“Yesterday’s” Comic> Superman #1

I had this in the media library. I hope I haven’t already reviewed this comic.

Superman #1

National Comics/DC Comics (Summer 1939)

Millennium Edition reprint (December, 2000)

I’ve decided to go through all the old DC Comics and this is the next one in the longbox. While Superman had already appeared in Action Comics #1 (and I want a reprint of that, including any non-Superman material, like the Detective Comics reprint last week) this was his first solo comic. Every story features Superman, but it’s still done in the style of the other comics of the day, as in they’re a series of stories, including a text one, that just happens to all feature Superman.

The Millennium Edition reprint gives titles to each story and I’ll be using those here. Each story is written by Jerry Siegel (credited as “Jerome” in the original comic) and drawn by Joe Shuster, so I won’t be writing that each time.

Superman–Champion Of The Oppressed

The origin of Superman, and the first retelling. Originally Superman was raised in an orphanage. Here the kindly couple (who may have found the rocket but the story doesn’t show they saw it crash–nowadays they always saw it crash) actually come back for him, to the relief of the “orphan asylum” operator. We also get the famous scene where Superman smashes a criminal’s car. After some random adventures (one of which I’ve chronicled for the Friday Night Fights) we get to the good stuff. Clark is sent to chronicle a war story but heads to Washington, DC, and learns that a munitions magnet is stoking the fires of the war. Superman plots to stop the war and without telling you the whole story saves the day. It’s a good “two-part” introduction to Superman to anyone who never heard of him.

Then there’s an attempt to explain Superman’s super strength. Not much of an attempt to explain his near-invulnerability, though.

Cave-In At Blakely Mine

Clark investigates an unsafe mine after a worker is crippled in a cave-in. The owner doesn’t care about the workers and OSHA hasn’t been invented (and corrupted) yet so Superman decides to put a scare into them…which is easy when the idiot decides to take some party-goers down there to frolic. I would have rather Superman (disguised as a mine worker) talk them into going in there. At this point I can see why Grant Morrison went the direction he did with Action Comics 52 but I still think he went a bit too far. It’s a good story and nobody knows Superman is involved. He seems to be keeping his alter-ego’s existence as secret as he can…while wearing a long cape. Guess he just likes how it looks.

Superman–Football Hero

This is the weakest story of the set. It begins when Superman chases a drunk driver involved in a hit-and-run (or “hit-skip” according to this book) only to have him die of a heart attack when Superman pulls him out of the car as it’s hit by a train. For some reason Superman ducks into the train and overhears a crooked coach hiring a bunch of toughs to help him win. A rather force coincidence but then Clark finds a player on the other team with a similar build (who happens to be a bench warmer) and with make-up takes the guy’s place…by drugging the player! Wouldn’t it have been better for Superman to explain what was going on, switch places legitimately, and even help the guy get the confidence to become a better player and win his girlfriend back from the winning tennis player? He does take over after Superman exposes the coach and his players and after he takes a beating the girl does go back to him and “talks him out” of playing (because he was happy to leave anyway). It’s a story that requires coincidences and an early example of “Superdickery”. I didn’t like it.

no title given, just “Superman”

The comic ends on a prose story. After Superman puts pressure on a patent officer he claims was stealing from his clients (sadly, this is not followed up on), the police think they have him trapped in an elevator…only to find reporter Clark Kent, who agrees not to print their mistake in favor of an interview with a criminal. Somehow he escapes and Superman has to chase him down. This isn’t much better than the previous story because you have to wonder how the crook escaped when alone with Clark. Also, I want to hear more about the patent officer.

The comic ends with a “meet the creators” section, confirming Siegel and Shuster as creators of not only Superman but other DC characters that DIDN’T become super popular, like the Slam Bradley and Spy stories from last week’s Detective Comics review.

The last two stories weren’t that great and is different from the Superman we know and love not because of his weaker powers but because he’s kind of pushy. Still, the other two stories are interesting, especially the early origin. You can probably find a digital version of this on ComiXology or by looking for this Millennium Edition reprints. It’s still worth reading.

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