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Even comic book characters evolve over time and Superman is no exception. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the 1930's, at first he was more of a very powerful man rather than the superhero that he evolved into. He ran fast and jumped high rather than flew great distances. For example, in one of the stories in this book, when Superman wants to cross the Atlantic Ocean, he swims rather than flies.
The stories here demonstrate a great deal of sexism and some rather quaint notions of relations between the sexes. There is no greater example of this than in the story "The Scientists of Death." The premise is that Superman has cost the criminal element a great deal of money, so they collaborate to offer a one million dollar reward for his death. This brings out a group of master criminals, each with a scheme to kill Superman. One of the gang is a woman named Lil Danvers or "The Blond Tigress." When she lays a trap for Superman and he escapes, he takes her over his knee and spanks her. Lil continually uses her feminine charms to entice Superman throughout the story.
If you know anything about the history of comic books, you can also see the influence of the strict comics codes that appeared later. Superman is very nonchalant about the deaths of the villains, in some cases his actions leads to their death. Throughout this book, you can see the features of the Superman character that generated his popularity. He is strong, brave and always rescues the damsel in distress; independent of whether she is good, evil or a bit of an airhead.
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I've been a Superman fan for nearly 50 years, as my family moved arround houses quite a bit my much read comic books comics collection got lost or left around, or ended up on a bonfire. Now that I'm older, but wiser? I've resurected my interest again. In the dailies 1939-19412, to see superman from the early days again has been a joy, who says that you have to be young to enjoy them again. Then again you have the great showcase series, okay just in black and white, where can you get 500 pages of interest at a reasonable price? If you want color there are the 40's, 50's series. You are able to see what the artist's changes were, from a man who could just leap over a building to full flight, over the years Superman has evolved to meet the generations who read him, sometimes he looks a little more muscle bound to a slimmer, not quite so well built. But he is always regarded as the man of steel, somehow he manages to overcome his vulerability to kryptonite, (please excuse spelling) to come out on top be it someone like Lex Luthor, Superman never loses that Mr Good Guy, who fithing for the American way of life always around to help Joe Public. He never asks for any reward save a 'polte' thank you. Superman is always wecome in my home. Thank you very much for the opportunity.
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Since I wasn't around when these strips were first printed it's nice to know Superman early adventures.
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Back to the earliest visions of the "Man of Steel", before he even learned to fly! (Although he was certainly faster than a locomotive and could leap tall buildings) Not completely invulnerable, either, as in one of the early episodes presented, he's knocked unconcious by a bomb) By today's "elightened" standards, it's often politically incorreect, but let's face it, it's the way things were back then, and no point in trying to whitewash it. Fun reading, and a true period piece.
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When comics publishers want their material presented just right, they go to Denis Kitchen, and that's what DC has done here. Jerry Siegel's and Joe Shuster's early "Superman" work was not terribly sophisticated, but it is historically important for its cultural impact and for the genre it created. It's also fun to read, and in this very attractive slipcased, hardcover edition, fun to own. The early newspaper version of Superman may have been superior to the contemporary comic book version- there is an excellent, very funny lookalike story in which Superman trades places with an even meeker and milder Clark Kent type for a day and makes trouble for various bullies.
The presentation here gets an A plus, with extra material, informative commentary, and another beautiful cover (and interior) design by the ever-excellent Peter Poplaski. This book, as well as the Sundays volume, perfectly compliments a similar treatment afforded to the "Batman" dailies and Sundays of the same period. Marvel should go this route with the early "Spider-Man" strips by Stan Lee and John Romita.
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