We all have times in our lives when we just want to be alone for a little while. Where we can take a break from the insanity of the world around us. Well, for Superman, just chilling in his apartment isn't enough. When he needs to relax, he needs...a Fortress of Solitude.
The original idea of a Fortress of Solitude actually came from the pulp stories of Doc Savage. The Man of Bronze had built a special complex in the Arctic as a place he could store items that were potentially very dangerous to humanity. In Superman #17 (1942), a precursor to the more famous version of the Fortress was introduced, described as a "mountain sanctuary" in a mountain range outside of Metropolis. The Golden Age-era Superman used this sanctuary just like Doc Savage did. This sanctuary would be first referred to as the Fortress of Solitude in Superman #58 (May-June 1949).
The comic we're looking at here is the first appearance of the Silver Age version of the Fortress. The Fortress would be a part of the Superman mythos for decades, even after Superman being constantly rebooted. The Fortress itself would undergo many changes over the years. The Silver Age version was in a mountain like in its Golden Age counterpart, for example. But over the years, it's been relocated to its traditional place in the Arctic (a nod to ol' Doc Savage), the Andes Mountains, Antarctica, and even the Amazon rainforest.
The Fortress has appeared in other media outside of comics, like the Super Friends cartoon series, the various DC Animated Universe shows, the Legion of Super-Heroes animated series, Smallville, the Arrowverse, and even in video games like Lego Batman 3 and Mortal Kombat vs. the DC Universe. So with that, let's look at Action Comics #241!
The cover is a Curt Swan and Stan Kaye piece, and it's pretty awesome. It depicts Superman using the giant key to unlock the door to his Fortress of Solitude. He's thinking that someone has managed to use the key
"The Super-Key to Fort Superman!"
Writer: Jerry Coleman
Penciler: Wayne Boring
Inker: Stan Kaye
Editor: Mort Weisinger
Executive Editor: Whitney Ellsworth
The story begins with, in typical style of the era, Superman using his heat vision to write in a giant metal diary.
You know Supes, just buying a notebook full of blank pages at at Metropolis pharmacy or office supply store will be a lot easier. And it's not like anyone would find you buying notebooks strange, being a reporter in your civilian identity and all.
Not to mention, Doug Ramsey could figure out Kryptonian in no time. The story really beings with Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen heading out for lunch together. Lois spies a nice necklace in the window of presumably a jewelry shop and laments that she can't afford to buy it. Jimmy feels the same way about a car he sees at a dealership. At the end of the day, Clark switches to his Superman togs and goes out flying. The Man of Steel finds some pearls for a necklace for Lois. It would be heartwarming if Lois and Clark were actually a couple at this point.
Superman then heads out to a little iconic area he likes to go to when he wants to get away from the world, his Fortress of Solitude. But the Fortress is more than that. It's also a place where Superman can perform dangerous experiments with his superpowers away from people. It also has a little museum of sorts where he keeps memorabilia honoring both his civilian friends and crime-fighting allies like Batman.
He spends his time in the Fortress engaging in a bit of super-painting and working on ways to make himself immune to Kryptonite.
The next day, Superman is summoned by a famous scientist. The science whiz has come up with a metal that he believes that is so strong, even Superman himself can't break it. He wants the Metropolis Marvel to test this claim, and Superman thinks his Fortress of Solitude is the perfect place to do so. Superman takes the metal there, only to find a surprise.
Someone left a little dare for the Man of Tomorrow.
Prepare for the greatest puzzle of your career, Superman! I can enter and leave at will! Who am I? How can I do it? I dare you to find out!
Superman looks around his Fortress, hoping to find some clues. The search is rather fruitless. Superman decides to turn his attention to trying to break the scientist's new super-metal. The Man of Steel is able to break the metal, which I'm sure will disappoint the creator. He writes a few entries in his metal super-diary, and then heads out for the day...after using his X-Ray vision to melt the door so no one else can enter his Fortress. I'm sure the writer meant to have Superman use his heat vision.
The next day, Superman puts out a fire in Metropolis. He then returns to his Fortress. So, how's he going to get in now that he melted the door? Easy. He's Superman. He can just bust his way in through the mountain like the Kool-Aid Man. HEY KOOL-AID!
He bursts in and notices that someone has completed that painting of the Martian landscape he was working on. He relaxes by playing chess with a giant robot. In another chamber, Superman experiments with special glasses that will hopefully allow him to see through lead. It's here that he finds another message, written in invisible ink activated by his X-Ray vision.
I told you I couldn't be kept out! You like puzzles! Can you guess who I am? I know who you are...and I'll reveal my knowledge in 24 hours!
This really doesn't help Superman figure out who this mysterious intruder is, so he'll have to wait until tomorrow. That night, the sleeping Superman has a nightmare about this mystery. The next say, the Man of Steel rescues a boat. However, he unintentionally rocks the boat because of his being distracted by the intruder. He returns to his Fortress and finds another message, this one on a statue of Clark Kent.
Kent is Superman! I told you I knew! Now I have proved it! Tonight is your last chance to act!
Superman recombs the Fortress, and finds an odd clue.
A blob of blue and grey wax on the ground in front of a statue of Batman. How odd indeed.
Meanwhile, a figure waits for the opportune moment to reveal themselves. The figure's plan is interrupted by a sudden earthquake, and Superman ends up trapped under some rocks. He can't bust out because a piece of green Kryptonite is nearby. The figure then runs over to help.
Yup, it's Batman! He was the one responsible for the secret messages. He moves to remove the Kryptonite, but Superman tells him they are trapped in the room, and there's nowhere Bats can put the Kryptonite where it won't poison Superman. The only way out is through Superman's super strength...and that's not an option.
Superman's basically "Well, we're both gonna die, so you can at least tell me what was with the messages?" Batman agrees. Bats was able to sneak in by hiding in the Fortress's giant key. He also hid in one of Superman's trophies, a giant hollow penny that bears the Joker's face. The penny is made of lead, so Superman can't see inside it with his X-Ray vision. He then melted the Batman statue...and replaced it without removing the wax. You'd think the Dark Knight had something better to do. Maybe his Rogues Gallery was on vacation that week.
That was the clue Superman was looking for, and he bursts out laughing. You see, he realized the Bat was playing a joke, so the Man of Tomorrow decided to play a prank on him. Superman used his powers to create a small localized earthquake. A bit of fake Kryptonite, and some Christopher Reeve-level acting, and voila!
There's still one question left: Why did Batman do this? Well, it was the Caped Crusader's way of celebrating a special holiday: The anniversary of the arrival of Superman on Earth from Krypton. Batman struggled to figure out what to get him. You know, Bats, you could have just gotten him a gift card. Let him get himself something nice on your dime.
Anyway, the story ends with Batman inviting Superman to the Batcave for another present.
By "baking the cake myself", he likely meant "I had Alfred make it."
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to point out that Action Comics is an anthology title. One focused on Congo Bill, and the other on Tommy Tomorrow. As such, it had multiple stories. I would have looked at them as well for the sake of completeness, but I do not have those stories. They were not collected in the trade I got the scans from. Therefore, this review is only for the Superman story.
This story was...well, I have to admit, I was not too fond of it. I did think it was neat that we got to explore the Fortress of Solitude, though. I also admit, I got a chuckle out of Superman getting the Dark Knight with a prank. However, the story to me came off as rather...stupid. It didn't bother me that Batman knew when Superman's rocket crashed to Earth, as since this story established that since he and Superman knew each other's secret identities, it can easily be assumed that Superman told him about his coming to Earth in a rocket.
It is also neat to see Superman and Batman talking to each other like they're actually friends. Modern depictions of the World's Finest and their relationship tend to be rather tense, emphasizing their differences in crime-fighting methods and the like. It's nice to see them actually portrayed as friends.
What bothers me about this story was that...well, the story seemed a slight bit mean-spirited to me. I mean, I do get that it was the Silver Age, and I very much doubt that was what the creators intended. I do get that they wanted to tell a silly little mystery story. That's fine. But it does come off as someone trying to blackmail Superman. Couldn't Batman have come up with less...creepy messages?
Boring's depiction of Superman is a fascinating one when compared to modern depictions of the character. His take on the character is more barrel-chested and broad than modern portrayals of the Man of Steel tend to make him look. Modern depictions of Superman tend to give him the physique of a bodybuilder. Boring's Superman is not as muscular, but no less powerful-looking. You can believe that this man can lift an airliner with his pinky finger. The art does its job. Not much else to say about it, really.
If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend hunting down the 2012 trade paperback Superman: The Secrets of the Fortress of Solitude. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wear a mask, an get vaccinated! Join me next time when we return to the War of the Realms, and look in on another makeshift team of heroes...
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