Amazing World Of Superman!

It's Superman's birthday. And the Dojo wraps up a week-long celebration of the Man of Steel with a look a real bit of offbeat memorabilia, a tome titled Amazing World of Superman. Originally published in 1973 to celebrate Superman Day in the little city of Metropolis, Illinois, this oversized tabloid-size tome is a wonderful collection of all sorts of Superman stories, images, and whatnots. 

The volume opens with "Superman in Superman Land", a story by writer Bill Finger and artists Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye. Originally appearing in Action Comics #210 from 1955 this yarn imagines a theme park dedicated to the "Man of the Tomorrow". We get lots of offbeat glimpses of this imaginary park before we are introduced to a mysterious character who turns out to be Lex Luthor (no surprise). He's concocted a scheme to incapacitate the "Man of Steel" with the ubiquitous Kryptonite and trap him inside a mock-up of Krypton, one meant to be exploded. It will surprise no one that the scheme fails. 

This if followed by a "How to Draw Superman" page by Curt Swan as well as page introducing us to the extended Superman family. Then there is a wonderful ten-page article detailing how comic books are conceived and manufactured. It's a nifty item because it's loaded with photos of the staff of DC at the time. 

Then we are treated to a brand new (then) "The Origin of Superman" written by E. Nelson Bridwell, and drawn by Carmine Infantino, Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson. This is a delightful fifteen-page black and white presentation which hits all the highlights right through Clark leaving his foster parents in Smallville and taking up his career in Metropolis. There is a particularly touching scene with Clark and his dying foster father. 

Then a special detached fold-out poster showcases a "Map of Krypton" in amazing colorful detail. This map was rendered by E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Sal Amendola. Then we get a page showing how Superman made it big in syndicated comic strips. 

"Metropolis, Illinois - Story of an American City" presents copious features and images from the celebration for the inaugural "Superman Day". We get a lot of backstory about how this event came to be with photos of a guy named Charles Chandler dressed as Superman making appearances in sundry places like the TV show To Tell the Truth. 

"The Superman Legend - Rogues' Gallery" has more art by Murphy Anderson and writing by Bridwell as we meet some of the best villains such as the aforementioned Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Parasite, Toyman, and others such as the Phantom Zone villains. "The Secrets of Superman's Fortress" takes us inside the Fortress of Solitude as drawn by "Swanderson". 

(Al Hirschfield)

"It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman" is all about the Broadway show which debuted in 1966. We get some nifty photos from that singular show. "Superman Salutes Nasa" is about Superman's connection to the OAO -2 (Orbital Astronomical Observatory). "Important Dates in Superman's Life" is a one-page item which hits the highlights from Superman's publishing history in comics, novels and appearances in other media. Sadly, and frankly strangely, I found no references to either the utterly wonderful Fleischer cartoons of the 40's nor to the pretty darn good Filmation cartoons of the 60's here or any other place it the book. 

We get two pages from "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy" which was marred when it first appeared by the tragic assassination of the thirty-fifth president of the United States. The story was published at the request of both President Johnson and the Kennedy clan. 

"The Superman Legend" returns with a look at Superboy's hideout beneath the Kent home and info on his costume written by Bridwell with art by Bob Brown, Wally Wood and Mike Exposito. (This was presented in black and white.)

The book closes with a photo album of sorts which features George Reeves, Kirk Allyn, and others from Superman's film and TV adventures. The final image is a full-page poster shot of Superman by Curt Swan and George Klein (in black and white).

This wonderful time capsule was reprinted by DC in a hand hardcover format in 2021. At a mere twenty bucks it was a bargain then and now. Happy Birthday to the Man of Steel. Now it's time to enjoy some of that vintage George Reeves taking on those little creepy Mole Men on my TV. 

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Superman - The 1942 Novel!

Superman was a success right from the start, at least it was when creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster could get someone to publish the adventures. The character created a whole new genre, one pioneered by costumed heroes like Lee Falk's The Phantom among others. But Superman was something else again, at once familiar and esoteric, an alien from the heartland of America. 

Superman soon dominated the comic book world, getting his own title and appearing in other places like World's Finest alongside Batman. But he was not done. 

It was not long until Superman's fame spread to other besides comics. Radio took an interest and began a daily fifteen-minute program with the Man of Steel. 

Beyond the wild pages of his own comic book, he found safe haven in the more esteemed panels of the comic strip where his adventures dropped onto the stoops of Americans all over. 

And he went to the big screen when the Fleischer Studios (the folks responsible for the immensely popular Popeye features) lavished on the hero from Krypton possibly the best superhero cartoons ever made. 

So, I guess it was just a matter of time before Superman got a prose novel dedicated to him. And that's just what happened when George Lowther wrote The Adventures of Superman a novel destined for the libraries of the nation. Superman now occupied space among other classic heroes of literature such as Natty Bumppo, Sydney Carton, and Sam Spade. 

The novel is a quick-paced affair divided into two distinct parts. The first deals with Superman's origin and tells yet again how the planet Krypton explodes but not before a prescient scientist sends his son in a rocket to the planet Earth where he is found by a kindly farming couple who raise him as his own. There is special emphasis on relationship between Clark and his adopted father Eben in this retelling, and I was much reminded of how the story is told in the first Christopher Reeve movie. 

Then the scene shifts as Clark Kent tries to make a name for himself and earn a job on The Daily Planet. This version of the story has him head out West and investigate a strange ghost ship which is haunting the harbors of an important defense contractor. It's up to both Clark Kent and the mighty Superman to get to the bottom of these ghostly doings as well as uncover the threat to the nation's security. This story does an excellent job of building the menace and of offering the reader a number of suspects. Before it's done, Superman has been taxed and takes the fight to enemies of American and world security. 

Lois Lane is in this one but there's not much room to give her that much attention. Superman is front and center in this rather thrilling yarn that takes more than one twist along the way. The prose is decorated with wonderful sketches by Joe Shuster as well as some handsome black and white plates. There are several painted images too to add color to the finished product. To see the artwork check out this link. 

I enjoyed the 1977 Kassel reprint of the 1942 novel. It is highly recommended if you can dig up a copy.

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Kryptonite Nevermore!

There's little doubt that Superman is the iconic superhero. Created in the Golden Age of comics, he led the way as comic books became a staple of society both in America and abroad. DC defended their star with lawsuits that chased away imitators and crippled competitors. Superman as first conceived by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster was an alien with a very liberal attitude toward society and the need for the powers that be to tend to the needs of the population. He quickly became a boy scout and a symbol for the status quo. When comics faltered Superman was strong enough to survive, even get his own TV show, and later in the Silver Age he thrived. 

The editor of the Superman books was Mort Weisinger, a pioneer science fiction fan and longtime employee of DC. Under his leadership the Superman "family" had grown with Supergirl, Superboy, Krypto the Super Dog, Streaky the Super Cat, Comet the Super Horse, and, well you get the point. Far from being the sole survivor of Krypton, Superman discovered his kin in the Phantom Zone and in the bottle city of Kandor. To give their most powerful hero something to fear, "Kryptonite" was invented, first on the radio, then in copious amounts and varieties in the comics. The stories were entertaining and competently produced, but a new era of comics was coming into being and when Weisinger retired things began to really change. 

Julie (Be Original) Schwartz took the helm from his longtime friend Weisinger. And in keeping with the way he'd updated Batman some years before, he likewise brought a somewhat less childish approach to Superman. The first step was to rid the world of Kryptonite, a move which empowered Superman all the more. But the transformation came with a cost. The radiation which turned Kryptonite to an inert harmless material also created a weird doppleganger of Superman out of sand. 

As Superman adjusts he discovers he loses his powers from time to time and there seems to be a connection to his duplicate which seems always to be near. Superman's life is made even more complicated when Morgan Edge, the new owner of The Daily Planet and GBS News transfers Clark Kent from the paper to become a TV reporter. (Edge was the creation of Jack Kirby from the pages of Jimmy Olsen and as it turns out he was an agent of Darkseid.)

Superman's powers are further depleted by "The Devil's Harp", a device used by a down and out musician who transforms himself into a version of the god Pan. Denny O'Neil had been tagged by Schwartz to script the comic, bringing some of that famous relevant glamour he'd successfully elicited on Green Lantern. His partner on that book was knocking out some outstanding covers for the Superman series during this period, not the least of which was the amazing image of Superman bursting the Kryptonite chains.

I had read Superman comics before and while this issue was not the first I consider the beginning of my true interest in DC Comics as I bought several DC comics in the month this appeared. The cover is a knockout, a compelling image that demands to be read. The story switches up aliens for real demons and so falls a bit flat given my expectations. Still, it's another handsome story by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson. 

Superman is still struggling with is diminished powers when all of sudden he thinks he might be infecting humans with a strange aliment from the stars. He tries to do his duty and save Lois from roving bandits and deadly ants (not kidding), but from a safe distance and that proves largely impossible. 

The conflict between Superman and his sand doppleganger comes to a head when Superman seeks the assistance of his strange counterpart and is rebuffed. Once again, he's battling terrorists and Lois gets herself involved and even creates dangers which the weakened Superman has to contend with. 

The beginning of the end of the storyline starts when Superman fails to stop a building from collapsing, though there was no loss of life. He's labeled a loser by some, but mostly feels that way himself. This story features inks by Dick Giordano and guest stars I Ching the mentor for Diana Prince who had given up her own powers over in the pages of Wonder Woman. Ching is able to fathom the problem, and enhances the "man" part of Superman. 

Things get worse when the identity of the sand "Superman" is revealed to be an alien from the dimension of  Quarm. The creature is only trying to stay alive in our dimension but at a great cost to Superman. A complication arises when another Quarmian arrives in our dimension and inhabits the shape of a Chinese demon. Diana Prince guest stars in this tale. 

It's a three-way battle as Superman must get the help of his sinister double to help defeat the vicious Quarmian. They succeed and then a battle begins between the two "Supermen" which seems to bring bout the very of life on Earth. Suffice it say we get better, and the solution (with the help of I Ching) involves Superman, at least as written by Denny O'Neil making do with fewer powers, which was the point of the storyline to begin with. In an afterward O'Neil says that the changes didn't last long as he left after a year and soon enough Superman was pushing around planets all over again.

Superman is larger than any one story told about him. He's well into his eighties and many is the yarn spun about the man from Krypton. But this tale from 1971 resonates with this particular fan because I was there when some of it originally went down. And it seems to be an above average attempt to make Superman less "Super" and more "Man" and that ain't wrong. 

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Superman And The Quest For Flight!

Christopher Reeve is the Superman for my generation. I'm a bit too young for George Reeves, so the big production movie from 1978 defines the cinematic hero in my estimation. It didn't hurt that Reeve was a man of substance and a man who far from disgracing the role, elevated our understanding of it when he was struck down by tragedy and died all too soon. But that's Reeve, what of the movies? 

Superman was a big deal when it dropped in 1978, long anticipated it was a big-screen full-color adventure which seemed to have the scope and more importantly the budget to maybe make Superman come alive for fans and others across the globe. Well, they almost did it. I have to put myself back into that time, a time devoid of the modern digital wonders which deny us no visual we desire, and a time when to making a man super required a great deal of physical effects in addition to manipulation of actual film stock. The flying they got right. It's not as dynamic as it is now of course, but it might well be more elegant. When Reeve gentle lifts off it's totally convincing, or it was. Clark Kent is a boob, but then he was that in the comics more or less, and his relationship with Lois Lane is the emotional centerpiece of the first film. I've never been a great fan of Margot Kidder's Lois, but in retrospect it's a frothy presentation and I love the running gag that she can't spell. I still squirm when we enter her thoughts while they share their dancing flight. It's always felt overwrought to me. The villains are fun and hold up quite well, but the ending of the movie has always seemed ragged. But as we have known for some time there's a reason for that. 

Superman II from 1980 was a movie doomed before we got to see it. Filmed simultaneously with the first film, it gives us the payoff hinted at in the prologue with Marlon Brando and the Kryptonian villains. And that's where this movie works best, the trio of Kryptonian thugs are delightfully evil, each in his or her own way. Terrence Stamp is fantastic and steals the movie as far as I'm concerned. But the other two are close behind. The Superman-Lois story gets a lot of attention but loses its potency by the middle of the movie. There are a lot of scenes in this movie that have not aged well, the 70's will do that to a movie. The movie is damaged beyond repair by the dreadful decision to change directors and to keep Brando out of it. I know a movie needs to make money, but Hollywood also has to realize that their art is not well served by such short-sightedness. This time I watched the Donner Cut of the movie which does its best to bring to the screen Richard Donner's original version of the movie. And it's clear his version is better. Richard Lester's scenes, especially those where the villains are challenging the military in the backwoods town hurt the movie overall and undermine the sense of scale which this opus was attempting. But that doesn't mean Lester's a bad director, but not the man for this kind of story. 

That's proven by his direction of 1984's Superman III which is basically a comedy with some adventure elements added. Despite the overuse of Richard Pryor this movie still holds up thanks to some really entertaining performances all around. The light tone results in some really good gags and the tone suits the modest production. The focus on computers makes the movie funny in ways not even intended at the time since our understanding of that technology has zoomed into a new era. Clark's return to Smallville was fun though Lana Lang was a tad annoying, and I wish the combine harvester had hit her kid, he was so irritating. I love Loralei, the so-called dumb blonde who reveals some hefty brainpower she keeps hidden for the dubious benefit of her boyfriend. The credits for this movie are outstanding and an entertaining set piece in their own right. The credits for the first two movies were so slow and boring that I remember actively dreading them and was joyfully surprised. 

Superman IV The Quest for Peace from 1987 is the one most folks single out for persecution. But despite his "B Film" quality it has a reasonably solid plot and a proper super villain. I've always argued that this movie was the most like a Superman comic. I can see Nuclear Man showing up in DC's Metropolis quite easily. The special effects of this one are limited but not so much that it impairs the movie in any way that I can tell. Turning the tables and giving Clark a love interest aside from Lois was fun but how they handle it is dubious at best. This is the only movie of the period which uses the logo and for that I will forgive many sins. Most superhero movies often tried to escape their roots, but this movie embraces them. None of the Superman movies make all that much sense if you push the details, but they do a great job with the modern myth which the man from Krypton has become. 

All in all, some good entertainment. Christopher was a smiling shining example of what a hero can be even in the worst of times and the late 70's and 80's were rough indeed. But at least they got the flying right. 

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Dorothy And The Wizard Of OZ!

Dorothy and the Wizard in OZ is the fourth installment of the legendary OZ series by L. Frank Baum. And sadly it is easily the weakest installment to date. Published in 1908 this book follows on after the previous year's Ozma of OZ, finding Dorothy in California. In place of Toto and Billina we get Eureka the cat. Dorothy is getting pretty accustomed to weird happenings, so her reactions to the strangeness of the story is muted and we are given a brand-new character to help us experience the shock of the new. 

Dorothy employs a young man named Zeb and his horse Jim to help carry her when they are all fall victim to one of California's notorious earthquakes. But this singular earthquake causes the quartet to fall to deep into the unknown reaches inside the Earth (perhaps) and they find themselves in a land filled with glass houses and light. It is a land of intelligent if inhospitable plant people, called "Mangaboos". Dorothy and Zeb are saved when the Wizard of OZ arrives via his balloon. The gang escape into another land called the Valley of Voe where people are invisible thanks to strange fruits and where they dread deadly bears. The gang escapes this land and heads up Pyramid Mountain to hopefully find the surface of the Earth. Along the way they meet the "Braided Man", a lost salesman of holes (my favorite new character in this story). Next they are threatened by flying wooden gargoyles. Later they find a den of tiny dragons eager to eat them, but they escape that threat as well. They find the surface and are stymied. With no way out the story suddenly shifts gears. 

In an utterly deus ex machina move Ozma of OZ makes a wish on the Gnome King's magic belt and soon all the cast are whisked to OZ where we are treated to a who's who of the last three novels and abundant pageantry. There's a little trouble with Eureka wanting to eat some tiny pigs but that's about all the tension we get save for the horse Jim getting buffeted by the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger when he takes issue with the Wooden Sawhorse. 

If it sounds somewhat random and disjointed, then that would be an accurate description. Our heroes encounter threats because threats are required. Their mission to return to the surface is ultimately a failure but without any cost. The narrative tumbles from event to event and seeks to wow us with oddities. Baum certainly creates strange critters in strange places, but in this case, it lacks the momentum the earlier books demonstrated. On the upside we do find out why OZ is called OZ and how it came to be one country. 

Next time we venture down The Road to OZ. 

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Astro City MetroBook Three!

Astro City MetroBook 3 has arguably the best epic of the entire run. Certainly, it's the longest and most elaborate. A mystery which is established almost from the beginning of the Astro City run is about what tragedy befell the Silver Agent. We know it was bad, we know people feel badly about it, but we don't know what it was. In this extended saga running through more than sixteen issues we finally find out, that a lot more as well. I caution you that this is a spoiler rich review. I tried not to reveal things, but the story is just so complex it's hard not to do so. Proceed with caution. 

The story begins in the Arrowsmith/Astro City Flip Book. We meet two young boys -- Charles and Royal Williams. The story begins in 1958 and these two are still kids, looking at the heroes around them and finding little to identify with. Still, it's impossible not to be impressed. But when they meet The Black Badge and he gives them his trust, they are proud beyond words. And so are their parents, but none of the family know just how close tragedy lurks. 

In the first four-part saga of Astro City: Dark Age we meet the brothers again in 1971 and it's a time of turmoil in the United States as the war rages in Vietnam and faith in heroes is lagging. That faith takes a fatal blow when all the world see the Silver Agent kill a super-villain on television. The Silver Agent's ultimate fate is decided, and he's slated for execution. Meanwhile the brothers have gone along different paths with Charles becoming a cop with a grudge against heroes and Royal becoming a small-time thief. Both seem unable to find anyone other than each other that they can trust. That trust is strained when Royal gets targeted by the Blue Knight, a superhero who kills hoods, even small-time ones. The mystery of the Silver Agent deepens as it becomes clear he has traveled through time. Other heroes show up such as Jack-in-the-Box, the Furst Family and members of the Honor Guard. 

In Astro City: Dark Age Book Two we shift the action to 1978 and we find the Williams brothers estranged. Charles is trying to make a career as a cop work despite money problems at home and pressure from his partner to go on the take and additional pressure from Internal Affairs to rat out his colleagues. He's in a pressure situation as is all of Astro City when a silent giant form called "The Incarnate" appears in the skies. Royal is still a hood and despite his best efforts to stay out of the limelight is nonetheless tagged for advancement in the gang. Superheroes have gotten grimmer and grittier in the late 70's with Hellhound, Street Angel and Black Velvet tearing up the gangs, sometimes with fatal results. A gang war erupts with help from the Pyramid cabal, the same outfit that killed the parents of the Williams brothers. They bring Jitterjack to town, a homicidal lunatic with vast strength and the stakes get more and more deadly. Also, Royal learns the identity of the man who killed his parents. It all comes to a head when Charles is wounded, and Royal has to make a supreme sacrifice to save his brother. There are lots of other heroes such as the Furst Family, Simon Magus, and even a startling appearance by the Silver Agent. 

Our story then skips ahead to 1982 in Astro City: Dark Age Book Three. The Williams brothers now work together albeit in different roles in different places. After doing a four-year stint in jail Royal is paroled by EAGLE for whom Charles now works to infiltrate Pyramid. (When you think of EAGLE thing SHIELD and when you think of Pyramid think of HYDRA.) As a soldier he is being trained in a remote camp and is subject to drugs which work the warriors into a frenzy. Royal is too clever to fall victim to these. The two are chasing the man who killed their parents, a man who ranks high in the Pyramid. There is a raid and as a result Royal goes to ground hiding from both EAGLE and Pyramid. In the broader world the Apollo Eleven it turns out are empowered by distant cosmic forces which are deciding the fate of the planet Earth. Superheroes are needed in force to fend off the cosmic threat when the powers of the Eleven are stolen by Pyramid and turned into a cosmic killer. But the superhero Point Man makes a grave error when he uses an ancient weapon against the threat and ends creating a tear in reality. In the craziness the Williams brothers reunite but again miss their chance at gaining a measure of revenge and nearly die themselves. 

n Astro City: The Dark Age Book Four we jump ahead to 1984. The brothers have formed a team using technology from both EAGLE and Pyramid to make themselves powerful enough to hunt down and kill the man who murdered their parents. They are relentless in their quest to find vengeance. Royal has questions, but Charles is focuesed and together they work tirelessly to locate and attempt to kill the man, who knowing they are coming uses all the tech he can find to elude them and ultimately makes himself so powerful they cannot stop him. His threat is magnified by the deadly energy which has seeped into the universe through the tear and ultimately a deadly force for vengeance appears in the form of the Pale Rider, a creature who judges and executes criminals no matter how large or small their crimes. That desire for rough justice infects the larger society as well. Ultimately the battle comes to a head when the Silver Agent appears and works with the brothers to bring the saga to a conclusion. 

We are then treated to an epilogue which takes us to the present day, where we find that the story we'd been following in the preceding sixteen issues was related by the Williams brothers to a man wanting to write a history of the era. The brothers had found some comfort and anonymity running a fishing boat and we are treated to the debut of the Samaritan when he saves the Challenger shuttle in 1986. It marked the end of a darker era and the beginning of a brighter day. 

This wonderful volume then closes out with the two-issue Astro City Special starring the Silver  Agent. And finally after so many years we get the story behind his sacrifice. We see him as a young man suffering from Polio who wants more than anything to serve his fellow man and gets that chance when inside Mount Kirby he chances on a strange silver object which gives him power. He fights crime and then is whisked into the distant future to fight for the very safety the planet and more. Eventually we learn why he decides to travel back in time to meet the grim fate he knows awaits him. 

This has to be one of the finest comic sagas I've ever read. Having this expansive story under a single cover in a handy form is ideal. The secret sauce of Astro City is emotion and Busiek and Anderson are at the top of their game as they relate this tale of a darker days when it was perhaps just a wee bit harder to be a hero, but perhaps even more important. I cannot recommend this story enough. 

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