Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years

DC Anniversary Celebrations

by Robin Wildman (Editor), Jerry Siegel, Geoff Johns

When Superman debuted seventy-five years ago, it was not merely the beginning for one character, but for an entire genre. The phrase "super hero" had yet to be coined when ACTION COMICS #1 hit newsstands in 1938, but once Superman entered the scene, effortlessly lifting a car above his head on that first iconic cover, the character paved the way for each of the hundreds (if not thousands) of super-powered heroes written since.

SUPERMAN: A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS gathers a range of stories featuring the first and greatest super hero, highlighting the many roles the Man of Steel has played over the decades. In these celebrated stories, Superman is in turns the Herculean champion, the lonely alien survivor, the super-powered Boy Scout and the soul-searching leader. Over the course of seventy-five years, watch as the character grows from a simple strongman to the beloved international symbol he is today!

This Volume Collects:

("Superman, Champion of the Oppressed") / ("War in San Monte") -- ACTION COMICS #1-2 (1938) Writer: Jerry Siegel, Artist: Joe Shuster
"How Superman Would End the War" -- Look Magazine (1940) Writer: Jerry Siegel, Artist: Joe Shuster
"Man or Superman?" -- SUPERMAN #17 (1942) Writer: Jerry Siegel, Penciller: Joe Shuster, Inker: Joe Sikela
"The Origin of Superman" -- SUPERMAN #53 (1948) Writer: Bill Finger, Penciller: Wayne Boring, Inker: Stan Kaye
"The Mightiest Team in the World" -- SUPERMAN #76 (1952) Writer: Edmond Hamilton, Penciller: Curt Swan, Inker: John Fishchetti
"The Super-Duel in Space" -- ACTION COMICS #242 (1958) Writer: Otto Binder, Artist: Al Plastino
 "The Girl From Superman's Past" -- SUPERMAN #129 (1959) Writer: Bill Finger, Penciller: Wayne Boring, Inker: Stan Kaye
"Superman's Return to Krypton" -- SUPERMAN #141 (1960) Writer: Jerry Siegel, Penciller: Wayne Boring, Inker: Stan Kaye
"The Death of Superman" -- SUPERMAN #149 (1961) Writer: Jerry Siegel, Penciller: Curt Swan, Inker: George Klein
"Must There Be a Superman?" -- SUPERMAN #247 (1972) Writer: Eliot S. Maggin, Penciller: Curt Swan, Inker: Murphy Anderson
 "Rebirth" -- ACTION COMICS #544 (1983) Writer: Marv Wolfman, Artist: Gil Kane
"The Living Legends of Superman" (excerpt) -- SUPERMAN #400 (1985) Writer: Elliot S. Maggin, Artist: Frank Miller
"For the Man Who Has Everything" -- SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11 (1985)Writer: Alan Moore, Artist: Dave Gibbons
"The Name Game" -- SUPERMAN #11 (1987)  Writer/Penciller: John Byrne, Inker: Karl Kesel
"Doomsday" -- SUPERMAN #75 (1993)  Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens, Inker: Brett Breeding
"What's So Funny About Truth Justice and the American Way?" -- ACTION COMICS #775 (2001)  Writer: Joe Kelly, Pencillers: Doug Mahnke, Lee Bermejo
Inkers: Tom Nguyen, Dexter Vines, Jim Royal, Jose Marzan, Jr., Wade Von Grawbadger, Wayne Faucher
"Question of Confidence" -- Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross (2003)  Writer: Chip Kidd, Artist: Alex Ross
"The Incident" -- ACTION COMICS #900 (2011)  Writer: David S. Goyer, Artist: Miguel Sepulveda
"The Boy Who Stole Superman's Cape" -- ACTION COMICS #0 (2012)   Writer: Grant Morrison, Artist: Ben Oliver

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Superheroes, Dc Comics, Superman, Comic Book

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2013

Reviews

[Mohammed Arabey · Rating 5 out of 5]

سوبرمان
شخصية ورمز يعرفه تقريبا 99% من سكان العالم ,رغم كونه أيقونة أمريكية

فهو يعتبر اول الشخصيات الخارقة 'سوبرهيروز' واشهرهم عالميا، فمثلا والدتي تحكي لي ان "نبيل فوزي" -الترجمة اللبنانية لكلارك كنت- كان اسم ذائع الصيت بأواخر الستينات والسبعينات عربيا وكانت الكثير وقتها يحرص علي اقتناء العدد الجديد من شخصية البطل الجبار في مصر
سواء لقصص البطولة او قصة الحب المعقدة الثلاثية بين نبيل وراندا وسوبرمان

وبمناسبة 75 سنة علي ظهوره الأول صدر هذا الكتاب لأهم مراحل تطور تلك الشخصية من كونه رمز أمريكي تم استخدامه كرمز في الحرب العالمية الثانية
إلي بطل عالمي يرفض أقتصاره علي دولة واحدة ويقف بجوار الثورات الحقيقية ضد الظلم

حتي في أيران..حتي لو ضد سياسات أمريكا
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
الكتاب كأنه ألة زمن تصحبك في مراحل مختلفة لتطور سوبرمان
ليس كل مراحله بالطبع حيث قد مر سوبرمان بالكثير جدا من التطورات من وقت لأخر أغلبها قصير الأجل

ولكن تضمن الكتاب هنا فقط أهم محطات تطور الشخصية الأساسية لسوبرمان

ولنر بأختصار تلك المحطات

Part One: Champion of the Oppressed
1938-1950

من أول قصة نشرت له في 1938 في أول أعداد سلسلة'أكشن كوميكس' لتحقق حلم مبدعي الشخصية ، جيري سيجيل و جو شيستر
لتبدأ المرحلة اﻷولي ك'الرجل الحديدي'، نصير الضعفاء والمقهورين في الثلاثينات والأربعينات بكادراتها البسيطة قبل أستخدام الصور الكبري والعنيفة كالكوميكس في الوقت الحالي

لم يكن بقوته الخارقة في أول الاعداد ، بل كان يقفز مثلا لأرتفعات شاهقة ولكن لا يطير
ولكن تطور اﻷمر سريعا ببداية اﻷربعينات باﻷخص مع أضافة عنصر الخيال العلمي وذكر أصل سوبرمان الكريبتوني اﻷصل
وايضا كان يغلب علي القصص اﻷولي ذكر الحروب حيث كان يعاني العالم ويلات الحرب العالمية اﻷولي

وأيضا بدأ ظهور أشرار ذات قدرات خارقة أو متفوقون علميا كليكس لوثر
وبزيادة شعبية سوبرمان وعدد المجلات الصادرة له ، زاد عدد المؤلفين
ويظهر بهذا المجلد 3 مغامرات طويلة لتلك الفترة منها اول قصة له
وكانت تلك القصة سبب شرائي للكتاب ,لوجود طبعة من اول اعداد الكوميكس التي ظهر بها سوبر مان بغلافها الأشهر

وقصة أخري عن شك لويز لين ، زميلة كلارك كنت، في كون اﻷخير هو سوبرمان
وقصة أخري عن بداية سوبرمان منذ ميلاده بكوكب كريبتون والتي نشرت ﻷول مرة عام 1948 بمناسبة مرور 10 سنوات
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part Two: Strange Visitor
1950-1970

ثم تأتي فترة الخمسينات والستينات حيث تطور أكبر واوضح في شكل سوبرمان وهي تلك الفترة التي تم ترجمة أغلب الكوميكس بها للمطبوعات اللبنانية والتي انتشرت بالعالم العربي

ثم الستينات وتحسن كبير في القصص وتميزت ايضا بجودة عالية في الرسوم
جائت القصص أغلبها تحوي علي لمحات من خفة الدم والتوليفة الثابتة ألا ينكشف كلارك ، نبيل فوزي، بشخصيته الحقيقية أمام لويز واصدقاءه الصحفيين
وزادت نسبة الخيال العلمي وتيمة حنين سوبرمان لوطنه اﻷصلي كقصص العودة لكريبتون وظهور سوبرجيرل باﻷخص بعد منتصف الخمسينات بعد توقف المسلسل التليفزيوني في نسخته اﻷولي علي الشاشة

وتمتعت هذه الفترة بعدم وجود عنف ودماء بالاكشن في الكوميكس لقانون امريكي صادر بالخمسينات، مما يجعلها من الفترات الذهبية بحق للكوميكس، فترة إنتشارهىفي العالم، وعربيا ايضا كنبيل فوزي

ومن هذه الفترة يقدم لنا هذا المجلد 3 مغامرات منها مغامرة تجمعه ﻷول مرة مع باتمان -ويخشي أيضا فضح هويته السرية للويز
وقصة ممتعة عن السفر عبر الزمن لما قبل إنفجار كريبتون
وقصة خيالية بالنسبة لهذا العالم عن ماذا يحدث إن مات سوبرمان
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part Three: Higher, Further
1970-1986

هي فترة شهدت محاولات بعض الكتاب الجدد تقليل قوة سوبرمان، حيث رأوا أن كونه منيعا يفسد أغلب التشويق في الحبكات مما سبب بعض الملل
ولكن محاولاتهم لتقليل من قوته وقدراته الخارقة فشلت مع الجمهور ليعود بكامل قوته سريعا ولكن تم اﻷهتمام بالجوانب اﻷنسانية لسوبرمان

وعادت شهرته في اﻷزدياد باﻷخص مع الفيلم الشهير في 1978 لكريستوفر ريفز ، بعد 40 عاما من أول ظهور للشخصية علي الكوميكس لتكون أهم محطة سينمائية لسوبرمان

وحتي شخصية الكوميكس تأثرت حتي بملامح النجم كريستوفر ريفز

وتتميز فترة نهاية السبعينات بجودة رائعة في الرسوم والكادرات الكبيرة...ودخول ألان مور لطاقم الكتاب جعل من الحبكات أكثر قوة

وفي نفس الوقت أزدادت المطبوعات التي تدور في اوقات مختلفة وعوالم موازية لسوبر مان، تارة كشاب وتارة كمتزوجا من لويز لين

وفي الثمانينات زاد أستخدام التكنولوجيا والخيال العلمي بالأحداث وتشابكت العوالم الموازية مما أدي لدي سي كوميكس، الشركة الناشرة بنشر مجموعة أعداد لقصة واحدة تنهي كل هذه العوالم الموازية لتبدأ من جديد في 1986

وقد قدم هذا المجلد 3 مغامرات طويلة لتلك الحقبة لم يرق لي الخيال العلمي الزائد والكادرات المربكة في بعضها المليئة بألوان السبعينات الفاقعة
إلا قصة ﻷلان مور
For the Man Who Has Everything
والتي تتميز برسوم واضحة وحبكة شيقة بحق وتحالف بين باتمان و روبين ووندرومان نالت أعجابي وبشدة فعلا
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part Four: The Man of Steel
1986-2011

قدمت دي سي كوميكس شكل جديد لبداية سوبرمان بحيث أن تجعله بالرغم من أصوله الكريبتونية أن يكون مولودا بأمريكا
'ربما رغبة في جعله رمزا أمريكيا اكثر اصالة'
كما ان علاقة كلارك كنت ولويز لين صارت اكثر تشويقا كصحفيين متنافسين علي تغضية اخبار سوبرمان
حتي ظهر المسلسل التليفزيوني في 1996 ، لويز وكلارك

وبتلك الفترة شهد الكوميكس شكلا اكثر عصريا بالرسوم والكادرات العملاقة وتجلت تلك الكادرات في التسعينات بعدد هام عام 1993 ، موت سوبرمان

أتذكر جيدا قراءة هذا الخبر في 1994 ، وانا بالصف الخامس اﻷبتدائي ، في كتاب جيب صغير يسمي 'شخصيات خيالية' وهو بالمناسبة من أفضل الموسوعات المختصرة في مجال الكوميكس بشكل مبسط وغني بالصور
وحزنت بشدة وقتها حتي وجدت اصدار كوميكس امريكي للمجلة في منتصف التسعينات، واشتريته ب30 جنية كان قمة التبذير والسفه وقتها ﻷكتشف أنه لم يمت

وقد سعدت أن تلك القصة ، دوومسداي، الحلقة اﻷخيرة من سلسلة مغامرة موت سوبرمان موجودة بذلك المجلد وإن كانت غير كاملة ، فقط الجزء الاخير منها
في كادرات عملاقة دموية...حزينة ، تمثل نهاية رمز بطولي

بجانب هذا يقدم المجلد عن تلك الفترة 4 مغامرات أخري عبقرية
في لعبة اﻷسماء
The Name Game
في 1987 ، يقدم شخصية من البعد الخامس، الرسومات ذات الطابع الثمانيناتي كان مبهرا بحق، ونفس الفكرة قرأتها في أحد كوميكس ميكي في التسعينات

Question of Confidence
رسوم أليكس روس لباتمان وسوبرمان هنا واقعية جدا ولوحة فنية في حد ذاتها

أما القصتين اﻷهم والتي شعرت أن فكرة سوبرمان تطورت بحق فكانت هي

What's So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way?
في 2001، غالبا قبل أحداث 11 سبتمبر
حيث يحاول سوبرمان أثبات أن شعاره الذي أشتهر به منذ الخمسينات
'الحقيقة، العدل والطريقة اﻷمريكية'
هي التي تصلح في مواجهة أخطر المجرمين والعمليات اﻷرهابية بدلا من القتل الذي يرتكبه جماعة تقوم بتحقيق العدل في الدول التي تعاني الظلم والديكتاتورية والارهاب ولكن بشكل تدميري وذلك في ليبيا، الصين وغيرها
وعرفت ﻷول مرة في تلك القصة أن سوبرمان لا يقتل أحدا
'وكنت اظن ان الوحيد الذي يفعل هذا هو ادهم صبري'

وبالرغم من عدم اعجابي باغلب الرسوم والكادرات العجيبة الا ان محصلة فكرة القصة كان جيدا جدا

اما القصة الثانية فهي بالرغم من قصرها إلا أنها كانت عبقرية
عالمية بحق

The Incident

صدرت في 2011، عن ان الحكومة اﻷمريكية تضايقت من زيارة سوبرمان لأيران في وقت ثورة الشعب في احد ميادين ايران ضد الديكتاتورية والظلم -في مشهد يذكرك بشدة بثورة 25 يناير في مصر
ووقوف سوبرمان في جانب الثوار ضد النظام، فقط وقوفه صامتا

وﻷنه رمز امريكي، فإن الحكومة اﻷمريكية تطالب بتفسير بل وأعتذار عن إتخاذه جانبا سياسيا في دولة ليس بينهما اتفاق
ولكن سوبرمان في مشهد رائع يقول انه سيعتذر ليطلب اسقاط جنسيته الأمريكية، فالعالم صغير جدا
وبالرغم من انه يعلم انه حتي بعد نجاح الثورة الاسلامية المعتدلة بإيران، فإن العدل بها لم يقام والظلم مازال كما هو والفساد
مرة أخري تذكرني بثورات الربيع العربي الجميل ، سبحان الله
ولكنه علي اﻷقل منح اﻷمل، اﻷمل في الوقوف ضد الظلم ، لعل العالم يتغير يوما ما


ولكن بعد ذلك العام سيتغير كل شئ

حيث تنتهي بعد ذلك تلك الحقبة بكل عوالمها الموازية وتنهي دي سي كوميكس كل عوالم شخصياتها المختلفة بشكل أوسع لتبدأ حقبتها الحديثة الحالية
The New 52
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part Five: The Man of Tomorrow
2011 and BEYOND

في 2011 قررت دي سي كوميكس عمل بدايات جديدة عصرية لكل شخصياتها ومنهم طبعا سوبرمان

وصدقني ظننت أنني سأكره سوبرمان بجينز وتي شيرت..ولكن أتضح أن هذه هي بدايته من خلال قصة
The Boy Who Stole Superman's Cape

وهي قصة عبقرية, وبداية ممتازة أكثر من رائعة وتناسب العصر الجديد لسوبرمان

مع العلم بأن هناك أكثر من أصدار سيعود به سوبرمان لزيه الشهير في مراحل متقدمة
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
النهاية
******
انها رحلة عبر الزمن, ستجد بها مراحل تطور أهم شخصيات السوبرهيروز العالمية

سوبرمان , الرجل الخارق
نصير الحق , العدل , والطريقة الأمريكية العالمية


محمد العربي
من 16 أغسطس 2015
إلي 22 أكتوبر 2015

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good survey of Supes in roughly 18 stories, especially as it includes some of the esoteric connections to Krypton and classic villains.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking for a single Superman story, this isn't it. But, if you're looking for a Superman sampler that provides a taste of Superman through the last three-quarters of a century, this is the book for you.

I liked most of the stories, and they provide a great representation. My one issue with it is the story they chose to represent the modern, New 52, version of Superman. I understand why they picked the story they did, but I am not fond of the artist, so it was a bit of a let-down for me.

Still, you're a Superman fan, it's worth the money. It's a book you can dip into time and again.

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book. No great shakes but a good Supes history lesson.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty healthy across the decades spotlight on the Man of Steel transversing the Golden, Silver, Bronze, and Modern Ages of his stories. My favorites would be the ones written by Binder ( Brainiac’s first appearance), Moore, and Byrne. Least favorite was Goyer’s “The Incident” in which Superman renounces his U.S. citizenship. Lame. Overall a very decent 75 year celebration representation.

[Ramakrishnan M · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was wonderful to read the stories from the olden days... especially the first 10 years or so. There was a sense of fun/even innocence with the old stories
As the years progress the stories become more complex and also tragic at parts.
Didn't enjoy the later years too much.
Pick it up if you want to experience the origin stories of Superman

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, the biggest strength of these "Celebration of 75 Years" collections is the fact that we get to see how the spotlight character progresses over the decades. We also get a nice little bit of history before each era examined; however, in comparison to the other collections, those interludes one didn't seem to go as deep as they could have gone. Perhaps that's because I already have read quite a bit of Superman (versus, with the other collections I've read, I used those as a "starting point" to Green Lantern, Flash, etc.), and also perhaps that's because I recently read the "80 Years of Action Comics" collection (which included a more editorialized history--and, therefore, a look a deeper look at the spirit of the Superman character and his overall impact on culture). Whatever the reason, this one really felt like it barely scraped the surface of who the Man of Steel is. Still, the comics chosen were solid ones, and those at least epitomized Superman even if the historical interludes didn't. I wasn't a fan of the one entitled "The Incident," however. I liked the idea of the Man of Steel standing in solidarity with repressed people, of doing what was right even without using his powers, and how such actions can have small, but powerful effects. But renouncing his American citizenship? I mean, I get he's an alien so he sees the world and humanity as a whole, but.... Superman also cares very deeply about his roots. That's why he has a statue of his Kryptonian parents in his Fortress of Solitude. And that is equally true of his human roots--which are American. Superman is a bit too traditional (a trait I like since it's is hardly seen in modern characters), and that course of action didn't really seem like something he would do. Oh well, it was just one issue in a sea of others that were really quite excellent. I particularly liked "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?" I wasn't sure how it would all end up as I was reading it (so that was a nice change), but I really liked how Superman was able to show how ugly the "easy way" is, and why we have to fight so hard for those ideals that are much, much more difficult to actually live by. All in all, I would recommend this, even if I thought the recent Action Comics collection was a little better.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit it. I was a huge fan of The Man of Steel in the 1960s. I was willing to part with 12 cents of my hard-earned paper route money over and over again to read his latest adventures. And then there was Superboy, Action comics, World's Finest comics (usually a teaming of Superman and Batman), The Justice League of America and more. Those 12 cent contributions added up. Had I invested them in Xerox stock instead, I'd be a millionaire today. But I would have missed the joy of comics. This book brings back some of those memories, as well as giving me a better view of what came before and what followed.

I have always known the story of the two kids from Cleveland who created Superman, but I had never read the original comic itself. That original story is reproduced here, along with key editions over Superman's 75 year history. I knew the quality improved in recent years, but I was stunned by the artwork, and even by the more sophisticated story lines. Kids might still enjoy them, but the current comics and graphic novels aren't aimed at 10-year -old paperboys anymore.

If you're looking for more of a history of the writers and industry, this isn't it. there are just a few pages that give a little background. This is purely reproductions of the comics themselves - fun at times, hokey at others, and often quite grim in the later issues - but still entertaining for this former comic book geek.

[Nathan Dehoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 2013 volume collects some of the most significant tales from throughout the Man of Steel’s long career, starting at the beginning at running through the introduction of Brainiac, his first meeting with Batman, and a recollection of when he dated a mermaid. An out-of-continuity story has Lex Luthor killing Superman, utilizing an elaborate plot that includes developing a cure for cancer. Lex isn’t someone who does things the easy way, is he? There’s also Superman dying for real in 1993, which I remember being a big deal at the time, even though I doubt anyone thought he was gone for good. A favorite of mine was “For the Man Who Has Everything,” written by Alan Moore in 1985, in which the evil alien Mongul traps Superman with a plant that shows him his greatest desire, that Krypton never exploded and he stayed there to raise a family. Not everything in this fantasy is good, however, as his father Jor-El is in disgrace after his predictions of doom failed to come true, and he’s started supporting a radical political group. Batman also wears the plant for a little while, and imagines a life in which his parents hadn’t been murdered. I’ve seen some people who are better versed in Superman lore criticize some of the choices made for the book, but I liked it overall. Most of what I’ve heard about the most recent DC comics hasn’t been great, but I’m quite interested in some of these classic tales.

[Beau Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a kid, I never really liked the idea of Superman. He had it too easy. The guy was practically immortal. Sure, he was allergic to those "little green rocks from another planet"; but seriously, how many of those things crashed into Earth over the years? Was there a courier service transporting them direct from Krypton's orbit, straight to Earth? This put me at odds with my cousin who was a rabid Superman fan.

Anyway, fast-forward many years to this year. I saw this tome for sale and immediately passed it over. But; curiosity quickly got the better of me. I realised I hadn't really given the big blue schoolboy a fair chance. I pushed my old prejudices aside and paid the asking price.

I have to admit I really enjoyed reading this collection. There were one or two stories that were a little slow, but overall, it is a great starting place for anyone curious about Superman.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic compilation of work. Having the flow and development of the Superman story, character, and artistic styles in one book was a great treat.
I enjoyed reading the early stories to my kids, and the latter work's complex characters and fantastic illustrations were perfect for me.
Definitely a hand-me-down to my kids and eventual grand kids.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

a short story or two from the beginnings all the way to the current New52 version

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty cool collection of Superman comics, covering everything from his beginnings in the Golden Age to the New 52 reboot that began in 2011 (and has since itself been rebooted, though that came after this was published). It's a nice cross-section of Superman's history, with a mix of iconic stories and just weird ones. Early Superman stops a war, avoids having his identity revealed by Lois Lane, and even has an imaginary story where he beats up Hitler and Stalin. I loved the original origin of Superman where Krypton had a core of uranium and five year olds were expected to know calculus. The Silver Age materials were a nice mix of ridiculous and good. There's stuff like Superman's mermaid college sweetheart, the first appearance of Brainiac, and a surprisingly poignant and good imaginary story of Superman being killed by Luthor. This has a great sequence where Luthor tries to bribe the Kandorians into not punishing him, but they refuse to make a deal with a murderer and send him to the Phantom Zone. I also liked seeing Supergirl take on Superman's mantle, and I hope there's a collection like this for her someday.

The stuff from the 70s and 80s was also good, but it often suffered from taking part of a larger storyline. The worst example for me was a story about a new origin for Brainiac, which makes him much more mechanical and powerful, but it ends without resolving anything. I feel like I may rather have read the new origin of Luthor that was in the same issue. However, the inclusion of Alan Moore's For The Man Who Has Everything is an excellent choice, and I was surprised to see how a lot of the Krypton side of that story is still relevant today. The second to last section covers the time between Crisis on Infinite Earths and the New 52, and includes The Death of Superman (which seems kinda goofy, but at least is very well done), a story where Superman goes up against a gang of heroes willing to kill, and some other notable stories. Again, though, I feel like there's the problem that these tales are often part of a larger narrative which sometimes means that they don't make a lot of sense in isolation like this. I liked the one from Action Comics #900 about Superman protecting protestors in the Middle East, and I do kinda want to see what storyline followed on from there.

The book ends with the zero issue of New 52 Action Comics, which is a fun story about Superman's cape getting lost and helping a couple of kids. I've read one volume of Grant Morrison's Action Comics, and thought it was okay, but I liked this story and the way it brings things back around to Superman's Golden Age roots of fighting for social justice. I may have to give Action Comics another go at some point. All in all, this is a pretty good collection of Superman stories, and a nice way to get a glimpse of how the Man of Steel has both changed and stayed the same over the years. I do wish that there had been material introducing individual stories rather than just kinda vague and not very useful discussions of each era. Nonetheless, I look forward to reading more volumes of this series, such as the ones on Batman and Wonder Woman.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years is a compilation of some of the best representative Superman stories over the years to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary debut of one of the most iconic comic characters (2013). Over the years, there were many incarnations and depictions of the Last Son of Krypton and this collection explores them all rather well.

This anthology is divided into five sections or more precisely comic era. The first section depicts Superman in the Golden Age of Comics, then Silver, Bronze, Modern, and Rebirth Ages follow with each successive section.

It is very interesting to see about how Superman's evolution through the years from his humble beginnings with rather simple superpowers in Action Comics #1 to the complex Kryptonian with a very formidable power set he has in the Modern Age of Comics.

As a whole, Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years is a rather balanced book, showing each section rather evenly and not placing any favoritism in any of the eras. It gives us a nice perception of the era in which these stories were produced – a reflection of the times.

Story selection must have been a Herculean Task – Superman have starred and appeared over many titles and it is no easy feat to pick out the best or favorites from the masses. The thing is those measuring sticks are subjective and will never reach perfect consensus. Actually, we all can agree that in an anniversary collection like this, we could all agree one story: Action Comics #1 – the first appearance of Superman – the rest is debatable.

However, I think the editors picked a somewhat nice selection, would I swapped some stories out for others – sure I have my favorites, but it is difficult if not impossible to please everyone, since everyone is different. So on the whole, I was really happy of which stories were presented.

All in all, I think Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years is a wonderful selection of stories over the three-quarters of a century that Superman has been around. It is a good anthology for both the avid and subdued fan alike. However, for the newly initiated I would recommend a collection that is more substantial and cohesive.

[MasterSal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s Superman - so how can this retrospective be anything other than 5 stars for me? The last few stories have left a thump in my throat and a tinkle in my eye - must be dirt!

The collection ends with a more serious note than he earlier stories but that is a reflection of the change in comic book stories. I found that transition the most interesting part of the stories. Comics have progressed a Lot in terms of art and telling more complex nuanced stories. Nonetheless the zany tone of the earlier books are missed. The 80s of course can be avoided - the hair! The clothes - my eyes!

Plus it was great to see the greatest hits of Superman on the page. Now I want to go an read the full arc. Dang it!!

The written blurbs introducing the decades were really nice. I just wish they had been longer. Would have loved to get more context on the evolution of Superman and who was drawing and writing the comics over time. Maybe DC can release a annotated comic series. I would buy that.

PS. DC has done great animated versions of a lot of the classic stories. Well worth the watch along with this read. The Justice League cartoon would be a perfect accompaniment to this book.

[Maher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years is a fun, nostalgic trip through Superman’s history. I loved seeing how much the character has changed from the tough hero of the early days to the more thoughtful, hopeful version we know now. Some stories feel a bit dated, but that’s part of the charm.

I also loved seeing how Superman gradually shifted from being seen mainly as an American symbol to becoming a hero who stands for justice for the entire world. That broader, more universal sense of responsibility really shows why he’s remained so enduring.

It’s a great pick if you want a quick tour of Superman’s best moments or just want to see why he’s stayed such an iconic hero for so long.

[John Desmarais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all of DC's "A Celebration of XX Years" books, this one provides a nice sampling of stories - many of which have been reprinted several times before. The collection is broken up be "era", so you get a few Golden Age stories, a few Silver Age, a few Bronze-ish Age, a few Post-Crisis, and one New52 era story. Each section has a one-page intro that I can't find any attribution for in the credits, so I have no idea who wrote it (possibly Robin Wildman?).

[Joe Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early on the stories make sense even if the art is shaky. By the middle the stories still mostly make sense if sometimes non-sense and the art is quite good but by the end of the book you get snipes of stories that leave the non-fan scratching his head.

Good book for the fans, less so for the casual reader.

[Jim Ogden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some are merely ok (especially the earlier ones), but some solid stories and a good survey of 75 years. Worth picking up and at least reading the origin of brainiac and the Alan Moore one and a few other classics.

[Francisco Becerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best compilations, albeit too short, of the Man of Steel stories. Here you can find a lot of what the character has inspired, and why it is still relevant for today's comicdom.

[Flavio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A maior omissão é não incluir a história onde Superman assume a forma elétrica, mas, fora isso, é um bom apanhado dos principais momentos do personagem.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent retrospective with a wide-variety of stories that touch on every incarnation of the character.

[Nick Thaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting seeing how comics as a medium evolved over time

[Heather Fryling · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's pretty incredible to be able to distill the essence of Superman's evolution into a few carefully selected comics, and since Superman is the ursuperhero, his evolution is a reflection of the evolution of the whole genre.

[Frank Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great look back

If you grew up with or just found Superman then this is a great look back at the first of the long line in DC heroes. From the very first story up to the New 52, you can see how he progressed and at times digressed with the powers he has.

[Cathy]

I thought this might be a good way to finally get my feet wet in the comic book/superhero arena without having to figure out where to start in the super confusing and overwhelming history of any character or universe. But it actually just convinced me that it was still just too confusing for me to deal with. Multiple universes and alternate worlds and constantly changing and revised histories, and that's all just for this one character, not even dealing with the ones he interacts with. But it was really cool to see the full scope of the history of comics and graphic novels, and to see how much the art and storytelling has changed over the years. Just flipping through the book from beginning to end is a lesson in and of itself. And reading the early stories was fun. I'm sure that real comic book fans will love the book. It would be a great gift as well.

[David Weathersby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celebrating 75 years of Superman, this collection does not include a lot of new material from previous collected editions. It does feature "For the Man Who Has Everything", which also made it into "The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told" many years ago. Plus, Superman's first appearance from Action Comics #1. Also, two stories which feature the death of Superman, one an imaginary tale from the sixties. Overall, a great showcase of artwork of several fantastic people throughout Superman's history. Joe Shuster, Curt Swan, and John Byrne for a few. Not the best Superman collected edition, but a nice review of his decades in print.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just okay. Some of the stories seem truncated. If you're talking about the best stories, why do you only have one comic from a story that obviously continues in other books? Plus the older stories are just not that great anymore, too many self-contained stories, which was fine for the time, but the continuity makes the stories of today (and in the 80s and 90s when I collected comics) so much better. Plus in the old comics there was sooooo much exposition, really took away from the stories.

[Atul Belur · Rating 4 out of 5]

the evolution of my hero, from the first issue, through the trials and tribulations of the world , via the menagerie of parallel universes and other close characters. samplers from all these issues, well chosen stories. worth a dip.

[Travis Layman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice look at some of supermans best stories throughout his long history. Its not in anyway a thorough overview of supermans story ,but coming from someone fairly new to the genre of superhero comics ,its nice to see some great storys to start off with.