As thrilled as I was by Superman’s first annual in 1960, I was even more excited to see this “All-Menace” issue — finally, foes worthy of Superman’s stature and some real super-powered action!
Oddly, despite his science fictional origins, Superman went for a long stretch of his early career having few science fictional adventures. Mundane criminals and crusades against social injustice and political corruption occupied much of his day.
By the time Superman 87 arrived in February 1954, things had started to change.
Klaus Wolf werote, "Excellent post Dan.
ReplyDelete"I'm very interested in the cultural cross-fertilization between the cinema, comic and tv media.
"As you have pointed out, sci-fi started to dominate from the early fifties due to the great sci-fi movies and tv shows. Even Batman started to feature off-world and alien crooks in the fifties onwards though it became a bit silly in the sixties and sales started to fall. Batman was always better suited to fighting Earthbound crooks and Infantino brought a new freshness to Batman/Detective."
Paul Zuckerman wrote, "What a great issue this was! So many classic stories. I had read the first Titano and Metallo stories in their original appearances but everything else was brand new. The Thing story was a real battle royal, something that was rare in the 50s, even before the Comics Code. Interestingly, Superman's powers increased tremendously from the story's original appearance and the reprint that they had to change the line about the bomb to make it more powerful. Wayne Boring was rarely better than on this story.
ReplyDeleteThe first Bizarro story was also a classic. I had just missed it when it first appeared but in the first adult Bizarro story they mentioned it, so it was nice to finally read it. But so sad--Bizarro was already starting to become a humorous character when the reprint appeared but he was a truly tragic one in the Superboy story.
The Invulnerable Enemy was another classic, again drawn by Boring.
"All around--one to keep!"
Mark Emery:
ReplyDeleteThis amazing Annual was actually the first one I ever bought, followed by the first Batman Annual. I loved all the stories and villains! (I eventually got the first Annual at a thrift shop a few years later.)
Bruce Kanin:
ReplyDeleteThis has always been my all-time favorite Superman Annual (including the 80-pg. Giants). As well, whenever someone touts the Bible, and let them know that this GIANT SUPERMAN ANNUAL is MY "bible". 🙂
Don Christian:
ReplyDeleteAs this much anticipated issue hit the stands at age 13 comics were my main obsession. However, my own “wants” began to creep into my obsessions, and one of those obsessions was for older stories. I became a fan in ‘55-56 and a “addict” about “58 so I already had the bulk of these stories (as good as they were) on file. I longed to own and read those Golden Age Gems I had begun to hear so much about on the various new letter pages. Plus, for reasons I cannot really explain the more “down to earth” adventures similar to those shown on the TV series appealed to me as much as the wilder sci-fi themed stories.
Lyn Ens:
ReplyDeleteThese types of ads really pulled six-year-old me in.
Michael Fraley:
ReplyDeleteI read that first Metallo story several years ago, and was struck by the surface resemblance he had to Tony Stark's Iron Man. Handsome, dark-haired fellow with a mustache is rescued by an older scientist. He becomes a technological marvel and is shown with an open chest plate.
Joel Canfield:
ReplyDeleteI’m a couple years younger than you geezers, so I wasn’t reading superhero stuff yet when I saw this cover at a local store. I wanted it so bad but my parents weren’t in the mood to get it for me…
Mark Engblom:
ReplyDeleteIt seems preposterous that Superman had to wait 15 to 20 years to begin accumulating foes that could go toe-to-toe with him physically. It was a borderline CRIME that he was (essentially) wasted against humdrum human criminals for so bloody long.
That’s my primary complaint about the George Reeves Superman TV show, marinading in gangsters and con men and (largely) blowing off the sci-fi menaces.
Granted, there were real and quite obvious budget constraints, but I still think, with some ingenuity and the will to do it, Superman could’ve fought threats like a Kryptonian criminal (already established in the comics) or even LUTHOR, for Pete’s sake!
I replied:
I've always thought so too, especially when you compare his enemies to those of to Batman or the Flash.
Jackson Gillis, whom I interviewed and admired, at least put Superman up against an asteroid in "Panic in the Sky," and a nuclear meltdown in "Superman in Exile." They had a script for a George Reeves movie — "Superman and the Secret Planet" — about him battling Kryptonian criminals, but it never got made. And Lyle Talbot, who had played Luthor in the serials, was certainly available.
George Blake:
ReplyDeleteIt was in a Spanish language comic book where I first saw this ad. I was very young and all those strange characters featured on the cover astonished me greatly.
Unfortunately for me I did not ever have that Annual, however I managed to read the stories — most of them — in drips and drabs.
I had not made the connection between The Thing from Another World — the first science-fiction movie I ever saw back then — and the shape-shifting Thing Superman was up against. Having read the source novella, I see the connection as stated.
(Another house ad in the same comic book was that of the Justice League of America with Green Lantern playing a deadly game of chess against Despero. All of those characters were new to me)
I replied:
Well said, though it was the Flash who was playing chess. The early JLA issues really spotlighted the Flash.
Philip Rushton:
ReplyDeleteThose early annuals were genuinely special events! (And it didn't hurt that they coincided with a real renaissance in the Superman stories being produced by Mort Weisinger).
Michael Learn:
ReplyDeleteAfter sixty five years of collecting if you asked me to list the 100 books in my collection that I will never part with, this book is on the list. You are right. The first Annual was fantastic and since I had only just begun to collect comics in the Spring of 1960, it was published at the perfect time. But, when I saw the advertisements for the second Annual I nearly burst with anticipation. I was home sick from school the day in November when it was released. When my mother left the house to go to the store, I left my sick bed and rode my bicycle as fast as I could to get a copy and get home before my mother caught me. I succeeded and I sure it helped my recovery. I’ve always thought that this comic and the 4th Annual ( Adventures in Time, Space and on Alien Worlds ) were the very best of the Annuals ( that’s another book on my list of 100 ). I’ve succeeded in collecting all of the original comics where the stories first appeared. That does not in anyway lessen my love for those Annuals.
Cody Johnson
ReplyDeleteThese Silver Age ads are awesome.