Customer Reviews

Superman in the Seventies

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a collection of wonderful Superman comics from the 1970s, the Superman that I grew up with. The comics were apparently selected to give a cross-section of Superman's activities in the 70s, and include comics from Superman #276 (6/74), DC Comics Presents #14 (10/79), Superman #248 (2/72), #271 (1/74), #249 (3/72), #286 (4/75), Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 (10/70), Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #106 (11/70), Superman #287 (5/75), #233 (1/71), #247 (1/72), #270 (12/73), and Action Comics #484 (6/78).

OK, as you can tell from that list, the comics seem somewhat jumbled or randomized. And, as several of the stories were multi-issue, it is rather sad that you can't keep reading to find out how the Man of Steel overcomes the bad guy. But, in spite of all that, this book is really great! The stories included are all very interesting, and it is great to look back to the Superman of a different era.

An added little bonus to this book is the introduction, which was written by Christopher Reeve, Hollywood's Superman, and a bit of a hero in his own right. This is a really good book, and I highly recommend it.

As I've mentioned in my review for "Batman in the 70s", the problem faced by all such compilations is that everyone will have an opinion of what other stories should be included and what should have been left out. I feel that this is a decent collection of Superman stories in the 70s, as all the key artists and characters are represented here. The TPB contains classics like "Superman Breaks Free" which is Dennis O'Neil's attempt at revamping the Superman; Elloit S! Maggin's classic "Must there be a Superman?", somewhat overhyped but still an interesting story; a Jimmy Olsen story by Jack 'King' Kirby; a story about Krypto; and other stories featuring Lex Luthor, Brainiac etc. Of course, it would have been even better if the TPB collects more stories about the Fortress of Solitude, bottled city of Kandor etc.

Some shortcomings of this collection: It would probably have been more fun to read some of the stories in the entire run (like Marvel Essentials) than on a single-issue basis as they are presented in this TPB. E.g. "Superman breaks free" is actually the first book of O'Neil's Sandman saga; the Jimmy Olsen story is the first of around 20 (?) issues which Kirby wrote. It is a shame that DC has decided not to reprint these classic runs anywhere, since it will cost a bomb for anyone to try to collect the original copies of these comics. Another omission that everyone complains is the story arc in Superman #296-299 "Who took the Super out of Superman?"

In spite of all the shortcomings, I feel that this collection will give the reader a good sampling of pre-crisis superman stories. There are many classic moments in this TPB: Superman eating Kryptonite (!); Superman playing billards with planets; plus time-travel, aliens, inter-galactic travel all thrown in for good measure. In my opinoin, the biggest attraction of this TPB is the great artwork by Curt Swan, viewed by many fans as the greatest Superman artist of all time. Conclusion: Even though this TPB is not really the most ideal 70s collection possible, it will be a welcome addition to your collection, unless you are fortunate enough to own many original Superman comics from the 70s. Enjoy!!

I thought the reviews for this book were harsh. Then I got the book. They're right on the money. I grew up reading the Superman of the 1970s. These are the stories that shaped my viewpoints of Superman, but this book is wanting. None of the great Superman chronicles I remember are here. "The Double or Nothing Life of Superman" is a series I just purchased on eBay. It should be included in this volume. I also recall an outstanding, well-written series in which, among other things, the Bottled City of Kandor was smashed, as Superman again had issues with his Kryptonian past. And the greatest Superman story of the 1970s, "Superman Vs. Spider-Man," while mentioned, is woefully missing. The Superman of the 1970s brought about characters like Steve Lombard, Morgan Edge, and a few others, who participated in some great tales. You'll find the characters here, but not the good stories. Really, save your money on this book. Go to eBay and try and win some of the actual issues themselves from the 1970s.

This collection of 14 of the best Superman stories from his many comic appearances in the 70's was a little diappointing. After reading and thoroughly enjoying the Superman in the Sixties Collection, I was looking forward with great anticipation to picking up and reading this follow up. Unfortunately, these stories (with a few exceptions) seemed bland and were not as enjoyable as other Superman stories I have read. If you are a Superman fan this collection is good read and will be enjoyed, but if you are a casual reader spend your money and time on the Superman in the Sixties Collection and pass on this one.

I never paid much attention to Superman before Crisis on Infinite Earths. In my earlier years, I preferred the more humanized heroes from Marvel to the world-recognized icons from DC. Lately, I've been reading DC's Superman "decade collections" in order to find out more about the history of the Man of Steel. SUPERMAN IN THE SEVENTIES can best be described as a good, if somewhat overwhelming, choice.

This book is proof that, after more than 3 decades of almost no editorial restraint, Superman was approaching omnipotence. I really feel for the various writers whose work is represented in this book, as I'm sure it would be very difficult to write a character that has no limits. While I am not that big of a fan of the changes that resulted from COIE, SUPERMAN IN THE SEVENTIES convinces me that, in the case of Superman at least, the "big wipe" was necessary. The stories presented here show a Superman who is stuck in a loop, a never-ending display of increasingly unlimited powers: when you have a hero who can get himself out of any seemingly hopeless situation, you have to have villains who can make the next situation seem even MORE hopeless. Then, of course, the hero must come up with yet another amazing solution to that more hopeless situation, and on and on. Eventually, this leads to implausibility and outright ridiculousness (yes, even for a comic!). By the time I finished this collection, I knew exactly what the editors and writers at DC were thinking when they decided to pull the curtain in the mid-`80s.

Don't get me wrong: I don't hate the stories collected in SUPERMAN IN THE SEVENTIES. In fact, I enjoyed this book very much. The stories are both grandiose and crazy. Considering that, in general, comics were finally maturing somewhat in the `70s, I am fascinated that the Superman stories could retain such a `50s - `60s sense of wonder. These pages contain all kinds of over-the-top weirdness, such as Superman moving everyone on Earth into an alternate dimension to escape Lex Luthor's "galactic golem", and Lois Lane becoming a black woman for a day. The secret to enjoying this book is to remember just how powerful Superman was back in the day, and then seeing how the writer of each story does their best to make him interesting. Most of them do a great job, definitely making it a worthwhile read.

The only real complaint I have for the book is that too many of the stories begin or end abruptly. Multi-parters were not included in their entirety, so some of what takes the stories from "good" to "exceptional" is unfortunately left out.

I have to say I didn't expect much , but this is less then that , though some where good starters & some where good end, there is a lot to noticed in between, as if they wonted the bring you some samples of the superman version in the seventies but not at his best , you can say almost as if it was a low design time capsule that was buried too long for it sake .

But of course my review are mush influenced by me being an old seventies superman fan and already have seen half of the stories in the comic book , and with that in mind 2 stars is the best I can give.

Being born in 1978 (a month before Christopher Reeve's classic SUPERMAN hit the theaters), the first Superman stories I encountered were from the seventies. So reading this TPB was like going back to my childhood, and it felt great. With the exception of the pathetic "I Am Curious (Black)!" (arrrgh) and the ridiculous "Judge, Jury, and No Justice!" (which was waaaay out of character for Pete Ross, despite the fine use of Krypto), the stories collected in this book are uniformly good. The best of the tales, "The Man Who Murdered Metropolis," "Superman Breaks Loose," "The Challenge of Terra-Man," and "The Man Who Murdered the Earth" hold up marvelously, and the gorgeous coloring really energizes these already fine stories. And the introduction by Chris Reeve is a very nice touch.

Sadly, with the exceptions of "Superman Breaks Loose" and a few other tales, most of the stories in this book suffer from horrible print quality. "Must There Be a Superman?", so beautifully printed in THE GREATEST SUPERMAN STORIES EVER TOLD, is presented here in a very sloppy, messy print; the prints look dirty and neglected, and the usually clean artwork by guys like Curt Swan looks uncharacteristically ragged. Did somebody forget to remaster the stories before sending them off to be colored? Had the print quality on all the stories been top-notch, this book would have gotten a five for the (mostly) terrific tales it collects. But since most of the stories were shoddily printed, I have to dock a star from the rating. Still, the stories alone are worth the price.

Great book! Lots of beautiful artwork and great stories that I haven't seen since I was a kid. The only bad thing is that "Superman 2001" from Superman #300 was not reprinted since the year 2001 is upon us. But all in all, still a great paperback!

This is one Superman trade paperback I am very much looking forward to reading. Neal Adams made great changes with Batman and Green Arrow in the late 60's, and then his magic went over to cover Superman in the 70's. This is the time when it was changed for Clark Kent to work at WGBS in news rather than at a newspaper, and possibly the greatest time to advance the character. (Forget cheesy electric blue costumes or even long hair -- this is what we call change). You'll even see Superman EAT Kryptonite, so how can you go wrong? Highly recommended.