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The Superman Chronicles #2
The Superman Chronicles, Vol. 2
Collects Siegel and Shuster's early Superman comics--beginning with the Man of Steel's first appearance in 1938--in chronological order.
Contains Superman appearances in: Action Comics #14-#20, Superman #2-#3.
Contains Superman appearances in: Action Comics #14-#20, Superman #2-#3.
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2007
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65 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Siegel
619 books81 followersJerome "Jerry" Siegel, who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S. Fine, was the American co-creator of Superman (along with Joe Shuster), the first of the great comic book superheroes and one of the most recognizable icons of the 20th century.
He and Shuster were inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1993.
He and Shuster were inducted into the comic book industry's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1993.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 6, 2015
Collects Action Comics #14-20 and Superman vol 1 #2-3
I love these Golden Age Superman stories from the 1930's and 40's because they are a true time capsule -- a window into the past -- right down to the artwork's representation of the fashion, decor, cars, and telephones of the time. So much about these stories evokes the feelings, thoughts, fears, and desires of the American people during the Great Depression and on the eve of World War 2.
In these stories, Superman doesn't fight supervillains. Instead he fights the villains of the day: racketeers, corrupt government officials, mobsters. The idea of a "supervillain" hadn't been invented yet because they already had plenty of real-world villains to deal with at the time. However, you could argue that the first ever supervillain (the Ultra-Humanite) makes his appearance here and in Volume 1 -- however, the Ultra-Humanite didn't have any superpowers (yet), and instead was "just" a diabolical genius (not necessarily a super power by modern standards of what "super powers" are).
Superman wasn't a very nice guy in the 1930's. He didn't have the same flawless Boy Scout persona that he has now. He was a tough, no-nonsense castigator of the crooked and corrupt, because that's the kind of hero people wanted back then. Unlike the Superman of today, the original Superman wasn't above threatening physical violence ("cracking your head like an egg shell will be a messy job, but if you insist on being stubborn..."), or tough interrogation tactics like hanging someone from a highrise rooftop by their ankle using one hand and threatening to drop them if they didn't fess up. A page hardly goes by without Superman threatening to or actually dispensing justice in a most violent manner, and that's often how he solves his dilemmas. It gets a bit repetitive, so they aim to keep it interesting each month by adding to Superman's growing list of super abilities.
Superman's list of powers are added to in virtually every issue. At times it feels like he's just pulling out the "power of the month". One day it's super hearing, the next he's impervious to bullets, the next he has x-ray vision, and we haven't even seen the freezing breath yet. All of these things are familiar to us now as Superman's powers, but these weren't really laid out from the start, and you can see how he ended up acquiring in piece-meal fashion what is now his hodge-podge list of super-powers.
As an interesting note, back then comics did a lot more "telling rather than showing" than they do now. That is, rarely was anything explained solely with pictures. Every panel is accompanied by a narrative or dialogue, often times describing exactly what we're seeing in such a way that we could've followed along just as well without the text. I think this is probably because of the pulp fiction and radio roots of the comics; many of these narratives read just like the pulp magazines and radio shows that they're imitating (here's a fun example: We have an image of Superman diving off a cliff and then swimming out to some passengers stranded on a boat, and the strip tells us "A lone uniformed figure streaks down from a cliff into the raging waters... nature's unleashed fury pitted against the strength of one man! But what a man! Stronger than the howling winds and battering waves that seek to drag him under, Superman valiantly battles his way on." I can hear an enthusiastic storyteller reciting those lines in an old-time radio show.). There are also very few thought bubbles. Instead, everyone "thinks aloud" (it's funny to stop and think about just how much Superman talks to himself in these comics). And finally, the variation in panel arrangement is minimal. Most pages are a simple, regular 3x3 or 3x2 grid. Occasionally one panel will span two columns ("double wide"), but I've never seen a panel span two rows ("double tall"). So it's interesting to see how the comics medium itself has progressed since those early days.
The artwork is crude by modern standards, but not bad. I really like the use of non-glossy white paper that they used in all of the Chronicles series, I think it looks and feels more like the original than the glossy-paper versions you'll find in the Archives series.
In summary, I enjoy these collections as a glimpse into history, both in terms of the 1930's and 40's as well as history of the comics medium itself.
I love these Golden Age Superman stories from the 1930's and 40's because they are a true time capsule -- a window into the past -- right down to the artwork's representation of the fashion, decor, cars, and telephones of the time. So much about these stories evokes the feelings, thoughts, fears, and desires of the American people during the Great Depression and on the eve of World War 2.
In these stories, Superman doesn't fight supervillains. Instead he fights the villains of the day: racketeers, corrupt government officials, mobsters. The idea of a "supervillain" hadn't been invented yet because they already had plenty of real-world villains to deal with at the time. However, you could argue that the first ever supervillain (the Ultra-Humanite) makes his appearance here and in Volume 1 -- however, the Ultra-Humanite didn't have any superpowers (yet), and instead was "just" a diabolical genius (not necessarily a super power by modern standards of what "super powers" are).
Superman wasn't a very nice guy in the 1930's. He didn't have the same flawless Boy Scout persona that he has now. He was a tough, no-nonsense castigator of the crooked and corrupt, because that's the kind of hero people wanted back then. Unlike the Superman of today, the original Superman wasn't above threatening physical violence ("cracking your head like an egg shell will be a messy job, but if you insist on being stubborn..."), or tough interrogation tactics like hanging someone from a highrise rooftop by their ankle using one hand and threatening to drop them if they didn't fess up. A page hardly goes by without Superman threatening to or actually dispensing justice in a most violent manner, and that's often how he solves his dilemmas. It gets a bit repetitive, so they aim to keep it interesting each month by adding to Superman's growing list of super abilities.
Superman's list of powers are added to in virtually every issue. At times it feels like he's just pulling out the "power of the month". One day it's super hearing, the next he's impervious to bullets, the next he has x-ray vision, and we haven't even seen the freezing breath yet. All of these things are familiar to us now as Superman's powers, but these weren't really laid out from the start, and you can see how he ended up acquiring in piece-meal fashion what is now his hodge-podge list of super-powers.
As an interesting note, back then comics did a lot more "telling rather than showing" than they do now. That is, rarely was anything explained solely with pictures. Every panel is accompanied by a narrative or dialogue, often times describing exactly what we're seeing in such a way that we could've followed along just as well without the text. I think this is probably because of the pulp fiction and radio roots of the comics; many of these narratives read just like the pulp magazines and radio shows that they're imitating (here's a fun example: We have an image of Superman diving off a cliff and then swimming out to some passengers stranded on a boat, and the strip tells us "A lone uniformed figure streaks down from a cliff into the raging waters... nature's unleashed fury pitted against the strength of one man! But what a man! Stronger than the howling winds and battering waves that seek to drag him under, Superman valiantly battles his way on." I can hear an enthusiastic storyteller reciting those lines in an old-time radio show.). There are also very few thought bubbles. Instead, everyone "thinks aloud" (it's funny to stop and think about just how much Superman talks to himself in these comics). And finally, the variation in panel arrangement is minimal. Most pages are a simple, regular 3x3 or 3x2 grid. Occasionally one panel will span two columns ("double wide"), but I've never seen a panel span two rows ("double tall"). So it's interesting to see how the comics medium itself has progressed since those early days.
The artwork is crude by modern standards, but not bad. I really like the use of non-glossy white paper that they used in all of the Chronicles series, I think it looks and feels more like the original than the glossy-paper versions you'll find in the Archives series.
In summary, I enjoy these collections as a glimpse into history, both in terms of the 1930's and 40's as well as history of the comics medium itself.
July 10, 2013
Overall, I didn't find it quite as good as the first volume. The idea that Superman is wanted by the police for destroying the slum seems to have been dropped after the text story in Superman #1, and the only real notion of continuity found here is George Taylor's mention of Larry Trent in the second story of Superman #3, a boxer whom Superman aided to make a comeback in Superman #2. While Superman still does antics that are above the law, the only story here in which Superman destroys semi-legal vice is in Action #16. Still, he is unquestionably a figure who sees "justice" and "law and order" as concepts that overlap but are far from the same.
The last volume ended with the debut of the Ultra-Humanite, who is usually referred to simply as "Ultra" past his first appearance. The Ultra-Humanite is the villain in no less than five stories here (and the only character resembling a supervillain). The cover erroneously says that Lex Luthor appears in this volume, but the Ultra-Humanite's first body is bald, which may have created the confusion. He takes over someone else's body in the final story of the volume. In the first story of the next volume (from Action #21), he makes his final appearance until 1980. Lex Luthor first appears in Action #23 (this volume ends with #20).
Another mistake on the back cover is that Superman's powers at this point are "only invulnerability and great strength." This is not quite the case, as he uses both telescopic and X-ray vision, as well as super-speed, super-breath, and the ability to leap 1/8 of a mile, although some of these could be lumped in with super-strength. Absent are heat vision, the most absurd of Superman's well-known powers, and the ability to fly. This creates some amusing problems, not for Superman, but for the citizens of Metropolis (which I don't believe was identified by name in the previous volume's stories), because he cannot control his landings without this flight ability. Although this leaves himself unhurt, but, for example, on page 11, Superman knocks over a streetcar because he can't control how he lands, although he props it back up again quickly enough with his super-speed that no one gets hurt.
Aside from the horrific plague that the Ultra-Humanite makes in Action #19, the most disturbing moments come in the second story of Superman #2, "Superman Champions Universal Peace!" First, Professor Adolphus Runyan kills a cute monkey named Ambrose simply to demonstrate to Clark Kent that his gas that can penetrate a gas mask really works. Then some things push Clark out and murder Runyan. The Silver Age Superman would be racked with guilt, but not much here other than revenge. He then intentionally allows Lubane, the boss of Bartow, murderer of Runyan, to die from the poison gas, declaring, "One less vulture! He won't need this formula any longer." He then proceeds to play Samson with columns if the leaders of fictitious Boravia, which is at civil war, to negotiate peace. this last part is more in keeping with the spirit of Superman as I saw him from the first volume, without the dissonance of having experience later stories and having Superman intentionally allow his foe to die from his own stupidity. (The change in this manner is even more pronounced in _The Batman Chronicles Volume 3_, in which the Batman intentionally crushes a group of men in Chinatown with a large statue that takes quite an effort for him to push, saying that death is a fitting end for them, then, in the story featuring the return of Clayface, the Batman tells Robin that they never kill their foes and to fight using only the flat of the sword.)
Still, even with all the Ultra-Humanite stories, corruption among regular people is far from over for the Golden Age Superman. The first story deals with Lyman, the superintendent of the state orphanage abusing the children and trying to cover it up. The story is undermined by Shuster's artwork, in which the central child, Frankie Dennis, looks more like someone who belongs in a humor strip, such that his running away does a poor job setting up the tone of the tale overall. Siegel seems deadly serious:
Clark: Look--if what you say is true, I may be able to help, but I wouldn't do anyhting without your assistance.
Frankie: *Me* help? Why, if I go back now, th' superintendent would have it in fer me *twice* as much!
Clark: But think of all the children back there at the orphaange! Surely, you're not going to let them down because you're *_afraid_*?
Frankie: B-But how would my goin' back to th'orphanage help the kids?
Clark: You would be my undercover man--a sort of detective--and report back to me all of the superintendent's unjust acts.
Caption: Frankie's inner struggle s reflected upon his features!--return to that loathsome slavery??... or cling to his precious freedom??...
I think this resonated so much for me because of my current situation in a homeless shelter. Although no one at the shelter does anything as bad as Lyman, which includes physical beatings and ultimately arson, it is still rife with corruption and injustice on a smaller scale, something that I can fight with my Clark Kent blog, but not with my damaged body and the law not on my side.
While usually with trade paperback collections, I find that the development is more interesting than origin stories and first appearances. In this case, though, as I said, this volume doesn't have quite the literary and sociopolitical power of the previous one, although anyone who enjoyed that one will surely enjoy this. I did something of a review of the first volume in my December 31, 2012 entry in my aforementioned blog, although, unlike this review, it deals almost entirely with the sociopolitical aspect of the character and how different he is from the Silver and Post-Crisis incarnations of the character. (Thus far the only Post-Flashpoint stories I've read with Superman in them are in _Justice League_ #6 and _Action Comics_ (vol. 2) #13, both of which feature the Phantom Stranger, so I can't really comment about the latest iteration of the character.) That blog entry can be found at http://scottandrewhutchins.wordpress.... .
The last volume ended with the debut of the Ultra-Humanite, who is usually referred to simply as "Ultra" past his first appearance. The Ultra-Humanite is the villain in no less than five stories here (and the only character resembling a supervillain). The cover erroneously says that Lex Luthor appears in this volume, but the Ultra-Humanite's first body is bald, which may have created the confusion. He takes over someone else's body in the final story of the volume. In the first story of the next volume (from Action #21), he makes his final appearance until 1980. Lex Luthor first appears in Action #23 (this volume ends with #20).
Another mistake on the back cover is that Superman's powers at this point are "only invulnerability and great strength." This is not quite the case, as he uses both telescopic and X-ray vision, as well as super-speed, super-breath, and the ability to leap 1/8 of a mile, although some of these could be lumped in with super-strength. Absent are heat vision, the most absurd of Superman's well-known powers, and the ability to fly. This creates some amusing problems, not for Superman, but for the citizens of Metropolis (which I don't believe was identified by name in the previous volume's stories), because he cannot control his landings without this flight ability. Although this leaves himself unhurt, but, for example, on page 11, Superman knocks over a streetcar because he can't control how he lands, although he props it back up again quickly enough with his super-speed that no one gets hurt.
Aside from the horrific plague that the Ultra-Humanite makes in Action #19, the most disturbing moments come in the second story of Superman #2, "Superman Champions Universal Peace!" First, Professor Adolphus Runyan kills a cute monkey named Ambrose simply to demonstrate to Clark Kent that his gas that can penetrate a gas mask really works. Then some things push Clark out and murder Runyan. The Silver Age Superman would be racked with guilt, but not much here other than revenge. He then intentionally allows Lubane, the boss of Bartow, murderer of Runyan, to die from the poison gas, declaring, "One less vulture! He won't need this formula any longer." He then proceeds to play Samson with columns if the leaders of fictitious Boravia, which is at civil war, to negotiate peace. this last part is more in keeping with the spirit of Superman as I saw him from the first volume, without the dissonance of having experience later stories and having Superman intentionally allow his foe to die from his own stupidity. (The change in this manner is even more pronounced in _The Batman Chronicles Volume 3_, in which the Batman intentionally crushes a group of men in Chinatown with a large statue that takes quite an effort for him to push, saying that death is a fitting end for them, then, in the story featuring the return of Clayface, the Batman tells Robin that they never kill their foes and to fight using only the flat of the sword.)
Still, even with all the Ultra-Humanite stories, corruption among regular people is far from over for the Golden Age Superman. The first story deals with Lyman, the superintendent of the state orphanage abusing the children and trying to cover it up. The story is undermined by Shuster's artwork, in which the central child, Frankie Dennis, looks more like someone who belongs in a humor strip, such that his running away does a poor job setting up the tone of the tale overall. Siegel seems deadly serious:
Clark: Look--if what you say is true, I may be able to help, but I wouldn't do anyhting without your assistance.
Frankie: *Me* help? Why, if I go back now, th' superintendent would have it in fer me *twice* as much!
Clark: But think of all the children back there at the orphaange! Surely, you're not going to let them down because you're *_afraid_*?
Frankie: B-But how would my goin' back to th'orphanage help the kids?
Clark: You would be my undercover man--a sort of detective--and report back to me all of the superintendent's unjust acts.
Caption: Frankie's inner struggle s reflected upon his features!--return to that loathsome slavery??... or cling to his precious freedom??...
I think this resonated so much for me because of my current situation in a homeless shelter. Although no one at the shelter does anything as bad as Lyman, which includes physical beatings and ultimately arson, it is still rife with corruption and injustice on a smaller scale, something that I can fight with my Clark Kent blog, but not with my damaged body and the law not on my side.
While usually with trade paperback collections, I find that the development is more interesting than origin stories and first appearances. In this case, though, as I said, this volume doesn't have quite the literary and sociopolitical power of the previous one, although anyone who enjoyed that one will surely enjoy this. I did something of a review of the first volume in my December 31, 2012 entry in my aforementioned blog, although, unlike this review, it deals almost entirely with the sociopolitical aspect of the character and how different he is from the Silver and Post-Crisis incarnations of the character. (Thus far the only Post-Flashpoint stories I've read with Superman in them are in _Justice League_ #6 and _Action Comics_ (vol. 2) #13, both of which feature the Phantom Stranger, so I can't really comment about the latest iteration of the character.) That blog entry can be found at http://scottandrewhutchins.wordpress.... .
July 30, 2017
More early Superman stories, with Supes still not possessed of all his abilities and still very much a vigilante, breaking the law, destroying property, even engaging in threats and extortion, and still willing to let the bad guys go to their deaths, much of which problematizes somewhat the morality-tale elements. Still pretty crude stuff, though the art is be-ginning to improve
July 8, 2016
I think Superman takes some getting used. It is nice that he fights regular criminals in a way that isn't boy scouty. Ultra is an interesting villain. The back promised Lex Luthor
November 18, 2023
Here is another book in the Chronicles line, which offers 192 pages of Golden Age goodness on heavy pulp paper in color for $14.99. You can’t beat that with a stick! These stories are so much fun to read, partially because they are quaint snapshots of Americana, partially because they feature our hero doing things that aren’t really heroic.
Action Comics No. 14: The return of the Ultra-Humanite.
Action Comics No. 15: Superman puts one million dollars of the money that he swindled from shareholders in that oil rig scam from a previous story to help save an orphanage.
Action Comics No. 16: Superman breaks up a gambling ring to help save a guy’s marriage.
Superman No. 2: Larry Trent, ex-boxing champion, has his suicide attempt interrupted by that buttinsky, Superman. When asked why he tried to kill himself, he told him that he was forced to throw a fight and was drugged and lost the title and self respect. Superman’s answer to this problem is to pose as him, and box his way back up to a title spot. The guy wins his title back himself, and when his manager, who was in cahoots with the mob’s betting rings, tries to drug him again, Superman forces him to drink the drugs and causes him to overdose. In another story in the same issue, Superman violates international treaties and goes and retrieves a stolen formula that can create a gas that gets past any gas mask. The last story is not noteworthy.
Action Comics No. 17: The return of the return of the Ultra-Humanite.
Action Comics No. 18: A yellow rag drugs a senator and takes pictures of him with another woman in an attempt to blackmail him before his re-election. Superman gets wind of this, and proceeds to smash the presses of the newspaper. He also develops X-Ray vision in this story, although he still is not flying as of yet.
Action Comics No. 19: The Ultra-Humanite unleashes the Purple Plague upon an unsuspecting city, and Superman saves the day again.
Superman No. 3: Superman saves the children at a crooked state orphanage. It looks like a Little Rascals crossover, judging by their attire. The last story is not noteworthy.
Action Comics No. 20: The only interesting thing to happen in this one is that Superman develops his super-breath to blow out a torch. There are still no power of flight or Kryptonite as of yet. According to the back cover, this book features the early appearance of Lex Luthor. He must be the Ultra-Humanite, as there is no one else in the book that could be him.
Action Comics No. 14: The return of the Ultra-Humanite.
Action Comics No. 15: Superman puts one million dollars of the money that he swindled from shareholders in that oil rig scam from a previous story to help save an orphanage.
Action Comics No. 16: Superman breaks up a gambling ring to help save a guy’s marriage.
Superman No. 2: Larry Trent, ex-boxing champion, has his suicide attempt interrupted by that buttinsky, Superman. When asked why he tried to kill himself, he told him that he was forced to throw a fight and was drugged and lost the title and self respect. Superman’s answer to this problem is to pose as him, and box his way back up to a title spot. The guy wins his title back himself, and when his manager, who was in cahoots with the mob’s betting rings, tries to drug him again, Superman forces him to drink the drugs and causes him to overdose. In another story in the same issue, Superman violates international treaties and goes and retrieves a stolen formula that can create a gas that gets past any gas mask. The last story is not noteworthy.
Action Comics No. 17: The return of the return of the Ultra-Humanite.
Action Comics No. 18: A yellow rag drugs a senator and takes pictures of him with another woman in an attempt to blackmail him before his re-election. Superman gets wind of this, and proceeds to smash the presses of the newspaper. He also develops X-Ray vision in this story, although he still is not flying as of yet.
Action Comics No. 19: The Ultra-Humanite unleashes the Purple Plague upon an unsuspecting city, and Superman saves the day again.
Superman No. 3: Superman saves the children at a crooked state orphanage. It looks like a Little Rascals crossover, judging by their attire. The last story is not noteworthy.
Action Comics No. 20: The only interesting thing to happen in this one is that Superman develops his super-breath to blow out a torch. There are still no power of flight or Kryptonite as of yet. According to the back cover, this book features the early appearance of Lex Luthor. He must be the Ultra-Humanite, as there is no one else in the book that could be him.
January 2, 2018
more of a 2.5 stars.
April 28, 2021
possibley read in 2013, but definitely read
October 21, 2016
The Superman Chronicles serves to provide fans of the Man of Steel, and of popular culture in general, with a cost-friendly alternative to its counterpart 'Archives' and 'Omnibus' series (which utilises more shiny and colourful print with hard-cover binding) by attempting to distribute every Superman story in chronological order from the character's debut appearance in Action Comics #1 onwards, using more inexpensive newsprint-style paper within soft-cover binding for the trade paperback market.
This is the second volume in the series, which collects previously released golden-age Superman stories in chronological progression from July 1939 to January 1940 from Action Comics #14-20 and Superman #2-3. The stories are very simple in nature, with Superman not having a solid rogues gallery as yet. He battles racketeering gangs in Metropolis who are attempting to rob money from the wealthy elites, and comes to the aid of a failing boxing champion, as well as helping to expose a cruel superintendent at a local orphanage. Basically, Superman is envisioned as a herald of justice to beat the outstanding cruelties that the American populace were exposed to during such a prolific war-torn era.
The Übermensch Superman concept was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, with Schuster providing illustration to Siegel's storytelling. In fact, all the stories in this volume were written and illustrated by the two, with cover artwork to each magazine included, which featured some drawing by Fred Guardineer. In this and subsequent golden age stories, there features a Superman having just reached maturity and having a side-job as a newspaper reporter at the Daily Star, using his leads at the newspaper office to fight crime at street level; being seen as somewhat of a vigilante by the police force and criminal underworld alike.
Superman's true master foe at this point in his publishing history was a mastermind scientist called the Ultra-Humanite ('Ultra' for short), who was a paraplegic villain who attempted world domination by means of distributing a deathly purple plague, and who eventually met his demise, only to have his lackies put his brain into an unsuspecting actress. The villain would have a few more appearances before being replaced as Superman's arch-nemesis by the more widely known Lex Luthor; making later appearances as a foe of Power Girl and Infinity Inc. Ultra's genius-level intellect and feeble body was a direct opposite to Superman's near-invulnerable brute strength and youthful vigour; giving the Man of Steel a credible foe to match not merely his brawn, but his wits as well.
The Superman of this era couldn't fly just yet, nor did he have heat vision or freeze breath, although the stories presented within this volume do portray him demonstrating telescopic vision on occasion. The more widely known powers that Superman later developed were yet to be seen in comic form for a few years at best, mostly leaping from building to building, and what is presented here is a Superman who delivered his own brand of justice by utilising his naturally inherited abilities from the people of his home planet. He demonstrated near invulnerability with an impenetrable skin; although he could be incapacitated by the odd bout of clumsiness, electrified floors and paralysing rays.
Overall, this second volume of the Superman Chronicles showcases a Superman who was just that - a Super-Man, i.e. a fighter for justice who was shunned by the local police and feared by criminals as an urban myth. The more science-fiction aspect of his character was yet to be devised, and powers of flight and heat vision were completely non-existent. However, these weren't yet needed for the readership at the time, who simply wanted to read fun heroics and exploits of a man who could overcome injustice and fight for the everyday people.
It would be nice if there were an introduction included at the forefront of the collection; stating the early influences of the character and overall thoughts from appropriate artists and writers connected to the Superman mythos in general. Also, there is a mistake on the back of the book, stating 'classic early appearances from Lex Luther', who does not appear in this specific volume; perhaps mistaking the character with the Ultra-Humanite. That being said, the stories collected in this volume are pure history in the making; continuing the exploits of the first costumed superhero and marking a medium for generations of comic book fans to come.
This is the second volume in the series, which collects previously released golden-age Superman stories in chronological progression from July 1939 to January 1940 from Action Comics #14-20 and Superman #2-3. The stories are very simple in nature, with Superman not having a solid rogues gallery as yet. He battles racketeering gangs in Metropolis who are attempting to rob money from the wealthy elites, and comes to the aid of a failing boxing champion, as well as helping to expose a cruel superintendent at a local orphanage. Basically, Superman is envisioned as a herald of justice to beat the outstanding cruelties that the American populace were exposed to during such a prolific war-torn era.
The Übermensch Superman concept was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, with Schuster providing illustration to Siegel's storytelling. In fact, all the stories in this volume were written and illustrated by the two, with cover artwork to each magazine included, which featured some drawing by Fred Guardineer. In this and subsequent golden age stories, there features a Superman having just reached maturity and having a side-job as a newspaper reporter at the Daily Star, using his leads at the newspaper office to fight crime at street level; being seen as somewhat of a vigilante by the police force and criminal underworld alike.
Superman's true master foe at this point in his publishing history was a mastermind scientist called the Ultra-Humanite ('Ultra' for short), who was a paraplegic villain who attempted world domination by means of distributing a deathly purple plague, and who eventually met his demise, only to have his lackies put his brain into an unsuspecting actress. The villain would have a few more appearances before being replaced as Superman's arch-nemesis by the more widely known Lex Luthor; making later appearances as a foe of Power Girl and Infinity Inc. Ultra's genius-level intellect and feeble body was a direct opposite to Superman's near-invulnerable brute strength and youthful vigour; giving the Man of Steel a credible foe to match not merely his brawn, but his wits as well.
The Superman of this era couldn't fly just yet, nor did he have heat vision or freeze breath, although the stories presented within this volume do portray him demonstrating telescopic vision on occasion. The more widely known powers that Superman later developed were yet to be seen in comic form for a few years at best, mostly leaping from building to building, and what is presented here is a Superman who delivered his own brand of justice by utilising his naturally inherited abilities from the people of his home planet. He demonstrated near invulnerability with an impenetrable skin; although he could be incapacitated by the odd bout of clumsiness, electrified floors and paralysing rays.
Overall, this second volume of the Superman Chronicles showcases a Superman who was just that - a Super-Man, i.e. a fighter for justice who was shunned by the local police and feared by criminals as an urban myth. The more science-fiction aspect of his character was yet to be devised, and powers of flight and heat vision were completely non-existent. However, these weren't yet needed for the readership at the time, who simply wanted to read fun heroics and exploits of a man who could overcome injustice and fight for the everyday people.
It would be nice if there were an introduction included at the forefront of the collection; stating the early influences of the character and overall thoughts from appropriate artists and writers connected to the Superman mythos in general. Also, there is a mistake on the back of the book, stating 'classic early appearances from Lex Luther', who does not appear in this specific volume; perhaps mistaking the character with the Ultra-Humanite. That being said, the stories collected in this volume are pure history in the making; continuing the exploits of the first costumed superhero and marking a medium for generations of comic book fans to come.
June 20, 2018
More original tales of Jerry Siegel's Superman. Not as fantastical as the present day Superman but still has a strong moral streak as well as great feeling of realism.
Very good stuff. B+
Very good stuff. B+
November 8, 2013
This is the second story in the Superman Chronicles which detail Superman's comic book adventures in Chronological order across multiple book. This book collects stories Action Comics #14-20 and Superman #2 and #3.
Action Comics #14, #17, #19 and #20 feature Superman's first archvillain the Ultra-humanite, a wheelchair bound mad scientist. Action Comics #19 is probably the best of these as Superman has to help a scientist combat a purple plague that's decimating Metropolis' population. My only problem with Ultra is that his aims are vague. He mentions global domination, but how one thing will lead to another is always a question with him. However, Ultra does succeed in knocking Superman unconscious a few times and that's pretty good for 1939.
Action Comics #15 has Superman trying to raise a million dollars to help a knock off of Boys Town and he plans to do it by finding sunken treasure and rents a boat to do it as Clark Kent. Unfortunately, he finds treachery among the crew.
Action Comics #16 has Superman taking on organized gambling as a vice that must be stopped.
Superman #2 and #3 borrow heavily from the daily newspaper strip with a couple of my favorite stories. One being Superman helping a boxer down on his luck make a comeback against corrupt gamblers, and a story in Superman #3 shows Superman helping an orphanage fulfill of orphans being abused by their corrupt headmaster.
Clark Kent is a reporter,but in Action Comics #18, we're introduced to a less savory member of the fourth estate who just wreaks of sleaze and runs a blackmail racket to boot.
As mentioned earlier, Action Comics #19 features a chemical attack on Metropolis in the form of a purple plague that only Superman is safe from. He helps a research scientist find the cure even as public skepticism grows. It's probably the best-written story in the book.
If you love Golden Age Superman, this is a great book. It's true that Superman is still a bit rough. He uses threats of violence to get confessions quite a bit. And he even robbed a chemical factory so that our scientist could could continue his work.
Still, despite this bending and breaking of rules, Superman's caring and heart are on full display. He peps up the discouraged scientist in #19 and encourages him to keep going and trying. Superman was written at a time when the remembrance of corrupt cops was fresh in people's minds and the law too often worked on behalf of criminals and those who crushed the poor. Superman is called the "savior of the helpless and the oppressed" in the text story and that's apt.
Despite how rough his behavior is for twenty-first century readers, Superman's selfless caring for others makes this book a winner.
Action Comics #14, #17, #19 and #20 feature Superman's first archvillain the Ultra-humanite, a wheelchair bound mad scientist. Action Comics #19 is probably the best of these as Superman has to help a scientist combat a purple plague that's decimating Metropolis' population. My only problem with Ultra is that his aims are vague. He mentions global domination, but how one thing will lead to another is always a question with him. However, Ultra does succeed in knocking Superman unconscious a few times and that's pretty good for 1939.
Action Comics #15 has Superman trying to raise a million dollars to help a knock off of Boys Town and he plans to do it by finding sunken treasure and rents a boat to do it as Clark Kent. Unfortunately, he finds treachery among the crew.
Action Comics #16 has Superman taking on organized gambling as a vice that must be stopped.
Superman #2 and #3 borrow heavily from the daily newspaper strip with a couple of my favorite stories. One being Superman helping a boxer down on his luck make a comeback against corrupt gamblers, and a story in Superman #3 shows Superman helping an orphanage fulfill of orphans being abused by their corrupt headmaster.
Clark Kent is a reporter,but in Action Comics #18, we're introduced to a less savory member of the fourth estate who just wreaks of sleaze and runs a blackmail racket to boot.
As mentioned earlier, Action Comics #19 features a chemical attack on Metropolis in the form of a purple plague that only Superman is safe from. He helps a research scientist find the cure even as public skepticism grows. It's probably the best-written story in the book.
If you love Golden Age Superman, this is a great book. It's true that Superman is still a bit rough. He uses threats of violence to get confessions quite a bit. And he even robbed a chemical factory so that our scientist could could continue his work.
Still, despite this bending and breaking of rules, Superman's caring and heart are on full display. He peps up the discouraged scientist in #19 and encourages him to keep going and trying. Superman was written at a time when the remembrance of corrupt cops was fresh in people's minds and the law too often worked on behalf of criminals and those who crushed the poor. Superman is called the "savior of the helpless and the oppressed" in the text story and that's apt.
Despite how rough his behavior is for twenty-first century readers, Superman's selfless caring for others makes this book a winner.
April 12, 2013
More evidence that Superman was an oportunistic bastard when he was younger. These stories go way beyond the expectation to suspend one's disbelief. This is time-travel to an era that allowed for such behaviour as misogyny, justice without due process, and fantasitcal wish-fulfillment. In some of the stories presented here, Clark Kent is such a creep that we, the modern 21st Century reader, side with Lois in her suspicion and revulsion of him. Superman, the sexless do-gooder who will stop at nothing, even commiting crimes of his own, to bring about justice to those who's cause he champions at the moment. He at least comes off as a work in progress, someone who - as strong as he is - just needs the guiding hand of a mature writer to mold him into the role model of the future that he ultimately becomes. And of course we're shown time and time again that the police are only too willing to draw their guns and shoot at anything or anyone they have suspicions about. We even see a criminal shot in the back while fleeing - a characteristic no-no for anyone whom we are to trust or at least consider friendly.
I'm being far too analytical for a review of early Superman comic strips. Context is everything when reading books like these. Escapist fun? Yes! Read this when you're young. You are less likely to take it too seriously.
I'm being far too analytical for a review of early Superman comic strips. Context is everything when reading books like these. Escapist fun? Yes! Read this when you're young. You are less likely to take it too seriously.
May 18, 2013
While I may have given volume one of The Superman Chronicles a few extra points for being able to see the very origins of our favorite Man of Steel, with volume two, it's really mostly more of the same.
I mean, it's great to see early Siegel and Shuster Supes and he's still very much the same character he is today, I think, maybe more than people realize... Even if he IS only mostly chasing human felons, rather than other aliens, dimension hoppers, or any of the other supernatural villains we're used to seeing him apprehend in today's books.
There is still that sense of "do what's right now matter what", so Superman, by and large, in my humble opinion, is still Superman.
I'd recommend this to Superman lovers/completists like myself, those trying to bone up on Golden Age comics, and fans who wanna see where the superhero books of today came from.
I mean, it's great to see early Siegel and Shuster Supes and he's still very much the same character he is today, I think, maybe more than people realize... Even if he IS only mostly chasing human felons, rather than other aliens, dimension hoppers, or any of the other supernatural villains we're used to seeing him apprehend in today's books.
There is still that sense of "do what's right now matter what", so Superman, by and large, in my humble opinion, is still Superman.
I'd recommend this to Superman lovers/completists like myself, those trying to bone up on Golden Age comics, and fans who wanna see where the superhero books of today came from.
September 16, 2009
More cool early Superman. I'm struck this time by how many stories involve Clark Kent's job as a newspaper reporter searching for stories and scoops. He uses his Superman persona to further these ends, as well as those of justice, etc. It's a nice human perspective that gets lost later in the mythology. Schuster still pencils some really cool perspective shots, especially with vehicles.
August 9, 2011
Great old-timey Superman adventures. It's entertaining how much harder his job appears to be when he can't fly yet. Chasing gangsters out of town and protecting Metropolitan tenements from slum lords is where the big man got his start in the 40s.
April 29, 2013
More great Golden Age Superman here. I especially like the stories with proto-Luthor, the Ultra Humanoid. Issues 2 & 3 of the Superman comic are here as well, featuring color reprints of the exceptional newspaper strip.
July 28, 2012
Read 1/06/08
July 8, 2013
Another entertaining stack of adventures from the Man of Tomorrow (which is what I want part 2 of Man of Steel to be called).
May 24, 2014
It's fun to read something so clearly out of the '30s and '40s. It can be corny at times, but overall it's an enjoyable read!
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