Malignant Mental Masterminds battle the Sandmen

The lone survivor of an Allied attack on his location during World War II, the kamikaze squadron leader was operated on by surgeons who crafted advanced electronics in his brain. Seeking revenge for the defeat experienced by his native Japan, this man adopted the alias of General Electric and used electronic dolls and, later, video games to infilitrate the American military. This led to confrontations with first Garrett Sanford aka the Sandman of Earth-One, and later Wonder Woman.  

After the latter defeated the General (as had the former), this brought Wonder Woman to the attention of Sandman. While he attempted to romance her, ultimately the two heroes decided to remain allies, and Sandman later became an honorary member of the Justice League.

Another Asian man, Hiram Gaunt, utilized an electronic device of his own creation to boost his mental capability. As the Answer Man, Gaunt used his telepathic abilities to initiate some robberies with limited success. Ultimately, Gaunt found himself outmatched by the Sandman and Sandy of Earth-Two, who defeated him and sent him to prison.

While the Answer Man never had occasion to face his world's Wonder Woman, she had met her Sandman aka Wesley Dodds when becoming a member of his team, the Justice Society. There never were sparks of romance between the two, who kept their relationship professional during the many years they works together.

Crafty Chameleons Confound Cosmic Crusaders

Durlans were eyed suspiciously when they mixed with humanity during the 30th century. As "Chameleons", these shape-shifters had both noble and corrupt members of their society. On Earth-One, Rokk Krinn as Cosmic Boy was recuited by a disguised Durlan named R.J. Brandt into founding the teen team known as the Legion of Super-Heroes, which Brandt's son Reep Daggle... also known as Chameleon Boy... joined. 

The Legion would face their share of insidious Durlans, such as one known as Jall Tannuz who worked with the Legion of Super-Villains as Chameleon Chief, a Chameleon Kid who tried to take Reep's place on the Legion, and Yera who impersonated Shrinking Violet for several months before being revealed as Chameleon Girl. These events sowed seeds of distrust, yet despite this, Rokk stood by Reep as fellow Legionnaires serving together for years. This no doubt mirrored the relationship of another Rokk.. a Rock of the Space Legion... who defended his world alongside the Defender and former Durlan named Hald.

The Space Legion of Earth-Two themselves had several encounters with the Durlans of their universe. Their most renowned member, Rock Braddon, first faced off against these Chameleons when he and his partner Curly were manipulated into battling Flash and Wonder Woman. These two heroes, along with their teammates of the Justice Society, traveled to Rock's era from the 20th century to help combat this invasion. Rock and his fellow Legionnaires soon discovered the true threat facing their world originated from the shape shifting Durlans led by Knelo, who were exiled after a final confrontation with the Society.

Sometime later, Rock and Curly once more faced the Durlans, now led by a different leader named Yuk-Yuk who now tried to invade the desert planet of Koola. The pair successfully defeated the Chameleons, who would be incarcerated on that world indefinitely.

Pesky Polka-Dot Pests Plague Protective Pairs

Abner Krill was a genius inventor, who developed a specialized spandex suit filled with dots that each contained gadget which he used as the criminal Mister Polka Dot He robbed business venues of Gotham City that mirrored the theme of his costume, such as the Ink Spot and Domino Gaming. Each time, Krill quarrelled with Batman and Robin, using such gimmicks as a flying buzzsaw. dot and a sun dot as weaponry and a flying saucer dot allowing him to quickly escape the schene of a crime. Eventually, the Dynamic Duo of Earth-One captured Krill, and unlike other fabulous felons who faced Batman, Mister Polka Dot never returned for a rematch.

Clyde Larkin was a reporter who framed an innocent man for his crimes as the Polka Dot Bandit, and after that man was finally released from prison twenty years later, Larkin resumed his criminal career. Committing a robbery in the Golden Slipa club and then at a pawn shop, the Bandit used a rotating platform and perfectly timed train to escape, while only equipped with a modest pistol. Still, he kept outwitting Green Arrow and Speedy who had been following Gus Burns, whom everyone thought was the Bandit himself. In fact, it was soon revealed that Larkin committed crimes in his polka-dot costume in order to make people think that it was Burns, in order to boost his reputation as a crime reporter. In the end, he ended up in prison while Gus gained restitution.

Children Copying Courageous Crusaders: The Jimmy Olsen Fan Club and Junior Justice Society

Fan clubs of famous celebrities are commons, wherein a group of youngsters regale in the exploits in tales of their favorite hero or heroine. Two of the most proiminent ones on the parallel planets of Earths One and Two were the Jimmy Olsen Fan Club and the Junior Justice Society. While undoubtedly there were fans of the Justice League and of the other older Jimmy Olsen of the Daily Star, each on their respective worlds, they weren't as organized as these gregarious groups highlighted today.

The Jimmy Olsen Fan Club of Earth-One modeled themselves after the legendary cub reporter for the Daily Planet. They would listen to their mentor as he presided over their meetings, sharing memorable experiences with them. On occasion, these teens assisted Jimmy in some of his adventures. They were primarly based out of Metropolis, where there headquarters was located.

The Junior Justice Society of Earth-Two modeled themselves after the adult team of the same name, Notable members of the Junior JSA included Bill Townsley, Billy Peters, and Lefty. When they first appeared, individual members helped the adult Society to combat racist propaganda originating from Nazi Germany. Among their notable adversaries are the rival kid gang known as the Crimson Claws, and their mentors' arch-foes in the Injustice Society of the World... both of whom they have a hand in defeating! They were primarly based out of Civic City, where there headquarters was located.

Adaptable Avenging Aviators Attack Alien Antagonists

Rick Starr was the son of wealthy industrialist Thaddeus Starr who owned Allied Solar Enterprises in a distant future. After seeing trouble in the solar system surrounding Earth-One in his era, Starr become the costumed crusader. known as Space Ranger. Mephisto Saturno was royalty from the planet Saturn-Two, sent by that world's Emperor to conscript slaves from Earth-Two as Duke Saturno.

Starr would have a long and distinguished career albeit not yet but in a potential future timeline. He even met Green Lantern and other prominent protectors of the 20th century during a couple cosmic crisises, including the Crisis on Infinite Earths. As for Saturno, Mephisto  repeatedly clashed with Wonder Woman from 1944 to 1947, trying to enslave humanity under his Emperors' wrathful rule. He and his master, now exiled on the moon Titan, would return in 1956 for one last bid for power... yet again Wonder Woman defeated them.

Space Ranger came equipped with an anti-gravity gun, a numbing gun, a thermo-blaze gun, explosi-discs, and dissolverizer as part of his arsenal. Using his vessel the Solar King to journey to his secret base in an asteroid between Mars-One and Jupiter-One, Space Ranger had in an ideal vantage point to survey all that may transpire within his solar system and battled threats including his arch-enemy... the evil alien scientist Doctor Elektro.

Duke Saturno came armed with his anti-gravity ray projector, an invisibility ray, a reverse gravity ray guns, a disintegrator gun and a lassitude gas gun. He likewise could traverse space in his Saturnia vessel to and fro his homebase on Saturn-Two. On one occasion, he worked alongside the evil Doctor Vulture, an international affairs expert seeking to disrupt the peace and play into Saturno's hands.

Duke Saturno had a variety of female assistants, although they were all slaves of his, his main one being Eviless aka Saturnette... the counterparts of Irma Ardeen aka Saturn Girl of 30th century Earth-One. Both Irma and Eviless had the ability to mentally control others, although the former used them as one of the Legion of Super-Heroes, while the latter used them as Villany, Inc.'s leader.

Space Ranger had two key allies in his sidekick Cryll and secretary/girlfriend Myra Mason. Cryll was a shape-changing alien whom Rick had once saved, after which the two became best friends. Throughout the years, Cryll would use his ability to adopt various animal and plant forms in order to assist Space Ranger in his cosmic cases.

A shape-changer contemporeous with Duke Saturno had bedeviled their mutual foe Wonder Woman more than once, although he originated from Mars-Two as a minion of a different duke...the Duke of Deception.  The doppleganger of Space Ranger's assistant Myra Mason was busy with a different spandex superhero, and never met the Duke.

Myra Mason's counterpart on Earth-Two was also named Myra Mason, the nurse and girlfriend of Doctor McNider. While Myra Mason of Earth-One was aware of Starr's alter ego as Space Ranger, and aided him on various adventures in the 22nd century, the Myra Mason of Earth-Two never seemed to connect the dots between her boss and boyfriend, and the masked manhunter known as Doctor Mid-Nite, even when becoming a female version of him with other girlfirends of Mid-Nite and his Justice Society allies.

Twice-Told-Tales: Mental Masterminds Meet Mortality

In the waning hours of the so-called "Crisis on Infinite Earths", as the supervillains from five Earths assemble to take control of three of their worlds, those commanding this sinister squadron orchestrated plans from space. These malevolent masterminds, Brainiac and Lex Luthor from Earth-Two, had just eliminated the threat of Lex's Earth-Two counterpart Alexie, and were calculating the odds of victory in the face of heroic opposition. Little did they know that aboard Brainiac's vessel, one criminal remained behind who sought their doom, as Psimon struck first Brainiac and then Lex from the shadows. However, what Psimon failed to realize is that Brainiac transferred his cybernetic consicence from his destroyed body into a replica, and then struck back at his assailant. Thus ended the threat of Psimon.

A similar scenario played out several months prior to this, when Ultra-Humanite battled both Infinity, Inc. and their mentors in the Justice Society of America. When all were pulled from Earth-Two into interdimensional Limbo, where Ultra's former associate Brain Wave was still exiled, a battle was wages between both of them. While equally matched as to mental prowess, Brain Wave sought to protect his estranged son Henry Junior from his friend turned foe's attack, at which point Ultra struck Brain Wave with a devastating mind blast. As so, counterparts Ultra-Humanite and Brainiac proved strategically superior to dopplegangers Brain Wave and Psimon.

Mystery Analysts Club of Gotham City

Among the detectives who sleuthed out the sinister schemes of shysters in their City, Gotham's own Mystery Analysts Club was preeminent in their reputation for catching crooks. Having several prestiguous members in their midst, these Clubs on twin Earths had two additional advantages... among their members were Commissioner James Gordon... and a caped crusader!

On Earth-One, it was Batman who as his caped career aided the Analysts on a few occasions in catching crafty criminals, including one of their own in Professor Ralph (Mr. X) Vern. Vern sought to create the perfect crime, stealing a rare diamond, before being revealed as the culprit by Batman.

On Earth-Two, it was Green Lantern who as the other caped crusader of Gotham City determined the true identity of Red Domino, a villain previously portrayed in stage plays by an actor. After having played the part for a year in performances, the Red Domino began a criminal career patterned after his poisoned persona. Was this the same man?

The mastermind behind this second Domino was Analyst member Doctor Cypher, who set for a scheme to try to determine Lantern's alter ego as being Alan Scott. Lantern enlisted the aid of the original Red Domino, actor Gene Marsh, into playing Scott to draw out Domino, during an Analyst meeting.

While Marsh merely pretented to be a rogue in front of his fellow Gothamites, his counterpart Arthur Brown was a failed gameshow host who adopted the alias of Cluemaster. His amoral activities as a thieve, using gadgetry, was a cover for his true motive... to uncover the identity of Batman. However, the Earth-One Dark Knight Detective figured this out, and outmanuevered Brown, Cluemaster would return a couple of times along side other villians, and fail each time.

Fiery Flying Fighters Meet the Batmen

Joseph Rigger was a demolition expert in the military, who upon being discharged returned to his hometown of Gotham City. His fragile psyche was shattered when he learned that his family had perished in separate indicents due to faulty buildings they lived in.

Seeking vengeance upon the corrupt landlords and neglegent builders in the community, Rigger devised the alter ego of Firebug, and became an arsonist with the goal of ridding Gotham's slums of all its deathtrap domicles. Of course, this led to repeated conflict with the City's prime protector, Earth-One's Batman.

Unlike other contemporary costumed culprits, Firebug was not inheriantly evil and sought only to destroy these structures to preserve the lives of their occupants, who would presumably live in renovated buildings. However, Rigger's actions nearly jeapardized the lives of some, which led to a reluctant confrontation between he and Batman. Detonating his costume, it seemed as if Rigger perished although his costume appeared later on during a crime wave, indicated that the Firebug was still alive and active.

In June of 1951, the new masked marauder Wingman arrived in Gotham from a Scandinavian country. Inspired by the successful career of Earth-Two's Batman, Wingman joined him on a month's worth of cases in Gotham in order to train under the more experience mystery man. Since Robin would be laid up in a cast for six weeks while recovering from an injury, this provided the Dark Knight with capable help.

Wingman took advantage of this opportunity to acquire the needed edge to become an experienced superhero under the tutelage of Batman.  This caused a rivalry between Wingman and Robin, until the Boy Wonder finally discovered that Wingman would be returning to his native home in northern Europe to engage in a solo career.

Aquaman of... the Justice Society!

In an alternate future timeline following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the golden age Aquaman is shown to be alive following his fatal first meeting with his silver age counterpart, and would eventually join the Justice Society of America. Although unlike his Earth-One doppelgänger, he was more reluctant to do so... due to the experimentation his father performed on him as a boy. He even admitted to having formed a partnership with Huntress' father, Batman.

Having history rewritted, this Aquaman never met his silver age counterpart as he had in the original timeline, which led to his death, this Arthur Curry manifested an ability hinted at during his wartime tales, wherein he communicated with all sealife which aided him when called upon. Apparently, his father's research helped augment not only Aquaman's physical but also mental faculties.

Wildly Wacky and Weird: Dial H for Hero and Burp the Twerp

Robby Reed was arguably the most powerful superhero of Earth-One, in so much as he had access to an immense variety of superhuman abilities at any time he needed it. Reed accidentally uncovered an ancient H-Dial in a cavern, which he deduced would grant him various powers when he dialed H-E-R-O. This led to dozens of adventures and scores of alter egos, each time he became someone different. Defending his home town of Littleville, Colorado, Robby would face various supervillains including his arch-enemy in Erick Bolton aka the Moon Man, who led a criminal organization known as Thunder. Given the location he lived, Robby never met more well-known superheroes, save one much later.

Despite defeating these cadre of crooks, the temptation toward criminality would tempt him. Robby didn't always use these gifts in the wisest manner, which led to as much trouble as what he had battled.

An individual on Earth-Two who matched the diversity of Robby's powerset was a man known only by two aliases, Burp the Twerp, of the Super Son-of-a-Gun. The origin of his abilities, and his actual birthname, are unknown... although it does not seem he relies on a device like an H-Dial to manifest these metahuman attributes.

Unlike other mystery men of the 1940's, Burp kept mostly to himself while being preoccupied in some mundane misadventures. However, on at least two occasions, he encountered Plastic Man. And like Plastic Man, Twerp could contort his body into various shapes and likewise favored a red and black costume during his capers.

Robby had himself once device dialed himself into a clone of Plastic Man, a version of whom also lived on Earth-One and had similar tales as that of his Earth-Two counterpart. Shortly after this, the original Plastic Man came out of retirement and assisted Batman on several cases, reestablishing himself once more as both a superhero and a law enforcement officer.

As for Reed, after several successful tales, his situation started to turn dark. First, his evil side manifested when the pitch of a jet booster used by criminals affected him in his heroic personas. This led to partial amnesia, wherein he forgot he had possessed the H-Dial, and when he suddenly remembered his psychke was too fractured to wield the power without becoming corrupt. After this occasion, Robby attempted to resume his heroic activites, and while attempting to save Earth was forced to dial S-P-L-I-T on his H-Dial so he could be two places at once, which led to the creation of a superhero and a supervillain.

As for Burp the Twerp, he would later appear once more in the company of Plastic Man and Plas' partner Woozy Winks, having come to be obsessed with his fellow shape changer. Noticing that the Super Son-of-a-Gun was stalking his pal, Woozy confronted the creepy contortionist and discovered that... but for his lack of attention span... Burp was a serious threat to not only Plastic Man but all other costumed contemporaries. That said, Burp left the pair once proving his point.

In one tale, Burp sought to marry a woman he had been pursuing for quite some time. When she rejected him due to his appearance, he displayed the ability to change heads, though now having handsome features he found she still wasn't satisifed. Next, in his bag of tricks, he pulled out a more fit physical form, which she definitely approved of, and accepted his marriage proposal. However, the original head of Burp recognized this and reasssembled his old body oce more, realizing he was "too good for his own good". This occasion seems to indicate that perhaps he was an artificial life form, such as an adaptable android.

Between the occasion when Robby first turned evil and when he dialed S-P-L-I-T, after recovering from amnesia and regaining his dial, he encountered the actual Plastic Man while acting out some criminal tendencies once more. Plas fought Robby in various forms, including Robby as Plastic Man II once more. After defeated Reed, Plas took possession of the H-Dial to keep the lad from abusing its power. Robby somehow recoved the dial later on, perhaps after Plastic Man deposited it with the law enforcement agency he was working for. It was at this point, when he split himself in two, that he created two versions of himself. Unlike Burp's handsome and original bodies, each of which was still inherantly good, Reed's two bodies were diametrically opposed. One was good, and the other evil. The evil version disposed of the good version, but not before that good version created two new H-Dials with power limitations that would prevent their inheritors from turning evil. These two, Vicki Grant and Chris King, carried on a various superheroes, fighting the artifical supervillains created by Robby's evil Master persona. Eventually, Reed regained his sanity and retired.

Lois Lane - Her Other Not Super Alter Egos

 

The Lois Lanes of Earths One and Two had short-lived costumed careers as Superwoman, when each Lois temporarily gained the powers and abilities of her one true love from Krypton. However, these twin reporters had on occasion used other alter egos. And these aliases leaned towards the animalistic, or insect, variety in both substance and style.

The Earth-One Lois had on on occasion adopted the name of Leopard Girl, based on a novel written by friendly rival Lana Lang. While on an assignment in Africa gained amnesia, and so began to believe she was this fictional creation of Lana's, leading a pack of leopards until Superman recovered her and restored her memory. Later, Lois borrowed Lana's bio-genetic ring while the two lived together, and briefly assumed Lang's alter ego as Insect Queen. Although this ring was stolen by a female criminal, once retrieved it returned to Lana who used it on occasion when she was younger.

The Earth-Two Lois had been recruited by her husband Superman into assuming the alter ego of Kitty, the "Cub" of his criminal alias of Flying Tiger. The pair began a  fake crime wave, which in reality was an attempt to curry the favor of the Tycoon of Crime, who was supplying criminals with Kryptonite to disable the Man of Steel. Once capturing both the Tycoon and his malevolent meteorite rocks thanks to Kitty's lifesaving assist, Superman resumed his crimefighting career, later on learning that the Flying Tiger resurfaced! Once more Lois as Kitty came to the rescue as both she and Superman discovered the identity of Flying Tiger clone's creator, Funny Face, and captured him.

Funny Faced Friends, Fiends, Foils, & Foibles

Professor Potter, the well-intentioned yet absent minded uncle of Lana Lang, provided many misguided adventures for his friends and family due to his bizarre inventions. The one most effected by his dabblings into the scientific mysteries of the universe was undoubtedly his young associate, Jimmy Olsen. And Potter's golden age counterpart was likewise a source of trouble on occasion.

Among the most successful creations of Potter's was the serum that allowed Jimmy to transform himself into the stretching superhero: Elastic-Lad. 

Prior to this, the Professor unleashed his z-rays on Olsen, transforming the lad into villain Future-Jimmy with mental abilities... which he soon thereafter reversed. Another time, a pill thought to cure a toothache, turned Jimmy into a giant! Potter had previously spawned an evil clone of Jimmy Olsen, and later still would transform Olsen himself into a bizarro much like his own imperfect duplicate Bizarro Jimmy on planet Thrae. Eventually, while on that world, Jimmy used the duplicator ray that initially created duplicates of Superman's friends and foes on Potter, creating a Bizarro Professor Potter who reversed the process, returning Jimmy to his normal humanoid appearance again.

In fact, on the square shaped homeworld of the Bizarros, there were several familiar if hideously disfigured faces beside Jimmy. Some were Bizarro-Lex Luthor, Bizarro-Joker and Bizarro-Titano. These mirrored the villains brought to psuedo-life by the Earth-Two Potter, aka Funny Face, to rob for him. These were Machine Gun Mike, Viper and a lizard giant... all based on comic strip characters Funny Face's bio-ray brought to life.

To combat these, Lois Lane slyly activated the device while captured by the criminal, and brought to life comic strip heroes that mimic different persona's of Earth-One Jimmy Olsen. Among these was the red-and-yellow costume clad hero Streak Dugan, who like Jimmy's Kandorian alter ego of the masked red-and-yellow clad Flamebird, came equiped with advanced gadgets to fight the forces of evil. Each comic character could grow large, just like Jimmy as Elastic Lad and during his gigantic Turtle Boy phases.

Perhaps the most dangerous villains that Potter and Funny Face unleashed on their respective Earths was the medieval malcontents known as Krogg and Torgo. While Earth-One was saved from Krogg thanks to the combined efforts of both Supermen, the original Superman on Earth-Two enlisted the aid of the caped knight Prince Peril, a more noble psuedo-personage than the dark knight Bizarro Batman whom modern Superman encountered.

Simultaneous Sagas of Surviving Sons from Space: the Supermen

Last Sons of Krypton had similar origins and settings, though divergent histories and circumstances which made them the ideal character studies for a pair of dopplegangers exisiting within the Multiverse. Of course, both Kal-El and Kal-L were initially thought to be the sole survivors of their respective Kryptons, though later tales revealed other survivors.

After being raised in Smallville by their adopted parents the Kent, each of them in their civilian identities of Clark Kent began their journalistic careers as reporters for the Daily Planet and Daily Star in the parallel cities of Metropolis. There they worked with George Taylor, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, Steve Lombard/Bard, Lana Lang, and with the love of their lives, Lois Lane. Although they would primarily protect this city, they would be guardians of Earths One and Two, and inspire a generation of spandex superheroes.

Each of them faced various villains through their storied careers, though none were as persistent at plaguing them as were Lex Luthor and Alexie Luthor. Lex grew up in Smallville with Clark, and turned to villany out of a sense of revenge. Alexie originated in Europe, a young tyrant whose dreams his foe crushed.

However, there were other malevolent masterminds whose intellect rivaled that of the Luthors. Lex discovered the origins of the second greatest adversary of his arch-enemy Brainiac, an android on the planet Colu-One whom the robot overlords built based on the mental template of a dying human scientist. Sent into space to acquire information of other civilizations that his robot masters could then conquer, Brainiac journeyed to various planets whereby he shrunk each one of their cities then placing them in bottles to later study. One of these cities was that of Kandor, just prior to its world Krypton-One detonating, thus preserving it aboard its captors spaceship until Kal-El first met Brainiac and liberated it.


The first foe of Kal-L was another sinister scientist with a desire to implant his brain into a robotic body, that of the Ultra-Humanite. Born a genetic mutant with an immense intellect, Ultra sought to dominate all he desired, which brought him into immediate conflict with Superman. After several encounters, the Humanite had his mind transplanted into the body of an actress, but only temporarily while he sought to permanently secure it within the metallic frame of Robotman. When this plan failed, Ultra used a series of bodies throughout the decades, whereby he would continue to torment his enemy. Although of Colu-Two as was Brainiac, which had its own robot masters, he was every bit the threat to Superman as was his green-skinned counterpart.

Both Supermen encountered Kryptonians, such as the Phantom Zone exiles of Krypton-One and the Evil Three of Earth-Two, preserved alive as part of their punishment. The would later learn that relatives of theirs survived, primarily their cousins Kara Zor-El and Kara Zor-L, who upon arrival to their respective Earths adopted the aliases of Supergirl and Power Girl. While Kal-El also had the bottled city of Kandor, providing him a sliver of his homeworld he could visit, a virtual duplicate of Kal-L's Kandor resided within Kara's rocketship, which apparently only she could access later when revisiting that city.

Among their closest friends were the heroes and heroines whom they teamed up. While Kal-El was initially a member of the large 30th century team team known as the Legion of Super-Heroes, and Kal-L frequently fought alongside a group just as large in the All-Star Squadron, the teams they are best known for being a part of were the Justice League of America and Justice Society of America. As founding members, they each at joined occasionally in adventures alongside these groups at first. Kal-El soon became a regular member, while Kal-L remained an honorary member for decades, later joining full time.

Ace reporter Lois Lane had initially been a foil and rival reporter for Clark Kent, although over time their relationship warmed up. She was always in love with Superman, on both worlds, and their romance would have its ups and downs due to each Man of Steel's commitment to his costumed career. On one occasion, Kal-El lost his super powers when he was dressed as Clark Kent, due to an alien's influence. During this period, a more assertive Clark Kent captured the interest of Lois, with the two beginning to date. Kal-L lost all memory of his alter ego and as Clark Kent gained a more assertive demeanor that captivated his Lois. While the effects were temporary with Kal-El, dooming his relationship with Lois, by the time Kal-L recalled his past, he and Lois were married.

Both Clarks would over time become more than simply star reporters for the Planet and the Star papers.

Morgan Edge, who purchased the Daily Planet and merged it with his Galaxy Broadcasting media empire enlisted Kent into becoming the evening anchorman for WGBS-TV. Given the expierence he gained under the tutelage of his first editor-in-chief George Taylor, and that man's successor Perry White, Clark blossomed in his journalistic skills which motivated Edge's decision. At first a challenge, Kal-El was able to juggle his duties as reporter, anchorman and superhero.

Another, older George Taylor, who had been editor-in-chief of the Daily Star, stepped down from his career shortly after Clark and Lois married. Seeking a successor, Taylor intiated a competion between Kent and the man whom Taylor sometimes used a backup when he was away... Perry White! Winning the contest by losing out on a news worthy scoop, as Clark had planned he became the editor-in-chief, and balanced this out with his caped career as well as marriage.

Despite these divergences in their personal stories, the Supermen each were the pinnacle of powerhouse protection on their parallel planets, and models for other such ones to follow.

Ancient Asians Assist and Antagnize Avengers

Ra's Al Ghul, the environmental terrorist whose name translates in Arabic to the "Demon's Head", was a genius mastermind born five centuries ago. At some undisclosed point in the past, Ra's obtained access to one of the many Lazurus Pits around Earth-One, enabling him to revive himself even in the face of death. From this he built up a monolithic organization to achieve his ends, the League of Assassins, until he broke off from them.

Ra's Al Ghul initially encountered his arch-nemesis, Earth-One's Batman, more to determine the viability of the Caped Crusader as Ra's heir-apparent to his empire, and husband to his daughter Talia. Wanting none of this, Batman unseated Al Ghul's schemes time and time again. On each occasion, it was Talia who, behind her father's back, aided Batman as her love was as great for him as for her father.

Wong, the unofficial mayor of Gotham City's Chinatown on Earth-Two, was the latest incarnation of the Khan Dynasty that traced its origin to his forefather, Genghis Khan aka the immortal Vandal Savage. 

Early in Batman's career, he met Wong, who aided him versus the mortal enemy of he and his ancestor Savage... the first keeper of the Green Flame of Life, Chang. Wong was mayor of Chinatown when he met Batman, prior to losing his life at the hands Chang's Green Dragon Tong.

On occasion, Ra's worked alongside Batman in order to defeat a common foe. Generally, this was due to a  schism in the League of Assassins between Ra's and his principle deputy the Sensei. It is unknown if Ra's ever encountered his fellow Asian immortal Shanh-Zi as had Wong and Chang in the early 1940's

Sometime after Wong perished, a new mayor Chin Loo caused more problems within Chinatown until Batman and Robin uncovered him as the true culprit. Chin's Earth-One counterpart Bill Loo was a more honorable mayor. It was on this occasion versus Chin Loo that the Caped Crusaders learned from Wong's father the history on their family as heirs of Genghis Khan aka Vandal Savage, who had given his descendants a special ring passed down to each subsequent Wong.

The first recorded Wong encountered a time traveling Batman and Robin who had journeyed to his era seven centuries before their birth, decisively defeating Wong Tso's scheme to usurp power from his sibling, the latest Khan. So Batman ended up dueling with ancient Wong, befriending modern Wong and being later assisted by an elderly Wong... all bound by Khan's ring.

While not immortal as their forebearer Vandal Savage, their unbroken lineage mirrored the multiple lifetime experienced by Ra's Al Ghul. Mirroring this, the men whom Vandal became over the years on Earth-Two such as Genghis Khan were separated men of different eras. On Earth-One, ancient Genghis Khan and modern day  Kru-El were separate persons, as also the Wongs.

Lifeless Lois Lanes Love Legend's Likeness

Lois Lane was always near her one true love Superman, so when copies of him were made, another version of her would likewise stick closer to the alien she adored. Bizarro number one, the imperfect duplication of Superman, sought to fill the void in his life with others of his kind. To that end, he made several duplicates of hiimself who were all equally lifeless and imperfect, expressing an opposite point of view from the original Kryptonitan whom they were cloned from. Similarly, Bizarro used the same imperfect duplicator ray that spawned him and his twins to create matching mates in Lois Lanes. 

One of these, deemed Lois Lane number one, became his wife and together they would eventually have a son in Bizarro Junior. On occasion, the Bizarro family and particularly the original would visit Earth-One and interact with their living counterparts, much to the dismay of the real persons whom they were modeled after due to their warped logic and propensity to create problems for them.

In like fashion, on Earth-Two in a separate universe, there was a lifeless although perfect copy created of Superman. Or, to be more precise, a clone of his villianous alter ego... the Flying Tiger... whom the caped crusader used in order to locate the mysterious supplier of deadly Kryptonite to various criminal gangs in Metropolis, which Superman had repeatedly encoutered. After defeating the mastermind behind this distribution network in the Tycoon of Crime, Superman retired the Tiger. 

However, sometime after this the levitating larcenous Tiger reappeared and summarily defeated Superman in battle. Recognizing an artist's signature on his foe's boot, Superman knew that this Flying Tiger was an enlarged version of an artistic rendering in the Daily Star. In order to  ensnare his faux foe, Superman had his wife Lois Lane Kent resume her own double identity as Kitty, the former henchwoman of his Flying Tiger. She then revealed to Tiger and to his creator and master, failed artist turned inventor Funny Face, the location of Kryptonite which could render Superman powerless. However, when Flying Tiger attempted to steal these meteorites from Metropolis' police headquarters, he himself was rendered inert as he not only had the same strength but also weakness of Superman. Enraged by this, Funny Face turned Kitty into a two-dimensional lifeless drawing with his bio-ray, which he had done a decade earlier. This same ray that can animate drawings also had a reverse effect on humans. Thankfully as he had done previously, Superman saved Lois leaving Kitty a mere drawing like the Tiger.

Kara's and the Kids: Supergirls and Stellar Studs

Kara Zor-El began her caped career in secret, training under her famous cousin Kal-El. During this period, she joined the 30th century Legion of Super-Heroes to experience working side-by-side with fellow teens. However, given the special trips she needed to make a thousand years into the future, she was only a part-time member, and so was essentially a loner even after she revealed herself as Supergirl to her new world of Earth-One in her native era.

During the same period of time, Lucas "Snapper" Carr was made an honorary member of the Justice League of America. After years as that team's mascot, he grew disenfranchised at being looked down upon, and she so adopted the stellar powered Star-Tsar. After a brief criminal career, Carr decided that make amends for his actions by becoming a research assistant of S.T.A.R. Lab's Fred Danvers, step-father of Supergirl's alter ego. It was then that she first met Snapper when trying to stop a malfunctioning robot of Superman's he was attempting to repair to help mankind.

Kara Zor-L began her caped career also in secret, though for far longer. This was due to fact that, unlike her counterpart who grew up in Argo City which has survived the destruction of Krypton, she was raised within her Symbioship providing her with an artificial reality creating a simulated Kandor with virtual parents and friends. Now on Earth-Two, she was taught by her adopted father Clark Kent, when was also her cousin Kal-L, and her step-mother Lois Lane Kent. 

Eventually, she revealed herself to the world as Power Girl when joining rhe Justice Society of America, at the same time as time displaced Sylvester Pemberton, known as the Star-Spangled Kid. The Kid would try to impress Kara repeatedly, although his affection would not be returned. Hiwever, a friendship would grow between the two in the years together as teammates.

Pesky Potters Propagate Problematic Phonies

Professor Phineas Potter was an eccentric yet good-natured scientist who became an acquaintence of fellow Smallville resident Superboy. The maternal uncle of Lana Lang, herself a childhood friend of Superboy and his alter ego Clark Kent. His counterpart was an aspiring yet vengeful cartoonist who first met his world's Superman and Lois Lane when first utilizing his invention under his criminal alias of Funny Face.

Potter would cause some complications in the life of Superman as he had when the hero was just a lad, although the two remained good friends. Phineas also began associating with reporters Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen of the Daily Planet. For the latter, Potter's various experiments caused a wide range of bodily transformations, including a serum Phineas developed that allowed Olsen's body to elongate as the Elastic Lad, as well as one that inflated his body into a "fat Jimmy" variation. However, the device that caused Jimmy the most grief was his normalizer ray, a device developed to humanize Bizarros. In this instance, it worked although the effects had an opposite effect on the young red-haired photo-journalist.

In fact, another scientist years earlier developed the original duplication ray that created an imperfect liveless version of Superboy. This clone tragically perished, only years later to be revived by Lex Luthor as an adult Bizarro Superman. Feeling himself alone as a freak on Earth-One, Bizarro journeyed to an abandoned world and used a duplicator ray to create a companion for himself in Bizarro Lois Lane, as well as several copies of both himself and Lois. Eventually, their existence came to the attention of Professor Potter, who after developing his normalizer ray had projected its beams upon a Jimmy Olsen wearing a bizarro mask as a practical joke to scare his scientific friend. Now, both physically and mentally, Jimmy became like his imperfect duplicate, a Bizarro! Now living in exile on Thrae, the Bizarro World, was their hope for him?

The Earth-Two Phineas Potter adopted the alias of Funny Face after failing to fullfill his first dream of being a successful cartoonist. As an inventor, however, he was highly successful... having developed a bio-ray that could bring to life characters from various comic strips. Such villains as the Martian villain Torgo, the gangster Machine-Gun Mike, the criminal cowboy Black Raider, the bald giant Torgo, and the sinister schemer known as the Viper. Also produced were various henchmen aiding these artificial life forms. 

Eventually, with the aid of Lois Lane, the Earth-Two Superman vanquished Funny Face allied with his fictional foes' heroic adversary in Streak Dugan, Detective Craig, Solitary Rider, Prince Peril and Happy Daze. However, Funny Face still lived, and created a clone of Superman's Flying Tiger alias, who also was defeated. Although twice using his bio-ray on Lois to transform her into a lifeless illustration, each time Superman was able to revive her. Similarly, an imperfect Bizarro clone of Professor Potter was able to develop a reverse-normalizer ray, restoring Earth-One Jimmy to his human form!

On one occasion, Potter accidentally activated a transdimensional portal in the Justice League satellite, previously damaged and yet to be repaired, which had unleashed a creature from the  limbo trans-dimensional realm of Limbo. Theorizing that a merged Superman of Earths One and Two could defeat this entity, he aided both Supermen in accomplishing this feat for a limited time, and in fact the two Supermen-in-one were able to vanquish the beast and thus save Earth-One. The Earth-Two Superman had initially traveled to Earth-One to recruit that world's Jimmy Olsen into returning to his world, where Olsen's older counterpart needed an organ transplant. A reformed Funny Face, now a physician, used his bio-ray to create a duplicate organ from Jimmy-One... to be transplanted into Olsen-Two.

Superman's Famous Formative Family

Superman started out as an infant alien orphan jettisoned into space when his home world and all its inhabitants, including most of his family, perished in an explosive cataclysm. Despite this, he found family and friends who became a part of his family, some from his native Krypton and others from his new home on Earth. This is the story of the golden age and modern day Supermen born Kal-El and Kal-L.

Kal-El would later meet his parents Jor-El and Lora on the wedding ceremony, after he had accidentally pierced the barrier in time and space which separated him from them, and was with them just prior to when he would be born. Through mishap, he would survive when cast as an actor in a drama, cast adrift in a space ship. 

Kal-L had himself never had knowledge of his past as had his counterpart, as he hadn't been given a memory teacher like his twin to recall key events on his Krypton. Additionally, he was a new born when leaving his world, while Kal-El had lived on that world for a couple years before it detonated and he was sent hurtling to Earth.

As such, when Kal-L sought to track the origin of a green meteorite that criminal Swami Riva used to weaken him, he discovered his parents Zor-L and Lara, although since he arrived at the time that he was born, he appeared on his Krypton as a phantom, since he couldn't exist two places at the same time. Kal-El had the opportunity to interact with his parents, becoming a lab assistant of his fathers and romancing a famous movie star there!

Immediately upon arrival to his new home on Earth-One, the toddler Kal-El who became known as Clark Kent manifested superhuman powers which his adopted parents had to train him to harness responsibly. Although initially an older couple, Jonathan and Martha Kent regained their youthful appearance, and with this had the stamina along with patience to tutor young Clark into becoming the caped crusader known as Superboy. This lad would become his hometown of Smallville's heroic champion, gaining foes in Kryptonite Kid and Lex Luthor, among others.

Superboy would even be recruited into the 30th century teenage team, the Legion of Super-Heroes, as he was their inspiration.

On one occasion during his late teen years, a mishap with a tornado caused Superboy to travel to Earth-Two, decades prior to his own time period, where he met a near identical Clark Kent. This Clark hadn't manifested quite the range of superpowers as had his counterpart, although he did show phenomenal strength in an orphanage before being adopted by the couple who found him. This couple, John and Mary Kent, remained older and thus weren't as prepared to groom their son into a budding mystery man, as superheroes there were called. After attempting a brief career as Masked Wonder, Clark resolved to become Superman after following the example of Superboy.

One of the earliest friends whom Superboy met was his alter ego's next door neighbor, Lana Lang, who along with her family moved in next door early in his costumed career. Lana would begin to have an on again off again romance with Superboy, while scoffing at her clumsy classmate Clark.

While this Lana had a wealth of experience with both identities of Kal-El, her counterpart on Earth-Two didn't have the same opportunity. While Lana on Earth-One had moved to the town along with her father Professor Lewis Lang and her mother, where Superboy resided, this Lana and her parents moved from Smallville before she would have had opportunity to go to school with her world's Clark. As such, Clark met Lana when they were adults, and after he had already married Lois Lane. Because of this, they did not have a romance as had their dopplegangers, and remained plutonic friends. Later, Superman would meet Professor Lang when both sought to free Lana from the influence of a scarab her fatther discovered and gifted to her.

Back on Earth-One, the relationship between Lois and Lana was always a hot source of contention, with each lady attempting to win the right to be the girlfriend and, ultimately, wife of Superman. They even became superheroines on occasion when they had been granted powers. Both shared the bio-ring that Lana had been gifted, each would become an Insect Queen. While Lois also had the alter ego of Power Girl and later Super Woman, Lana beat her to the punch when she was given a pair of alien belts her father found on archeaologist digs, becoming Sky Girl and Gravity Girl.

The older Earth-Two Professor Lang also found an item of power in the form of the scarab broach which transformed his daughter into Insect Queen, who at first was evil but turned good with the help of Lois and her husband Superman. Lois had herself had experience on a couple of occasions as Super Woman, but would gift the Power Girl alter ego to her adopted daughter years later... Kal-L's cousin Kara Zor-L. Unlike that Kara, the Kara Zor-El of Earth-One settled on a name honoring her cousin when she became Supergirl. And she would have parents and cousins who lived in the bottled city of Kandor-One, while the L's only had virtual versions of their Kryptonian kin in a synthetic Kandor-Two housed within Power Girl's Symbioship that saved her life.