime Superman penciler Curt Swan, with inks by Bob Oksner and editorial oversight from Julius Schwartz—the core creative team steering the Superman title through the mid-1970s Bronze Age under Schwartz's tenure that had begun with issue #233. Conway was at the height of a remarkably prolific stretch in which his work appeared simultaneously in DC and Marvel titles, and his run on Superman during this period introduced several supporting characters and antagonists who would stick. The Parasite (Ray Jensen) had been a recurrent Conway-era antagonist, and this issue gave him a new tactical weapon—the power prism—while planting the seeds for the longer S.T.A.R. Labs subplot involving Dr. Albert Michaels that later writers would develop.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Dr. Jenet Klyburn, head scientist at the Metropolis branch of S.T.A.R. Labs, created by writer Gerry Conway and penciler Curt Swan (DC Database, DCU Guide, ComicBookReligion).
- Story title: 'The Parasite's Prism of Peril!' Cover date: October 1976; on-sale date: July 12, 1976 (DC Database).
- Full creative credits: writer Gerry Conway, penciler Curt Swan, inker Bob Oksner, editor Julius Schwartz, with Jenette Kahn listed as Executive Editor (DC Database).
- The Parasite uses a 'power prism' that redistributes absorbed energy—including his hatred of Superman—into bystanders, inadvertently turning both Klyburn and Jon Ross against the Man of Steel (Babblings About DC Comics, Superman Fandom Wiki).
- Also features the in-continuity appearance of Jon Ross, son of Pete Ross, Superman's childhood friend (Babblings About DC Comics, DC Database).
- The DC Database notes a significant moral moment: Superman appears to intentionally cause the Parasite's destruction in this issue, contrary to his established code against taking lives.
- Dr. Klyburn's name is widely noted as an apparent homage to Jenette Kahn, who became DC's publisher in 1976—the same year the character debuted (EverybodyWiki S.T.A.R. Labs entry; collector forum discussion at Captain Comics).
- Jenet Klyburn was later adapted into the DC Extended Universe, portrayed by Jena Malone in the extended cut of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), with her scenes cut from the theatrical release (DC Database DCEU entry, IndieWire).
Cast · 9 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Superman #26/1976 (1976), Superman Taschenbuch #57 (1984)
Key issues in Superman
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