80-Page Thursdays: the Superman Family #185!

As happens sometimes, we haven't had this tag out for a while; but maybe we've got a few lined up for later. From 1977, the Superman Family #185, featuring "The Fantastic Fists and Fury Feet of Jimmy Olsen!" Written by Tom DeFalco, art by Kurt Schaffenberger, "The Great Superman Locked-Room Puzzle!" Written by Martin Pasko, pencils by Kurt Schaffenberger, inks by Vince Colletta, "The Sinister Secret of the Street-Stalker!" Written by Tom DeFalco, pencils by Win Mortimer, inks by Vince Colletta, "The Stray Superdog! Written by Bob Toomey, pencils by Juan Ortiz, inks by Steve Mitchell, "Beginnings" Written by Paul Kupperberg, pencils by Ken Landgraf, inks by Romeo Tanghal, and "The Voodoo Machine!" Written by Jack C. Harris, pencils by José Delbo, inks by Vince Colletta. 

These 70's Jimmy Olsen story sometimes feel like they're trying to be more serious than his 60's stories; and this almost feels like an attempt at being topical. Late, but an attempt: when Jimmy tries to save a scientist from being mugged by masked thugs, he lets Jimmy use his invention: Computerized Atomic Powered Combat Clothing! With the powered boots and gloves, Jimmy is able to kung-fu the thugs away; but the scientist runs off, saying his invention would be safe enough with Jimmy. Jimmy takes the C.A.Po.C.C.'s to S.T.A.R. Labs to check them out, but the thugs attack there as well, and are driven off again. It is, of course, a scam: the scientist is in on it with the thugs, and the ploy was to wait until Jimmy got Superman to take him to the Fortress of Solitude to examine them. They would then learn the Fortress's secret location, and could then loot it. When that doesn't work, they try to remote-control Jimmy to fight Superman until they can escape, but come on.

In "The Great Superman Locked-Room Puzzle!" Clark and Lois are stuck in a ratty apartment, waiting for an interview with a rock star. Lois is getting impatient, but Clark can see the rocker is stuck in traffic, and surreptitiously crushes the doorknob to keep Lois from leaving. Which gives them time for cards and conversation: they had broken up recently, with Lois noting while they had worked together for years and were "seeing" each other for months, they didn't really know each other. The quotes around "seeing" are Lois's; which in another context could, ahem, signify something else; but in this case even when they were 'together' Clark probably always had to duck her to make time for Superman. Also, Clark can't shuffle cards and takes all day to make coffee: he's hardly a catch! But here we get into the same sort of territory as Commissioner Gordon: just how much do they actually know? The rocker shows up, saying there had been a fire, but Superman took care of it. Discussing it later, Clark says he's almost sorry Lois didn't believe he was Superman anymore, he would've enjoyed disproving her theories. Lois says he's not Superman, but if he was, he easily could've done all of that at super-speed while picking up cards or making coffee. He could even have faked a phone call with super-ventriloquism. Lois is dead-on with her assessment, only missing one thing: a momentary moisture on her cheek wasn't a leaky pipe, it was Supes kissing her cheek at super-speed! I'm...I'm not sure that's okay; but Superman reconsiders things with her, realizing Lois knows how he thinks, more than she thinks. I think.  

Next, Lois works the case of an old man vigilante roughing up muggers: in a bit of continuity, the cops are not thrilled with another vigilante in Metropolis, since Black Lightning had just debuted. Then a Krypto yarn, then Nightwing and Flamebird: that reads as an origin, as Kandorian citizens take up the mantles of those heroes since Superman and Jimmy Olsen weren't around. There's also continuity nods, as in the Jimmy Olsen story, to recent Justice League of America stories: Superman was a busy guy!

Lastly, "The Voodoo Machine!" pits Supergirl against criminals holding her foster dad hostage, threatening her foster mom, while her real parents have been forced back into the "Survival Zone." Which, is that related to the Phantom Zone? Separate? A rebranding for the Kryptonian non-criminals that tried to flee Krypton's destruction in it? That one appeared to be midway through maybe a three-parter, and wondered how many parents Supergirl would have left at the end of it.