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 early 1960’s.

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 conduction 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 Fortress 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--emblazed 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 assassintate Superman, have surreptitiously replaced the real medallion with on 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. 152/33: “The TV Trap for Superman!”).

Appearances:

SPJO No. 39, September 1959

Act No. 261, February 1960

SGLL No. 21, November 1960

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, April 1962: "The TV Trap For Superman!"

SPJO No. 75, March 1964

SPJO No. 85, June 1965

SGLL No. 60, October 1965

SPJO No. 88, October 1965 SGLL No. 69, October 1966

Act No. 376, May 1969: "The Only Way to Kill Superman!"

ACt No. 377, June 1969

S No. 228, July 1970: "Execution Planet!"

S No. 240, July 1971: "To Save a Superman"

S No. 241, August 1971