The Magnetic Telescope (1942)
Article 5601 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 12-17-2018
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Featuring the voices of Bud Collyer, Joan Alexander, Jackson Beck
Country: USA
What it is: Superman animated short

When police try to prevent an overzealous scientist from pulling in a comet with his magnetic telescope, the resulting complications cause a comet to come hurtling towards the earth. Can Superman prevent the collision?

I was about to give the whole series a rest for a bit, but this one varies the formula enough that it caught my interest. Rather than a villain or a monster as Superman’s foe, he’s up against a force of nature, and it’s one in which brute force alone cannot solve the problem. Instead, the problem will be solved by Superman’s endurance and quick thinking. It’s also nice that Lois Lane for once proves to be part of the solution rather than as merely someone to be rescued. It also varies a few other minor cliches of the series so it doesn’t come across as derivative. For my money, this is one of the better entries.