Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license.

Issue Details

Issue #164
Published October 1963
Cover Price 0.12
Pages 36
Editing Mort Weisinger

Cover Details - "The Showdown Between Luthor and Superman!"

Characters Superman; Lex Luthor
Genre superhero
Pencils Curt Swan
Inks George Klein
Reprinted in Superman from the Thirties to the Eighties (Crown Publishers, Inc., 1983 series) #nn; in Superman in the Sixties (DC, 1999 series) #[nn]

8 page Superman story "The Showdown Between Luthor and Superman! [part 1]"

Characters Superman; Lex Luthor; Lois Lane; Jimmy Olsen; Jor-El (flashback)
Synopsis When Luthor escapes from jail, he challenges Superman to meet him in a fair fight without his super powers. The two head to a desert-like world where they brawl until Superman knocks out the villain. Luthor retaliates by using secret weapons hidden in his shirt pocket.
Genre superhero
Script Edmond Hamilton
Pencils Curt Swan
Inks George Klein
Reprinted in Superman (DC, 1939 series) #239 (June-July 1971); in Superman from the Thirties to the Eighties (Crown Publishers, Inc., 1983 series) #nn (1983); in Superman in the Sixties (DC, 1999 series) #[nn]

8 page Superman story "The Super-Duel! [part 2]"

Characters Superman; Lex Luthor; Jor-El (hallucination); Lara (hallucination)
Synopsis While Superman struggles to survive, Luthor meets the few remaining inhabitants of the planet and becomes their hero when he reactivates their scientific machines and temporarily solves their water shortage problem. But Superman finds Luthor, defeats him in combat, and returns him to prison on Earth, after providing the people of the planet with sufficient water on which to survive.
Genre superhero
Script Edmond Hamilton
Pencils Curt Swan
Inks George Klein
Notes The planet is unnamed here, but its inhabitants will rename it Lexor in honor of their hero sometime after this story.
Reprinted in Superman (DC, 1939 series) #239 (June-July 1971); in Superman from the Thirties to the Eighties (Crown Publishers, Inc., 1983 series) #nn (1983); in Superman in the Sixties (DC, 1999 series) #[nn]

8 page Superman story "The Fugitive From the Phantom Zone!"

Characters Superman; Ras-Krom (intro, villain); Jax-Ur (cameo); Professor Vakox (cameo); Bor-Ak (intro, death, flashback); Bor-Ak's bride (intro, death, flashback); Lon-Ra (intro, death, flashback); Phantom Zone; Jimmy Olsen; Krypton (flashback)
Genre superhero
Script Jerry Siegel
Pencils Al Plastino
Inks Al Plastino
Reprinted in Superman (DC, 1939 series) #232 (December 1970-January 1971)