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"Clark Kent's New Mother and Father": This story is reprinted from Action Comics #189.

Superman #197 is an issue of the series Superman (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 1967. It was published on April 11, 1967.

Synopsis for "Clark Kent's New Mother and Father"

This story is reprinted from Action Comics #189.

Appearing in "Clark Kent's New Mother and Father"

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Synopsis for "Clark Kent Meets Al Capone"

This story is reprinted from Superman #142.

Perry White asks Clark Kent to get Superman to travel back in time to help them write a story about Titano's height. Changing into Superman, Clark travels back in time to figure out Titano's exact height, on his way back to the present, Titano blasts Superman with his Kryptonite vision. Superman finds that the Kryptonite has affected his ability to travel through time, after incorrectly landing in 1871, and 1893, he decides to spend time in the 1920s until the Kryptonite wears off and he can make it safely back to his own era of 1960. Finding himself in Chicago, Superman learns that he has ended up in a year when Al Capone was still on the loose.

Coincidentally, he happens upon a young Perry White, who is a shoe shine boy who is trying to convince the owner of the Chicago Journal to hire him. The publisher agrees to give the boy a job if he can bring him a sensational scoop. Wanting to avoid the possibility that Perry may remember any potential meeting when he returns to the future, Superman decides to disguise himself by removing his glasses and making it appear as though he has a birth mark on his face. He is mistaken for "Touch" Vincent, a local thug who is in Capone's employ. Deciding to use the case of mistaken identity to stop both Capone and get Perry the story that will land him a job, "Touch" decides to join the recognizing thug in a meeting with Capone.

Capone wants to employ "Vincent" but want him to prove his value to his criminal empire, Superman obliges with a little help of his super-powers, using his super-hearing in order to crack a safe. Sent to go insure that a delivery of bootleg alcohol makes it's intended destination, Superman at first tries to go there in his costume, but remembers that he's in an era before he even arrived on Earth, and decides to operate more covertly. When the truck of illegal alcohol crashes and the drivers go to get something to haul it out of the swamp, Superman secretly steps in and flies it to Capone's hideout. However, not wishing the crook to profit from the contraband, he uses his x-ray vision to ferment it into vinegar. Capone is upset about the booze going bad, but commends "Vincent" anyway, since it couldn't have been his fault.

Later, "Vincent" is asked to kill a police officer that has been trying to foil Capone's schemes, however Superman uses his super-powers in order to make it look like the police officer is gunned down by using his x-ray vision to melt the bullets before they can hit the office and his super-breath to suck away any air so that the office temporarily passes out. Going back to Capone's place to "celebrate" they hear a radio report about how "Touch" Vincent is still in jail. Believing "Vincent" to be a spy for the FBI, Capone and his men try to kill Superman, who's invulnerability saves him from any harm. When they cannot kill him, Superman decides to leave and let the history run it's natural course -- so that Capone is arrested for tax evasion, as his fate is intended.

The effect of Titano's Kryptonite beams having worn off, Superman secretly leaves the story with young Perry, insuring that the young man will get a job, and Superman returns to the present. When Clark Kent turns in his story to the now adult Perry, Perry shows off his first headline, about a mysterious "Untouchable" man that foiled Capone's mobs.

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Synopsis for "The Truth Mirror"

This story is reprinted from Action Comics #269.

As Superman patrols over Metropolis, Lois Lane gets a package from her Uncle Ned from England. In it, she finds a mirror which was supposedly owned by Merlin the magician and would reflect the true nature of whoever was reflected in it. When "Fred Caldwell" comes posting as a representative of a charity, the mirror shows him in prisoners garb, prompting Lois to agree to meet with him later. Reviewing the Daily Planets files, she learns that the man is really "Flash" Dugan, a known criminal and tells the story to Clark, prompting him to capture Dugan as Superman.

After the mirror reveals that her friend Hazel is temporarily bald, that Perry White has a heart of gold, and Jimmy has a swelled head, she invites a child into her home who claims they are lost. But it turns out that the "child" is really a midget burglar and when she exposes him, he ties her up at gun point and then begins to loot her home. Resourceful, Lois manages to dial Clark Kent using her mouth and a pen to operate the rotary phone. Clark in turn "calls" for Superman's aid, and the Man of Steel saves Lois, easily dealing with the midget burglar.

Lois decides to use the mirror to learn Superman's secret identity, and invites Superman over to her place. Sure enough, when Superman stands before the mirror, it reveals that he's really Clark Kent. Before he can answer for himself, there is a radio call for Superman to defuse a bomb that has been planted on a plane full of comedians. He arrives there, and the doubtful jokers don't believe Superman, even when he finds the bomb (hidden in a stop watch) and places it in his mouth where it harmlessly goes off. It's not until they see Superman fly away do they realize how close to death they were. This repast gives Superman a moment to come up with an idea to trick Lois into once more doubting that Clark Kent and Superman are one in the same. Building robots of himself and Lois that are scarecrow thin, Superman replaces the mirror with a pane of glass, and then changes the inscription on the back of the mirror. When Lois once more has Superman look into it, she is horrified to find sickly thin versions of themselves looking back at her. Superman then turns the mirror around and Lois reads the inscription: "This Mirror Tells The Truth, but It May Also Lie To You!" Furious, Lois smashes the "mirror" once more unsure of Superman's true identity.

Later Superman leaves Lois's home and dumps the real mirror into a volcano before returning to his Fortress of Solitude with his robots.

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  • Flash Dugan (Single appearance)
  • "Evil-Faced Midget" (Single appearance)

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Synopsis for "Caveman Clark Kent"

This story is reprinted from Action Comics #169.

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  • Ogo (caveman)
  • Dinosaurs

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  • Bill Carter (reporter)

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Synopsis for "Clark Kent, Fireman of Steel"

This story is reprinted from Superman #129.

Clark Kent is sent on assignment to live with the local Metropolis fire fighters for a week as part of a story for the Daily Planet. The firemen dismiss Kent as not having what it takes to be a fire fighter. However, secretly being Superman, Clark Kent is not at risk of any danger. When they are called to duty to clear a blaze, Clark is asked to go into a burning building to look for people who may be trapped. Clark amazes them when he complies and secretly uses his super-powers to try and lessen the blaze. However in the action his fire uniform is burned clean off revealing his Superman costume. Quick thinking, Superman breaks into a nearby costume shop and takes a prop on temporarily to maintain his cover.

Clark similarly uses his super-powers in secret to save a cat stuck at the top of a smoke stack, putting out a fire in the Superman museum, and dousing a chemical fire, all these feats are seen by the fire chief as dumb luck and that Kent will never know the real danger that firemen deal with every day. Ironically, while reading Clark Kent's story in the Daily Planet, the fire chiefs supper catches fire, and he is saved by Superman. The chief is relieved that it was Superman -- not Clark Kent who came to his rescue.

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Synopsis for "Superman's Toughest Day"

This story is reprinted from Action Comics #282.

Perry White gives Clark Kent the day off work at the Daily Planet, allowing for Clark to change into Superman and go on patrol. In order to keep a date with Lois Lane at a plastic factory, Superman sends off one of his Clark Kent robots to take his place.

Superman then goes to the Fortress of Solitude to feed the animals in his intergalactic zoo and check on the Bottle City of Kandor. Superman then returns to Metropolis to go on patrol, and while the Man of Steel helps an ice cream truck driver keep his ice cream cold, the Clark Kent robot goes with Lois to the plastic factory. There the robot accidentally places his hands on plastic solvent causing the plastic skin that covers his robot body to melt, revealing his mechanical nature. To cover this up, the Clark robot puts his hands into his pocket while he tries to find a means to avoid exposing his true nature to Lois and the others.

Superman learns of the problem, but cannot get away from his tasks to replace the damaged hands, but trusts that his robot is smart enough to avoid detection. While Superman helps with a delicate brain surgery operation, builds a dinosaur themed playground for school children, helps the mayor of Metropolis (who's infected with Measles) give a speech at City Hall by building a quarantine bubble and stops a runaway test missile, the Clark Kent robot avoids any situation where he has to reveal his hands.

Lastly, when the Clark Kent robot is forced to take his hands out of his pockets to shake hands with the owner of the plastic plant, Superman has enough time to make new hands out of plastic and put them on the robot at such a fast speed so as not to be seen, saving the Clark Kent robot from accidentally exposing Superman's secret identity.

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Synopsis for "When There Was No Clark Kent"

This story is reprinted from Superman #127.

Seeing a falling totem pole while out with Lois Lane as Clark Kent, Superman uses Kent's "meekness" as an excuse to flee the scene so he can change into Superman and stop the falling totem pole from harming anyone. At this time, Superman recalls a time when he once retired his identity of Clark Kent:
He recalls being assigned by Perry White to check out the Famous Bottle Works building, and is left to his own devices on the property. When an unattended chemical experiment explodes, Kent is caught in the blast, which blows away his outer clothing leaving him in his Superman costume. Superman quickly begins trying to figure out a way to explain what happened to Clark Kent when Lois Lane happens upon the scene, and upon noticing the scraps of Clark Kent's outfit, assumes that he had been killed in the explosion.

While comforting Lois, who is in mourning due to Clark's "passing", Superman decides to do away with his secret identity all together. Shortly there after, the Man of Steel asks Jimmy Olsen if he needs a roommate, and Jimmy jumps at the chance at living with his idol, Superman. When Superman's current residence becomes public knowledge, he is constantly asked to assist with mundane tasks, and his and Jimmy's home becomes a tourist trap for anyone and everyone who wants to cash in on Superman living in the neighborhood.

After some crooks almost succeed in killing Superman with a chunk of Green Kryptonite by hanging it outside his apartment's window, Superman realizes that he took his secret identity for granted. Coming up with an idea as to how to bring Clark Kent back to life, he builds a giant bottle and puts himself out at sea dressed up as Clark Kent, to be found by a Navy ship. When "rescued", Clark explains that he was examining the large bottle from the inside when the explosion sent him out at sea. With everyone believing him, Superman resumes his identity as Clark Kent.

Appearing in "When There Was No Clark Kent"

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  • Trigger and his gang (Flashback only) (Single appearance)

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Trivia

This issue appears on the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory. It can be seen framed above the bed of character Dr. Sheldon Cooper in Season 1, Episode 4: The Luminous Fish Effect.


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