The Anti-Superman Gang

The Anti-Superman Gang

The name used to designate a single gang of criminals, or, more likely, several independent gangs, which match wits with Superman in the 1960s and 1970s.

In February 1960, after Superman has transported his Fortress of Solitude from its location in the Arctic to a site somewhere "on the outskirts of Metropolis" and has begun conducting guided tours through it for the benefit of charity, two members of the Anti-Superman Gang, posing as innocent tourists, enter the Fortress along with a crowd of sightseers and leave behind a diabolical chemical concoction formulated to emit "a deadly gas" which, in an hour's time, will "erupt into an atomic blast" and blow the Fortress of Solitude to kingdom come. The scheme is thwarted, however, by a pair of scientists in the bottle city of Kandor, who witness the planting of the atomic explosive on their Kandorian monitor screen and relay the news to Superman by means of a special "super-sonic signal," thus enabling the Man of Steel to dispose of the deadly explosive--and apprehend the Anti-Superman Gang--before any harm can come either to the Fortress itself or to the city of Kandor, which rests on a niche inside the Fortress (Act No. 261: "Superman’s Fortresses of Solitude!").

In May 1961 Superman thwarts an elaborate scheme by respected "millionaire philanthropist" John Kiley, the secret leader of the Anti-Superman Gang, to unravel the secret of his dual identity (Act No. 276: "The War Between Supergirl and the Superman Emergency Squad!"). During this same period, three members of the Anti-Superman Gang attempt to murder science-fiction writer Rock Stirling with Kryptonite in the mistaken belief that Stirling is secretly Superman, but they are quickly apprehended by Superman with some timely help from writer Stirling (S No. 145/1, May 1961: "The Secret Identity of Superman!"). (See Jimmy Olsen.)

In April 1962, at a charity rally for the Greater Metropolis Fund, Superman is presented with a "special medallion" in the form of a giant-sized pocket watch--emblazoned with the slogan "Time to Give"--and agrees to wear the medallion around his neck to help publicize the charity drive, unaware that two members of the Anti-Superman Gang, who have been paid $1,000,000 to assassinate Superman, have surreptitiously replaced the real medallion with one containing a tiny television transmitter in hopes of unearthing a clue to the secret of Superman's dual identity. The criminals ultimately discover that Superman is secretly Clark Kent and attempt to murder Kent with kryptonite, but the Man of Steel foils the attempt on his life; tricks the villains, through an elaborate ruse, into believing they have erred in identifying Clark Kent with Superman; and arranges for their capture by the Metropolis police (S No. 152/3: "The TV Trap for Superman!"). (TGSB)

Appearances

• SPJO No. 39/3, Sep 1959: "Jimmy Olsen's Super-Signals"
• Act No. 261, Feb 1960: "Superman's Fortresses of Solitude"
• SGLL No. 21/1, Nov 1960: "Dolls of Doom"
• S No. 145, May 1961: "The Secret Identity of Superman!"
• Act No. 276, May 1961: "The War Between Supergirl and the Supermen Emergency Squad!"
• S No. 152, Apr 1962: "The TV Trap For Superman!"
• SPJO No. 75/1, Mar 1964: "The Mystery of Convict 313"
• SPJO No. 85/2, Jun 1965: "The Adventures of Chameleon-Head Olsen"
• SGLL No. 60/1, Oct 1965: "The Amazing Hydro-Girl"
• SPJO No. 88/3, Oct 1965: "Jimmy Olsen, World's 'Heavyweight' Champion"
• SGLL No. 69, Oct 1966: "Beware of the Bug-Belle"
• Act No. 376, May 1969: "The Only Way to Kill Superman!"
• Act No. 377, Jun 1969: "The Cage of Doom"
• S No. 228, Jul 1970: "Execution Planet!"
• S No. 240, Jul 1971: "To Save a Superman"
• S No. 241, Aug 1971: "The Shape of Fear"