Superman Part V

Mort Weisinger was the editor for most of the Superman reprint collections in the 1960s. He was the Winston Smith of DC Comics. Many Superman reprinted stories were changed to conform with the Superman history as it evolved, to correct errors, to revise explanations or for no obvious reason. Here is a classic example.

The original story was the last of a three part story from Superman 123 (August 1958). The pages below are from Superman: The Man of Tomorrow Archives Volume 1 (DC Comics, 2004). The reprint is in Superman Annual 8 (winter 1963-64).

The first change is the introduction and title.

The second is in the last panel on page 3 where the explanation for Superman being a phantom is removed. The explanation suggests that Superman will always be a phantom if he travels into a past before he is born. This had never happened in other time travel stories. The replacement panel leaves the question unanswered.