History: (Superman I #49) - The Gargoyle was a notorious crook made deaf and nearly blind in a mine explosion. Inventor J.C. Quagmire equipped him with electronic ears and infra-red goggles and made him his lackey. Quagmire's rival Ira Stone was promoting his new paint, so Quagmire sent Gargoyle to rub out Ira, along with Daily Planet reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane, who were covering the story. Stone would prove the superiority of his paint by using it on dangerous outposts around the world, and when they painted a Himalayan mountaintop Gargoyle created an avalanche, but Superman saved Lois and Stone's life. He foiled the Gargoyle twice more, and managed to paint a volcano and an iceberg. The Gargoyle hit him with a radioactive gas bomb, but Superman recovered and flew after Gargoyle in his plane. The Gargoyle knew Superman wouldn't take a life, and warned him that if he got too close to him he'd suffer from radiation poisoning. Superman outsmarted him by blowing his plane with his super-breathe until it ran out of gas, forcing the Gargoyle to parachute out into the  hands of the authorities.