Superman: The Atomic Age Sundays Volume 2 by Alvin Schwartz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects the Superman Sunday newspaper strips from March 22, 1953 to June 21, 1956.

This book collects 17 stories and all of them are at least okay. Probably the weakest one involved Clark Kent having to deal with an actress needing publicity. There's also a story in which Lois almost catches Superman in his secret identity and they go on a time travel. adventure where Superman will establish secret identity in each stop and if Lois can figure out even one, Superman will reveal his twentieth century identity. It has some fun moments, but the overall moral that Lois is too dumb to figure out Superman's identity under any circumstances.

Probably the most interesting stories are one in which two other survivors of Krypton arrive on Earth and plan to use their powers to take over, as well as the final battle between Superman and the Prankster for a good long while. Superman also meets up with Hercules. Superman encounters a crook who gets intangibility powers. It has some interesting moments and presents some challenges to the man of steel. Another one of my favorites has a Superman helping a female lawyer who has been forced to serve as a process server by her chauvanistic uncle as a process server in order to get hired by his firm.

There are also some very uniquely 1950s stories. For example, Superman appears on a take off on, "This is Your Life," and Lois got a 1950s quiz show revolving Superman's identity. These stories are a little weaker than the book's strongest tales but still an interesting time capsule.

Overall, this is an enjoyable addition to the American Comics library collection and a worthwhile read.



View all my reviews