The Other Side of Superman

This month is a celebration of the Silver Age Superman, but I cannot let it pass without noting one of the really oddball aspects of this era, and that is how many times Superman created needless problems for himself and others.

For example, consider his casual attitude about giving alien jewels and flowers to people which (inevitably) caused very negative things to happen. You've got to wonder if Supes at some point might say, "You know, alien things tend to cause strange reactions among my friends, so maybe I'll just buy them a golden brooch at Zales instead of something unpredictable from the planet Zebulon."

But no:



Jimmy got a lot of these "gifts" from Superman:



A lot:



Lana and Lois get some twinkling brooches from outer space:



But Lana's turns her evil:



You just know Jimmy and Robin are headed for trouble here:



Of course some of this is our old friend, the puzzle cover. In the DC Silver Age Superman, the puzzle cover absolutely reached its zenith, and there was undoubtedly pressure from Weissinger to the writers to come up with amazing situations on the cover. Hence all these space jewels/metals/fruits that cause nutty effects on the recipients.