- You must always be kind and forgiving, son! Having super-powers imposes a great responsibility upon you that you must never misuse.
Superboy #111 is an issue of the series Superboy (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1964.
Synopsis for "Lana Lang's Mystic Power!"
Lana and Clark are assigned to interview a mystic named Mystir Ali. They attend one of his shows as he demonstrates amazing clairvoyant abilities. Clark remains skeptical. They meet with Ali backstage, Lana raves about the show and the mystic presents Lana with a magical crystal ball. Clark mocks the crystal ball as well as Mystir Ali’s clairvoyant abilities.
Because of his smugness, Lana is determined to show up Clark and decides to humiliate him by beating him to newspaper scoops. Superboy and Krypto arrive at the newspaper office to repair their printing press. As Superboy is distracted, Lana attaches Professor Potter's tiny transmitter to Krypto's collar. This allows Lana to listen in on Superboys activities. Superboy then performs a number of amazing feats around town but finds that Lana scoops him on the stories and publishes them before Clark has a chance to write about what he just accomplished. Lana claims that she was able to use her magical crystal ball to write up her stories.
Clark then notices that Lana always wears a turban while typing. He uses his x-ray vision to see that Lana is actually wearing headphones underneath the turban. Superboy informs Lana that he has discovered Krypto's transmitter and supposedly brings an end to her scooping abilities. Lana then decides to focus on her crystal ball and notices an image of Clark changing into Superboy. She threatens to reveal Superboys identity unless Clark goes back in time and retrieves Marie Antoinettes jewel box. Clark returns with the box but it turns out to be a jack in the box that scares Lana.
Clark tells Lana that the image she saw in her crystal ball was actually a slide projection created by Clark to humiliate Lana. Lana tosses the crystal ball out the window where it shatters into multiple pieces. Moments later Clark retrieves the pieces and puts them back together revealing that the crystal ball really did have magical powers. He had to fool Lana to make her give up the ball. It would have been too powerful for any mortal to possess.
Appearing in "Lana Lang's Mystic Power!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Krypto
- Lana Lang
- Ma Kent (In a photograph only)
- Pa Kent (In a photograph only)
- Professor Potter (Cameo)
Antagonists:
- Mystir Ali (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Marie Antoinette (Mentioned only)
- Mr. Vance (Editor of the Smallville Sentinel) (Single appearance)
- Smallville Police Department
- United States Army
Locations:
- Rocky Mountains
- Fort Lincoln
- Smallville
- Center Theatre
- Kent Farm
- Smallville High School
- Smallville Sentinel (A newspaper)
- Yellowstone National Park (Mentioned only)
Items:
- Crystal Ball
- Icebox
- Ice Tongs
Synopsis for "Krypto's Three Amazing Transformations!"
Bizarro #1 arrives on Earth with a present for Krypto. He lobs a big chunk of Red Kryptonite at Krypto, causing him to retreat back in time for refuge. The super-dog is then transformed into a giant red bird. As the bird flies through the sky, he observes a ship being attacked by pirates. The ship being chased is captained by Sinbad the Sailor. The red bird retrieves the huge chunk of red kryptonite and drops it on the pirate ship causing them to sink. The Captain later writes in his log that he was rescued by a red rock but an ink stain makes it look like he wrote red roc which is the legendary red bird.
Krypto goes back into the Timestream and lands in a city where he is transformed into a cow. He is placed in a barn where he knocks over a kerosene lamp and starts a fire. The fire spreads and marks the beginning of the Great Chicago Fire. Krypto finds out that his owner is non other than Mrs O’Leary.
Krypto goes back into the time stream once more and arrives in modern day South America. He observes an escaping circus lion and theorizes that he will turn into a lion as soon as he draws near it. Much to his surprise, Krypto picks up the escaping lion by the collar but does not change. Instead he changes into a llama. Krypto then realizes that each time he transformed into an animal there was music being played in the background. He observes Superboy fly across the sky on his way to rescuing a group of trapped miners. Krypto follows in his llama form and finds that Superboy has collapsed after being exposed to a chunk of Green Kryptonite which fell from the mine. Krypto barrels the kryptonite into the ground and saves Superboy. Superboy then points out that the initials LL have played an important role in his life as he spells out the word LLama in the ground.
Appearing in "Krypto's Three Amazing Transformations!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Bizarro No. 1
- Pirates
Other Characters:
- Lana Lang
- Lex Luthor (Mentioned only)
- Lightning Lad (Mentioned only)
- Lightning Lass (Mentioned only)
- Mrs. O'Leary
- Sinbad the Sailor
Locations:
- The Past
- Ocean
- Oct 8, 1871
- Superboy's era
- South America
- Andes Mountains
- United States of America
- South America
- Superman's Era
- Timestream
Items:
- Green Kryptonite
- Kerosene Lamp
- Red Kryptonite
- Roc
- Superboy Distress Flag
Synopsis for "The Mental Emperor!"
Ersork, a member of the Superboy Revenge Squad, bears a grudge against Superboy, blaming him for his being turned into an evolutionary freak. He takes mental control of Jonathan Kent, puts him in a costume with a special mind-over-matter helmet, and sets him against his foster son as the Mental Emperor. Superboy learns the Emperor's true identity, breaks his stepfather free of the mental domination, and takes Ersork to the D-E world which de-evolves him to normalcy. Ersork expresses gratitude to Superboy and quits the Revenge Squad.
Appearing in "The Mental Emperor!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Jonathan Kent (First appearance as the Mental Emperor)
Antagonists:
- Superboy Revenge Squad
- Ersork (Single appearance) (Quits team)
- "Mental Emperor"
- Robot Zeno
- Phantom Zoners
Locations:
- Earth
- Smallville
- Smallville High School
- Norb Hill
- Artillery Range
- Smallville
- Phantom Zone
- Yellow Sun
- Planet S-24 L, D-E World
- Planet Leelo, Inhabited by Jewel Beings (In picture only)
- Asteroid 941, Remodelled by Superboy (In picture only)
- Red Sun
- Planet Rogg
Items:
- Fossils
- Phantom Zone Projector
Vehicles:
- Teleportation Platform
Notes
- "Lana Lang's Mystic Power!" was reprinted in Superman Family #168.
- Krypto's Three Amazing Transformations!" was reprinted in Superman Family #165.
Trivia
- In "Lana Lang's Mystic Power!", Superboy's story takes place before the mid 1930's, as an editorial note states that Iceboxes were still being used instead of modern refrigerators.
- In "Krypto's Three Amazing Transformations!", Krypto (in the form of a cow) is responsible for the Great Chicago Fire. Also, when Krypto is under the influence of Red Kryptonite, he is immune to the effects of Green Kryptonite.
- Chicago Tribune reporter Michael Ahearn confessed in 1893 that he had fabricated the story of Mrs O’Leary’s cow. Despite his confession, the story became legend. Mrs O’Leary and her cow were officially exonerated by the Chicago city council in 1997.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Superboy Recommended Reading
- Adventure Comics (Volume 1)
- Superboy (Volume 1)
- Superboy (Volume 2)
- Superboy (Volume 4)
- Superboy (Volume 5)
- Superboy (Volume 6)
- Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes (Volume 1)
- Superboy and the Ravers (Volume 1)
- Young Justice (Volume 1)
- Young Justice (Volume 3)
- Teen Titans (Volume 3)
- Teen Titans (Volume 4)