In this feature we examine comic book stories and ideas that were not only abandoned, but also had the stories/plots specifically "overturned" by a later writer (as if they were a legal precedent). Click here for an archive of all the previous editions of The Abandoned An' Forsaked. Feel free to e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com if you have any suggestions for future editions of this feature.

Today, based on suggestions by Mac R. and Rob S., we take a look at a Silver Age example of "everything you thought you knew is wrong!" from 1969's Superboy #158...

The issue was written by Frank Robbins and was drawn by Bob Brown and Wally Wood. It opens with Superboy at his lab where he receives a distress signal...

While a bit melodramatic, I do like the basic idea of Ma and Pa Kent thinking that he'll forget them. That's honestly a pretty realistic feeling for someone in their shoes.

So Superboy finds his parents...

But the asteroid field surrounding them is a trap (they're mined with explosives) by ANOTHER survivor of Krypton who hates the House of El! Superboy is saved by yet ANOTHER survivor of Krypton, a doctor who explains how Jor-El and Lara are still alive...

After defeating the bad guy (who hates the House of El because of Jor-El ruining some plot of his in the past), who also ends up accidentally killing himself (he blows himself up in the asteroid mines he used to try to attack Superboy), Superboy brings Pa Kent to space to get him to save Superboy's parents from the Kryptonite (since Pa Kent is immune to Kryptonite being, you know, human and all). However, disaster strikes and the scientist ends up sacrificing himself to get Jor-El and Lara free of the Krytptonite.

However, when it comes time to let them out, Pa Kent and Superboy discover something tragic...

So...yeah...that's a story that actually happened. I won't go into specifics of what it retcons, since there are way too many examples to list - the same goes for examples of stories that then retconned this retcon (as plenty of tales post 1969 detail the fact that Jor-El and Lara died on Krypton).

What an odd story.

Thanks to Mac R. and Rob S. for the suggestion! If YOU have a suggestion for this column, drop me a line at bcronin@comicbookesources.com!