posted April 04, 2002 04:30 AM    

quote:

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Posted by India Ink:
But I want to know about Koko! I'm serious. My only exposure to Action 242 is the few panels reprinted in the Great Superman Book (encyclopedia), which show the entertaining interaction between Brainiac and his pet space monkey.

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posted April 04, 2002 03:59 PM    

quote:

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Posted by Osgood Peabody:
"The Lady and the Lion" from Action #243 (Aug. 1958) by Otto Binder and Wayne Boring. In this story, Superman is transformed by Circe into a lion, and finds the cure in a Kandorian text book!

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I really like that story.

"Yes, Superman has turned into a lion, the animal he most resembles... because of his lion's heart and strength..."

posted April 04, 2002 09:22 PM       

When they get around to doing a Superman in the Fifties collection, maybe they'll finally get their due.

Over on the Archives board, I've been campaigning for a Silver Age Action Comics archive line, that would start with the landmark "Super-Key to Fort Superman" from Action #241. After all, why should we have to wait for them to slog through another 15 years worth of stories to get to the good stuff!

posted April 05, 2002 03:27 AM    

I don't have the issues handy, but I'm guessing Koko's around for at least another year, maybe year and half, but of course there's several issues where he's not shown. You should still be able to get any of these issues at .50 to $1 in some stores, that is unless back issues jump up because of the increasing popularity of Legion. If Legion wins the Harvey award for best new series, who knows.

Osgood, though I've only bought one Archive Edition (Legion Vol. #1) because of my "sparse" economics of recent years, I likewise have felt for a while that the Silver Age editions should be started NOW for several reasons. Uppermost being perhaps that those that most want to read and buy them may not give a damn in 15 years. DC needs to set Silver Age demarcation issues for the all the Silver Age titles and start the "Archiving" of The DC Silver Age NOW.

Bluntly, who knows what's gonna happen in 15 years. Not to be pessimistic, but there's a not unreasonable possibility that there may not be any market for them in 15 years, and worse case, with all the non-stop growing entertainment competition, there may not be sufficently healthy comic industry to support such impressive and costly projects, by any publisher.

Let's get the DC Silver Age out in Archives NOW so this essential part of an American genre and art is published in a lasting durable form.

Because, again bluntly, I don't care what protection you use, most of our Silver Age collections aren't gonna make it past another thirty, forty years. Remember, mylars and like only came on the scene after the cheap pulp paper of '60s comics had been exposed to the elements for ten-fifteen years. The clock's ticking on our collections and the viability on "Archiving" The DC Silver Age.

posted April 05, 2002 10:21 PM       

I'm encouraged by the fact that 13 of the 16 stories in the proposed Silver Age Action collection have already been reprinted, so reproduction costs should be minimal.

To wit:

241 -(1st Fortress of Solitude) - numerous times, 1st in Superman Annual 1, most recently in [i]The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told[i]
242 - (1st Brainiac & Kandor) - at least twice - Superman Annual 2 & Superman 217
243 - Superman Annual 3
244 - Superman 187
247 - Superman 193
249 - 80-Page Giant 11 (all-Luthor collection)
250 - Superman 183
251 - (1st imaginary tale) - Superman Annual 3
252 - (1st Metallo) - Superman Annual 3
253 - 80-Page Giant 2 (Jimmy Olsen collection)
254/255 - (1st Adult Bizarro) - 80-page Giant 6
256 - Superman Annual 3

That means only the 3 stories from Action 245, 246, and 248 have never been reprinted to my knowledge.

posted April 12, 2002 09:38 PM       

How about TPB ideas, as a precursor or alternative to an actual Silver Age Archive line?

The recent Superman in the Sixties collection just scratched the surface as far as I'm concerned.

The Kandor Chronicles.
The Greatest Luthor stories ever told.
The Greatest Brainiac stories ever told.
The Greatest Imaginary stories ever told.

posted April 12, 2002 11:47 PM    

Dream collection would be an all Lexor book (although, I think I actually have most of them now). And of course the Kandor book (there are actually too many to fit just one collection).

Krypton, hmmm...While personally I'd like a sixties only book or a collection of the seventies back-up stories--methinks a Greatest Krypton Stories type book would do better in sales. Such a book would include the early Siegel/Shuster version, the later forties and the fifties versions, certain key Weisinger era stories, a few of the seventies back-ups, one or two early eighties stories, and yes I'm afraid it would also have to include some post-reboot tales.

posted April 13, 2002 01:33 AM    

quote:

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Posted by India Ink:
And howabout a "Super-Pets in the Sixties" collection?

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posted April 17, 2002 01:54 PM    

On there they had pages for "Superman Under a Red Sun"--which I never got around to reading, partly because the pages took so long to load.

So far as I know I've never read this story, but it appears to be one of the favourite stories from the sixties.

Could anyone tell me what made this story so special? And would anyone care to give a synopsis?

posted April 17, 2002 03:28 PM    

quote:

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Could anyone tell me what made this story so special? And would anyone care to give a synopsis?

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posted April 21, 2002 05:33 PM    

In the Daily Planet building, Clark, having spotted "a great danger" with his telescopic vision, leaves Perry, Lois and Jimmy and changes to Superman in the stockroom. He flies up to the stratosphere to an encounter with a Superman Revenge Squad spaceship. Inside the ship, one of the Squad members says, "He's pursuing us, just as we planned!"

The ship accelerates at incredible velocity, but Superman is hot on its tail. The ship goes so fast it breaks the time barrier. The ship, followed closely by the Man of Steel, starts hurtling into the future. "Far into the future speeds the terrific chase..." Superman realises he has never been so far; a million years into the future. The spaceship slows down and is about to stop at this point, with Superman feeling "queer" and "weak".

With the enemy spaceship hovering high above, Superman finds all his super-powers have deserted him, and he falls out of the sky, no longer able to fly. He is hurt by the hard landing, but soft sand has prevented serious injury. He picks himself up and observes that the sun is red. This far in the future, Earth's sun has aged, as suns usually do, and has become red. "Only the rays of a yellow sun give me powers! How will I ever get back to my own time?"

posted April 22, 2002 11:15 PM    

But in related news...

Passing this on from Village Idiot...

posted April 24, 2002 01:30 AM    

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Don't stop now, Aldous!

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I have no intention of stopping, my friend!

Red Sun...

Superman feels determined to get out of the trap, and he decides he must first find other people. He walks along a road that looks very familiar. It's just like the seaside road that led toward Metropolis from the south, but, instead of the sea, there is just a vast expanse of dried-up mud.

He walks on, the terrible truth slowly dawning on him. He arrives into a deserted, ruined city, a city that he realises is the future Metropolis. He calls out, but there is no one to answer.

Superman does a bit of exploring amongst the ruins, and finds an historical archive. He dons a special helmet which appears to have survived, and the recorded image of an historian appears to him telepathically. The telepathic messenger speaks of a catastrophe that began in the year 824,057AD. Earth's yellow sun started to turn red from old age, and this caused changes to Earth as well. The planet experienced a great drought, with the science of the day unable to prevent the drying-up of the oceans. To survive, the people manufactured water using atomic energy, but it was a very expensive process.

When this process began to fail, the people took the difficult decision to abandon Earth, to build spaceships in which to migrate to other worlds. Eventually all people left Earth forever. The last man to leave the planet was the historian now appearing telepathically to the Man of Steel (via a recorded message).

posted April 25, 2002 11:00 PM       

I have to say, I think a lot of the characters were better fleshed out ina shorter period of time. Lyla, of course, being probably the best example. One issue, and you knew what she was about, you actually cared about her (R2K is quite possibly my favorite Superman story). And Luthor was actually fleshed out as well. Sacrificing his final defeat to help the people of that dead planet. The current Luthor wouldn't have done that. The current Luthor probably would've slaughtered them all or sold them into slavery or something equally evil.

posted April 26, 2002 06:32 AM    

Those great old stories did have the power to make you care, in a very short time. They were like any good short story -- they sucked you in really fast, got to the point, had characters you felt concern for.

That's something missing in a lot of modern writing, especially comic book writing. The computerised/airbrushed art and the soap opera hand-wringing is all very colourful and hip, but who CARES about what happens to anybody? The old stories captured your concern.

I find this very hard to explain. I guess, if you've read and loved 'em, you know just what I mean. If you haven't read and loved 'em, you haven't a hope in hell of understanding.

As you say, U2 -- Luthor was human, and human in the way that, sure, he was Superman's enemy, and Supes was the good guy; but you really, honestly could feel for Lex's motivation. (This is where Smallville succeeds.) As you say, he was "fleshed out". You gave a damn about Luthor. You were kind of torn -- "Well, gee, I sort of hope Lex wins!" You know what I mean. Lex had a soul. The characters had soul.

And, because they had soul, you cared. Some of those hokey, fun stories had such pathos and poignancy! Those old timers were great writers.

posted April 27, 2002 07:10 PM       

quote:

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Originally posted by Aldous:
I second that, India.

Those great old stories did have the power to make you care, in a very short time. They were like any good short story -- they sucked you in really fast, got to the point, had characters you felt concern for.

That's something missing in a lot of modern writing, especially comic book writing. The computerised/airbrushed art and the soap opera hand-wringing is all very colourful and hip, but who CARES about what happens to anybody? The old stories captured your concern.

I find this very hard to explain. I guess, if you've read and loved 'em, you know just what I mean. If you haven't read and loved 'em, you haven't a hope in hell of understanding.

As you say, U2 -- Luthor was human, and human in the way that, sure, he was Superman's enemy, and Supes was the good guy; but you really, honestly could feel for Lex's motivation. (This is where Smallville succeeds.) As you say, he was "fleshed out". You gave a damn about Luthor. You were kind of torn -- "Well, gee, I sort of hope Lex wins!" You know what I mean. Lex had a soul. The characters had soul.

And, because they had soul, you cared. Some of those hokey, fun stories had such pathos and poignancy! Those old timers were great writers.

I never see any great old DC story as "stupid". No way. Never.

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posted April 28, 2002 01:37 AM    

Superman hears footsteps in the street outside, and goes to investigate. He runs into Mr. Mxyzptlk, and, for once, is glad to see the pest from the 5th Dimension. Superman says his own name backwards (LE-LAK) as this would normally send him into the 5th Dimension, and from there he could return to his own time. Unfortunately, nothing happens. Mr. Mxyzptlk doesn't seem to be himself, and is puzzled by Superman's mention of "magic". The imp doesn't even recognise the Man of Steel.

The next familiar face Superman encounters is Perry White's. There's the editor of the Daily Planet, looking as he always did, puffing on a cigar. But he, too, fails to recognise Superman. The best Perry can come up with is, "You're wearing a costume like Supergirl's..."

Superman decides something isn't right about these people (!!) and he goes back to the hall of telepathic records. He once again dons the telepathic helmet. He accesses further records and finds the people of Earth long ago created a memorial to the world's greatest past hero, Superman himself. The memorial consists of android duplicates of Superman's comrades and enemies, including Supergirl. The androids were left behind when the people of Earth departed for outer space.

Superman feels despair, but pulls himself together. He has one hope left -- his Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic. He decides to set out at once, and takes the Perry White android along for the journey. "He'll make me feel less alone."

posted May 05, 2002 02:50 AM    

I know I have to finish Red Sun.