Adventure Comics # 261, June, 1959

Eleven years earlier, we had a story in which Superboy met Lois Lane. Here we have an entirely different story of how Superboy met Lois Lane. One could argue that the previous one, since it was still in the Golden Age, was the Earth 2 Superboy...except that there was no Earth 2 Superboy.

In related news, a letter writer suggests that Superboy meet Jimmy Olsen when he was a baby, also something we've a;ready seen a few years earlier. The response is that that's a good idea!

Tying the whole thing up--sort of--is an ad in which we have SuperMAN but with a baby Lois!

Adventure Comics # 260, May, 1959

Here we have "Another Super-Kid in Town" variation 15. I remember this one from its sixties reprint.

This issue's big story, however, is the story of "How Aquaman Got His Powers." I remember this one from its seventies reprint. 

Wow, that really must have been some deal Palisades Park had with Superman/DC.

And we top it all off with, Green Arrow's new partner, variation 9. (And we wondered what drove Speedy to his drug addiction!)

Adventure Comics # 259, April, 1959

Seems odd visualizing that I was now alive somewhere in the world when this issue hit the stands. It would still be about 7 years before I'd discover ADVENTURE COMICS but from this point on, it was inevitable that I would!

The real story this month, though, was over in ACTION COMICS. By this point, longtime readers had seen half a dozen or more "super-girls" in the Super titles. This one, from the beginning, was meant to stick...and stick she would, for more than 25 years!

This issue repeats yet another variation on the "How does Aquaman do what he does?" letters and that sets up next issue's revised origin story.

Finally, let's take  alook at some of that sweet Lee Elias artwork on GA. The artist just seemed to get better and better with his final work appearing in very late Warren titles. He would become a much respected instructor at the Kubert School, also.

Adventure Comics # 258, March, 1959

This was the issue on the stands the month and year I was born. Team-ups weren't easy with the Boy of Steel because of his supposed place in Superman's timeline. They must have been popular, though, so here we have him meeting the young Oliver Queen. Never mind trying to reconcile any of this with the GA origin we had just a couple of issues back,

Meanwhile. Elias has already developed more of a feel for the Green Arrow series. Looking good.

The initial letter here shows the confusion the editor (or his assistants) must have had since they refer to ADVENTURE as "our companion magazine" when, obviously, this actually was ADVENTURE. Also, we have another letter from a Bob Oechsner. Sounds very similar to DC artist Bob OKSNER. Over the years, DC (and Marvel, too) would sometimes fake letters in order to get info and plugs in when no one was giving them an opening. Was that the case here or was this guy legit? Finally, there's a letter questioning Aquaman's powers that's very similar to one from two issues back.

Yikes! That army grenade suuuuuure looks real. As far as the celebs of the day, we see Ricky Nelson bigger than Elvis, then also Pat Boone and Debbie Reynolds. Not sure who the other guy is. Hmmmm...Odd to see aging veteran Ward Bond on that list, too--obviously due to his latter-day WAGON TRAIN success. He only had about 2 years to live at this point. 

Adventure Comics # 257, February, 1959

Superman/Boy would meet Hercules several times over the years, usually looking much like he looks here but rarely remembering having met the Man (or Boy) of Steel before.

Look who just got his own comic. The Silver Age starts to move pretty fast from this point.

And like that, Kirby's gone and we get Lee Elias a Caniff-school DC veteran who will come to be known as the second great GREEN ARROW artist after Papp.