Superman #13

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE MACHINATIONS OF THE LIGHT lark Kent and Lois Lane are assigned to cover a speech by Senator Billingsley at the National Hall. Perry White tips them off that someone called the Light warned that Billingsley would not speak at the meeting. When the Senator is late, Clark asks lois to escuse him so he could make a phone call. But instead of going to a phone both he changes to Superman in an office, and go investigates. At that time, the senator's car is caught in a light so bright it blinds the occupants. When their vision returns, the bodyguards find the senator missing. When Superman arrives, they blame him, tell him what happened and shoot at him, failing to prevent his escape. Flying above the surrounding countryside, Superman checks inside a speeding car, and sees the missing senator. He lands in front of the car, which turns on the blinding headlights. But Superman shields his eyes and rescues the senator, leaving the kidnappers unconscious. Returning to Lois as Clark, he listens to Billingsley's speech while keeping watch. He sees a mysterious figure drop a pill the releases a blinding flash, leaving behind a message proclaiming the Light's intent to get the senator some other time. Clark phones in the news to the Planet, and is told that there have been another dozen kidnappings. On the way back to the office, Clark and Lois are caught by the Light's henchmen. When the thugs take them away, they are ordered to kill them. Clark distracts them with super ventriloquism, then moves fast enough to knock out the men before Lois can look back at Clark. The thugs do not talk to the police, but Clark and Lois are sent to cover the possible kidnapping of Governor Benson. Clark fails to meet Lois, who goes on ahead, as he is keeping watch as Superman. He sees the man he observed dropping the pill back at the National Hall and catches him, taking him far up into the air. He drops him, and says he can't catch him unless he talks. He reveals a plan to kidnap the governor and take him to the Light's hideout, but it is too late for Superman to prevent the kidnapping. Instead, he goes to the hideout. He hears the Light telling the kidnapped men to help him take over the country, and start hypnotizing them. When he breaks in, he gets caught in the hypnosis beam and starts carrying out the command to destroy all military materials that could be used against the Light. However, before he can do so, Lois sees him, works out what happened, and helps him shake off the hypnosis. He goes back to the hideout and smashes the control board. The Light threatens to blow everything up if Superman doesn't back off and reveals himself to be Luthor. Superman stops him and knocks out his henchmen. However, Luthor flees in the confusion. SUPERMAN VERSUS THE ARCHER A wealthy man named Thomas Gayford holds a party for all his friends, and tells them that someone called The Archer left a note saying he would die for failing to pay a ransom. He boasts that his guards will protect him, but soon dies with an arrow in his chest. The Archer escapes. In the offices of the Daily Planet, Perry White is looking for Clark Kent and Lois Lane. An office boy, Jimmy Olsen, offers to cover the story for them, but White tells him he's not ready. Clark and Lois arrive after futilely chasing a story, and are dispatched to Gayford Mansion. The Police say they have no leads, but an arrow with a note is shot near them. The note says the killing was to show the Archer means business. On the way back to the office, someone shoots an arrow at Clark and Lois; Clark blocks it with his hand. He then finds his brakes have been disabled. When he sees a van coming the other way, he hypnotizes Lois to send her to sleep, and flies the car away at superspeed. He fixes the brakes and drops Lois off. Then he changes to Superman and returns to the manor. The police try to catch him, but he evades them. Next day, The Archer has killed another, and Lois has gone to investigate.Clark arrives too late to hear more than the news the Archer has threatened to kill more unless they learn to pay promptly, When a man in green with a bow and arrows appears in the doorway. He turns out to a harmless nut who thinks he's Robin Hood. However, the police believe him to be the culprit, so do not investigate when a jeweler receives a threat. Superman stakes out the jeweler and blocks the arrow, but the jeweler shoots Superman in a panic, and the Archer escapes. At the Planet, Jimmy passes Lois a note for Clark, telling of a lead. Lois takes the lead herself, and passes a false clue on. However, Jimmy hides in the boot of Lois' car. Lois meets a man who claims to work for the Archer. But before he can divulge his master's identity, he is shot dead. Jimmy knocks Lois out of the path of a second arrow, but the Archer follows. Meanwhile, Superman gives up on the lead Lois gave him, and returns to the Planet, there finding the note. He follows the real lead, and arrives in time to save Lois. He stops the Archer, and finds he is a game hunter called Quigley, who thought hunting people would be more interesting. Later, Lois and Clark publish the story with Jimmy's name on the by-line. BABY ON THE DOORSTEP When Clark Kent arrives at work one day, he finds a note asking him to go to a certain building. When he gets there, he finds a baby, with a note from his mother asking Clark to care for him. Lois Lane offers to help him care for the child, and sends him out to buy baby supplies. While he's gone, a salesman tries to sell Lois some baby toys, and attempts to get into Clark's apartment. Clark returns, and the salesman flees. Making an excuse and changing to Superman, he follows him. The man speaks with another man, and they plan to kidnap the boy when Clark leaves that afternoon. Returning as Lois leaves, Clark entertains the baby by performing various deeds of strength and flight as Superman. Going home, he sees the men about to break in. He catches them and they tell him that their employer contacted them over the phone, and they know nothing. Later, a young woman knocks on Clark's door. She claims to be the baby's mother and takes him away. Just after she leaves, another woman arrives and asks for the child. When Clark tells her that he's already gone, the woman breaks down. She tells him that her name is Clara Pierson, widow of an important war inventor. Foreign spies had threatened her in an attempt to get her husband's invention, and she sent the child away to protect him. Clark offers his aid in repairing the blunder. At Mrs. Pierson's apartment, a phone call directs them to Oak Street. Once there, Clark is taken away, threatened with death. They tie his wrists and dangle him from a tree, before driving their car straight at him. He flips over the branch and kicks the car away. He changes to Superman and flies back to Oak Street. Meanwhile, Mrs. Pierson tells where the plans are hidden (in a baby rattle back at Clark's apartment) in exchange for her child's safety. Superman arrives after the chief leaves and rescues Mrs. Pierson. She tells him where to go, and he flies off. At that moment, Lois comes to check on Clark's progress with the boy, and sees the men breaking in. Superman appears, and the chief takes Lois hostage. Following from a distance, Superman catches Lois when she is shoved out the car door and catches up as the thieves flee in a small plane. He takes the chief to the police, with the plans. THE CITY BENEATH THE EARTH Over the course of several days, various buildings collapse for no apparent reason. Superman patrols the city, and holds up another collapsing building long enough for it to be evacuated, only to see an elevator full of trapped people. He rescues them, and sees a ray emerging from the ground where the building had stood. He tunnels down into the ground and finds a machine generating the ray, scaring off the operators and smashing it. As the operators attack, a voice rings out, forestalling further violence. The man introduces himself as Kyack and shows Superman around the underground city. He tells how his people retreated underground to avoid the incoming ice age millennia ago, and that they are preparing to invade the surface and reclaim it. he drops Superman into a pit with a giant lizard. Superman defeats the lizard, and hears someone cry for help. He sees two under grounders throwing a third into a volcano and rescues him. The men who threw him in flee. The victim introduces himself as Tulan, the true leader of the underground civilization. Kyack took over, telling everyone Tulan had killed himself, in order to invade, as Tulan favored peace. Superman escorts Tulan to the council chamber, where the council place Kyack under arrest after hearing the story. But Kyack's men free him and start the invasion. Superman returns to the surface and easily destroys the war machines.