Superboy Vol 1 68

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"The Boy of Steel vs. the Thing of Steel"

Superboy Vol 1 #68
November, 1958

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Superboy #67

Superboy #69

Appearing in "The Boy of Steel vs. the Thing of Steel"

Featured Characters:

Superboy

Supporting Characters:

Martha Kent

Villains:

Bizarro Superboy (Only appearance; dies)

Other Characters:

Professor Dalton (Single appearance)
Hilda (Single appearance)
Hiram (Single appearance)
Melissa (Single appearance)

Locations:

Earth-One
- Smallville

Items:

Duplicator Ray

Vehicles:

None

Synopsis for "The Boy of Steel vs. the Thing of Steel"

When a defective duplicating ray created by Professor Dalton strikes Superboy, it creates a grotesque, stupid, imperfect duplicate of the Boy of Steel which nonetheless possesses all of his incredible power. Moreover, it is not affected by Green Kryptonite. Superboy remarks that the creature is “bizarre”, to which the creature replies, “Him call me...(mumble)...Bizarro! Is...is that my name?” Bizarro is basically good-hearted, but cannot control his powers very well, and proves dangerous to Smallville. However, he is befriended by a blind girl named Melissa, who senses his benevolent nature. Superboy is unable to defeat Bizarro by conventional means, but finally senses that the metal of the demolished duplicator ray itself can destroy him. Bizarro deliberately flies into the piece of metal Superboy holds, destroying himself, but creating a vibration that restores Melissa’s sight. Superboy muses that Bizarro may well have understood what effect his destruction would have on Melissa’s eyes, and, as the Boy of Steel flies away, he hears Melissa say, “I never saw Bizarro myself, while blind! But I know, from his gentle voice, that he must have had a kind face!”

Notes

This issue is divided into three chapters:

Part I: The Amazing Bizarro
Part II: The Runaway Super-Creature
Part III: The Battle with Bizarro

This issue is reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #15, Superman Annual #2 and The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told.

Superboy appeared last in Adventure Comics #252. He appears next in Adventure Comics #253.

Martha Kent appeared last in Adventure Comics #252. She appears next in Adventure Comics #253.

Trivia

First and only appearance of Bizarro Superboy. He is not to be confused with Bizarro No. 1, an adult Bizarro who plagues Superman in Action Comics #254. The two Bizarros are actually separate characters, as opposed to an older version of a single character. Although Bizarro No. 1 is more well-known to the general public, Bizarro Superboy predates Bizarro's first appearance by nearly a year.

The story of the first Bizarro is re-imagined in John Byrne's, Man of Steel #5. In Man of Steel, Lucy Lane becomes the blind object of Bizarro's affections.

First appearance of Professor Dalton's Duplicator Ray. An upgraded version of the ray (developed by Lex Luthor) is introduced in Action Comics #254.