The Krypton Companion (Paperback)

by Michael Eury (Author)
Key Phrases: kryptonite nevermore, best inker, plotting session, Curt Swan, Mort Weisinger, Julie Schwartz (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
The Man of Steel is now most visible on film (Superman Returns) and television (Smallville), and this compendium about his comic-book incarnation welcomely reminds us of his roots. Superman debuted in 1938, but the book begins in 1958, when Mort Weisinger took over with an editorial policy of introducing new elements every few months "to keep . . . our audience involved." Responsible for such fondly remembered gimmicks as kryptonite, Superman's imperfect duplicate Bizarro, and "imaginary stories" that took place outside the "official" continuity and allowed Superman to marry Lois Lane and Lex Luthor to be a good guy, Weisinger's influence persisted until 1986 (the tail end of the book's coverage), when a new regime revamped the character. The volume encompasses interviews with, or profiles of, nearly every writer and artist who worked on Superman, and artwork on every page, much of it previously unpublished. It's all rather scrappy; a straightforward account would be more historically valuable. But now-grown boomer and Gen-Xer fans of 1958-86 will delight in revisiting their childhood hero. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
The Krypton Companion unlocks the secrets of Superman’s Silver and Bronze Ages, the days when kryptonite came in multiple colors and super-pets scampered across the skies! Writer/editor Michael Eury explores the legacy of classic Superman editors Mort Weisinger and Julius Schwartz through all-new interviews with Neal Adams, Murphy Anderson, Cary Bates, Rich Buckler, Nick Cardy, José Luis García-López, Keith Giffen, Elliot S! Maggin, Jim Mooney, Dennis O'Neil, Bob Oksner, Martin Pasko, bob Rozakis, Jim Shooter, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and other fan favorites! Plus: Super-artist Curt Swan’s 1987 essay “Drawing Superman,” Jerry Siegel's “lost” imaginary story “The Death of Clark Kent,” Mark Waid's tribute to Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman’s appearances in the media and in Marvel Comics, and rare and previously unpublished artwork by Swan, Adams, Wayne Boring, Alan Davis, Adam Hughes, Paul Smith, Bruce Timm, and other Super-stars. Bonus: A roundtable discussion with modern-day creators (including John Byrne, Jeph Loeb, and Alex Ross) examining Superman’s influential past! Plus a (last-page) Introduction by Bizarro No. 1 (by Seinfeld writer David Mandel), and a super cover by Dave Gibbons!

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: TwoMorrows Publishing (July 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1893905616
• ISBN-13: 978-1893905610
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #660,003 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Krypton!, November 14, 2006

By	Johnny Heering "trivia buff" (Bethel, CT United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The is described as "The Superman Reader for Superman readers". It is intended for people who are serious Superman fans, such as myself. It features interviews with artists and writers who worked on Superman comic books. It is interesting if you are a Superman fan, especially if you're a fan of old time Superman comics. If you aren't a hardcore Superman fan, who probably won't find it interesting at all.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THEULTIMATE GUIDE FOR SUPERMAN FANS, December 2, 2006

By	Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

The Krypton Companion has been released at just the right time with renewed interest in Superman due to the new Superman film, as well as the release of Superman II: The Donner cut. The Krypton Companion focuses on Superman's career from 1958 to 1986. This was the period that saw the introduction of a rainbow of Kryptonite colors, a bevy of super pets, and many other interesting and outrageous changes to the Man of Steel. The book is broken down into four chapters: 1958 - 1964, 1965 - 1970, 1971 - 1979, and 1980 - 1986.

The first chapter introduces fans to Mort Weisinger, the abrasive editor of Superman in the 50's and 60's and the man largely responsible for developing the Superman mythology, as we know it today. Will Murray pens a marvelous biographical article about Mort, who began his writing career in the pulps of the 1930's on magazines like Thrilling Wonder Stories and Phantom Detective. Weisinger had a very deserved reputation for being hard to work with, especially for those writers and artists under him. Weisinger seemed somewhat embarrassed about his work in comics as he was known to brag often about articles he wrote for more mainstream publications like Reader's Digest and Parade Magazine. Ironic, then, that he will ever be remembered most for his work on Superman. Due in large part to Weisinger, Superman's mythology was heavily influenced by Sci-Fi pulps. A side-by-side comparison even shows where he liberally borrowed covers from the pulps and had artists recreate them as covers for Superman and Action Comics.

Chapter two features a lengthy article written by the late Curt Swan about his 30 plus years of drawing Superman's adventures. Roy Thomas reflects on the tumultuous two weeks he spent in the mid-sixties as Weisinger's assistant before fleeing to Marvel and being accused of being a spy for Stan Lee by an outraged Mort.

Chapter three is filled with fantastic interviews with the likes of writers Cary Bates, Denny O' Neil, Len Wein, Gerry Conway, Marty Pasko, and artists Rich Buckler, Murphy Anderson, and Neal Adams. The interview with Adams is particularly moving as Neal relates how he took up the fight to get Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster both money and due creator credit from DC and parent company Warner Bros. At the time the two were nearly destitute and without any legal claim to the character they created. Adams led a PR charge of creators, which eventually forced DC and Warner Bros. to do the right thing.

The final chapter is highlighted by a nearly 30 page roundtable discussion featuring 16 Superman artists, writers, and editors that includes Dan Jurgens, Roy Thomas, MarkWaid, Jerry Ordway, Alex Ross, John Byrne, and Walt Simonson. It's like being in a room with the who's who of comics and just listening to them talk about the world's greatest superhero. What a thrill!

The Krypton Companion is also filled with both classic and unpublished Superman artwork, timelines of events and storylines, unpublished story plots, listings of all of the various Superman 80 Page Giants and 100 Page Sepctaculars, and so much more. It's the kind of book you can sink your teeth into and savor for a long time. Another fantastic book from TwoMorrows Publishing!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All this makes THE KRYPTON COMPANION a top pick, December 13, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

If you're a Superman comics fan you probably have a wealth of comics and books about him; so what else could THE KRYPTON COMPANION offer that isn't already elsewhere? Plenty: it explores Superman's editors, offers up new interviews with key illustrators who've achieved fame drawing Superman over the decades, reveals media appearances outside the comic world, and offers up some rare, previously unpublished art work in the process. All this makes THE KRYPTON COMPANION a top pick, offering black and white reproductions complimenting the articles throughout.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch