This story isn't exactly about disease, but it does lead into a multi-part tale about it...
...and since it's a Silver Age DC story, it just had to have an ape somewhere...
OK, an ape and a giant Superman head that can hypnotize even Superman himself!
We're definitely in the 1960s, people!
Remember, besides an extremely-campy Batman (influenced by the Adam West TV series), we had things at DC like the middle-aged Blackhawk squad (World War II aviators) as a super-spy/super hero team...
...so it's safe to say anything was possible during the Silver Age!
Written by Leo Dorfman, penciled by Ross Andru, and Mike Esposito, this never-reprinted story from DC's Action Comics #362 (1968) was the first chapter in a multi-part sequel (sort of) to a classic Superman tale...
...which itself, was a reworking of a never-reprinted Golden Age Superman story!
Curiously, this new story, despite using the same disease and basic plotline, makes no reference to DC's Superman #156 (1962), despite being in-continuity!
Note the quote above; "Not a Hoax! Not a Dream!" (Surprised they left out "Not an Imaginary Story!")
And, for the record, Superman does survive his "Last Days"...
Mort Weisenger, who was the editor of both Silver Age versions of the tale, had a belief that the audience for comics changed every six years as older readers ostensibly "outgrew" comics and younger readers (who had access only to limited reprints) wouldn't be aware of the previous versions!
As you can see, it's a different scenario today...
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