Tag Archives: Curt Swan

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Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 2

Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 2

Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 2

First Published: February 2008

Contents: Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #23 (September 1957) to #34 (January 1959), Showcase #10 (September-October 1957), and Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #1 (March-April 1958) to #7 (February 1959)

Key Creator Credits: Curt Swan, Otto Binder, Wayne Boring, Kurt Schaffenberger, and others

Key First Appearances: Elastic Lad

Story Continues From: Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 1

Story Continues In: Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 3

Overview: In the 1950s, Superman-related comics helped fill the newsstands. Titles such as Superman; Action Comics; Adventure Comics; Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen; Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane; and World’s Finest all featured characters from the Superman Family.

This volume collects Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane stories from their respective titles. Each issue contained three 8-page stories that followed predictable formulas from one story to the next. Jimmy is working on a story, gets in trouble, but finds some way to save the day before calling in Superman. Lois Lane frets over her unreturned love for Superman, and looks for ways to discover his secret identity.

The one item added to the Superman Family mythos in this volume is Jimmy Olsen becoming Elastic Lad for the first time. He would use this identity on and off for the next 20 years, helping out Superman, Lois Lane, and even the Legion of Super-Heroes with his stretching abilities.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: You have to be a die-hard fan of the Silver-Age of comics to appreciate the stories told in here. Most Silver-Age stories do not hold up in comparison to current stories. These stories were truly written for and generally sold to kids. The stories are fun to read, provided you keep them in the context of the era in which they were first published.

Footnotes: Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 2 was released in February 2008. That book featured the Superman Family logo on the front of the book in red and yellow. After the release of the book, DC realized that several pages were accidentally swapped in Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #2. DC corrected the mistake and released a new volume in April of that same year. To differentiate between the two volumes, the Superman Family logo on the corrected version was changed to red and white (pictured at the top of this post).

If you like this volume, try: the 2012 series Superman Family Adventures by Franco and Art Baltazar. The title was released under the Johnny DC banner, aimed at younger kids, and takes all of the members of the Superman family into one big ongoing storyline that runs through all 12 issues. This is the most fun I have had reading a comic in the last five years. Highly recommend this series to get your Superman Family fix. DC has collected the entire series in two digest-size editions.

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Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 1

Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 1

First Published: November 2007

Contents: Superman #123 (August 1958), #139 (August 1960), #140 (October 1960), and #144 (April 1961); Supergirl stories from Action Comics #252 (May 1959) to #282 (November 1961); Supergirl stories from Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #40 (October 1959), #46 (July 1960), and #51 (March 1961); Supergirl story from Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane #14 (January 1960); Supergirl story from Superboy #80 (April 1960); and Supergirl story from Adventure Comics #278 (November 1960)

Key Creator Credits: Otto Binder, Jim Mooney, Al Pastino, Curt Swan, Jerry Siegel, and others

Key First Appearances: Supergirl/Kara/Linda Lee Danvers, Zor-El, Alura, Dick Wilson Malverne, Miss Hart, Streaky, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Invisible Kid, Jerro, Bouncing Boy, Brainiac-5, Phantom Girl, Shrinking Violet, Sun Boy, Triplicate Girl, Fred Danvers, Edna Danvers

Story Continues In: Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 2

Overview: Introducing the Maid of Might, Supergirl! When Krypton exploded, one of its cities, Argo, shot off into space on a solid asteroid chunk. Years later, the asteroid was slowly transforming into Kryptonite, which would kill the Kryptonians. Following instructions shared by his late brother, Zor-El launches his daughter Kara in a rocket aimed at Earth. Arriving on Earth as a teenager sporting a costume matching her cousin’s uniform, Kara quickly starts to acquire the same powers that all Kryptonians receive under a yellow sun. Dubbed Supergirl, Superman hides Supergirl in the Midvale orphanage as his secret weapon, giving her time to learn about Earth and her new abilities.

Many of these stories feel like Superboy stories that were rewritten for Supergirl, such as dealing with Kryptonite meteors, uncovering dishonest circus carnies. stopping floods, or disabling runaway robots. Likewise, she also gets counterparts to match Superman’s friends – Dick Wilson is a boy in the orphanage that thinks Linda is Supergirl, Jerro becomes Supergirl’s beau in Atlantis, and Bizarro Supergirl shows up trying to help out, but does everything wrong.

Where Supergirl differs, making the biggest jump in her character story, is her encounters with the Legion of Super-Heroes. It takes a couple of visits before she can finally join the team, in Action Comics #276. At the end of this volume, Linda Lee is adopted by Fred and Edna Danvers, moving her out of the orphanage and creating a new set of stories to be told in Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 2.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: Well, my opinion of the majority of the DC Silver Age should be pretty clear by now. That said, I like these stories. These read better than the various Superman, Jimmy Olsen, and Lois Lane stories of the same era. I also find these more interesting than the Wonder Woman stories of the time. This is a good introduction to a female character, albeit one created as a female duplicate of a popular male character. It will take some time before Supergirl can move out of the large shadow cast by her cousin. This is one volume I look forward to sharing with my daughter soon!

Footnotes: Superman #123 and the Supergirl story from Action Comics #252 are also reprinted in Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 1.

The “Mighty Maid” story from Action Comics #260; the “Old Man of Metropolis” story from Action Comics #270; the “Untold Story of Red Kryptonite” story from Superman #139; Superman #140; and the “Orphans of Space!” story from Superman #144 are also reprinted in Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 2.

The “War Between Supergirl and the Superman Emergency Squad!” story from Action Comics #276 is also reprinted in Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 3.

The “Three Super-Heroes” story from Action Comics #267 and the “Supergirl’s Three Super Girl-Friends!” story from Action Comics #276 are also reprinted in Showcase Presents Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1.

The “Lois Lane’s Secret Romance!” story from Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane #14 and the “Jimmy Olsen, Supergirl’s Pal!” story from Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #40 are also reprinted in Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 3.

The “Jimmy Olsen, Orphan” story from Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #46 and the “Girl with Green Hair!” story from Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #51 are also reprinted in Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 4.

If you like this volume, try: tracking down Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade miniseries from 2009. This has been collected as a trade paperback, but it might be easier to find these six comics in a back issue bin. Written by Landry Walker with art by Eric Jones, this is a fun look at the origins of Supergirl, told for the Johnny DC audience. Once again, Kara travels to Earth, where she discovers that her cousin is Superman, protector of the planet. Kara is enrolled in middle school, so she can learn about her new home. She becomes best friends with Lena Thorul, who is secretly the sister of Lex Luthor. Of course, if you wear a big red S on your chest, you should also expect visits from Bizarro and Mr. Mxyzptlk, only in Kara’s case, she still has to contend with homework and middle school drama. This is a fun read for all ages and genders!

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Showcase Presents World’s Finest Vol. 1

Showcase Presents World's Finest Vol. 1

First Published: October 2007

Contents: Superman/Batman story from Superman #76 (May-June 1952); Superman, Batman, and Robin stories from World’s Finest Comics #71 (July-August 1954) to #111 (August 1960)

Key Creator Credits: Curt Swan, Dick Sprang, Edmond Hamilton, Bill Finger, Jerry Coleman, and others

Story Continues In: Showcase Presents World’s Finest Vol. 2

Overview: They are arguably the two most recognizable heroes in comic books. Superman – more powerful than a locomotive; able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Batman – defender of Gotham City, avenging the death of parents by striking back at crime. Each are stars in their own right, having moved from the comics to newspaper strips, radio dramas, and movie serials. At some point, it seemed natural that these two forces for good must cross paths, and that finally occurred in 1952 in Superman #76,  Clark Kent schedules a cruise (because everyone knows that the Daily Planet has a very generous vacation policy), but due to overbooking, he is asked to share a room with millionaire Bruce Wayne. Before the ship can leave port, an explosion on the docks prompts both men to change into their costumed identities. accidentally revealing their secrets to each other. Promising to keep each other’s secret, Superman and Batman work together, making for one of the most important comic book team-ups of all time.

Two years later, the Superman and Batman features in World’s Finest are combined, teaming up the two heroes (plus Robin, the Boy Wonder!) issue after issue after issue. The reasons for the team-ups vary from the reasonable to the absurd – whether fighting aliens or giant robots; traveling through time to the future, or into the past; stopping Lex Luthor on his next scheme to rule the world, or having Batman pose as Superman to keep Lois Lane from discovering Superman’s secret identity.

The supporting casts for both characters make numerous appearances. From Metropolis, Lois, Jimmy, and Perry cross paths with Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, and Batwoman from Gotham City. In later Showcase Presents World’s Finest volumes, we will see a friendship develop between Jimmy Olsen and Robin, leading to a junior World’s Finest team-up.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: If you can think of this volume as a collection of imaginary stories, than this is a fun and interesting volume. If you are a continuity nerd, this book will make your head explode. These are all one-and-done stories, and should never be referenced again in any other story. The plots are absurd, and would never be published into today’s publishing environment. But it’s stories like this that inspired writers like Grant Morrison to create wonderful tribute stories, such as All-Star Superman and Batman: Incorporated.

Footnotes: Superman and Batman (with Robin) had been the stars of World’s Finest Comics since the first issue, which was initially published as World’s Best Comics #1. (The title changed to World’s Finest Comics with issue #2.)  However, these characters were each featured in their own stories within the magazine. In 1954, due to declining interest in comic books, World’s Finest Comics was reduced from a 64-page book to a 32-page book. In order to keep both of the stars of the book featured in the title, Superman and Batman started teaming up together in one story beginning with issue #71, which is where this Showcase Presents volume begins. 

If you like this volume, try: the first story arc Superman/Batman from 2003. Created by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, the Public Enemies story brought back together the World’s Finest team in a monthly comic book. In this volume, President Lex Luthor accuses Superman of treasonous crimes, and calls upon the super-hero community to bring him in dead or alive. Batman and Superman work together to uncover Luthor’s scheme, and to prove Superman’s innocence. Loeb takes an interesting approach to the story, showing us Superman through the eyes of Batman, and vice versa. The art by McGuinness is perfect for this title: Superman is big and bold and his muscles have muscles, while Batman is sleek and dark and mysterious. in 1987. This title ran for eight years, and some story arcs are better than others. For my money, Public Enemies is among the best and is the perfect way to return to the World’s Finest team.

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Showcase Presents Batgirl Vol. 1

First Published: July 2007

Contents: Batgirl stories from: Detective Comics #359 (January 1967), #363 (May 1967), #369 (November 1967), #371 (January 1968), #384 (February 1969), #385 (March 1969), #388 (June 1969), #389 (July 1969), #392 (October 1969), #393 (November 1969), #396 (February 1970), #397 (March 1970), #400 (June 1970), #401 (July 1970), #404 (October 1970) to #424 (June 1972); World’s Finest Comics #169 (September 1967) and #176 (June 1968); 
Batman #197 (December 1967) and #214 (August 1969); Justice League of America #60 (February 1968); The Brave and The Bold #78 (June-July 1968); Adventure Comics #381 (June 1969); Superman #268 (October 1973) and #279 (September 1974); and Superman Family #171 (June/July 1975)

Key Creator Credits: Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino, Frank Robbins, Gil Kane, Don Heck, Curt Swan, Mike Friedrich, and others

Key First Appearances: Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, Jason Bard

Overview: Meet Barbara Gordon, librarian and daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon. With an invitation to the Gotham City Policeman’s Masquerade Ball, Barbara is making a female-fitting version of the Batman costume. While on the way to the ball, Barbara encounters a robbery in progress, and jumps in to stop the crime. Later on, she can’t stop thinking about the rush she experienced as a crime-fighter. Making her costume more practical for physical activity, Barbara joins the Dynamic Duo as a protector of Gotham City, as Batgirl.

Early on, Batgirl was brought in every couple of issues to help Batman and Robin with whatever case they may be working on. But her popularity grew as a character, earning her a back-up feature role in the pages of Detective Comics. While most of these stories are one-and-done, towards the end of this run an ongoing story arc was introduced by Frank Robbins and Don Heck. Barbara reveals her secret identity to her father, who being a good cop had already deduced her secret. Barbara gets elected to Congress to help represent Gotham City in Washington, D.C.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: Batgirl was created at the request of the producers of the Batman television show, hoping to add a new female character to the show’s third season. Appropriately enough, her first comic appearance was titled “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!” The show helped cement Barbara Gordon’s place in the Batman universe, and the writers and artists found ways to take advantage (albeit slowly) of this incredible character. This is a great volume to own, and share with readers of all ages. My only complaint about this volume is the cover image they chose for this volume (Page 1 from Detective Comics #371). Seriously, could DC find a more sexist image to use? I understand that Batgirl was not used on many covers during the time frame that this book covers, but the covers to Detective Comics #359 or #369 would have been much better choices to use over the cover image above.

Footnotes: The stories from Detective Comics #359, #363, #369, & #371, and Batman #197 were also reprinted in Showcase Presents Batman Vol. 3.

Batman #214 was also reprinted in Showcase Presents Batman Vol. 4.

Detective Comics #400 & #401 were also reprinted in Showcase Presents Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1.

The Brave and The Bold #78 was also reprinted in Showcase Presents The Brave and the Bold Batman Team-Ups Vol. 1.

World’s Finest Comics #169 was also reprinted in Showcase Presents World’s Finest Vol. 3.

World’s Finest Comics #176 was also reprinted in Showcase Presents World’s Finest Vol. 4.

Justice League of America #60 was also reprinted in Showcase Presents Justice League of America Vol. 3.

If you like this volume, try: tracking down a copy of The Brave and the Bold #33 (June 2010), during the J. Michael Straczynski run on the book. This story is set in the days prior to the events of Batman: The Killing Joke (and if you need info on why that book is important, you probably shouldn’t be reading this blog). Zatanna has had premonitions of events coming up in Barbara Gordon’s life, so she and Wonder Woman take Babs out on the town for a night of fun. Cliff Chiang draws a beautiful yet realistic female figure, and was a perfect choice for this issue. This issue was collected in the Team-ups of the Brave and the Bold hardcover, which collected the JMS issues of The Brave and the Bold.

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Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 3

Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 3

First Published: April 2007

Contents: Superman stories from Action Comics #276 (May 1961) to #292 (September 1962); Superman #146 (July 1961) to #156 (October 1962); original content from Superman Annual #3 (August 1961), #4 (January 1962), and #5 (July 1962)

Key Creator Credits: Otto Binder, Jerry Coleman, Al Pastino, Wayne Boring, Curt Swan, Jerry Siegel, Robert Bernstein, Bill Finger, and others

Key First Appearances: Legion of Super-Villains (Cosmic King, Lightning Lord, Saturn Queen)

Story Continues from: Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 2

Story Continues In: Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 4

Overview: Welcome back to the world of Superman! Rocketed to Earth as a baby as his home planet died, Kal-El grew to adulthood under the yellow sun, gaining powers and abilities beyond mortal man. Disguised as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, Superman fights for truth, justice, and the American way.

The scope of Superman starts to spread, across the world and across the years. Superman introduces the world to his cousin Kara, who will become Supergirl, a new protector for Earth. From the far future, we get visits from the Legion of Super-Heroes, teenagers with powers who have been inspired to greatness by Superman. The challenges get harder and harder, as Lex Luthor devises more elaborate plots, and Mr. Mxyzptlk builds more mischievous schemes.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: Generally, my opinion of Silver Age Superman stories is negative – the tales don’t hold up, the stories are filled with plot holes, and there is no progression with the characters. But this volume goes against the norm. This is a fun Superman volume with a lot of classic stories, such as “The Last Days of Superman!” and “The World’s Greatest Heroine!”. We get a mix of everything in this volume – Superman, the Daily Planet staff, Supergirl, Lori Lemaris, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and more. This is the first time I feel that these Superman stories should be showcased like this, so get it in your library!

Footnotes: Action Comics #285 is also reprinted in Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 2.

The Legion story in Superman #147 is also reprinted in Showcase Presents Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1.

If you like this volume, try: All-Star Superman, which has been collected in multiple formats. Written by Grant Morrison with art by Frank Quitely, this 12-issue series is a wonderful homage to the Silver Age adventures of Superman, such as those collected in this volume. In this timeless story, Superman finds that his body is killing him after an over-exposure to the sun. Given a small window left to live, Superman vows to make the most of his remaining time. He grants Lois her greatest wish, he has one last adventure with his pal Jimmy Olsen, and he works with Lex to save the world. This is probably the best Superman story told in the last decade.

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Showcase Presents Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1

Showcase Presents Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1

First Published: April 2007

Contents: Legion of Super-Heroes stories from Adventure Comics #247 (April 1958), #267 (December 1959), #282 (March 1961), #290 (November 1961), #293 (February 1962), and #300 (September 1962) to #321 (June 1964); Action Comics #267 (August 1960), #276 (May 1961), #287 (April 1962), and #289 (June 1962); Superboy #86 (January 1961), #89 (June 1961), and #98 (July 1962); Superman #147 (August 1961); Superman Annual #4 (1962); and Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #72 (October 1963) and #76 (June 1964)

Key Creator Credits: Otto Binder, Al Pastino, Curt Swan, Jerry Siegel, George Papp, Jim Mooney, John Forte, Edmond Hamilton

Key First Appearances: Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Invisible Kid, Brainiac-5, Star Boy, Bouncing Boy, Phantom Girl, Shrinking Violet, Triplicate Girl, Mon-El, Legion of Super-Villains (Cosmic King, Lightning Lord, Saturn Queen), Sun Boy, Legion of Super-Pets, Ultra Boy, Science Police, Matter-Eater Lad, Legion of Substitute-Heroes (Chlorophyll Kid, Fire Lad, Night Girl, Polar Boy, Stone Boy), Element Lad, Lightning Lass/Light Lass, Proty, Dream Girl, Time Trapper

Story Continues In: Showcase Presents Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 2

Overview: On an average day in Smallville, USA, Clark Kent is accosted by three strange teenagers who claim to know his secret identity. The teenagers reveal themselves to be Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl. They are from 1,000 years in the future, and have been inspired by Superboy/Superman to use their unique super-powers to help Earth and other planets. Thus, the Legion of Super-Heroes is born. Long live the Legion!

Meeting in a converted rocket ship-turned-clubhouse, the Legion of Super-Heroes is made up of teenagers, each with a unique set of powers and abilities. No duplication of powers is allowed, although they tend to wiggle the rules on that from time to time. Over the six-year time frame of the stories collected in this volume, we meet 20 Legionnaires, plus all of the would-be Legion members and their spinoffs, such as the Legion of Super-Pets and the Legion of Substitute-Heroes.

Some prominent foes are introduced, including the Legion of Super-Villains. Their initial line-up was older family members of the Legion founders, all with the same power set. The mysterious Time Trapper comes into play at the end of this volume, and will revisit many times over, only to be thwarted by the Legion.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: I’ve been pretty honest on my opinions of the DC Silver Age stories. Most stories are hard to read against today’s standards. But even so, these Legion stories are a real treat. The stories can be absurd, yes, very much so. But they still retain a youthful innocence that compels the reader to want to keep reading. Who wouldn’t want to hang out in a super-hero clubhouse with other teenagers with wonderful powers and abilities. Sign me up!

Footnotes: The Legion stories in Action Comics #267 and #276 are also reprinted in Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 1.

The Legion stories in Action Comics #287 and #289 are also reprinted in Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 2.

The Legion story in Superman #147 is also reprinted in Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 3.

If you like this volume, try: Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank from 2008. This story originally ran in Action Comics. Geoff Johns combines story elements from the 50 year history of the Legion to tell a great story of Superman traveling into the future to visit his friends from his teenage years. But in the year 3008, Earth’s sun has become red, and Superman’s name is synonymous with treachery. The Legion has moved underground, considered to be outlaws by the local authorities. Superman gathers together all of the Legionnaires that he can find to lead an attack against the Justice League of Earth and restore the proper order on the planet. The art is by Gary Frank, creating a realistic look to his figures and in particular his faces. This is worth tracking down, as it gives you a good overview of the entire Legion lore.

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Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 2

Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 2

Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 2

First Published: June 2006

Contents: Superman stories from Action Comics #258 (November 1959) to #275 (April 1961), Superman #134 (January 1960) to #145 (May 1961)

Key Creator Credits: Otto Binder, Jerry Coleman, Al Pastino, Wayne Boring, Curt Swan, Jerry Siegel

Key First Appearances: Bizarro-Lois Lane, Ronal

Story Continues from: Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 1

Story Continues In: Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 3

Overview: As Superman entered the 1960s, the stories found in Action Comics and Superman grew larger than life to match the spirit of the new decade. Superman’s Rogues Gallery – including Lex Luthor, Bizarro, and Mr. Mxyptlk – made more frequent appearances between the two titles. Thankfully, Superman’s friends and family stand by his side to help protect truth, justice, and the American way.

Other traditional stories are revisited in this volume, such as Lois Lane trying to discover Superman’s identity; or Superman finding some way to revisit Krypton, either by traveling back through time or from video archives. And on those occasions when Superman and Clark Kent must be seen together, Batman or the Superman Robots step up to assume one of the identities.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: If you are a Superman fan, by all means pick up this volume. The problem I have with these stories is that they are one-and-done stories. The Superman that appears in Action Comics #258 from late 1959 is no different than the Superman that appears in #275 from mid 1961. Nothing is done to advance the title character’s storyline. You could pick this up and read them in any order, so a reader could skip around and focus on the stories or villains that most interest you.

Pocketful of Kryptonite: In Superman #140, a new shade of Kryptonite was introduced. Thankfully for Superman, Blue Kryptonite is perfectly harmless to Kryptonians, but Bizarro and the other citizens of Bizarro World find its rays painful. Throughout the Silver Age of comics, many other variations of Kryptonite were introduced, each with it’s own unique impacts:

  • Green Kryptonite is lethal to Superman, which weakens and drains his powers until it kills him.
  • Red Kryptonite will cause some kind of short-term change in Superman, like giving him a third eye on his head, and it fades away within 24 hours.
  • Gold Kryptonite will permanently remove Superman’s powers.
  • White Kryptonite will kill all plant life, regardless if the plants are from Krypton or Earth.
  • Other shades of Kryptonite have been introduced in other media, such as the Smallville TV show or other comics. That would include Black, Silver, Pink, Orange, Gemstone, and Periwinkle, to name a few.

Footnotes: The “Mighty Maid” story from Action Comics #260; the “Old Man of Metropolis” story from Action Comics #270; the “Untold Story of Red Kryptonite” story fromSuperman #139; Superman #140; and the “Orphans of Space!” story from Superman#144 are also reprinted in Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 1.

If you like this volume, try: Superman: Tales of the Bizarro World trade paperback. This volume collected Bizzarro World stories that originally appeared in Adventure Comics in the early 1960s. As of this writing, these stories have not been collected in any Showcase Presents volume. The Bizarro World stories are a different take, where everything is backwards compared to our world.

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Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 1

Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 1

First Published: March 2006

Contents: Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #1 (September-October 1954) to #22 (August 1957), Showcase #9 (July-August 1957), and the Lois Lane story from Superman #28 (May-June 1944)

Key Creator Credits: Curt Swan, Otto Binder

Key First Appearances: Professor Phineas Potter

Story Continues In: Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 2

Overview: Despite this being titled a Superman Family volume, this is essentially a Jimmy Olsen volume, as it collects the first 22 issues of Jimmy Olsen’s solo series.

The Jimmy Olsen stories are simple one-and-done tales that do not give a second thought to continuity. The stories start with a few basic idea reused over and over (Jimmy trying to get a big news story to impress Perry White; Jimmy adds a new souvenir to his Superman collection; Jimmy offers up himself as a test subject to a scientist trying a new device) and proceed from there for six to eight pages.

Also in this volume is Showcase #9, featuring Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane. As previously noted, Showcase was a try-out book for characters to see if they could support their own title. The Lois Lane issues of Showcase (collected in this volume and in Showcase Presents Superman Family Vol. 2) apparently did well enough to give Lois her own book. As a bonus, the first solo Lois Lane story from Superman #28 is collected in this book.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: You have to be a die-hard fan of the Silver Age of comics to appreciate the stories told in here. Most Silver Age stories do not hold up in comparison to current stories. These stories were truly written for and generally sold to kids. The stories are fun to read, provided you keep them in the context of the era in which they were first published.

Footnotes: Showcase #9 is also reprinted in Showcase Presents Showcase Vol. 1.

If you like this volume, try: the Amazing Transformations of Jimmy Olsen TPB. This volume collects the various stories from Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, when the title character is morphed into another character, either due to radiation, ingestion, stupidity, or plain luck. The Super-Brain, the Human Skyscraper, Elastic Lad, the Human Flamethrower, the Human Octopus, Jimmy the Genie, the Wolfman, the Giant Turtle Man, the Human Porcupine, Bizarro Boy, Chameleon-Head Olsen, and so on.

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Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 1

Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 1

First Published: October 2005

Contents: Superman stories from Action Comics #241 (June 1958) to #257 (October 1959), Superman #122 (July 1958) to #133 (November 1959)

Key Creator Credits: Otto Binder, Jerry Coleman, Al Pastino, Wayne Boring, Curt Swan, Kurt Schaffenberger

Key First Appearances: Brainiac, Bottle City of Kandor, Metallo, Kara/Linda Lee Danvers/Supergirl, Bizarro, Titano, Lori Lemaris, Mr. Mxyzptlk

Story Continues In: Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 2

Overview: Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. By 1958, Superman was the star of comic book spinner racks, as well as featured in a syndicated television show, a daily newspaper comic strip, radio dramas, movie serials, and merchandise.

These stories are generally one-and-done stories; very rarely would a story carry on into the next issue. The writers use a very predictable formula from issue to issue. Kryptonite tended to pop up at least once per issue. Clark Kent would deploy his Superman Robots in order to fool Lois Lane from discovering his secret identity. Jimmy Olsen was constantly stumbling into trouble and using his wrist-watch to contact Superman for help.

This book does introduce many new characters to the Superman mythos that have remained active in some fashion ever since. New villains were added to the rogue’s gallery, such as Brainiac, Metallo, Bizarro, Titano, and Mr. Mxyzptlk. The mermaid Lori Lemaris showed up as one of Superman’s former girlfriends. Most importantly, Superman’s cousin arrives on Earth and quickly dons a matching costume to become Supergirl.

Why should these stories be Showcased?: Silver Age comics may be hard to read. The story contains a lot of plot holes. No concern is given to what happened in the previous issue. With all of that said, this should be a volume to pick up. Given the number of key characters that make their first appearance in these collected issues, it should be part of any Superman fan’s collection.

Footnotes: Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 1 was one of the first Showcase volume published by DC Comics in 2005. This edition was priced at $9.99. All other Showcases have been priced at $14.99 or higher.

During this era, Action Comics was an anthology book, featuring eight-page Superman, Congo Bill, and Tommy Tomorrow stories. Following Supergirl’s debut in Action Comics #252, her stories became a regular feature, replacing the Tommy Tomorrow feature.

Superman #123 and the Supergirl story from Action Comics #252 are also reprinted in Showcase Presents Supergirl Vol. 1.

If you like this volume, try: Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Steel? This story ran in the final issues of Action Comics and Superman prior to the relaunch of the DC Universe following the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Written by Alan Moore, this ode to the Silver Age Superman stories brought all of Superman’s friends, family, and villains together for a final showdown. This story includes art from Curt Swan and Kurt Schaffenberger, artists that had been associated with the Superman comics for over 30 years.