History: (Action Comics I #254, 255) - Lex Luthor visited Smallville and came across an old newspaper story about Professor Dalton, who once used a duplicator ray to create the Bizarro Superboy. Luthor stole Dalton’s plans for the duplicator ray to build his own, and showed off the ray to his lab assistant Vekko, bragging that he’d use it to destroy superman. Luthor posed as “Professor Clyde” and phoned up Perry White, telling him he’d come up with an antidote for kryptonite. Superman visited his lab, and “Clyde” had him stand in front of the duplicator way under the pretense of making him immune to kryptonite. The duplicator ray created Bizarro, an imperfect duplicate of superman with stony skin and a backwards mind. Luthor took off his disguise and ordered Bizarro to destroy Superman, but Bizarro realized he was a monstrosity, and was furious at Luthor for creating him. He grabbed Luthor and Vekko to take them to jail, and admitted to Superman that he didn’t know the difference between right and wrong and didn’t belong in the world. Superman decided he’d have to be destroyed, reasoning that it was morally correct because Bizarro was lifeless matter in human form, but first had to deal with a massive tidal wave causing havoc at sea. Bizarro turned over Luther and Vekko to the police, who were horrified by Bizarro. He tried to prove he was a hero by saving a plane from crashing, but the passengers ran away form him in fear when they were on the ground, and the distraught Bizarro decided to leave Metropolis. The army dropped bombs on Bizarro, but he was unharmed and told them he’d save them the trouble of destroying him by committing suicide. Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane were following Bizarro in the Daily Planet news helicopter, and Lois snapped some pictures of Bizarro flying full speed into a mountainside. Bizarro was unharmed and upset at still being alive until he overheard Lois fawning over her shots of him, and misunderstood what she was saying, thinking she’d fallen in love with him. Bizarro built a ramshackle house on a remote island, declared it a palace, and flew Lois Lane there, saying it was a house they could liuve in after they got married. Lois told him the only man she loved was superman, and Bizarro reasoned that if he was handsome like superman Lois would marry him. Bizarro stole the duplicator ray from police headquarters, and used it on himself, creating New Bizarro, who still had an imperfect mind like him, but was handsome like New Bizarro proposed to Lois, who failed to notice his backward speech, and she embraced and kissed him. Superman caught up with the Bizarros, and Bizarro said he didn’t want superman interfering in his plan, and presented him with a giant boulder of green kryptonite he’d found on the island. Lois realized something was wrong after listening to New Bizarro talk more, and he admitted he was a Bizarro, but bragged about how attractive he was and said Lois would be lucky to be hitched to him. Lois didn’t appreciate how conceited New Bizarro was, and said she even preferred the original Bizarro over him, causing New Bizarro to start mocking his creator for being so ugly. The infuriated Bizarro attacked New Bizarro, and their battle led to a naval testing ground, where they started hurling torpedoes at each other. Bizarro returned to the island and smashed the kryptonite boulder into dust, asking Superman to help him defeat New Bizarro. The kryptonite dust was carried away by the wind, and New Bizarro inhaled it. Unlike Bizarro he had the same vulnerability to kryptonite that Superman had, and he disintegrated. Superman flew Lois back to Metropolis and Bizarro flew to Pluto, plucking a giant rainbow flower to give to Lois, hoping gifts could win her over. When he presented his gift the flower started shooting out seeds, wrecking Lois apartment, and she told Bizarro she never wanted to see him again. Bizarro, having dim memories of Superman’s life, decided to dress up like Clark Kent, hoping no one at the Daily Planet could tell the difference so he could still be near Lois. He went to the Daily Planet, and Superman used his heat vision to burn off his civilian clothes, fearing Bizarro would give away his secret identity. Bizarro decided that if he couldn’t marry Lois than no one could. Bizarro flew her back to his island said he’d fight Superman, and if she changed her mind about marrying him she could wave a white flag. Bizarro and Superman fought on the Sargasso Reef, firing cannon balls at each other until Lois waved the white flag. Superman saw who he thought was Lois embrace Bizarro and got choked up saying that he intended to marry her one day. This “Lois” was actually a Bizarro Lois Lane that Lois created by turning the duplicator ray on herself so Bizarro would have a companion. Bizarro and Bizarro Lois agreed that there was no place for them on Earth so Bizarro flew her into space, saying they’d find a world to live on in another solar system. Lois asked Superman if he meant what he said about marring her, and he replied that he meant he might consider it in the future, but not right now.

(Superman I #169) - Bizarro #1 brought a legion of Bizarro Supermen to Earth, telling Superman they were going to prove how much they liked him by destroying the planet, but proceeded to run away when they spotted a sparrow because it was not able to harm them. Superman decided the Bizarros backward thinking didn’t make them a threat to consider seriously, and figured they might provide some laughs for him while they were on Earth. The Bizarros spotted superman fix the support structures of a bridge so they decided to show him they could fix things worse than he could. The Bizarros put arms on the Venus de Milo, sealed the crack in the Liberty Bell, and straightened the Leaning Tower of Pisa. They spotted Superman yelling at a boy for being a litterbug, so they grabbed up garbage dump trucks and flew them around Metropolis, scattering waste. Perry White told Lois and Clark to get the Daily Planet payroll, and on their way back they were ambushed by armed criminals, and Clark couldn’t leap into action, fearing revealing his identity in front of Lois. Bizarro #1 made good his promise to destroy the planet by smashing the Daily Planet’s globe before flying off into space, and letters from the Planet sign fell onto the crooks, knocking them out and inadvertently saving the day for Clark.

Comments: Created by Otto Binder & Al Plastino.

Bizarro's appearance in Action Comics I #254, 255 was reprinted in 80-Page Giant Magazine #6, Superman I #169 was reprinted in Superman I #202.

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