Superman Through the Ages! Forum

I was a big fan of this series so this is great news:

Asked about All Star Squadron trades, Bob Wayne seemed to suggest that, based on audience response, they think they can do some large Showcase collections of the material.

http://www.newsarama.com/NYCC/2007/DC/DCU.html

hmm i thought they would continue the justice society trades with this series.. but showcase is goood! cant wait for that...

i really want the challengers of the unknown showcase for some reason..

This is encouraging, if true.  To date, the Showcases haven't delved far into the Bronze Age, supposedly due to the issue of royalties to creators.  If the "Squadron" series gets a Showcase, it'll be the most recent material that has, and if it does well maybe it'll open the door to other goodies from the mid- to late-70s through the 80s.

Of course, I've already got a near-complete run anyway.

This is incredible news for what may be Roy the Boy Thomas's masterpiece - it's a comic like this that makes you remember why it is you're a fan of superhero comics in the first place.

I would absolutely shell out $17 if the Showcase has that issue where the All-Star Squadroners come upon Winston Churchill in a towel. A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE LADIES!

I'm still amazed by the battle against the Magnetic Marauder, the appearance of the Golden Age Wonder Woman, and the ending where they allow the villain's sister to believe he died a hero.

Did you know Mexico had a liberty bell too? The sort of things you can learn from this comic are extraordinary. Don't forget the pop culture references to Peewee Reese and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Though UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN was bigger, this was, really, the first "Untold Tales" series, weaving the gaps in between the Golden Age characters.

The story arc featuring the Ultra-Humanite was old school comic book cool: Thor's Hammer steals Earth-2 Superman's powers. The Utra-Humanite, disguised as an actress, escapes to raid Washington in her Hugo Gernsback dirigible. She destroys her hollowed out mountain lair and the race of Subterraneans that worship her because of her female body, as she finds them "revolting." And then you've got a bunch of super-villains attacking Congress. Frankly, I don't see the big deal here; you only really need two branches of government anyway.

I also loved that issue with that weird Eye-shaped UFO that Hawkman and Starman battle while in the Air Force.

Finally something we can all agree on, LOL.

The reason why DC is doing this is for the $$$$$$$$$, countless fans have been begging for this for years and years (since the 1st archives were release, if you want to count). But DC refused to create a collection since they always thought that only hard core fans would buy it. However the Showcase format is nearly impossible to resist, so many pages, so little money. Readers who would never but an expensive Archive of this, will pick up the huge Showcase volume for 10 bucks or so, just to see what all the hype is about. I was one of those fans, so this is a dream come true.

BTW, the All Star Squadron has to hold an all time record for the most members for any Superhero team ever.

i hold to this, as i count, theres no way im gonna buy one of those expensive archives, cant afford them for a start, but i think my b asic love for all things silver is a huge motivating factor (a years worth of stories from one of the most fabled ages of comics? yes please!)

My money's on Jim Valentino's Legion of Superfluous Heroes --they began their roll-call in normalman #1 and haven't finished yet --20 years later.

I guess they win, LOL!!!

Here are the All-Star Squadron:
http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=41575&zoom=4

another reason to read this is that it stars a character from my favourite movie... Metropolis!!!

I think the Legion of Super-Heroes has more.  In fact, the current incarnation has "thousands of members."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Legion_of_Super-Heroes_members

Oddly enough, Wikipedia lists 37 pre-crisis members; while Supermanica lists only 33:

http://superman.nu/wiki/index.php/Legion_of_Super-Heroes

That's only because the Supermanica is limited by canonical books.

BTW, did you all know that many of the members are actually now in Public Domain?

DC doesn't own them, only the DC version of them.

Like which characters, and what's your source for this info?

What about the GL Corps?  Surely many more thousands than the Legion?

The wikipedia article on the Green Lantern Corps says 7200

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Lantern_Corps

and here's a list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rot_Lop_Fan

   " In blackest day or brightest night
    Watermelon, cantaloupe, yadda-e-yadda
    Erm...superstitious and cowardly lot
    With liberty and justice for all! "

Duck Dodgers - The Green Loontern