The Master Jailer

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The Master Jailer

Superman #331

Carl "Moosie" Draper becomes the Master Jailer in a fit of jealous rage after his proudest invention, a maximum security prison, is named after Superman by Lana Lang. Draper designs a correctional facility that has specially constructed cells that can negate the specific powers of even the most dangerous criminals. Superman improves the jail by devising a platform that floats it high in the air and suggests that it be called "Draper's Island". However, Lana dubs it "Superman Island", a name that catches on with the press. The infuriated Draper adopts the identity of the Master Jailer and traps the Man of Tomorrow and Lana within the complex (S No. 331, Jan 1979: "Lockup at 20,000 Feet!").

The Master Jailer reveals that he has known Lana dating back to her girlhood in Smallville and bemoans the fact that she never noticed him. Meanwhile, Superman is stripped of his powers by a mechanism invented by Draper that gathers the draining power of the Parasite, who is jailed in the prison. Working his way out of a maze that constantly wipes his memory called the "eternity cage", Superman and Lana together defeat the Jailer -- who is distracted by his feelings of vengeance and jealousy (S No. 332, Feb 1979: "The Eternity Cage!").

The Master Jailer returns, still obsessed with Lana, and he attacks Superman with missiles loaded with Kryptonite (S No. 393, Mar 1984: "The Day They Nuked Superman!") and later gains an amnesia device that he uses (Act No. 564, Feb 1985: "A New Life for Superman!").

The identity of the Master Jailer is not the first super-powered identity that Draper has assumed over the years. In a 1981 chronicle, Superboy, at Draper's prodding, creates a robot named Kator as a sparring adversary (and gives the "safety cutoff switch" to Jonathan Kent). Kator, however, develops an artificial intelligence, and almost kills the Boy of Steel before being destroyed. However, the robot apparently gives it's identity and powers to Draper before it's destruction. Draper (as Kator-Two) then engages Superboy in combat. However, Jonathan Kent presses the safety switch on the "cutoff" device, which removes "Kator-Two's" super powers from Draper, and Superboy removes the memory of Draper ever having been Kator-Two (NSB No. 17, May 1981: "To Fight the Unbeatable Foe"; NSB No. 18, Jun 1981: "Superboy's Do-It-Yourself Doom").

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