I’d just turned 6 in June 1960 when I pushed aside the other comics on the newsstand.
Out of my way, Ricky Nelson comics, Beep Beep the Road Runner 6, Girls’ Romances 70, Bat Masterson 4 and Tales to Astonish 13 (featuring some giant monster, no doubt soon to be forgotten, by the name of Groot).
I had eyes only for something new under the sun, and stared agog at the first Superman Annual.
Ah, those glorious “annuals.” I use quotation marks here because their popularity pushed up their publication faster than yearly.
If regular comics were a ten-cent treat, the annuals were a quarter miracle.
I loved Superman, and an 80-page comic that promised some of the best of his past adventures seemed to be designed with me personally in mind. Fortunately, hundreds of thousands of other kids had that same feeling, and plunked down enough hard-wheedled quarters to make the giants a permanent fixture of the Silver Age.
Within this square-bound beauty were The Witch of Metropolis from Lois Lane 1 (March-April 1958), The Supergirl from Krypton from Action Comics 252 (May 1959), A Visit from Superman’s Pal from Superboy 55 (March 1957); The Girl in Superman’s Past from Superman 129 (May 1959); The Execution of Krypto from Superboy 67 (Sept. 1958); The Fattest Girl in Metropolis from Lois Lane 5 (Nov.-Dec. 1958); The Super-Brain of Jimmy Olsen from Jimmy Olsen 22 (Aug. 1957); The Super-Key to Fort Superman from Action 241 (June 1958) and a story called Superman’s First Exploit.
It wasn’t — it was from Superman 106 (July 1956) — but we were too happy to care.
Included, intriguingly, were the first issue covers of Superman, Superboy, Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane, then rarely seen, and a map of Krypton designed by Jerry Siegel. A treasure indeed.
My love for these 80-page giants tempted me to try to bind my favorite comics into volumes — an idea better in conception than in reality, I’m afraid.
Paul Zuckerman wrote, "I don't actually remember where I bought this comic but I was likewise excited as you. I had seen the incredible ads for the book and I know I snatched it right up (I was almost eight, a wee bit older than you, Dan.)
ReplyDelete"I had read two of the stories--the first Supergirl and the witch story-but no matter. They were fresh again and the collection remains one of my favorite. Superman's first exploit may not have been his earliest but nonetheless it still seemed that way to me and Wayne Boring's unique art made the story really come alive but in a unique manner. The final story in the issue-the Super Key to Ft Superman-has a brooding quality to it, almost fatalistic, till the end--but the (spoiler warning) comradeship of Superman and Batman at the end speaks volumes of their relationship in the Silver Age (and would it only be that way in recent years!) I know that I didn't get the clues at that age but it still remains a favorite of mine as does the other stories in this amazing collection!
"(And let's not forget the beautiful Curt Swan cover, which, with fewer boxes, become the template for the rest of the Superman family "annuals". The icing on the cake, of course, were the original covers. Oh, how I wanted to read those books!"
Mark Staff Brandl:
ReplyDeleteI loved and still love those 25¢ comics!
Bruce Kanin:
ReplyDeleteThese beloved annuals were akin to time travel, i.e., while you moved forward in time with the latest issues of SUPERMAN, ACTION COMICS, etc., you could travel backward in time to read reprints you had never seen before.
I replied
Johnny Williams and I were just saying that they're also time travel now, taking us back to the childhood idylls of 1960.
Phillip Robertson:
ReplyDeleteIt was the Phantom Annuals that I looked forward to every year.
I replied:
We never saw those here, sadly. We only got the Phantom in occasional Harvey reprints at that time, and of course in the newspapers.
Sam Kujava:
ReplyDeleteThe DC Annuals/80-Page Giants, taken together, was the best title of the Silver Age. It was what that era was all about. Heroic, optimistic, charming, exciting fun. And you can't top the variety!
Alfred Walker:
ReplyDeleteMaybe worth noting that "Superman's First Exploit" referred to an adventure baby Kal had during his rocket ride to Earth. So, yes, in terms of the chronicles it was 18 years into the telling of his "exploits" - but in terms of canon, it was quite an early adventure.
Bob Doncaster:
ReplyDeleteThose annuals were a delight to kids like me who dreamed of owning every issue of Superman. Unlikely as much then as it is now.
ReplyDeleteMark Engblom:
The annuals (and their 80 Page Giant cousins) have a very special place in my heart, too. In fact, Superman #187 (1966) was the FIRST superhero comic book I can remember experiencing.
My grandparents had a modest stack of comics for us grandkids to read when we visited. Although most of them were Gold Key Disney and Looney Tunes comics, there was one comic book that wasn't at all like the others. There was this "Superman" guy, hefting a huge golden key to unlock the ultimate secret clubhouse. A "Fortress of Solitude"? What's this? A city in a bottle? An Interplanetary Zoo? An undersea Fortress in addition to the ice Fortress? Even the phrase "80-page Giant" seemed cool beyond belief!
Obviously, I was in "Kid Heaven" with concepts like these...and can you think of any better crash-course introduction to superhero comic books?
I can't tell you how many times I read and re-read this issue when I visited my grandparents. A few years later, I started collecting comics and eventually bought my own copy of Superman #187. Needless to say, it's still one of the highlights of my collection. Not only for its status as "my first superhero comic book", but also for its association with my grandparents (now long gone). In a way, it almost feels like a "souvenir" from a happy childhood.
Stephen Leone:
ReplyDeleteThey were a joy to win and read. Most times they had a theme on which the stories revolved which added to the experience. A Batman Annual did an all mystery issue. Stories just before my time that were still fresh and exciting.
Vincent Mariani:
ReplyDeleteAlong with the comic came the promise, which has been fully realized, of access to the stockpile of previously published material. I had ignorantly made a futile attempt to buy back issues of World's Finest Comics from DC, with an inevitable reply that they weren't available. The annuals provided a bit of hope. 🙂
Bruce Kanin:
ReplyDeleteWhen religious people talk about "The Bible," I talk about the GIANT SUPERMAN ANNUALs ... as my Bible.
Michael Uslan:
ReplyDeleteA life-changing event for me as a kid! And soon would follow Secret Origins Annual! The Batman Annual! Flash Annual! Lois Lane Annual! And it would inspire Marvel's Marvel Tales Annual! Fantastic Four Annual! Spider-Man Annual! Strange Tales Annual!
I replied:
The Secret Origins giant instantly sold out at the newsstand in Effingham, IL, where I bought all my comics with my quarter allowance, and I burst into tears on the spot. I felt ashamed, but I couldn't help it. I wanted that issue so much!
James Petty:
ReplyDeleteJust remembering it I'm trying to recapture the rush I felt when first seeing it.
I replied:
I think that's almost a unverisal reaction for readers of a certain age.
Damon L. Fordham:
ReplyDeleteI was the same way about the 100 page DC Super Spectaculars in the mid 70s, which was that era's equivalent, as well as the Famous First Editions. I've recently tracked down my favorites from eBay.
I replied:
Those were great too. I grabbed 'em.
Bob O'Neil:
ReplyDeleteI’m 71 years old and my best friend and I were obsessed with Giant Superman Annual #1 after first seeing the ad for it. We visited the local corner store EVERY DAY asking if it had arrived. When it finally did, the owner set two copies aside with our names neatly printed on the cover. I was seven and my friend was eight. Best summer day ever!
I replied:
I wish they'd done that for me with Secret Origins. Sob!
Burns Duncan:
ReplyDeleteOne of the editorial comments in a letter column invited readers to suggest themes for future collections. If I had been a reader then, I would have said, Don't compile stories around a common theme. Continue to do what made Annual #1 so great, republishing the greatest stories that deserve to be seen again.
Jon Scanner:
ReplyDeleteI was 11, we went to lunch with our grandparents after church. There was a drugstore next door and, as usual, we were allowed to go and each get a comic. We saw the 25 cent Superman annual. I recall talking to my brother to see what he thought about trying to convince them to let us get one 25 cent comic instead of two 10 cent ones. As it turned out I got the Annual and he got another ten center. I have no recollection what it was.
Ellis Rose:
ReplyDeleteThe annuals were ... rewarding! When you finished a story, you were rewarded for that accomplishment with another story! Wotta Helluva way to learn to read! I felt immersed.
So this is what the thicker Golden Age comic books on the sales racks were like to read!
ReplyDeleteEdwin Armer:
The first annual wasn’t numbered, which leads me to believe that DC was caught off guard by its success.
They were then published twice yearly but kept the “Annual” name.
I was born in 1952 and bought mine as a 7 year old. (I still have it.)