Superman #131 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1959. It was published on June 18, 1959.
Synopsis for "The Menace of Mr. Mxyzptlk!"
While putting on a show for the children at the Metropolis Orphanage, Superman is shocked to find the cement block he was going to smash get turned into a pile of alphabet blocks. Smashing them they organize in the phrase "Superman is a Block Head", and Superman is soon greeted by his old foe Mr. Mxyzptlk who has returned from the 5th Dimension to be a constant nuisance to the Man of Steel. Remembering that he can send Mr. Mxyzptlk back to the 5th Dimension by tricking the imp into saying or spelling his name backwards, Superman tries an elaborate scheme to catch Mxyzptlk. Using his super-speed to convince Mxyzptlk that he is having eye trouble, Superman suggests that he go see an optometrist. Disguised as an eye doctor, Superman has Mxyzptlk read an eye chart that has his name spelled backwards. The plot fails when Mr. Mxyzptlk is warned by an alarm bell he has fitted in his had that warns him when he's in the process of saying his name backwards.
His next attempt to trick Mxyzptlk, Superman tries to appeal to Mr. Mxyzptlk's romantic streak. Seeing Superman out with a popular model from Zanzibar, Mxyzptlk instantly wants to meet her. Unknown to Mxyzptlk, is that the woman's last named is Kltpzyxm, however this also fails when Mxyzptlk had caught a cold from standing in the rain when he first spotted Superman with Miss Kltpzyxm. Superman gets his final idea when he reviews all the news reports from his previous encounters with Mr. Mxyzptlk. Setting it up so that a local theater will play old news reels, Superman has them play an old film from a previous incident with Mr. Mxyzptlk where Mr. Mxyzptlk attempted to run for mayor of Metropolis. This naturally draws out the egotistical Mxyzptlk. Superman finally catches him when he has the audio of Mxyzptlk's mayoral speech played backwards so that his name is spoken backwards, this proves sufficient enough for Mxyzptlk to be shunted back to the 5th Dimension.
Appearing in "The Menace of Mr. Mxyzptlk!"
Featured Characters:
- Superman (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Lois Lane (Flashback and main story)
- Perry White
Antagonists:
- Mr. Mxyzptlk (Flashback and main story)
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Fifth Dimension (Mentioned only)
- Metropolis (Flashback and main story)
- Daily Planet
- Iron Foundry
- Kit Kat Club
- Liro's
- Metropolis Orphanage
- Pearl Harbor (Mentioned only)
- Zanzibar (Mentioned only)
Items:
Vehicles:
- Flying Bus Service
Synopsis for "Superman's Future Wife"
Lois Lane goes to the town of Wicksville, a restored colonial village that was first established in 1630. Checking out the Enchanted Cottage, Lois comes across an old rocking chair that apparently could tell the future. Sitting in the chair, Lois is surprised when it works. She begins seeing visions of the future where Superman marries a woman. However, the whole time she watches the woman Superman is supposedly intended to marry has her face obscured from Lois's vision.
First she sees their wedding, and then a few years later she sees that they have a pair of super-powered children as well. Things are further frustrated when she witnesses the super-couple when the woman intended to marry Superman dresses up in a costume that has the initials "L.L." embroiled on the back, but it turns out that it's the initials of whom this woman dressed up as: Lady Luck.
The vision of the future ends just as Superman shows up, having made up her mind that the woman in the visions was possibly not her, Lois is furious with Superman and slaps him in the face and walks out on him, leaving the Man of Steel to wonder what he did wrong.
Appearing in "Superman's Future Wife"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Lady Luck (In a vision)
- Superman
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Don Juan (Mentioned only)
- Perry White (Mentioned only)
- Samson (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Greenville Heights (Mentioned only)
- Metropolis (In a vision)
- New England
- Wicksville
- 1630 (Mentioned only)
- 1659 (Mentioned only)
- April 27, 1859 (Mentioned only)
- April 27, 1959
- Enchanted Cottage
- Wicksville
Items:
- Daily Planet (In a vision)
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Unknown Super-Deeds"
Superboy is experiencing a dull day in Smallville when it appears that there is no super-deeds that need to be done. Things change when a young boy falls in a well, and Superboy naturally comes to his rescue. He then witnesses a business man drop his briefcase into the ocean, Believing that it's something important, Superboy goes through the trouble of recovering it, but learns that the briefcase has nothing but a boring report about scholars conference for a newspaper, but still returns it to it's owner anyway. Finally, he happens upon a masquerade party where one of the guests is wearing a mask which she cannot remove when it gets stuck on her head. He secretly fashions a flute that has a high pitch note that causes the mask to snap open.
Returning home, Superboy comments to Ma Kent about how dull his day was, totally unaware that the three people he secretly helped out would later become important people in his life as Superman: Namely Jimmy Olsen (the little boy), Perry White (the reporter) and Lois Lane (the girl at the party.)
Appearing in "The Unknown Super-Deeds"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- The Menace of Mr. Mxyztplk is reprinted in Superman: The Man of Tomorrow Archives Vol. 2.
- Superman's Future Wife is reprinted in Superman: The Man of Tomorrow Archives Vol. 2.
- The Unknown Super-Deeds is reprinted in Superman: The Man of Tomorrow Archives Vol. 2.
See Also