TITLE: Action Comics vol. 39, issue #457
YEAR: March 1976
COMPANY: DC Comics
Writer: Gerry Conway & Curt Swan
Artwork: Tex Blaisdell
Editing: Julius Schwartz
While Superman must take on a lame supervillain known as Whirlicane, who rides around a green UFO, the main story focuses on Superman going to Truman Memorial Hospital to visit his childhood friend, Pete Ross.
For those who haven’t read any of the old Superboy stories, Pete Ross is a childhood friend of Clark Kent but unknown to Clark, Pete has always known that Clark Kent was Superboy, who would eventually become Superman.
And now Pete needs Superman’s help because his son Jon is dying and while he is physically weak, he is also psychologically weak and he has lost all his will to survive.
Pete feels that Superman can save his son.
And to save him, Jon wants one thing…to know Superman’s true identity.
So, Superman, in order to save Jon’s life, reveals his true identity, that he is Clark Kent. Jon doesn’t believe it and so Superman must do what he can to prove that he is really Clark Kent. Meanwhile, taking Jon on a trip, while he can watch as Superman takes on Whirlicane.
This is of course a ’70s story because no superhero in their right mind, would take a child and put him front row and center while they fight against a supervillain, but in this case Superman did and also revealed his identity to someone he’s not so close with.
While Jonathan Ross would be featured in other issues, unfortunately the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” storyline would erase him completely from the timeline (for now).