I’ve been working my scheme by the mid-Fifties problems with Superboy, shopping for more reports that were later swiped by Weisinger, and the first one I discovered is awfully principal.
Diagram you know that Pete Ross’ normal name become once Billy Todd? He popped up in Superboy #47 (March 1956). When we meet him, Billy is serving to Clark type out some bullying:
True as Pete did in Superboy #86 (January 1961):
He gives to be Clark’s buddy, nevertheless the Boy of Steel is simply too disquieted about keeping his secret identity. Happily, Ma and Pa Kent intervene, attractive the recent chum to dinner. After the meal, Clark shows off his ardour:
As he would later to Pete.
Billy later shows off his hang ardour, which is constructing shrimp replicas of notorious structures, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Empire Verbalize Constructing, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Pete has assorted pastimes: performing and detective work.
Now that they are mates, Clark finds himself (as Superboy) generally saving Billy from dangerous cases:
As he furthermore did with Pete:
Which leads inevitably to some awkward moments:
Clark is anxious to be taught that his recent buddy is checking Superboy’s measurements:
Which leads him inevitably to the conclusion that his supposed buddy is plotting to betray him. But fortuitously there may per chance be an harmless explanation:
Pete Ross went on to become a routine character within the DC Silver Age, albeit a minor one. As I hang discussed earlier, he modified into the precise person assorted than Ma and Pa Kent to grab Superboy’s secret identity. Billy Todd? As finest as I will show, this become once his finest look.
Replace: Kirk Home pointed out within the comments that in Action #457, Pete Ross’s son it looks misplaced his will to live. Handiest one thing may per chance maybe per chance also save him; if Superman divulged his secret identity to the young lad. The legend is pretty excellent; ironically the any other time and any other time that folk hang suspected Clark Kent as Supes works against the disclosure, as Jon Ross cites those incidents for his skepticism. Happily he has realized yet any other solution to expose it that Clark had now not stable himself against:
There are a pair of attention-grabbing ironies about this legend. First, Pete may per chance maybe per chance also hang suggested his son that Clark become once Superman, or as a minimal confirmed it, other than that Supes himself become once unaware that his boyhood chum knew the fact. Second is that the any other time and any other time Clark had been suspected of being the Man of Steel and managed to deceive folk into reconsidering undoubtedly labored against him. This echoes a Golden Age Batman legend where Bruce Wayne misplaced his save of residing as the guardian of Dick Grayson, in neat phase because he had pleased the public that he become once a dissolute playboy.
The view that of anyone making a deathbed seek records from to be taught a superhero’s secret ID had been feeble various instances already, in conjunction with as a minimal two Batman tales and one in Jimmy Olsen:
