“In hindsight, wrapping the chain around his arms might have been a good idea, too.”
Giant Superman Annual #1
DC Comics (1960, reprinted in 1998)
Annuals of the day (we’ll see the same thing in the next two weeks with Batman and Secret Origins, after which I can get to read only one comic story, making for easier review writing) seem to be reprint collections of tales from other comics. In this case we’ll see reprints from Superman, Superboy, Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, and Action Comics. In all there are nine stories plus a map of Krypton (created by Jerry Siegel and Al Plastino), a design for Krypton’s flag, a few strips from the Superman newspaper strip, and some shots of four first issue covers from the first four comics I listed earlier. Well, better get started then.
Actually, I just realized….this is a reprint of a bunch of reprints. Weird.
“Superman’s First Exploit” Superman #106
WRITER: Edmond Hamilton PENCILER: Wayne Boring INKER: Stan Kaye
Before the review proper, this story begins with Superman throwing the first ball of a baseball game in Japan…from Metropolis! This is not the silliest thing that will happen when a discredited scientist convinces Perry to start a contest to find Superman’s earliest exploit. What follows are various tales of Superman being super until the professor convinces the Man of Steel (we learn where that nickname came from in this story) to use his super recollection power back to when he was a baby, and a story even he forgot involving a meteor being pushed aside. See, baby Kal-El left the rocket to check out a shiny thing, which turned out to be a crystal mantis thing and when he flew off baby Kal jumped off it back to the rocket, pushing harmlessly away from Earth and discrediting the scientist. How said scientist figured that out I’ll never know but it’s an example of what DC was like in the 1960s. Your mileage may vary on that one.
“The Witch Of Metropolis” Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #1
WRITER: Otto Binder ARTIST: Al Plastino
Here’s a warning straight out. Lois does not come off well in the stories chosen from her comic for this annual–although to be fair that’s true of this comic even when Lois was better treated years later. You know, like the time she made herself black to learn how black people live.
For once I’m using this to demonstrate the comic rather than one of two pics I have of Lois.
Anyway, here Lois becomes a witch. You know, the classic one with the warts and stuff. So this starts when Lois covers a museum opening featuring superstitions and a tale of a woman who would turn into a witch at night and cast spells by chanting “hix-hox-hex”, followed by visiting a professor trying to create a youth serum, like that ever works. Then Lois turns all wrinkly and gets a big, wart covered nose. She even casts spells…except she can’t. While you might chalk this up to “superdickery” since Superman was behind it all, it was because the professor was worried she’d go nuts if she learned the truth…for some reason, and Superman bought into it. The 1960’s, kids.
“The Supergirl From Krypton” Action Comics #252
WRITER: Otto Binder ARTIST: Al Plastino
Well finally an important story. It’s the debut of Supergirl, and most of you know this story already. Kind of sad the Kryptonians survived the quick death of their planet to die slowly from their space chunk turning to Kryptonite. Otherwise, some minor tweaking would make the story better but it holds up better than what we’ve seen so far.
“A Visit From Superman’s Pal” Superboy #55
WRITER: Otto Binder PENCILER: Curt Swan INKER: Ray Burnley
So, an accidental superspin launches Jimmy into the past, arriving in Smallville and meeting up with Superboy. (This is back when Superboy was Superman as a boy rather than a teen clone of Superman.) He ends up learning Superboy’s identity but it’s fine because Superboy gives him a jar of amnesium which takes away Jimmy’s memory of the trip because that’s how…something…works. It’s not well thought out but it’s a fun enough story of Jimmy meeting Superman as a teenager. Question though. Didn’t Jimmy already know Clark was from Smallville as well as Superboy? Then why did THAT trigger his suspicions.
“The Girl In Superman’s Past” Superman #129
WRITER: Bill Finger PENCILER: Wayne Boring INKER: Stan Kaye
There was a book I took out of the public library a lot called Superman From the 30s To The 70s which was a “coffee table” book featuring a whole lot of Superman stories. This one was in there so it’s nice to own some copy of it. When Clark sees Lois with a blanket around her legs he’s somehow reminded of Lori Lemaris, a girl in a wheelchair who turns out to actually be a mermaid. I’m not really spoiling anything. Lori returned post-Crisis as one of Clark’s friends. The story still holds up pretty well.
“The Execution Of Krypton” Superboy #67
WRITER: Otto Binder ARTIST: George Papp
This is another story that could have used some tweaking and despite pretty much creating Supergirl (I don’t know what went on in the DC offices) I’m beginning to see why he isn’t usually listed among the top Superman storytellers. Here we have Krypto accused of killing Clark when Professor Lang sees the super dog burying a Clark Kent dummy. Which is all part of Clark’s plan when he learns there’s a helmet that reads animal thoughts. It’s a good concept but there are flaws in the execution that could be easily fixed.
“The Fattest Girl In Metropolis” Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane #5
WRITER: Otto Binder ARTIST: Kurt Schaffenberger
This one not so much. I’m convinced that Binder should never have been allowed to write for Lois. A growth ray turns Lois fat and she tries to hide that from Superman until a wedding they’re both at leads to her being revealed thanks to a plot device that detects Kryptonite. However, Superman set it up to happen to her so she could hide from the guy she saw murder his thieving partner so he could keep the loot all to himself. Yeah, it’s that stupid. At least she gets a little payback.
“The Super-Brain Of Jimmy Olsen” Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #22
WRITER: Otto Binder PENCILER: Kurt Swan INKER: Ray Burnley
Ah, Silver Age. You so crazy. A scientist uses a one-time machine to evolve Jimmy to where we’ll be centuries from now because science used to do that. Using his new mental and vision powers, “The Cosmic Brain” forces Superman do perform a series of tasks to insure the Earth isn’t top heavy, thus keeping it from exploding in 1,000 years. Because science was the Golden Age’s puppet, you know. Binder is still no Bob Haney, but Haney wasn’t handed a silly cover and told to make it into a story, so I guess that balances out.
“The Key To Fort Superman” Action Comics #241
WRITER: Jerry Coleman PENCILER: Wayne Boring INKER: Stan Kaye
The debut of the Fortress Of Solitude? Did I read that right? Anyway, someone else knows about the Fortress, found a way in (this is when Superman still used a giant key disguised as a flight marker…so what happened if someone flew over while he was in the Fortress?), and is driving Superman nuts as he worries about who knows who he is and about the Fortress. That someone is Batman, who apparently had plenty of time to hang around the Fortress of Solitude for days playing around with Superman on the anniversary of his arrival to Earth. This story is weird but seeing all the stuff Superman does on his downtime was interesting. Although why make gifts for Lois and Jimmy of things they really want that they’ll only get if he dies? Jimmy gets a car, Lois gets a necklace, and Batman was going to get a robot detective. It makes no sense.
This is a comic that really gets into the Silver Age and with the exception of the Supergirl, Lori, and Fortress debuts you’re really not going to like these comics if you don’t like the Silver Age. That may also be true next week when we get into the reprint of a Giant Batman Annual. If you can handle the bizarre, these could be fun.
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