Superboy Vol. 1

Superboy Vol. 1 is the debut issue of the DC series of the same name launched in 1949, and the beginning of a standalone ongoing title starring Clark Kent as the boy Superman. The issue carries an April 1949 cover date but actually went on sale in January 1949. It runs 52 pages and cost 10 cents. Whitney Ellsworth is credited as editor, with Jack Schiff actually overseeing editorial work; the cover was drawn by Wayne Boring and inked by Stan Kaye. The main body of the issue consists of three Superboy stories: "The Man Who Could See Tomorrow!" opens with a routine Superman rescue that prompts him to recall his childhood: young Clark witnessed the entertainer "the Great Branda" make a series of predictions that all came true, one of which claimed his friend Margo Griffiths would "cease to exist" on her twenty-first birthday—a prophecy fulfilled years later in an unexpected way. "The Boy Vandals!" shows Superboy cleverly disciplining a group of teenage vandals and capturing the "Smash-and-Grab Gang." "Superboy Meets Mighty Boy!" tells of a fraudulent agent and an eccentric scientist who conspire to fabricate "Mighty Boy," letting a farm boy "defeat" Superboy in a carefully staged contest, until the deception is exposed. The issue also includes humorous short features, a science article, and period advertisements. As the first issue of the series, this volume is an important starting point for studying the Superman family tree of the Golden Age.