Customer Reviews

Superman in the Forties

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From Superman's very first appearance in Action Comics #1, this book takes you on a tour through the development of the legend that he came to be. On the way you get to see Superman championing the little guy by fighting off greedy capitalists, crazed mad scientists and Nazi saboteurs. You also see how Clark Kent avoided the draft. (You, see there was this eye exam....). The super villains are all there too: Toyman, Luthor, the Ultra Humanite, Mxyztplk, Susie Tompkins. (Susie Tompkins?!) Superman visits his home planet Krypton, runs into Kryptonite for the first time, fends off the advances of Lois Lane and meets the original Supergirl. The book also sports an enticing introduction that puts the Legend of Superman in its social context.

(By the way, this book has nothing to do with the "Hardcover Edition" listed on Amazon's webpage. That's a completely different collection of stories entirely.)

If you are a fan of Superman, this is a must have in my opinion. This is the start of Superman and you can see how his powers have evolved. You will see the first story with Lex Luthor and he had a full head of hair.

With 18 stories - starting with the classic Action Comics No. 1 - and a variety of other fantastic materials, the collection is a wonderful look into the beginning of an iconic figure in American pop culture.

The book chronicles "The Man of Steel" from the late 1930s into the next decade, with highlights being the introduction of an ongoing series of villains and how this character of truth and justice was used during World War II. The reproduction of cover art and the reprinting of newspaper comic strips are excellent additions.

This book is an excellent read for anyone interested in comics, pop culture and/or a legendary figure that set the stage for the creation of any number of super-heroes, villains and their story lines.

This is a fantastic glimpse into the history of Superman and DC comics. See the first appearances of many classic characters and the evolution of Superman from a bare-knuckled brawler fighting for workers and the poor to an upstanding pillar of the establishment. Plus it has Superman hauling Hitler and Stalin in front of the League of Nations.

My only complaint was it prints the stories out of order, hopping from 1939 to 1949 and back again rather than going in strict chronologicial order.

This is interesting as a survey of early Superman stories. It should really be called SM in the 30s & 40s. Facinating to see how much has been re-invented since the early stories.

A 'Superb' Book,allows you to read the 'Old' Comics,without having to pay a 'Fortune' for each Comic !!!!