Superman in the Fifties by Jerry Siegel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This continues with a decade-by-decade look at the man of steel from Superman in the Forties.

The 1950s were an era of dominance-and survival for the Man of Steel. Rivals from the 1940s such as Captain America and Captain Marvel met with demise, leaving Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman the dominant super heroes.

The book is welcomed, because most of the 1950s has not received a comprehensive reprint with Superman Archives stopping in the mid-to-late 1940s and not picking up again until 1958. So the early 1950s stories are a particular treat in that way.

The late 1950s were important as it saw many key events in Superman's life (which are covered here). Among them: Superman has his first encounter with Brainiac and he finds Kandor, the Kryptonian Capitol City which Brianiac had shrunk in hopes of returning it to his own home world. Superman also meets Supergirl, Krypto, and the adult-versions of Bizarro and Lana Lang.

Some of the stories of the book seemed more "typical" than outstanding (exs: Superman gets amnesia and Jimmy Olson gets in trouble.) Some such as "The Three Supermen from Krypton" which featured evil Kryptonia survivors seemed a tad rushed by the limits of the comic book and I couldn't help but wishing that more time had been taken.

However, that can be forgiven when some of the great stories in this book are considered. My favorite s are the two part Bizarro arc from Action Comics #254 and #255 and Superman's Super Magic Show from Action Comics #151 which featured a great early supervillain team-up between the Prankster, Lex Luthor, and Mr. Mxyztplk who aimed to humiliate Superman. And of course, there's the heart-warming, "The Girl Who Didn't Believe in Superman" from Superman #96.

I'd give it 4.5 stars, but for Superman I'll round up.



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