Writers/Artists: Various
Publisher: DC Comics
Reprinting material from: Action Comics #279-292, Superman #146-156, and Annual #3-4
The Silver Age adventures of Kal-El continue in these stories from 1961 and 1962. Memorable issues feature Superman’s introduction of Supergirl to the world; an imaginary story where Lex Luthor kills Superman; the first appearance of the Legion of Super-Villains; the construction of the Krypton memorial world; and more Red Kryptonite than one planet could possibly produce.
Like the previous volumes, the stories here are short fantasies that feature Superman performing fantastic feats. Character development is non-existent. Everything is treated with a light touch. Even when the world is in danger, it’s just another day in the life of Earth’s favorite protector. The art is excellent, but stiff. Since the stories rarely last more than 1 issue, and most of those stories end in 12 pages, the emphasis is on action. The reader jumps from scene to scene with long exposition and narration to explain what happened in between. There is very little suspense or the illusion of motion found in more modern comics.
So why rate this book so high? Because it’s fun; plain, simple fun. There are far fewer cases of “Superdickery” in this volume, so Superman appears less mean-spirited. He also appears more sane and less like a manipulator with a God complex. (Exceptions include Superman helping Luthor get away with murder; and Superman confusing reality with red kryptonite-created dreams.) There are also a few stories that make this collection stand out. The imaginary Death of Superman portrays Luthor at his most evil, his most cruel. Luthor turns Superman’s greatest strength, his faith in humanity, into the means to his downfall. Although Superman is avenged, Luthor’s remorseless, grinning visage stays with the reader.
In a lighter vein, Lois Lane and Lana Lang scheme once again to force Superman to choose between them. They fight a duel that they expect Kal-El to stop. Instead, h separates the women, sets each one against a robot double of the other, and makes each think they’ve killed the other. But they get the last laugh when the ladies use those same robots to make him think they’ve fallen to their deaths. Seeing Lois and Lana trick Superman with robots is satisfying beyond words.
There’s still plenty of material for comic book bloggers to mock. There’s an issue where Superman believes he’s dying, and reshapes the world for his legacy. I described it in detail in my review of ‘Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told’. Supes and Supergirl construct the Krypton Memorial World, an exact duplicate of Krypton, populated by robots. The two orphans have a tearful reunion with their robot families. Meanwhile, the tiny citizens in the shrunken city of Kandor start feeling the glass walls close in. And Kal-El gets exposed to enough Red Kryptonite to give even him cancer.
Those of you who bought previous volumes will enjoy the same level of quality in art, story, and weirdness in this book. And if this is your first book, you can’t go wrong with a collection featuring one of the greatest comic books ever made and more innocent Silver Age fun.
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