Superman in the Silver Age

[Aldous]

Apparently, we are getting the long-awaited Silver Age Superman archives we've been pining for this fall:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1401201563/qid=1085836315/sr=1-19/ref=sr_1_19/002-3049203-0066413?v=glance&s=books

Great news for fans of the Weisinger era - this series has been long overdue!

It should contain Action 241-247, Superman 122-126 - I will try to get some confirmation next week.

Thanks, Osgood.

Is there any chance you (or somebody) who has those original issues could list what the stories are?

[Super Monkey]

This is not listed on the DC site yet, so this will not be release until at the earliest September.

[Osgood Peabody]

Well, I tried to get the scoop from Bob Greenberger, one of the editors in the know, and while he cannot divulge the contents yet, he did confirm that Man of Tomorrow is the start of the Silver Age Superman archive series and that my issue listing was in the ballpark.

So, I remain hopeful that we'll get a 240-page volume, that will contain the following:

Action 241 (June 1958)
“The Super-Key To Fort Superman”
Writer: Jerry Coleman
Artist:  Wayne Boring
[First appearance of Arctic Fortress of Solitude; generally considered to mark the beginning of Superman’s “Silver Age”]
- reprinted in the Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told, and Superman Annual 1, among other places

Superman 122 (July 1958)
“The Secret of the Space Souvenirs”
Writer: Otto Binder?
Artist: Al Plastino
- reprinted in Best of DC digest 12

“Superman In the White House”  
Writer:  ?
Artist: Al Plastino
[Semi-imaginary story – Jimmy Olsen dreams of Superman becoming President]
- reprinted in Superman Annual 7

“The Super-Sergeant”
Writer:  ?
Penciller:  Wayne Boring
Inker: Stan Kaye

Action 242 (July 1958)
“The Super-Duel In Space”
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: Al Plastino
[First appearance of Brainiac; first appearance of Kandor]
- reprinted in Superman Annual 2, and Superman 217 giant

Superman 123 (August 1958)
“The Girl of Steel”
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciller: Dick Sprang
Inker: Stan Kaye
[Prototype "Super-Girl" appears in this story]
-Reprinted in Supergirl Archives volume 1, Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told, among other places

 Action 243 (August 1958)
 “The Lady and the Lion”  
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciller: Wayne Boring
Inker: Stan Kaye
[Superman vs. Circe – Kandor cameo appearance]
- reprinted in Superman Annual 3

Superman 124 (September 1958)
“The Super-Sword”
Writer: Jerry Coleman?
Artist: Al Plastino
- reprinted in Superman Annual 7

“Mrs. Superman”
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: Kurt Schaffenberger
[Clark & Lois are trapped on a desert isle.  Believing his powers permanently gone, Clark reveals his identity and proposes marriage (!!)]
- reprinted in 80-page giant 14 from 1965

“The Steeplejack of Steel”  
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciller: Wayne Boring
Inker: Stan Kaye

Action 244  (September 1958)
“The Super-Merman of the Sea”
Writer: Otto Binder
Penciller: Curt Swan
Inker: George Klein
[Introduction of undersea Fortress of Solitude]
- reprinted in Superman 187 giant

Action 245  (October 1958)
“The Shrinking Superman”  
Writer:   ?
Penciller: Wayne Boring
Inker: Stan Kaye
[First Kandorian villain (Zak-kul), first use of an “enlarging” ray by a Kandorian]

Superman 125 (November 1958)
“Lois Lane’s Super-Dream”
Writer: Jerry Coleman
Artist: Kurt Schaffenberger
[semi-imaginary story in which Lois dreams she acquires super-powers]
- reprinted in Lois Lane Annual 1

“Clark Kent’s College Days”  
Writer: Jerry Coleman
Artist: Al Plastino
[Flashback relates when “Superboy” became “Superman” during Clark’s college years]
- reprinted in Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told, Superman 183 giant

“Superman’s Mystery Power”
Writer: Jerry Coleman?
Penciller: Wayne Boring
Inker: Stan Kaye
- reprinted in Superman Annual 7

Action 246 (November 1958)
“Krypton On Earth”
Writer:   ?
Penciller: Wayne Boring
Inker: Stan Kaye

Action 247 (December 1958)
“Superman’s Lost Parents”  
Writer: Otto Binder
Artist: Al Plastino
- reprinted in Superman 193 giant

Superman 126 (January 1959)
“Superman’s Hunt For Clark Kent”  
Writer:   ?
Penciller: Wayne Boring
Inker: Stan Kaye
 
“The Spell of the Shandu Clock”  
Writer: Jerry Coleman
Penciller: Wayne Boring
Inker: Stan Kaye
- reprinted in Best of DC digest 38

“The Two Faces of Superman”
 Writer: Jerry Coleman
Artist: Kurt Schaffenberger
[Superman masquerades as Alfred E. Neuman (!!)]
- reprinted in Superman Annual 3


I think Curt Swan fans may be disappointed that he'll have only 1 story represented in the first Silver Age archive, but in '58, Boring and Plastino were still shouldering the load.  Just for the record, here's a complete breakdown of these stories by artist:  Wayne Boring -  9, Al Plastino – 6, Kurt Schaffenberger – 3, Dick Sprang – 1, Curt Swan - 1.

It would be another 3 years before Swan became the principal artist on the main Superman titles, which means another 5 or 6 volumes before we get to that point.

[Aldous]

OK... This is the material that really captures my interest. The DC Archives in NZ are pretty much priced out of the range of most people, but for this series I would make every effort to get hold of the books. This is the beginning of probably the longest and richest vein from DC's history.

Superman's Silver Age, I believe, has the potential to grab a whole new generation of fans who weren't alive when the comics were first issued.

[India Ink]

While Swan may only have one interior job in this archive, it's worth noting that he was the cover artist for all these comics at the time (with Stan Kaye inking).

I clicked over to the dcindexes to check this out--which anyone else can do if they want to glimpse the stories we'll be getting in this volume, at Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics (www.dcindexes.com).

But looking at the covers at Mike's site, I saw the covers of those comics that come before Action 241--made me kinda sad to know that those stories will be prevented from seeing print for many years to come.

Oh well, you can't have everything.  I think I'll go look at my old "Lost Decade" topic to console myself.

[Super Monkey]

While Swan may only have one interior job in this archive, it's worth noting that he was the cover artist for all these comics at the time (with Stan Kaye inking).

I clicked over to the dcindexes to check this out--which anyone else can do if they want to glimpse the stories we'll be getting in this volume, at Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics (www.dcindexes.com).

But looking at the covers at Mike's site, I saw the covers of those comics that come before Action 241--made me kinda sad to know that those stories will be prevented from seeing print for many years to come.

Oh well, you can't have everything.  I think I'll go look at my old "Lost Decade" topic to console myself.

I should be retired and in a wheelchair by then

[India Ink]

Pity poor King Krypton--cut off from archive glory by scant months.

Fingers crossed he gets a reprint in some future "DC Goes Ape" trade paperback.

[Super Monkey]

Pity poor King Krypton--cut off from archive glory by scant months.

Fingers crossed he gets a reprint in some future "DC Goes Ape" trade paperback.

Also known as the hottest selling TPB in history

http://members.shaw.ca/comicbookgorillarama/cbgindex.htm