Thursday 16 January 2014

Superman comics I have owned. Part Two: Action Comics.

Hold onto your Kryptonite, pilgrims, because the sensational new feature that's left the internet dazed, battered and reeling returns as I take a look at yet more of the Superman comics I owned as a boy.

And this time it's Action Comics that's in the spotlight!

To be honest, differences between Action Comics and the main Superman title at the time were not exactly huge, with the same creative teams and characters. Still, Action Comics did distinguish itself by having a back-up story, often featuring the Atom or the Green Arrow and Black Canary.

Superman, Action Comics #402

It was my first exposure to a Neal Adams cover as a powerless Superman finds himself held hostage and in danger of going up in flames.

It was in this comic that I first learned that Superman loses his powers under the light of a red sun.

It was also my first introduction to Supergirl.

And you can read my review of this issue right here.
Superman, Action Comics #438

Clark Kent gives Lois Lane a radioactive necklace from space and, surprise surprise, she's suddenly transformed into a monster.

Has anyone in the world of comics ever been transformed into more things by more things than Lois Lane? You would've thought Clark would've learned his lesson by now.

Maybe it's just me but I must confess I found Lois more attractive as a monster.
Superman, Action Comics #439

When Bluto kidnaps Olive Oyl, Popeye goes to Superman for help

Admittedly they don't actually say the characters are meant to be Popeye, Bluto and Olive Oyl but you'd have to be blind not to spot it.
Superman, Action Comics #440

Some bad guys try to convince Superman his dead parents are disappointed in him, in an attempt to get him to leave the planet Earth.

Needless to say, our hero sees through their ruse and soon turns the tables on them.

My review of this issue can be found right here.
Superman, Action Comics #441

When the Weather Wizard starts causing trouble from his jail cell, the Flash and Superman team up to thwart him.

Despite the cover, no Flashes were harmed during the making of this comic.

Weather Wizards, on the other hand, were not so lucky.

My review of this issue can be found right here.
Superman, Action Comics #442

When a TV chat show host is kidnapped, Superman has to prove he's faster than a speeding bullet to rescue him.

I don't want to come over like an expert but what happens in this issue is clearly impossible even for Superman, as the resolution depends on the sound of a gunshot reaching Superman before the bullet hits its intended victim. As Superman's on the other side of town from the gun, and the intended victim's only a few feet away from it, this clearly couldn't happen.
Superman, Action Comics #445

The Superman Revenge Squad fix it so that if Superman performs ten super-feats, he'll die.

But the hapless aliens haven't counted on the ability of DC comics characters to find exact lookalikes at the drop of a hat.

It's a bit worrying that, at the end of the tale, Superman opts not to apprehend the villains - so they can be murdered by their own colleagues, which seems a little bloodthirsty by his standards.

No comments: