Luminians on the Loose: As part of yet another plan to destroy Superman, Lex Luthor brings two Luminians — being like living lasers — to Earth...and ends up teamed with his hated enemy when the pair turn on him.
The Space Refugees: Superboy must protect a group of alien refugees from unscrupulous treasure hunters.
Luminians on the Loose contains examples of the following tropes:
- Bullying a Dragon: When one of the Luminians decides they'll leave Superman alone, Luthor calls him an idiot and tells him that he's in charge. Given that the Luminians are living lasers and can burn through metal in minutes with a touch, Luthor quickly ends up having to run for his life.
- Chained to a Railway: Luthor leaves Jimmy Olsen on the tracks where the express is scheduled to come shortly. However, unlike most examples of the trope, Jimmy is more the bait than the actual target.
- Enemy Mine: Luthor irritates the Luminians by insulting and trying to boss them around. As a result, he and Superman have to team up to stop the aliens. Naturally, the alliance doesn't last long.
- Meaningful Name: "Luminian" sounds like "luminous" ("shining"), a very apropos name for living lasers.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Luthor leaves Jimmy Olsen on the tracks where the express is scheduled to come shortly, a bomb under his shoulder (which will detonate if he takes the pressure off the button). His plan is that when Superman (of course) tries to rescue his young friend, the bomb will explode, destroying the bridge. Unfortunately, Superman's keen hearing picks up Luthor gloating about it, and he finds another option.
- Rod And Reel Repurposed: Superman uses a fishing rod to snatch a kryptonite necklace off Lex from a safe distance and swing it into one of the Luminians, vaporizing it.
- Save the Villain: Despite everything Luthor has done (including trying to kill him again and endangering Jimmy and the Metropolis express), Superman snatches him up after the Luminians corner him.
- Track Trouble: Luthor plans to damage a bridge. He places Jimmy on the tracks with a pressure-sensitive bomb under him so that when Superman saves him, it will destroy the tracks. Superman hears Luthor gloating and holds a nearby, unused piece of track up over the spot while the train goes over.
- Trauma Button Ending: Clark gets the wrong end of the trope for once. While working on the story, he sees a pair of glowing figures. It turns out to be Jimmy and Beanie (the office boy) trying out glow-in-the-dark clothing. When they ask what he thinks, Clark says he doesn't like them at all.
The Refugees of Space contains examples of the following tropes:
- Buried Alive: The villains try to destroy the entrance of a cave and bury the aliens inside.
- I'm Standing Right Here: A group of human treasure-hunters tell Superboy to get rid of the refugees, saying they don't need any aliens around Smallville. Superboy is quick to remind them that he was an alien refugee.
