Superman #135
Superman #135 (February 1960) packs three distinct Silver Age storytelling threads into a single 36-page issue, making it a small but genuinely multi-layered artifact of the Mort Weisinger era. Its central story, 'Superman's Mermaid Sweetheart,' marks the second appearance of Lori Lemaris—the Atlantean mermaid who had debuted just months earlier in Superman #129—and simultaneously introduces her future husband Ronal, the alien physician who becomes a recurring presence in the Superman supporting cast for years. The issue also delivers an early 'untold tale' of Lois Lane piecing together Clark Kent's secret identity, a prototype of the cat-and-mouse dynamic that would define countless Silver Age plots, and a Mxyzptlk comedy in which three robot incarnations of Kal-El across time (Superman, Superboy, and Superbaby) are used to outwit the fifth-dimensional imp—a cover image striking enough to drive the issue's visual appeal. Together, the three stories function as a compact showcase of the imaginative, continuity-conscious style Weisinger was building across the Superman family of titles.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
All three stories in the issue were scripted by Jerry Siegel, working under editor Mort Weisinger at National Comics Publications. The lead story and the Mxyzptlk closing feature were drawn by Al Plastino, while the central Lori Lemaris story was rendered by veteran Silver Age Superman artist Wayne Boring with inks by Stan Kaye—the same team that had introduced Lori in Superman #129. The cover illustration was produced by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, whose collaboration defined the visual identity of Superman throughout this decade. The issue carried a February 1960 cover date and a ten-cent cover price, placing it squarely in the early-Silver Age commercial format Weisinger had refined to monthly regularity.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover dated February 1960; published by National Comics Publications (DC Comics); edited by Mort Weisinger.
- First appearance of Ronal, the alien/Atlantean physician who becomes Lori Lemaris's husband and a recurring supporting character in the Superman mythology.
- Second appearance of Lori Lemaris, the mermaid from Tritonis/Atlantis who had debuted in Superman #129 (May 1959); this issue advances her ongoing relationship with Superman and closes the door on their romance as she falls in love with Ronal.
- Contains three separate stories: 'When Lois First Suspected Clark Was Superman!' (an untold-tale framing device), 'Superman's Mermaid Sweetheart' (the Lori/Ronal story), and 'The Trio of Steel' (the Mxyzptlk/robot story).
- In 'The Trio of Steel,' Mr. Mxyzptlk hypnotizes Superman into behaving as a social menace, then demands a Superman robot; three robots representing Kal-El across his life stages (Superman, Superboy, Superbaby) arrive, and the Superbaby robot inadvertently tricks Mxyzptlk into spelling his name backward, banishing him to the fifth dimension.
- Creative team: writing on all three stories by Jerry Siegel; art on the Lori Lemaris story by Wayne Boring (pencils) and Stan Kaye (inks); art on the Lois and Mxyzptlk stories by Al Plastino; cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye.
- Stories from this issue were reprinted in Superman Annual #8 (Winter 1963–64), Showcase Presents: Superman Vol. 2 (August 2006), and Superman: The Man of Tomorrow Archives Vol. 3 (July 2014).
- The issue belongs to the early Silver Age run that Weisinger shaped around an expanding, continuity-connected cast; Lori Lemaris would go on to appear frequently throughout the 1960s and remained part of Superman's history until her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Cast · 14 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Superman becomes Super-Pest, playing stupid tricks and embarrassing his friends, under 5th dimensional influence.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).