Superboy #68
Superboy #68
Cover Credits
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: Stan Kaye

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  Story  

Title: "The Boy of Steel Versus the Thing of Steel"
Pages: 24

Feature(s):
Superboy (of Earth-1)

Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: George Papp

Reprinted In:
Superman Annual #2 (1961)
DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #15 (1981)
Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told HC (1988)
Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told TPB (1989)

Feature Character(s)

Supporting Character(s)

Villain(s)

  • Bizarro (an artificial duplicate of Superboy; dies in this story; no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

  • Professor Dalton (Bizarro’s creator; no further appearances)
  • Hiram and Hilda (farmers; no further appearances)
  • Melissa and her mother (no further appearances)
  • Several army officers (no further appearances)

Comments:
Chap 1. : "The Amazing Bizarro"
Chap 2. : "The Runaway Super-Creature"
Chap 3. : "The Battle with Bizarro"

An imperfect duplicate of Superboy named Bizarro is created in this story by Professor Dalton. While Bizarro is destroyed, the machine Dalton used to created the artificial creature was used again to create a Bizarro version of Superman in the first story of Action Comics #254. All subsequent appearances of Bizarro are of the second duplicate, not this original version.

Synopsis:
A scientist, Professor Dalton, has created a duplicator ray that can duplicate any object. Unfortunately it does not work properly, and it makes imperfect copies. The machine accidentally affects Superboy before it is destroyed. A bizarre duplicate of Superboy is created with a gruesome face. The duplicate, calling itself Bizarro, comes to life and enters the town of Smallville.

Bizarro begins scaring the citizens of the town. He decides to assume the identity of Clark Kent, since he possesses Superboy’s memories. Martha Kent throws him out of the house when she sees him though. Bizarro is saddened by the rejection of everyone, but a blind girl befriends him, as she is unable to see his face.

Superboy uses a mannequin of the blind girl, Melissa, to lure Bizarro to a weapons testing range. He and the military try to destroy Bizarro, but the creature is invulnerable. Bizarro and Superboy do battle, but Superboy is unable to stop the monster.

Bizarro meets Melissa again and finally learns that she is blind. Realizing that he would scare her if she could see, Bizarro willingly allows Superboy to destroy him using a piece of the duplicator ray which is deadly to the creature. The impact of Bizarro against the metal creates a vibration which not only kills the creature, but it restores Melissa’s eyesight. Superboy wonders if the creature had planned it all along.


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