DC Finest: Superman: The Invisible Luthor

DC Finest - Superman #1940-1941

by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster (Illustrator), Paul Cassidy (Illustrator)

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superman

600 pages, Paperback

Published December 2, 2025

About the author

Jerome "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.

Reviews

[S.E. Martens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superman stories from 1940-41. Once again, Golden Age Superman is an absolute delight. Love to see the "man of steel" tackle more real-world problems, many of which are still relatable 85 years later - from exploitative foster care homes, to scammers selling fake "medicine."

There are also the expected gangsters, racketeers, and fifth columnists, less interesting if only because they're so formulaic. Superman's relentlessly cheery, quippy attitude keeps the stories from ever feeling stale, though.

And there are some more bizarre tales sprinkled throughout - such as a mysterious gas that turns people's skin into glass so that bumping into anything causes them to shatter! Wow - talk about body horror. There is also a story that features a scientists turning people turning into rampaging giants. These seem like little hints of the types of more fantastical adventures we would get in later comics.

1940s Lois Lane is great - tough, determined, and utterly fearless when it comes to investigation and confronting criminals. I wish they also reprinted some of her solo-adventure back-up stories from this time period to show that she wasn't always the "damsel in distress."

Towards the end of this collection, in Superman No. 10 from May/June 1941, we see the return of Luthor, the only "supervillain." Golden Age Luthor is markedly different from his later Silver, Bronze, or Modern age counterparts, but that's part of what makes reading these old stories so interesting. I only wish we got to see more of him!

Also, interesting to see that the police are often trying to arrest Superman in these old stories, and that criminals don't always know who he is. They're still trying to shoot him and being shocked when the bullets bounce off. Fun stuff.

[Gary Sassaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the direct sequel to last year’s very first DC Finest volume, Superman: The First Superhero, and picks up with reprints following the issues in that volume. This one features books published from July 1940 until fall 1941, including Action Comics 26 through 40, Superman 6 through 11, and the Superman stories from New York World’s Fair Comics 2, World’s Best Comics 1 (which quickly became World’s Finest with issue 2, which is reprinted here along with issue 3). It’s all a mixed bag, to be honest. Superman, for the most part, is still fighting low-level gangsters and racketeers, plus doing the occasional social good the hero was famous for in his earliest years. Jerry Siegel writes all the stories (as far as I know) and there is already less and less of Joe Shuster’s art. Paul Cassidy and Wayne Boring pick up the slack, but the Jack Burnley stories are real standouts; he’s light years ahead of the rest of the artists who joined the Siegel and Shuster studio at this point in time. Reproduction throughout the book is very good, with the exception of some of the later Superman issues, starting with 9, which at times seems a little wispy in the line work. One thing that was missing from this volume: Superman’s Christmas Adventure, a promotional comic that was sold to retailers and manufacturers to give out during the 1940 holiday season. Macy’s gave it out, along with Skippy Peanut Butter, among others. It’s recently been reprinted in the Christmas with the Super-Heroes Treasury edition facsimile, but I feel it really belongs in this book. It too was written by Siegel and drawn by Burnley.

I’m really enjoying these Golden Age reprints of Superman (soon to be joined by Batman, next month, with his earliest stories in a new DC Finest volume), and it’s fascinating to watch the progression of the character. One thing is certain: NOBODY seems to know how to draw the S-shield on Superman’s chest. It varies almost from issue to issue and certainly from artist to artist (as does the hand-drawn “Superman” logo, which would soon be improved and standardized by letterer Ira Schnapp).

[Ángel Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una vez más, estos cómics no pueden valorarse de manera objetiva. Su valor histórico es inmenso, y, por lo tanto, deben juzgarse por esos parámetros. Si vamos a la calidad intrínseca, pues debo reconocer que son bastante divertidos, y, excepto los dibujados por Paul Cassidy (dibujante que me parece un clon de Shuster sin demasiado talento), bien ilustrados, sobre todo aquellos en los que esta importantísima labor recae sobre las más que capaces manos de Wayne Boring (el inicio de un dibujante legendario), y Jack Burnley, un grande cuya labor con este personaje y con Starman nunca ha sido lo suficientemente valorada.

Mis episodios favoritos son aquellos en los que Supes se enfrenta a alguna súper amenaza, pero de estos todavía hay pocos en el presente volumen: la mayoría de las veces, se las ve con gánsteres normales y corrientes, y se hace un tanto repetitivo ver cómo se los ventila sin mayores problemas, aunque siempre resulta divertido ver a Clark hacer de cobardica. En este aspecto, resulta ejemplar aquel en el que lo ponen a dedo como comisario de policía después de que a tres o cuatro de sus predecesores se los ventilen de las más variadas (y a veces hilarantes) maneras. También es sorprendente ser testigo de la sangre fría con la que el actual parangón de virtud contempla cómo un ladronzuelo que ha descubierto por casualidad su identidad secreta se rompe el cuello al caer por unas escaleras tras ser previamente amenazado de muerte por Kal-El. Pero así era el Superman de los comienzos, un macarra más duro que las piedras. Y, a pesar de ser muy fan del de ahora, he de reconocer que tiene su encanto verlo resolver a hostia limpia cualquier problema que se le plantee, desde millonarios deshonestos (¿los hay de otro tipo?) hasta estafadores del tres al cuarto, pasando por el ocasional científico loco.

Una lectora de lo más entretenida.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so casual racism and oblique references to the threat of Nazism, these stories are absolutely a product of their time, and the story about Gay City was unintentionally hilarious as I have the sense of humour of a twelve year old boy, apparently. This was a fun volume with some of Superman's first encounters with magic and science villains, though most of the time he's beating on gangsters and leaving a surprising amount of bodies in his wake compared to the hero we all know and love today.

[Matt Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continues from the first DC Finest, this is more unhinged greatness. Superman puts criminals through psychological torture and is way more violent than recent iterations. Also Lois has agency in this which is unique for the era. Great stuff in here. Covers 1940-1941. 9/10