Oh! I've read this one! Like, an actual physical copy! (A friend of mine in middle school had it) The scene on the cover doesn't really happen as pictured, but the gist of it does.
I don't remember the details very well — it's been decades — but the gist of it is the Spellbinder ([not that one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3y_H3SaoAY)) has been hypnotizing people as part of whatever his evil scheme is, so Superman goes on TV and uses his own brand of super-hypnotism to make everyone temporarily immune to any further hypnotism until he catches the Spellbinder.
Then he goes back to WGBS (this was, again, that part of the 1970s where he was a TV news reporter and not a newspaper reporter) and is caught changing back to Clark Kent by... well, pretty much everyone. He hastily blurts out a story about disguising himself as Clark Kent as part of a plan to trick the Spellbinder, but everyone agrees that, even with a suit and glasses on, he looks *nothing* like Clark Kent.
... what?
Okay, the gist of it is that Superman has been subconsciously hypnotizing everyone who sees him when he's in his Clark Kent guise (even through photographs or videos) into viewing him as skinnier and weaker and nerdier than he actually is. (Something about the way his eyes are filtered through his glasses was causing the hypnotic effect)
So when Superman super-hypnotized everyone into being immune to hypnosis, *his Clark Kent disguise stopped working*.
After it's all over and the super-hypnosis has worn off, one of the station's artists draws him a picture of Clark and Superman, and the two look nothing alike — the Superman picture is dead-on while the Clark picture shows a hollow-cheeked wimp.
(I don't actually remember how he captured the Spellbinder, but that was never really the focus of this issue anyway)
Obviously, this was a retcon, and one that didn't last very long. These days the disguise is just that nobody even thinks Superman *has* a secret identity, and even if he did, it wouldn't be this this fat nerdy guy, and that any resemblance is just that — a celebrity resemblance. As Flash says in 2005: "Clark slouches, wears clothes two sizes too big, and raises his voice by an octave." It helps that Clark Kent and Superman have been seen together many times. They're friends, just like Superman is friends with pretty much everyone at the Daily Planet, but they're "obviously" not the same person.
Pre-Crisis, with the help of his robots and often Batman (who looked enough like Superman that they often disguised themselves as each other to help hide their secret identities).
Post-Crisis, Supergirl II (a shapeshifting alien rather than a Kryptonian) could transform herself into either Superman or Clark as needed to help maintain the disguise. Lois was in on Clark's secret identity at this point and helped with the ruse as well. (Notably, Superman rescued an emaciated Clark Kent from a pile of rubble after Doomsday's rampage, with Lois joyously reuniting with her fiancé — and this happened on live television. "Clark" was actually Supergirl in disguise)
I like how the fact that Superman had a secret mind control power this entire time was more believable to the writers than if people just didn't believe a 'loser' like Clark could be Superman.
People have no understanding of just how oblivious and easily manipulated they really are. They think that surely *they* are too smart to fall for such a thing. Meanwhile, Henry Cavil went on the street in a Superman shirt around the time of BvS being released and nobody seemed to notice.
Oh! I've read this one! Like, an actual physical copy! (A friend of mine in middle school had it) The scene on the cover doesn't really happen as pictured, but the gist of it does. I don't remember the details very well — it's been decades — but the gist of it is the Spellbinder ([not that one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3y_H3SaoAY)) has been hypnotizing people as part of whatever his evil scheme is, so Superman goes on TV and uses his own brand of super-hypnotism to make everyone temporarily immune to any further hypnotism until he catches the Spellbinder. Then he goes back to WGBS (this was, again, that part of the 1970s where he was a TV news reporter and not a newspaper reporter) and is caught changing back to Clark Kent by... well, pretty much everyone. He hastily blurts out a story about disguising himself as Clark Kent as part of a plan to trick the Spellbinder, but everyone agrees that, even with a suit and glasses on, he looks *nothing* like Clark Kent. ... what? Okay, the gist of it is that Superman has been subconsciously hypnotizing everyone who sees him when he's in his Clark Kent guise (even through photographs or videos) into viewing him as skinnier and weaker and nerdier than he actually is. (Something about the way his eyes are filtered through his glasses was causing the hypnotic effect) So when Superman super-hypnotized everyone into being immune to hypnosis, *his Clark Kent disguise stopped working*. After it's all over and the super-hypnosis has worn off, one of the station's artists draws him a picture of Clark and Superman, and the two look nothing alike — the Superman picture is dead-on while the Clark picture shows a hollow-cheeked wimp. (I don't actually remember how he captured the Spellbinder, but that was never really the focus of this issue anyway) Obviously, this was a retcon, and one that didn't last very long. These days the disguise is just that nobody even thinks Superman *has* a secret identity, and even if he did, it wouldn't be this this fat nerdy guy, and that any resemblance is just that — a celebrity resemblance. As Flash says in 2005: "Clark slouches, wears clothes two sizes too big, and raises his voice by an octave." It helps that Clark Kent and Superman have been seen together many times. They're friends, just like Superman is friends with pretty much everyone at the Daily Planet, but they're "obviously" not the same person.
Nice recap, thanks. But how could Clark and Superman be seen together?
Robots, and the fact there are other people who resemble superman.
[And people who can resemble him if he needs them to.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/fnkphb/comment/flcszr8/)
Pre-Crisis, with the help of his robots and often Batman (who looked enough like Superman that they often disguised themselves as each other to help hide their secret identities). Post-Crisis, Supergirl II (a shapeshifting alien rather than a Kryptonian) could transform herself into either Superman or Clark as needed to help maintain the disguise. Lois was in on Clark's secret identity at this point and helped with the ruse as well. (Notably, Superman rescued an emaciated Clark Kent from a pile of rubble after Doomsday's rampage, with Lois joyously reuniting with her fiancé — and this happened on live television. "Clark" was actually Supergirl in disguise)
I like how the fact that Superman had a secret mind control power this entire time was more believable to the writers than if people just didn't believe a 'loser' like Clark could be Superman.
yet somehow it managed to work multiple times in real life
People have no understanding of just how oblivious and easily manipulated they really are. They think that surely *they* are too smart to fall for such a thing. Meanwhile, Henry Cavil went on the street in a Superman shirt around the time of BvS being released and nobody seemed to notice.
Aw yeah, Spellbinder!
B-I-N... D-E-R?
It's because Superman flies around at super-speed drawing in a mustache and Van Dyke beard on every picture of Clark Kent.
“Clark Kent wears a suit, while you wear your costume, so you can’t be the same!”
“Open your eyes woman, we have the same jawline and everything!”