The SUBSTITUTE SUPERMAN...

Copyright DC COMICS

Recently, as I familiarised myself with my replacement issue of Action Comics #367 (shown in an earlier post), I realised the Supergirl back-up strip wasn't a two-part tale, but rather a three-part one, so I promptly bought the preceding issue, #366.  I already had #368, having owned it for around 45 years, so that's one I don't have to worry about acquiring.  Funny thing is, I no longer remember whether I bought 367 and 368 (which were back issues at the time) in sequence or not, and it's even entirely possible I acquired both of them on the same day from the same place (but maybe not).

It wasn't always clear with DC how many issues a story was comprised of, so that if you started with part two, you might never know there'd been a part one.  In fact, with some three-part tales, it was possible to read the third part without realising there were two instalments before it.  Action Comics #s 351-353 serve as a good example (see here).  It was decades before I learned 353 wasn't a single adventure, thinking it started in the middle for dramatic effect (to hook the reader), then used 'flashbacks' to reveal what had happened up to that point.  I didn't realise the flashbacks were referencing preceding issues, not hitherto unrevealed aspects of the plot.

Anyway, perhaps all that proves is what a thicko I am, though I'll strenuously deny it in court.  While you're making up your own minds on the matter (if you haven't already), enjoy the images on display and feel free to comment if you so wish.