Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Help Support the Channel: patreon.com/ZCInfinity
Let's take a look through DC Comics' first alternate universe series Imaginary Stories, and discover the What Ifs of the Comic Silver Age!
Transcript:
Born to Be Superman. We see Superman defending the Earth from alien invaders, as he narrates to himself how much he loves having powers. Only to reveal it was all a dream and Clark wakes up, showing that he's married to Lana, has a kid, lives in a large house with his parents. ...And that he hasn't had his powers for thirteen years, having been in a coma for ten of those years. Since then, he's expanded his father's general store into a very successful supermarket chain, which he quickly has to catch a flight to for the grand opening of a California branch. On the way, he confesses to his father, who serves on the state legislature, that he sometimes misses having powers, but realized he had to stop sulking and get on with his life, working hard to become successful. Pete Ross meets him when he arrives at the airport, now serving as manager of his California division, and they catch up after Clark cuts the ribbon for the store's grand opening. Clark realizes it's the thirteenth anniversary of the disappearance of Superboy, Pete even pointing out there's a network special being aired on it, hosted by a grown Jimmy Olsen. And they're not the only ones to see it, as elsewhere, Luthor watches the special, gloating how he was the one to destroy Superboy. He reminisces building a suit that was powerful enough to even subdue the young hero, but he overclocked it and it exploded, knocking him out and sending Superboy flying away never to be seen again. He was arrested and served thirteen years of a twenty year sentence, but now he's ready to get back into the business of crime. Meanwhile, on an outing with his family, Clark notices a poster advertising a new book by Lois Lane, and, out of curiosity, goes into the store to buy a copy. Lana hopes Clark isn't obsessing about the past again, as she goes into her own flashback of that fateful day and witnessing Superboy being restrained by Luthor and then flung away by the suit explosion. The next thing she saw was Superboy hitting the ground hard right in front of her, Pete rushing up and noticing the unconcious hero has lost his powers, revealing to Lana that Superboy is in fact Clark Kent. In the present, Clark reminisces with the retired Police Chief Parker about Superboy, before he buys the book and leaves. Weeks later, Luthor has finished his latest invention, that he uses to wreak havoc and smash into the Metropolis bank. But inside, he's greeted by the sudden reappearance of Superman, who quickly proves he's the real deal, using his powers to topple and destroy Luthor's supersuit. However, he shows he's not at full power and is still at the mercy of Luthor's strong blows and laser blasts, revealing that he's regained his powers thanks to a homemade power belt that he constructed by reversing the energy given off by Kryptonite to instead restore whatever made him super. Luthor still seems a match for the weakened superhero, who has to dodge a barrage of heat-seeking missiles, but Superman makes a mighty leap that shatters Luthor's armor and knocks him out. And in the aftermath, he sees his belt had come off during the fight, and that he is indeed Superman once again. For the most part, I like this one. I like seeing that Clark and his friends were able to move on and make something of themselves even with the disappearance of Superboy. And that this is one of the sadly very few happy marriages of Superman across these stories. Also, the nonlinear structure served to keep my investment, slowly filling me in on what exactly happened, mixed in with Clark's current family life. Where it loses me is the third act, where Superman is just suddenly back and with powers, with no leadup or motivation for Clark to become super again. It feels like a completely different story done out of obligation, like the publisher was worried the comic would bore its audience if there wasn't SOME action in it! And, of course, it just ends. Still, it is entertaining enough to be memorable and a well written what if story of a very probable life for the mortal Clark. Though how DID Superboy initially lose his powers?
Help Support the Channel: patreon.com/ZCInfinity
Let's take a look through DC Comics' first alternate universe series Imaginary Stories, and discover the What Ifs of the Comic Silver Age!
Transcript:
Born to Be Superman. We see Superman defending the Earth from alien invaders, as he narrates to himself how much he loves having powers. Only to reveal it was all a dream and Clark wakes up, showing that he's married to Lana, has a kid, lives in a large house with his parents. ...And that he hasn't had his powers for thirteen years, having been in a coma for ten of those years. Since then, he's expanded his father's general store into a very successful supermarket chain, which he quickly has to catch a flight to for the grand opening of a California branch. On the way, he confesses to his father, who serves on the state legislature, that he sometimes misses having powers, but realized he had to stop sulking and get on with his life, working hard to become successful. Pete Ross meets him when he arrives at the airport, now serving as manager of his California division, and they catch up after Clark cuts the ribbon for the store's grand opening. Clark realizes it's the thirteenth anniversary of the disappearance of Superboy, Pete even pointing out there's a network special being aired on it, hosted by a grown Jimmy Olsen. And they're not the only ones to see it, as elsewhere, Luthor watches the special, gloating how he was the one to destroy Superboy. He reminisces building a suit that was powerful enough to even subdue the young hero, but he overclocked it and it exploded, knocking him out and sending Superboy flying away never to be seen again. He was arrested and served thirteen years of a twenty year sentence, but now he's ready to get back into the business of crime. Meanwhile, on an outing with his family, Clark notices a poster advertising a new book by Lois Lane, and, out of curiosity, goes into the store to buy a copy. Lana hopes Clark isn't obsessing about the past again, as she goes into her own flashback of that fateful day and witnessing Superboy being restrained by Luthor and then flung away by the suit explosion. The next thing she saw was Superboy hitting the ground hard right in front of her, Pete rushing up and noticing the unconcious hero has lost his powers, revealing to Lana that Superboy is in fact Clark Kent. In the present, Clark reminisces with the retired Police Chief Parker about Superboy, before he buys the book and leaves. Weeks later, Luthor has finished his latest invention, that he uses to wreak havoc and smash into the Metropolis bank. But inside, he's greeted by the sudden reappearance of Superman, who quickly proves he's the real deal, using his powers to topple and destroy Luthor's supersuit. However, he shows he's not at full power and is still at the mercy of Luthor's strong blows and laser blasts, revealing that he's regained his powers thanks to a homemade power belt that he constructed by reversing the energy given off by Kryptonite to instead restore whatever made him super. Luthor still seems a match for the weakened superhero, who has to dodge a barrage of heat-seeking missiles, but Superman makes a mighty leap that shatters Luthor's armor and knocks him out. And in the aftermath, he sees his belt had come off during the fight, and that he is indeed Superman once again. For the most part, I like this one. I like seeing that Clark and his friends were able to move on and make something of themselves even with the disappearance of Superboy. And that this is one of the sadly very few happy marriages of Superman across these stories. Also, the nonlinear structure served to keep my investment, slowly filling me in on what exactly happened, mixed in with Clark's current family life. Where it loses me is the third act, where Superman is just suddenly back and with powers, with no leadup or motivation for Clark to become super again. It feels like a completely different story done out of obligation, like the publisher was worried the comic would bore its audience if there wasn't SOME action in it! And, of course, it just ends. Still, it is entertaining enough to be memorable and a well written what if story of a very probable life for the mortal Clark. Though how DID Superboy initially lose his powers?
