What do you think?
Rate this book
Showcase Presents: Superman Family #2
Showcase Presents: Superman Family, Vol. 2
Over 500 pages of classic adventures are included in this value-priced volume! This second volume of Superman Family stories stars Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane, who get into one off-the-wall situation after another. In Jimmy's stories, the cub reporter trades bodies with a gorilla, becomes the Bird Boy of Metropolis, gains the power of Future Vision, and is transformed into a boy from Jupiter. In Lois's stories, the star reporter becomes an enchanting witch, a jailbird and the fattest girl in Metropolis, and then learns the secret of The Girl Who Stole Superman's Heart.
520 pages, Paperback
First published February 27, 2008
2 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Otto Binder
395 books15 followersOtto Oscar Binder. Used these alternate names: Eando Binder (together with his brother Earl Binder -E and O Binder-), John Coleridge, Gordon A. Giles, Will Garth, Ian Francis Turek, Ione Frances Turek and Otto O. Binder.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 28, 2021
As a kid I really enjoyed the vast array of supporting characters Superman had in the comics. This nice collection of the comic that focused on them was a great read as it returned Me to the days of reading comics as a kid. Recommended
February 12, 2009
Way better than Volume 1, Lois Lane makes the scene instead of that freckle faced scrote Jimmy Olsen. Curt Schaffenberger drew the most effeminate Superman ever, just for the ladies. This is funny stuff, do not miss.
March 24, 2008
During the fifties the Superman comic was so successful that spin-offs were launched to meet demand. Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen and Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane went on to rack up over a hundred issues each, before the titles were merged into Superman Family, the title DC has used for these books collecting the two titles. The first volume was almost all Jimmy Olsen, his comic having launched earlier, but in this one Lois Lane issues enter the mix.
Reading this book, it's surprising that Jimmy Olsen has never had his own tv series. The structure of the Jimmy Olsen stories in this huge collection is remarkably similar to that of programmes like Sabrina the Teenage Witch or The Wizards of Waverley Place: Jimmy wants to get ahead in some way (usually he's after a scoop, or sometimes a pay rise), takes an unnecessary risk or makes an error of judgment, and then runs into trouble, often undergoing a startling transformation of some kind, before either learning his lesson, or finally making the right decision. One difference here, of course, is that while Sabrina or, say, Hannah Montana (someone who shares Superman's secret identity woes and pleasures) are usually the authors of their own misfortune, here Lois and Jimmy are the ones causing trouble – for Superman – which often casts them in an interesting dual role, as both hero and villain in the same story.
In Sabrina and Waverley Place magic tends to play a karmic role, punishing vanity and rewarding selflessness, providing the virtuous lessons deemed necessary for children's entertainment. In Jimmy Olsen's adventures, that role is taken on by Superman, who seems to spend as much time teaching Jimmy (and Lois) lessons as he does saving them from danger. He's a kind of karmic avenger! (On the other hand, if he is as Grant Morrison has said, a typical dad from the 1950s, he could less charitably be seen as a patriarch just doing his best to keep everyone in their right and proper place!)
Anyway, if Krypto can get his own cartoon, I think Jimmy and his many alter-egos deserve a run on Nickolodeon. Almost any one of these stories would form the basis of a wonderful tv episode (see below for one horrifying exception). In many ways they are magnificent. There are few limits on the imagination of the writers - the status quo must be restored within eight pages, but on pages two to seven anything can happen, and often does, usually at the same time as something else that's equally remarkable! Jimmy himself is cheerful and irrepressible, always ready to be the guinea pig in any scientific experiment, ready to try every strange potion he's offered by his friend Professor Potter, and always looking for the upside of the disasters that regularly befall him.
One thing that's very striking about these stories is the lack of supervillains (partly because Superman is so diligent in making sure that no one else can get any powers, or loses them quickly if they do). It's refreshing to read stories about Superman that don't just involve him trading mighty punches with flying alien trolls and the like. Most stories revolve around petty gangsters who attempt to kill Superman or disable him long enough to rob a bank or two. The tension almost always stems from the constant rule bounding Superman's behaviour - he must save the day and restore the clockwork of his life without giving away his secret identity.
The downside of this is that as a result he can be rather a wriggling, shifty and devious Superman, always looking for a way to worm out of awkward situations through sophistry, semantics, technicalities and flat-out lies! Anything to avoid giving the game away.
This is particularly the case in the Lois Lane stories. (If I haven't said as much about those so far, it's because they can be a bit dull in comparison to the wild imagination on display in the Olsen tales.) Superman's stubborn refusal to countenance marriage with Lois, while still wanting to keep her on the hook, always seems odd, despite his protestations that it's for her own good, especially given the lengths to which he goes to avoid marriage, and the callousness with which he repeatedly ruins her dreams. Should we read him as closeted and gay, keeping Lois around as a beard? Or as an ageing playboy, with Lois as his respectable, chaste girlfriend? I don't really think he's either - he's an eight-year-old boy. He doesn't want to spend all day around girls, but he still wants them to think he's the coolest boy in town.
When it comes to showing Superman at his worst, though, one Jimmy Olsen story here really stands out: "The Son of Superman", by Otto Binder. In it, we learn that Jimmy is an orphan. Out of the blue (literally - he flies down from the sky), Superman offers to adopt Jimmy. The court approves the adoption, and the two of them begin to share a house. At this point Superman starts to be very unpleasant to his new son - for example he incinerates Jimmy's father's day gift with his x-ray vision. Finally, a sobbing, heartbroken Jimmy asks the judge to rescind the adoption order, to which Superman says, "If Jimmy wants to call it quits, that goes double for me." Afterwards, Superman reveals that he was being deliberately rude to drive Jimmy away, because of a misunderstood prediction by his super-computer. Everything sorted out, Superman says he feels terrible that the judge won't reinstate the adoption order, but they can still be pals...
It's hard to imagine how anyone could at all admire the cold and cruel Superman of that story! He's like someone who takes a puppy home at Christmas, finds the poop and hairs a bit inconvenient, and chucks the poor thing in the river!
Luckily the charmlessness of that tale is very much the exception to the rule. In general, Superman's foibles in these stories are comical, more than anything else, and if they date the stories a bit, that only increases the period appeal. Taken as a whole, this is one of the most charming and delightful collections of comics it is possible to read.
Reading this book, it's surprising that Jimmy Olsen has never had his own tv series. The structure of the Jimmy Olsen stories in this huge collection is remarkably similar to that of programmes like Sabrina the Teenage Witch or The Wizards of Waverley Place: Jimmy wants to get ahead in some way (usually he's after a scoop, or sometimes a pay rise), takes an unnecessary risk or makes an error of judgment, and then runs into trouble, often undergoing a startling transformation of some kind, before either learning his lesson, or finally making the right decision. One difference here, of course, is that while Sabrina or, say, Hannah Montana (someone who shares Superman's secret identity woes and pleasures) are usually the authors of their own misfortune, here Lois and Jimmy are the ones causing trouble – for Superman – which often casts them in an interesting dual role, as both hero and villain in the same story.
In Sabrina and Waverley Place magic tends to play a karmic role, punishing vanity and rewarding selflessness, providing the virtuous lessons deemed necessary for children's entertainment. In Jimmy Olsen's adventures, that role is taken on by Superman, who seems to spend as much time teaching Jimmy (and Lois) lessons as he does saving them from danger. He's a kind of karmic avenger! (On the other hand, if he is as Grant Morrison has said, a typical dad from the 1950s, he could less charitably be seen as a patriarch just doing his best to keep everyone in their right and proper place!)
Anyway, if Krypto can get his own cartoon, I think Jimmy and his many alter-egos deserve a run on Nickolodeon. Almost any one of these stories would form the basis of a wonderful tv episode (see below for one horrifying exception). In many ways they are magnificent. There are few limits on the imagination of the writers - the status quo must be restored within eight pages, but on pages two to seven anything can happen, and often does, usually at the same time as something else that's equally remarkable! Jimmy himself is cheerful and irrepressible, always ready to be the guinea pig in any scientific experiment, ready to try every strange potion he's offered by his friend Professor Potter, and always looking for the upside of the disasters that regularly befall him.
One thing that's very striking about these stories is the lack of supervillains (partly because Superman is so diligent in making sure that no one else can get any powers, or loses them quickly if they do). It's refreshing to read stories about Superman that don't just involve him trading mighty punches with flying alien trolls and the like. Most stories revolve around petty gangsters who attempt to kill Superman or disable him long enough to rob a bank or two. The tension almost always stems from the constant rule bounding Superman's behaviour - he must save the day and restore the clockwork of his life without giving away his secret identity.
The downside of this is that as a result he can be rather a wriggling, shifty and devious Superman, always looking for a way to worm out of awkward situations through sophistry, semantics, technicalities and flat-out lies! Anything to avoid giving the game away.
This is particularly the case in the Lois Lane stories. (If I haven't said as much about those so far, it's because they can be a bit dull in comparison to the wild imagination on display in the Olsen tales.) Superman's stubborn refusal to countenance marriage with Lois, while still wanting to keep her on the hook, always seems odd, despite his protestations that it's for her own good, especially given the lengths to which he goes to avoid marriage, and the callousness with which he repeatedly ruins her dreams. Should we read him as closeted and gay, keeping Lois around as a beard? Or as an ageing playboy, with Lois as his respectable, chaste girlfriend? I don't really think he's either - he's an eight-year-old boy. He doesn't want to spend all day around girls, but he still wants them to think he's the coolest boy in town.
When it comes to showing Superman at his worst, though, one Jimmy Olsen story here really stands out: "The Son of Superman", by Otto Binder. In it, we learn that Jimmy is an orphan. Out of the blue (literally - he flies down from the sky), Superman offers to adopt Jimmy. The court approves the adoption, and the two of them begin to share a house. At this point Superman starts to be very unpleasant to his new son - for example he incinerates Jimmy's father's day gift with his x-ray vision. Finally, a sobbing, heartbroken Jimmy asks the judge to rescind the adoption order, to which Superman says, "If Jimmy wants to call it quits, that goes double for me." Afterwards, Superman reveals that he was being deliberately rude to drive Jimmy away, because of a misunderstood prediction by his super-computer. Everything sorted out, Superman says he feels terrible that the judge won't reinstate the adoption order, but they can still be pals...
It's hard to imagine how anyone could at all admire the cold and cruel Superman of that story! He's like someone who takes a puppy home at Christmas, finds the poop and hairs a bit inconvenient, and chucks the poor thing in the river!
Luckily the charmlessness of that tale is very much the exception to the rule. In general, Superman's foibles in these stories are comical, more than anything else, and if they date the stories a bit, that only increases the period appeal. Taken as a whole, this is one of the most charming and delightful collections of comics it is possible to read.
September 29, 2021
I love the Showcase Presents volumes, even though I'm not a huge fan of the campy DC Comics of the 50s. The art is in black and white, but most comics work better in black and white than you'd think.
This series reprints early issues of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen and Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane. Superman makes an appearance of some kind in pretty much every story.
The art in these issues was very good, including a lot of work by Curt Swan. But the stories, while fun, were just too silly for the most part. Superman traveled through time at whim and sometimes just seemed to develop new powers on the spot. Plus, political correctness had a long way to go in the 50s. Still though, it's nice to read a simple, silly story from time to time without having to worry too much about continuity or grittiness.
If you enjoy Silver Age DC Comics, particularly Superman, then of course this is one you should check out.
This series reprints early issues of Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen and Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane. Superman makes an appearance of some kind in pretty much every story.
The art in these issues was very good, including a lot of work by Curt Swan. But the stories, while fun, were just too silly for the most part. Superman traveled through time at whim and sometimes just seemed to develop new powers on the spot. Plus, political correctness had a long way to go in the 50s. Still though, it's nice to read a simple, silly story from time to time without having to worry too much about continuity or grittiness.
If you enjoy Silver Age DC Comics, particularly Superman, then of course this is one you should check out.
June 12, 2019
Bahahaha. I'm not sure how Superman survived for so long--or at least, survived to be taken seriously--if these comics are indicative of the quality in the 50s and 60s.
This volume is split fairly evenly between stories from Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen and Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane. It's a long book, clocking in at over 500 pages and though there's no color, the lines and inking are good enough that the story flows and the images are clear but neither crowded nor filled with white space. The paper is kinda cheap, though.
I'm not generally a fan of traditional American comics, nor superheroes, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed these. Mostly because of the complete WTF factor.
There are three types of Jimmy Olson stories: Jimmy gets stupid powers, then loses them; something awful happens to Jimmy, except it was all a trick to catch a bad guy; and Jimmy gets stupid powers/something awful happens, except he never finds out it was a trick because he has to be taught a lesson.
Lois Lane: is a "girl reporter," because women didn't exist in 1959. She mostly gets into trouble trying to find a "scoop," which is fake-reporter-talk for "doing whatever she feels like and writing about it later." She (like Jimmy) doesn't seem to spend very much time in the office. She's in love with Superman (duh) and never seems to notice his lack of a second name (she wants to be "Mrs. Superman") or his lack of conversation skills.
There are three types of Lois Lane stories: Lois does something for a "scoop" and Superman has to either save her or teach her a lesson for being nosy; Lois does something to entice Superman to marry her; and Lois does something weird but it turns out they were catching crooks or something, so it's all good.
Superman/Clark Kent: Clark is a newspaperman who never seems to write anything at all, and always bails to perform super-feats if he's out with another reporter. He's also Superman, the most powerful being on earth who has nothing better to do than spend his time in a small city--albeit one with a ridiculously high crime rate, probably because the police force does nothing--catching jewel thieves and keeping his two coworkers out of trouble.
He's also a moralizing jerk who has to "teach him/her a lesson" all. the. time. if Jimmy or Lois ever does anything bad or just thoughtless.
For example: Lois is reporting on a new space shuttle but isn't allowed to go inside. She she pretends to faint and the men take her out of the heat--apparently, there is nowhere else, at all, other than the space shuttle. Once left alone, she fiddles around and accidentally launches it, blacking out as it enters space.
Superman rescues her but he knows he has to "teach her a lesson." How? In a few hours, he sets up a fake town on a deserted island, has a makeup artist work on him, Jimmy, their newspaper boss, and Robin-The-Boy-Wonder (because Batman had business. Obviously) to make them look older, and guides the shuttle down to earth as Lois wakes up, to find everyone she knows 50 years older or just dead ("CLARK KENT AND BATMAN KILLED IN PLANE CRASH!" screams an old, fake headline, making you wonder exactly why any real newspaper would put a shy reporter in the same headline as the Dark Knight).
Keep in mind this is the same man who let her think she was Annie Oakley after a knock on the head because telling her she wasn't might cause a mental breakdown and destroy her mind forever. But "welcome to the future, your friends are dead" is totally okay.
And as for his feelings about Lois: he gets really jealous and sad if she's ever with another guy, but doesn't pursue her, and when she uses hypnosis to forget all about him his reaction is to fly around in circles in his house thinking "Yipee! Lois has forgotten all about me! She doesn't even like me! Which means I'm free! She'll stop trying to trick me to marry her! What a relief!"
And if you're wondering how the paper where all three supposedly work at gets anything down, here are some choice headlines:
Basically, the Daily Planet was a blog before the internet. Those are front-page headlines; the inside content is probably filled with pictures of their pets or what Lois ate for lunch that day.
Can I snark about this all day? Yes. I can see the appeal to its tween audience, and reading it now it's so campy and ridiculous it ends up being enjoyable.
This volume is split fairly evenly between stories from Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen and Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane. It's a long book, clocking in at over 500 pages and though there's no color, the lines and inking are good enough that the story flows and the images are clear but neither crowded nor filled with white space. The paper is kinda cheap, though.
I'm not generally a fan of traditional American comics, nor superheroes, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed these. Mostly because of the complete WTF factor.
A Guide to the Dunderheads WithinJimmy Olsen: "Superman's Pal," though this book doesn't have a story telling us exactly how that happened. He's a "cub reporter" at the Daily Planet newspaper where everyone works, and has a watch that can call Superman, possibly because he gets himself into the most stupid situations of anyone on the planet, save Lois Lane.
There are three types of Jimmy Olson stories: Jimmy gets stupid powers, then loses them; something awful happens to Jimmy, except it was all a trick to catch a bad guy; and Jimmy gets stupid powers/something awful happens, except he never finds out it was a trick because he has to be taught a lesson.
Lois Lane: is a "girl reporter," because women didn't exist in 1959. She mostly gets into trouble trying to find a "scoop," which is fake-reporter-talk for "doing whatever she feels like and writing about it later." She (like Jimmy) doesn't seem to spend very much time in the office. She's in love with Superman (duh) and never seems to notice his lack of a second name (she wants to be "Mrs. Superman") or his lack of conversation skills.
There are three types of Lois Lane stories: Lois does something for a "scoop" and Superman has to either save her or teach her a lesson for being nosy; Lois does something to entice Superman to marry her; and Lois does something weird but it turns out they were catching crooks or something, so it's all good.
Superman/Clark Kent: Clark is a newspaperman who never seems to write anything at all, and always bails to perform super-feats if he's out with another reporter. He's also Superman, the most powerful being on earth who has nothing better to do than spend his time in a small city--albeit one with a ridiculously high crime rate, probably because the police force does nothing--catching jewel thieves and keeping his two coworkers out of trouble.
He's also a moralizing jerk who has to "teach him/her a lesson" all. the. time. if Jimmy or Lois ever does anything bad or just thoughtless.
For example: Lois is reporting on a new space shuttle but isn't allowed to go inside. She she pretends to faint and the men take her out of the heat--apparently, there is nowhere else, at all, other than the space shuttle. Once left alone, she fiddles around and accidentally launches it, blacking out as it enters space.
Superman rescues her but he knows he has to "teach her a lesson." How? In a few hours, he sets up a fake town on a deserted island, has a makeup artist work on him, Jimmy, their newspaper boss, and Robin-The-Boy-Wonder (because Batman had business. Obviously) to make them look older, and guides the shuttle down to earth as Lois wakes up, to find everyone she knows 50 years older or just dead ("CLARK KENT AND BATMAN KILLED IN PLANE CRASH!" screams an old, fake headline, making you wonder exactly why any real newspaper would put a shy reporter in the same headline as the Dark Knight).
Keep in mind this is the same man who let her think she was Annie Oakley after a knock on the head because telling her she wasn't might cause a mental breakdown and destroy her mind forever. But "welcome to the future, your friends are dead" is totally okay.
And as for his feelings about Lois: he gets really jealous and sad if she's ever with another guy, but doesn't pursue her, and when she uses hypnosis to forget all about him his reaction is to fly around in circles in his house thinking "Yipee! Lois has forgotten all about me! She doesn't even like me! Which means I'm free! She'll stop trying to trick me to marry her! What a relief!"
And if you're wondering how the paper where all three supposedly work at gets anything down, here are some choice headlines:
Mind, their editor is the type of man who says, "Great Caesar's ghost! Listen to this news on the ticker-tape! There's a rumor that a branch of the River Styx may flow near Metropolis as an underground stream!...[go and] check all caves out of town!"
LOIS LANE, PLANET REPORTER, DEFIES ANCIENT CURSE! Risks "Kiss of Death" by wearing Queen Isis crown on Friday the 13th! "Superstition is nonsense!" says Lois Lane
"WIZARD OF SCHNOZZ" OLSEN SAVES AMUSEMENT PARK!
GIRL REPORTER WITNESSES MURDER! (Note that the murderer, who saw Lois witnessing the act, is still at large.)
SUPERMAN TO ATTEND WEDDING OF POLICE HERO'S DAUGHTER
PLANET REPORTER TO WRITE EXPOSE OF FAKE LICENSE PLATE MOB! Lois Lane promises to expose the secret identity of the mob leader. When interviewed Miss Lane declared, "I have the facts in a safe place so that the gang can't possibly get their hands on them."
Basically, the Daily Planet was a blog before the internet. Those are front-page headlines; the inside content is probably filled with pictures of their pets or what Lois ate for lunch that day.
Can I snark about this all day? Yes. I can see the appeal to its tween audience, and reading it now it's so campy and ridiculous it ends up being enjoyable.
December 7, 2009
The Jimmy Olsen stories are better (weirder) than the first book but then half the content is Lois Lane in her series "Crazy Bitch Tries to Trick Superman into Marriage"
May 26, 2019
The Jimmy Olsen stories are exactly what Fred Hembeck had led me to believe they were. I’ve been curious about the strange hi jinx for some time, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The Lois Lane stories got a little monotonous, but they did highlight how offbeat Superman’s thought process was. He solves problems in a long convoluted way...my girlfriend said that he sounds like a doofus. That’s true.
The Lois Lane stories got a little monotonous, but they did highlight how offbeat Superman’s thought process was. He solves problems in a long convoluted way...my girlfriend said that he sounds like a doofus. That’s true.
September 11, 2008
I firmly believe that comic books can equal or surpass any great work of literature (although I guess we are supposed to call them 'graphic novels' when they do).
That said, SUPERMAN FAMILY is not a good example of this phenomenon. The plots of these stories, originally published in the 50's in "Superman's Pal Jimmy Olson" and "Superman's Gal Lois Lane" are corny and ridiculous and full of cheesy stereotypes. But they are also a great deal of fun and filled with great Curt Swan artwork and given my current attention span they definitely hit the spot. There is absolutely no depth, but I sure enjoyed reading them!
That said, SUPERMAN FAMILY is not a good example of this phenomenon. The plots of these stories, originally published in the 50's in "Superman's Pal Jimmy Olson" and "Superman's Gal Lois Lane" are corny and ridiculous and full of cheesy stereotypes. But they are also a great deal of fun and filled with great Curt Swan artwork and given my current attention span they definitely hit the spot. There is absolutely no depth, but I sure enjoyed reading them!
November 7, 2013
The DC Showcase reprints are affordable, uncluttered with ads, and extremely enjoyable by our family. Good clean, fun comics. Great old-school role models for the kids (especially now that Superman and Woman are killing people today).
And if any youngsters in your family have any artistic inclinations, these are invaluable! The folks who were making these comics back in the early 1960s had mastered perpsective, anatomy, how cloth drapes a body...etc. It's easier for kids to learn how to draw a line if they are not distracted by the colors surrounding the lines.
Highly recommended.
And if any youngsters in your family have any artistic inclinations, these are invaluable! The folks who were making these comics back in the early 1960s had mastered perpsective, anatomy, how cloth drapes a body...etc. It's easier for kids to learn how to draw a line if they are not distracted by the colors surrounding the lines.
Highly recommended.
January 22, 2013
More stories from the Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane titles, with the Olsen ones probably a bit better, since they tend to lack the egregious sexism (if not misogyny) of the Lois Lane ones, but they are all remarkably silly stories, though more than a few are quite amusing—and it's even possible that they are deliberately so.
May 17, 2014
These stories are fantastic in the other sense.
Deeply strange. The Lois Lane stories are stranger in the sense that their morality seems a lot more pathological and a lot less lighthearted.
What's especially interesting is that the authors burned an awful lot of material.
Deeply strange. The Lois Lane stories are stranger in the sense that their morality seems a lot more pathological and a lot less lighthearted.
What's especially interesting is that the authors burned an awful lot of material.
September 25, 2008
So much fun. The Millionaire Hobos is my current favorite.
August 17, 2010
So ridiculous, dated, sexist and hilarious. Plots that would have been rejected by I Love Lucy for lack of narrative rigour. Melt-your-brains Silver Age fun.
April 7, 2024
Another fun title in this series. Each story is a treat, and the artwork is incomparable. They don't make 'em like this anymore!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews