Superman Through the Ages! Forum

I've read in several websites that DC has a little reputation for oft-reprinting the same stories multiple times (e.g. "Must There Be a Superman?"), which somehow prompts the question, "What Superman story has been reprinted 5 times (and some might argue 6) since 2002?"

The answer next Sunday.

hmm Action comics 1?

The Grand Comics Database lists Action #1 as being reprinted only once since 2002, in 2005's trade paperback "Superman in the Forties", which I own and found really fun.
The story I'm referring to was originally published in the Silver Age, and then reprinted in the Silver Age once or twice, depending on your definition of "the Silver Age".

Actually, the story in Action #1 was also reprinted in a 2007 comic book called "Superman Through the Ages".  (How could I have missed that?!)

I kind of cheated. I worked this out by checking the reprint guide on Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics. And it came as a bit of a surprise. The stories I had in mind didn't check out. But one did... I'll try to disguise the answer, in case people want to figure it out on their own.

My guess is here (http://dcindexes.com/database/story-details.php?storyid=16295).

A clever solution--we have a winner!

And here I thought it was that "secret revealed" story from Byrne's Superman #2, first published back in the '80s.  Seems like no matter where I turned, that story was being reprinted.  Glad to see that India's choice was the correct answer!

This week's trivia Q is this:

What artist:
a) Worked for DC in the 30's
b) Worked for DC in the 60's
c) Drew both Superman and Batman?

Action #1 was also reprinted in Superman Chronicles #1.

Shelly Moldoff?

I was thinking Wayne Boring.  The only part that occurs to me that might not fit is that I'm not sure if he was working for DC in the '30s.  I know he was part of the Shuster Studio at some point and worked on the daily strip, don't know the dates for those though.

Interesting question. I'm not sure what's the right answer.

Well, what's the answer?  ???

The only person I can think of who could fit the criteria is Sheldon Moldoff, but someone else already suggested him.

Moldoff seems like the right answer. On the other hand, there's a good case to be made for Wayne Boring. I'm anxious to hear what's the right answer.

I'm anxious, too, but only 'cause I wanna see what I win!  ;)

Well?  ??? ??? ???

I'd like to apologize for not having followed thru on the Weekly Trivia Question--the truth is that, when I realized that I asked a question which I hadn't sufficiently researched, I thought of doing serious harm to myself, which, I agree, is a considerable (and SCARY) over-reaction. Yadda, yadda, yadda, responsible authorities have raised my anti-psychotics, and now I'm doing marginally, but noticeably, better.

So now I'll re-phrase the question:
What artist:
1. Worked for DC in the '30's.
2. Worked for DC in the '60's
3. Drew both Superman and Batman
4. Drew one (1) and only one full-length (24 pages) story featuring Batman in the '60's, for an editor other than the one with whom he usually dealt.

And, once again, I'm sorry.

I'm gonna feel kind'a stupid for saying this, but could it be Curt Swan?

Probably not, but he's the only person EYE kin think of!  ;)

Curt didn't draw (professionally) in the 30's; no, the answer is George Papp, who pencilled and inked a book-length Batman team-up with Green Arrow (whose exploits George once drew in "Adventure Comics") in "The Brave and the Bold" for editor George Kashdan, thus, I hope, giving Papp a needed break from the acid tongue of his usual overseer, Mort Weisinger.

Incidentally, George Papp didn't draw any stories for DC in the 30's, but he did produce filler pages ("Sports Data", "Fantastic Facts", and "Film Oddities") in early issues of "Action Comics".

And now, here's a trivia question that may shock some--(the discovery certainly stunned me):
     "Where might a Superman fan have read, 'Why don'cha look into a mirror--and then kill yourself?', only one month to the day after George Reeves did just about that?"
I'll have the answer...oh, let's call it next week, sanity willing.

was it an issue of Jimmy Olsen?

I'll say an issue of MAD Magazine!  :)

An unnamed professional wrestling fan shouted, "Why don'cha look into a mirror--and then kill yourself?" to a wrestler we meet known as the "The Ugly Superman" (who sported Kal's full superhero-regalia) in the nationally-run "Superman" daily newspaper strip, and he shouted it on the ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY of GEORGE REEVES' DEATH--July 16th, 1959.

Of course this prompts some questions, such as, "How much lead time was there between the day the strip was completed and distributed, and the day it was scheduled to appear?" and "Did any of the papers that ran 'Superman' decide to pull the strip that day, in the interests of good taste?"

Well, I can't tell you if Mort Weisinger, et al., knowingly referenced Reeves' death, or if any papers removed the strip that day, but I do know that one newspaper, the "Brooklyn Eagle", ran it, because a Superman fan named Sid Friedfertig posted his cut-out copies of the strip online in May of last year, running  almost-complete from December, 1958 to April, 1966, and you can access them at "brooklyneagles.com" (don't type in the quotes).

The comic-strip "Superman" makes for a real fascinating read, largely because just about all of the stories (I know of no exceptions) appeared in Weisinger-edited comic-books within a few months of their newspaper postings, but in modified form (for one thing, almost all of the newspaper stories feature different artists than the comic-book versions, so you get lots of beautiful Swan art in the fifties when he was largely absent from the books).

"The Ugly Superman" originally appeared in "Lois Lane" #8 (the April, 1959 issue, of course when Reeves still breathed) with Robert Bernstein and Kurt Schaffenberger credited on story and art, and, though the comic-book version features the crowd hurling invective at the wrestler when we first meet him, perhaps tellingly, no one counsels him to ring down his own final curtain... [cue Dean Cain] BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

nice!

http://webhosting.web.com/imagelib/sitebuilder/misc/show_image.html?linkedwidth=actual&linkpath=http://www.brooklyneagles.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/episode108/img410d.jpg&target=tlx_pic7rx9 (http://webhosting.web.com/imagelib/sitebuilder/misc/show_image.html?linkedwidth=actual&linkpath=http://www.brooklyneagles.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/episode108/img410d.jpg&target=tlx_pic7rx9)

I should have said this earlier, but thanks for posting that, Telle. It was very kind, and it looks like it took some effort.

no effort! thanks for pointing us to that great resource of old strips.

I almost bought a 1945 Sunday comics section last week just because it had a color Siegel and Shuster Superman on the front page (plus some good classic strips inside) but was feeling cheap and didn't want to fork over the $40 for another piece of paper to add to the piles I already have. Sometimes having these things online is best!