Action Comics (1938) #338 VF (8.0) "The Villain Who Married Supergirl" Superman

Action Comics (1938) #338
VF (8.0)
"The Villain Who Married Supergirl"
Superman

Muto -- Monarch of Menace! (Table of Contents: 2)

Superman / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script

Edmond Hamilton

Pencils

Curt Swan

Inks

George Klein

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Hopping heroes! What kind of Superman story is this?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Muto (first full appearance, origin); Superman [Klar Ken T5477]; Lyra 3916; Jay L-3388 (previously named Jay Senohl); PW-5598 (computer editor, designed by Perry White's descendant Per Wye T7357); Yann (of the underground people of Waru); Thargo (from a race with its own living radar sense); Von-Don (from Blax, a world without color); three android children; Superman [Clark Kent] (of 1960s, in video); Lex Luthor (of 1960s, in video); Lois Lane (of 1960s, in video); Superman the 4th (Dave Kent, in flashback, identity exposed when Dave saved a suburban jet-train); Superman the 5th (in video); Vyldan (in video, Superman the 5th's arch-foe); Superman the 7th (Kanton K-73, in flashback, identity revealed by his own toddler son); the future Superman the 8th (as a toddler, in flashback); father of Superman of 2966 (in flashback)

Synopsis

Superman's father was responsible for Muto being born a freak, which is why Muto wants vengeance of the whole Superman line. In the year 2966, Superman tracks Muto to Sector Z-44, where the villain springs a series of traps on the hero, finally luring him into saving a trio of android children in the path of a wave of paralyzing toxic sea water.

Reprints

• in Supermann (Serieforlaget / Se-Bladene / Stabenfeldt, 1966 series) #4/1967 ([april] 1967)
• in Superman (DC, 1939 series) #247 (January 1972)
• in Superman et Batman et Robin (Sage - Sagédition, 1969 series) #61 (janvier 1974)
• in Superman: Past and Future (DC, 2008 series) (2008 [February 2009])

Keywords

2966; Daily Interplanetary News; Federation of Planets; Future Superman; green kryptonite; maze; Planetary Federation; Sector Z-44; the Weapons World; ultra-news

Indexer Notes

Future Superman series continues from Superman (DC, 1939 series) #181; series continues in Action Comics (DC, 1938 series) #339.

Story references the "Federation of Planets" before the debut of Star Trek. Though not a "United Federation of Planets".

This story states that the chemical fallout left by a past atomic war settled in the seas of EVERY planet. This nonsensical explanation allows the writers to use this weakness in any adventure no matter where it takes place.