Superman/Batman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Vol. 1

Book Description

SUMMER 2006: SUPERMAN RETURNS!

From above, a heavenly father sends his only son to save the Earth

Sound familiar? It should—because the Superman storytellers based Superman on Jesus on purpose! That’s why the Man of Steel actually champions the truth about the Super Man Himself—Jesus—and this can show readers how to reach friends and family in today’s entertainment–focused culture.

Stephen Skelton’s faster–than–a–speeding–bullet discussions reveal that...

the Superman storytellers confirm they modeled Superman on Christ
Superman and his father share the name “El” (Hebrew for “God”)...and his earthly parents were originally named “Mary” and “Joseph”
Superman movies, TV shows, and comics are built on parallels to Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and second coming

Customer Reviews:

Better than the Movie.......2007-09-15

Leaps tall buildings with a single bound and points a generation to Christ? That's the premise of Stephen Skelton's latest offering, "The Gospel According to the World's Greatest Superhero."

Skelton seems to have an eye for the nostalgic as his previous offerings include "The Bonanza Bible Study" and the "Andy Griffith Bible Study." Skelton's passion is to use cultural artifacts from Television to point people toward this generation to Christ.

In "The Gospel According to the World's Greatest Superhero" Skelton argues that the chapter of Superman was intentionally modeled by many of the writers in the "Superman Cannon" to be a Messianic/figure. Skelton goes the distance with detailed quotes to show from Siegel's creators, two Jewish teenagers, borrow from their heritage religious heritage's stories of Samson and the coming Messiah to create a secular "American Messiah." Skelton documents how the creators of the "Superman: The Movie", "Superman II", and TV's "Smallville" had an awareness of the parallels between Jesus Christ and the Man of Steel.

Skelton spends the rest of his book outlining these parallels the common ground that his two Supermen share with sections entitled "Origins", "Mission, and "Destiny." In each section, Skelton provides painstaking detail to show how Superman is a "parable" of Christ.

The fact that Skelton is a genuine fan of the Man of Steel shines throughout the book. It's apparent this book is a labor of love and not a hacked product to be released just in time for the release of this summer's "Superman Returns." It's his passion for the story that allowed him to unearth some arresting details that build his case that the parallelism between Superman and Jesus isn't merely coincidental. For example, Skelton reveals that Clark Kent's earthly parents were originally named Mary and Joseph before Superman's publishers required that that connection between the Gospels and the cartoon not be so obvious. With reverence for both Jesus and Superman, Skelton offers such an overwhelming catalogue of comparisons that it's impossible to miss the creative intention of many of Superman's creators. Causal fans of the Superman will enjoy his exposition of the "Death of Superman" story of which only the most devoted fans will be aware.

However, I felt that Skelton frequently strained to build his argument that Superman is a fictional type of Christ. For example, Skelton labors for a few paragraphs attempting to show how a Biblical Greek word "krypton" helps us understand the spiritual allusions of Superman's home plant Krypton." Odds are the similarities between the words are a simple coincidence. Later, in another side bar, Skelton tries his hand at linguistics and points out the "Kent" in "Clark Kent" uses the same consonants as the Hebrew word for "Christ." Again, Skelton presses to hard to make his point. Why torture the story for a few extra thrusts when logic doesn't allow it? His documentation of how the director and writers of "Smallville" intentionally infused their contribution to the Superman story is evidence enough of the messianic themes in Superman.

In spite of its short comings, "The Gospel According to the World's Greatest Superhero" is a great gift for your favorite comic book fan. It's also a valuable book for children or youth pastors looking to build a summer curriculum series that ties into `Superman Returns." Skelton should be praised for attempting to find common ground between pop culture and Jesus.

Haven't read this book but..........2007-08-10

I haven't read this book so can't pretend to comment on it (though this review system forces me to give it a rating) but, that said, the comparisons between Superman and Jesus, while I see it, always makes me shake my head. While, certainly, people can and should freely interpret art and literature independently of the creators' intentions I feel many ignore or are ignorant of the most strikingly obvious and already well documented of parallels. For example, Mario Puzzo did, in fact, draw in the link to John 3:16 in his script for the 1978 "Superman" film and Bryan Singer, with "Superman Returns," does seem to push the Jesus-as-savior metaphor for the Man of Steel as well. But let's please remember that Superman was created in the 1930s by Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster, two Cleveland Jewish kids who, rather than the unlikely scenario of basing their character on Jesus, based Superman on Moses. As the baby Moses' people faced destruction from Pharaoh who'd ordered the death of all male infant Hebrews, his mother placed him in a basket on the Nile River in an effort to save him. He was found by another family (ironically, a member of Pharaoh's household) and grew to become a hero and savior to the Hebrews, wielding tremendous powers and achieving feats no mortal man could hope to match. See any similarities to the Superman origin?

Entertaining analysis, but not quite super.......2006-11-30

This is a fun book, but in places it attempts to create connections between Jesus and Superman that don't really appear to be there. Prospective readers should be aware that Superman is, and has aways been, primarily a pop culture icon intended to entertain, not a symbolic figure meant to remind us of Christ.

The author admits this truth and tries to navigate around it by several times admitting that not all the parallels he mentions were intended by the creators or writers responsible for the stories. Nonetheless, Skelton says, Christians ought to see any figure in pop culture through the lens of the Bible, so that we can be reminded of truth even in a medium where the author did not deliberately try to convey it -- essentially, we should interpret all our experiences (including those involving Superman) from a Christian persective.

This is all fine and good, but Skelton then goes on to point out such elaborate and inventive parallels between Jesus and Superman that it becomes hard to take some of them seriously. According to this book, we should be reminded of some aspect of Jesus' life by Superman's Kryptonian name (Kal-El), his earthly name (both "Clark" and "Kent" can remind us of Jesus), the names of both his Kryptonian parents and his earthly parents, the shape of the spaceship that brought him to earth, the clothing worn on Krypton, the clothing his earthly parents were wearing when they found him, the fact that Kryptonite is lethal to him, the color of Kryptonite (at least, the Green K), the colors on Superman's costume, the name of the actor most known for portraying Superman (i.e., Christopher Reeve), and on and on. It is as if every detail of some parts of Superman's life is meant to suggest some new idea about Jesus to us. The examples are so creative that they begin to appear contrived and artificial, rather than genuine parallels to the life of Jesus.

Ironically, Skelton ignores a pretty heavy dose of the Superman mythos to make his case. While he pays attention to every "jot and tittle" of some parts of the Superman lore, he completely overlooks other parts. He draws most extensively from the TV show "Smallville," the first "Superman" movie (not including any of the campy or humorous scenes from that film), and a couple of Superman comic stories -- mostly his origin and the "Death & Return of Superman" saga from the early '90's. Almost no mention is made of the "Lois & Clark" series (which definitely did *not* portray Superman as a parallel to Christ), the Superman III or IV movies, the 1940's Max Fleischer cartoons and movie serials, the George Reeves TV series, nor to broad themes appearing in the comics throughout their 70-year history -- other than mentioning these all briefly in a "Superman chronology timeline" in the beginning of the book. Also noticeably absent was any reference to Brian Azzarello's recent 12-issue stint on the Superman comic, which portrayed Superman as regularly flying to a church and confiding in a priest. Surely if all these other mundane aspects of Superman's life can remind us of Jesus, his presence in a church ought to, as well!

The book ends with a brief synopsis of Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns" movie. However, because the book was released at roughly the same time as the film, the author was not able to view it before the book was complete, so he just deals with "plot speculation." This is unfortunate, because that film did make several deliberate attempts to depict Superman as a Messiah/Christ figure, and examples from it would have fit better than some of the ones that are in the book (Skelton doesn't even mention the most overt Christ-image in the movie, of Superman "giving his life" to save the earth and then falling with arms outstretched, in the position of Jesus on the cross, back to earth.)

Still, this book certainly is an entertaining read, even if I had to scratch my head a little at some of the examples that Skelton draws. After all, it is a well-thought-out book, and it's Superman!!! Anyone who enjoys Superman and wants to see how some of the ideas in his history can point us to Christ ought to enjoy it, as long as you don't expect an analysis that starts with the Superman creators' own intentions.

An excelent supplement to this book, which focuses more on broad themes (not only on the minutiae) of Superman, and also includes a "spiritual" analysis of many other comic book heroes, is H. Michael Brewer's "Who Needs a Superhero?"

Good Book.......2006-11-03

This book helped me to give a talk to a Christian Youth Group of the spirituality of God and how it relates to the greatest Superhero of all, Superman. Its a fun and easy read and is recommended to anyone who is interested in seeing the ties between Superman and our christian values

Georgia FlyBoy.......2006-09-04

This book is very insightful and informative. It will make you view the Superman mythos in a radically different light. The many references to my favorite television show, "Smallville", gave me an even greater appreciation for the heart-warming morality tales that are the hallmark of this groundbreaking series. I am certain that any person's spiritual growth will be greatly enhanced by this awesomely cool book!

The Amazing Transformation of Jimmy Olsen (Superman (Graphic Novels))

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The Amazing Jimmy Olsen

The Amazing Transformation of Jimmy Olsen (Superman (Graphic Novels))
Various
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ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1401213693

Book Description

Cub reporter Jimny Olsen stars in this light-hearted volume collecting some of his most memorable adventures from the late 1950s and 1960s, all of which guest-star Superman!

While investigating crime for The Daily Planet, Jimmy undergoes one startling transformation after another, gaining temporary super-powers as Elastic Lad and becoming a Giant Turtle Man, The Wolf-Man of Metropolis, The Human Porcupine and much more!

Customer Reviews:

The Amazing Jimmy Olsen.......2007-08-18

Superman's pal Jimmy Olsen was always an over eager cub reporter in the SUPERMAN comics and his own comic book. In his zeal , he would try to over achieve. Most of these tries would end in small diasters for his pal Superman.

These reprints of the 1950's thru 1980's Jimmy Olsen comics are a great overview and showcase of JImmy the adventerous one. In this collection of short comic stories, He becomes a great brain, a wolfman, a bizarro Jimmy(a negetive monstrous creature), A great alien from Jupiter, a 50 foot man (shades of the 50 foot woman of the B rated Movies), a quilled freak, a turtle man, an Elongated rubber man and even a superhero in Superman's bottle of Kandor

These comics are reprined in color with a brighter than average newspaper comic stock. The stories are cute and reflect an era gone by. I give it 4 stars because they could have given this collection a higher quality paper. I dont mean a slick paper stock like some books are today , just a better bond paper

For the collectors of Superman, this collection has been a long time coming. For others, it is a neat trip to an era gone by and well worth your time

And as Perry White would say "DON'T Call me CHIEF"

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

Average customer rating:

Decent Compilation of the Superman Legacy
Good overview
"Faster than a speeding bullet..."
Great
Not the best Superman stories, but certainly not the worst

Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told
DC Comics
Manufacturer: Dc Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0930289390

Customer Reviews:

Decent Compilation of the Superman Legacy.......2002-03-13

I found "The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told" much more effective...Why?
Maybe it was the stories by the likes of Byrne, Moore and Kirby...
Maybe it was the multi-part stories from the 60's...
Maybe it was the 'imaginary' stories that helped convolute the DC Universe so badly that only by destroying it could it be saved (in 'Crisis on Infinite Earths')...
Whatever the reason, these stories (though rarely great) are consitently good and entertaining. They hold up well enough to still honor the pre-death Man of Steel and the impressive legacy he wields.

If you can find a copy, you may not be dazzled but you probably won't be dissapointed either.

Good overview.......2002-01-10

I have no way of knowing if these REALLY are the the greatest Superman stories ever told, but it's certainly a good overview of the career of the Man of Steel. For anyone interested in a scholarly history of Superman, the two introductions are invaluable: giving us Superman's history, his revisions, and the people who made him. The stories here are samplings from the entire history of Superman. We see that, in the beginning, Superman couldn't fly (he could just jump really high) and that Lex Luthor had hair. To me, the stories get much better in the later years. There's a superman adventure by comic-legend Jack Kirby and, my favorite, a little story by Alan Moore about what to get Kal-El for his birthday.

"Faster than a speeding bullet...".......2001-08-30

I began reading comics right at the end of their Golden Age, and they were instrumental in fostering my life-long love of reading. That's why I would never denigrate them, and I always encouraged my children to read them. One of my favorites was, of course, Superman, not only the comic, but the television series. I had a very large collection of all types of comics from the 50s and early 60s, but they were sold (except for my complete set of Classics Illustrated) several years ago, to help pay for home remodeling. I'm sorry they're gone, so when I saw this book on a bargain table at Borders, I knew that I would buy it, and I'm glad that I did. Several of the early stories were from books I had as a youngster, and even the ones with which I was not familiar were very interesting. This is a good collection to have, as there are some interesting written articles, and the stories themselves give a good chronology of Superman's evolution through the years. It's a great nostalgic work for the aging Baby Boomer!

Great.......2001-07-08

Another great collection of Superman stories. This collection offers a wide variety of tales, ranging from early stories to those told during the Superman re-launch in the mid-80's. All were great, and really show the quality of the character and creators who have made the character such an icon. When read in one volume you can really see how the character has evolved yet still maintained the qualities of heroism over the years. Highly recommended.

Highly recommended.

Not the best Superman stories, but certainly not the worst.......2001-06-21

This is one of those collections that proves 'old' comics (40's-60's) don't necesarilly have to be corny. The stories told in this collection are nice stand-alone reads. Nothing spectacular but also nothing that isn't worth your time. There's even an Alan Moore story in here. If I compare the stories in here to a lot of other stuff from "those days" these come of very positive in 90% of the cases and you'll get to see some fun surprising things (like a Lex Luthor WITH hair).

Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Vol. 1

Average customer rating:

Great intro to the Superman comics
DC cannibalizes a classic trade paperback
Greatest Superman Stories? Not quite.

Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Vol. 1
Various
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1401203396

Customer Reviews:

Great intro to the Superman comics.......2007-05-12

This was recommended to me on The Daily Planet forum for people who are just getting started and interested in learning about Superman. It was recommended to me that I read this one FIRST as well as DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore. If you are wanting to learn the mythos of Superman this is the way to go.

DC cannibalizes a classic trade paperback.......2005-07-14

Well, I had this hard-hitting review planned until I saw the review by Mr. Klees which captured all of my points fairly well. So, with a nod to him, I will tone it down and echo some similar sentiments regarding this horrible "semi-reprint". SUPERMAN: THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD is a rare example of DC comics royally screwing up a trade paperback.

In the late `80s, DC released a trade collection titled THE GREATEST SUPERMAN STORIES EVER TOLD (referred to hereafter as "V1.0"), which gave a fairly good representation of some of the best Superman stories of the past 50-odd years. I had no real interest in Superman before the mid-`80s, but after having become engrossed in John Byrne's post-Crisis revamp of the Man of Steel, I picked up the V1.0 trade with somewhat moderate hopes of tiding myself over. In short, I was amazed at how enjoyable and fun the classic Superman stories were. I eventually lost track of that copy, and as I've grown older and had a chance to read more and more Superman stories, I've realized that, while V1.0 may not truly be the greatest, it was a good attempt, and a nice book to have on the shelf.

When the recent "replacement" trade SUPERMAN: THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD (referred to as "V2.0") was released, I unfortunately bought it without a second glance, as I was sure I had another chance to own those collected stories I enjoyed so much as a teen... WRONG!!! This book is an almost completely different collection. First off, it's cut by about 140 pages, yet costs five bucks more than V1.0. While it does retain a few stories from the first book, the missing stories are too much to ignore. DC's stated reasoning for this is that, since some of the stories in V1.0 had since been reprinted elsewhere, they didn't warrant repeating here. Well, how about this, DC: maybe the fact that they've been reprinted so often is an indication that they truly ARE great!

So, gone are many awe-inspiring or just-plain-fun tales from V1.0. In V2.0, they are replaced with stories such as "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way", which is really too recent to have proven itself as one of Superman's "greatest" stories, and, of course, Jim Steranko's much-hailed "Exile at the Edge of Eternity", which, while it does have some amazingly beautiful art, suffers from a hackneyed plot.

Luckily, after some searching, I was able to find a pristine copy of V1.0. They're still out there, so I recommend you invest a little time in finding that one instead of the unnecessary V2.0. The same thing has happened with the Dark Knight, as THE GREATEST BATMAN STORIES EVER TOLD has been replaced with BATMAN: THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD. That original book is also not too hard to find. Happy hunting...

Greatest Superman Stories? Not quite........2005-05-12

Though some of the reviews below are referring to a book other than the one shown on this page, this review is for the recent revamping of the Greatest Superman Stories Collection. While the original collection, published in the late-80s to mark Superman's 50th anniversary, had its flaws (too many "imaginary stories and a history gap of 14 years from 1971 to 1985) it was still a good solid overview of the character's history. This new edition, which has both fewer pages and a higher price, jettisons most of the truly great stories collected in the original edition and replaces them with a largely uneven bunch.

Instead of Alan Moore's "For the Man Who Has Everything" and John Byrne's "The Secret Revealed", we get 2001's over-wrought "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way." According to someone at DC Comics, the Moore and Byrne stories were dropped in part because they'd been re-printed elsewhere since the original Greatest Stories book. If this is the case, I'd like someone to explain why the highly over-rated "Must There Be A Superman" (re-printed in the Superman in the Seventies" book) was one of the sole carry-overs from the first edition.

Lest anyone think I'm simply a curmudgeon who can't stand change, I'll happily concede that there are still great stories in the book (1988's "Return to Krypton" probably being the high-point). Still, as a collection that purports to represent the best of the character's history, it's a weak effort. Fans who want a true representation of the character's history will be better off seeking out a copy of the previous version. Even if you ignore the "imaginary stories", the page count is still higher, the price is likely to be lower. As for the entertainment value, it's like a match-up between Superman and Luthor. There's no question who's going to win.

DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories: 11 Tales You Never Expected to See!

Average customer rating:

The Absolute Best of DC's Silver Age
Great stories, but where are the covers?
DC's Greatest Imaginary Tales
Imaginary Tales within a Fictional Universe

DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories: 11 Tales You Never Expected to See!
Various
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1401205348

Customer Reviews:

The Absolute Best of DC's Silver Age.......2007-04-27

If you're at all like me, then you find most Silver Age Superhero stories a bit monotonous. No matter what fascinating complication arises, everything always returns to normal by the issue's close. Apparently some writers felt just as annoyed by this pattern, though. Frustrated by this need to keep returning titles to familiar territory, some of DC's most visionary writers began telling imaginary tales that "may or may not ever occur." In these stories, heroes could marry, make fatal mistakes, and even die.

The least of these stories were wish fulfillments for frustrated fans. Wouldn't Superman ever decide between Lois Lane and Lana Lang? Wouldn't the bottle city of Kandor ever return to full size? But the better imaginary stories saw their premises as an opportunity to explore deeper sides to otherwise familiar characters -- aspects of their personalities that would only surface when their deepest desires were met or their worst fears were confirmed. For that reason, these stories were able to deliver powerful, dramatic portrayals of cherished characters in a way that no other Silver Age story could.

Readers should know that, for better or worse, this is a Silver Age Superman compilation. Yes, a few other stories are thrown in (The Flash story is perhaps the oddest fit in the bunch), but eight of these eleven stories are about Superman and his supporting cast, and they generally happen to be the better stories too. It seems like a supreme effort was made to diversify this anthology to include other heroes in the DC Universe, but the editors of this anthology weren't fooling anyone.

"The Second Life of Batman," "Mr. and Mrs. Clark (Superman) Kent," and "The Origin of Flash's Masked Identity" are the sleepers of this volume; semi-interesting in their "what if?" premises, but not particularly special in their executions.

"Batman's New Secret Identity" is just plain silly and fun, especially when some construction workers accidentally blast the side off of the Batcave. Alfred's shocked reaction in the distance is priceless.

"Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl," and "The Fantastic Story of Superman's Sons" are both quite endearing and worth a read. The first story gives us an opportunity to take Jimmy a little more seriously for a change, and the second can be downright touching at certain moments, especially when our protagonist gets to go back in time and meet his dead grandfather (Jor-El).

"The Three Wives of Superman" has a very touching premise as Superman is forced to watch wife after wife die, but the plot feels a bit hurried along and forced in its execution.

"The Atomic War" didn't amaze me at first, but when you consider its implications to Cold War readers, the thought of Captain Marvel failing to stop a Nuclear World War III from obliterating the human race can send a chill down one's back.

"The Death of Superman" is a sure-fire must read. It's absolutely epic in its telling as a fantastic redemption ultimately leads to our invulnerable hero's untimely demise. This might be the greatest Superman story ever told (which would explain why it's also included in the Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told anthology).

"Superman and Batman - Brothers" is still my absolute favorite Silver Age story of all time. It combines all the best elements of the DC Imaginary Tale - fun pretend, powerful drama, and deep, emotionally resonating revelations about the basic nature of its protagonists. If you don't already think Jim Shooter is a god of a writer, this story will certainly sway your opinion.

In closing, you can't miss this volume if you're a fan of the Silver Age (and especially not if you're a fan of Superman and family). It's the absolute best of what DC's silver age had to offer. I only hope that we'll eventually see a volume 2.

Great stories, but where are the covers?.......2006-10-18

This is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of DC "What if?" stories from the Silver Age, including many classic tales, such as "The Death of Superman" and "Superman Red and Superman Blue." Many of these brought back wonderful memories. The only thing I can't understand is DC's failure to reprint the covers. Their absence here is what keeps me from giving this a 5 star rating. Curiously, in the places where the house ads would go, DC has reprinted covers for imaginary stories that do not appear in this volume. It's certainly nice to see these, but I hope that if there are future volumes, the editors will remember to include what got us to buy these comics -- their fantastic covers!

DC's Greatest Imaginary Tales.......2006-06-25

I enjoy reading "What if" stories and this collection from DC allows one to do so. It's fun to sit back and read stories that diverge from the real world of the DC Superheroes. I hope they publish another graphic novel of Imaginary Tales from the DC universe.

Imaginary Tales within a Fictional Universe.......2005-08-26

This very attractive graphic novel is perfect for readers who love comics from the gold and silver age. The stories the are included are-

- The Atomic War (Captain Marvel Adventures #66, Oct. 1946) An imaginary story within an imaginary story!

- The Second Life of Batman (Batman #127, Oct. 1959) What would happen if Bruce Wayne's parents were never murdered?

- Mr. and Mrs. Clark (Superman) Kent (Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #19, August 1960) What if Lois Lane learned of Superman's identity and married him?

- The Death of Superman (Superman 149, Nov. 1961) Lex Luthor, Hero! What happens when Lex Luthor quits crime, goes straight and becomes pals with Superman?

- Jimmy Olsen Marries Supergirl (Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #57, Dec. 1961) When Linda gets amnesia from Red Kryptonite, she falls in love with the redheaded reporter and they make it legal! A two-parter.

- The Orgin of Flash's Masked Identity (The Flash #128, May 1962) Why does the Flash wear a mask, and what made him decide to finally wear one? A simple, shorter tale.

- Batman's New Secret Identity (Batman #151, Nov. 1962) What happens when Batman gets a new identity, and Dick Grayson must give up being Robin? Also includes an appearance from Batwoman! A two-parter.

- The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue (Superman #162, July 1963) A "Brain Evolution Machine" splits Superman into two- and they both have mental powers 100x highter than the original! A three-parter.

- The Three Wives of Superman (Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #51, Aug. 1964) Superman marries Lois Lane, then Lana Lang and Lori Lamaris! A three-parter.

- The Fantastic Story of Superman's Sons (Superman #166, Nov. 1964) Superman has non-identical twins named Jor-El II and a Kal-El II- but only one of them has super powers! In this the mother's identity is *literally* left in the dark. A three-parter.

- Superman and Batman- Brothers! (World's Finest Comics #172, Dec. 1967) We see a world were the Kent's also adopt an orphan named Bruce Wayne- and what happens when two teenage brothers discover the other has a secret identity! Superman is Superboy in this tale.

The stories range from silly to sincere ones that focus on relationships and loss, but I personally find them all very charming. Seeing some of comics greatest heroes in a vintage age living in fantasy is a real treat. Especially when the DC universe is going through a huge "Crisis" at the moment with very dark tones and huge changes to our big heroes, this lighthearted book is a breath of fresh air. This is a must-own for fans of "What If?"-type tales and fans of classic superhero tales in general.

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Killing Superman
Mary-Rose MacColl
Manufacturer: Allen & Unwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel

ASIN: 1865089982

Book Description

The themes of betrayal, grief, family, and war are explored in this compelling novel. At the age of 14, Scott loses his father to the Vietnam War. Now in his 30s, Scott still can't come to terms with his grief and believes his father to still be alive. Emily is a journalist working on a story about three Vietnam veterans, including Scott's father, who were awarded undeserved bravery medals. Emily seeks out Scott in hopes of getting close to him and getting the inside family angle on her story. She convinces Scott she can help him find his father, who she knows for certain to be dead, and as they become lovers she continues to deceive him. From the lies and betrayal emerges an intimate and stunning portrayal of a father-son relationship.

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The Superman Story (Superman)
Martin Pasko
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0812577426
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Book Description

The life story of the man of steel. Now in one incredible volume. Comic book format.

Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Vol. 2

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Good kick back reading
Vintage Superman
Loses a star due to the lag between volumes
NOT THE GREATEST, BUT VERY GOOD.
Man of Socialism

Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told, Vol. 2
Jerry Siegel , and Joe Shuster
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1401209564

Book Description

Experience the history of Superman with this series thatreprints the early adventures of the Man of Tomorrow in chronologicalorder.This volume features classic tales from 1939 and 1940 written andillustrated by Superman co-creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, in whichthe Man of Tomorrow battles crooked politicians and slumlords as he bringsjustice to the downtrodden masses.

Customer Reviews:

Good kick back reading.......2007-09-11

It's nice to read Superman's early stories. This is the way, he is supposed to be. Excellent kick back reading.

Vintage Superman.......2007-08-16

This is a collection of the earliest Superman comics, they are in color and affordable. I would consider these a must own for any Superman fan. Overall production value, although not flashy, is excellent and the stories are classics. This is where it all started.

Loses a star due to the lag between volumes.......2007-02-19

Almost a year after the release of Volume 1, DC finally gives us SUPERMAN CHRONICLES VOLUME 2, continuing the admirable but somewhat laughable effort (at this rate, at least) of reprinting every Superman appearance in chronological order. This book features classic tales from Action Comics #14-20 and Superman #2 & 3, from 1939-1940. All stories are written and illustrated by Superman co-creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Keep in mind that these are some of the earliest adventures of Superman from comics' Golden Age, so the style is very direct, almost to a fault. Looking back on them, there's no real narrative complexity or character development - more like Siegel and Shuster were simply producing stories to fill a demand. It actually seems that the boys from Cleveland weren't quite sure what to do with their fantastic creation now that he was finally in comics. Superman didn't have much of a rogues gallery at this point; instead, he deals with white-collar criminals and thugs, with everyone behaving similarly to what was seen in the Superman TV series of the `50s. The only remarkable villain is the Ultra-Humanite, whose appearance in the final story of this volume is something no fan of James Robinson's THE GOLDEN AGE will want to miss. In any case, you're experiencing comics history in the making, getting a look at stories that your parents or grandparents enjoyed as kids, and gaining an understanding of why comics caught on as they did in a world that had a need for fantastic heroes. Even though these stories may be somewhat bland, they have an appeal that can't be ingnored.

I just wish DC would speed up their reprinting of these stories so that readers don't grow old before the Golden Age stories wrap up. There are certainly plenty of stories and other characters to choose from to keep these books coming. Get it in gear, DC!

NOT THE GREATEST, BUT VERY GOOD........2007-02-02

The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told volume two is out, containing nine stories from throughout Superman's long and colorful history. Are these truly the greatest Superman stories? Probably not. The real goal of the DC editors seemed to be to select one story from each decade as opposed to honestly giving readers the best stories. It's more a decade-by-decade sampler of Superman. Good stories no doubt but you could find better I'd argue.

The first story seems to be included more for its historical significance rather than its greatness. "The Mysterious Mr. Mxyztplk" was originally presented in Superman #30 from 1944 and features Superman's first encounter with the troublesome imp from the 5th dimension. Mxyztplk is presented as a cartoon-like character, content to play practical jokes and far removed from the most sinister personality of the modern day character.

"Superman's Other Life" from Superman #132, 1959 presents an interesting "what if" story. Batman feeds all data about Superman into a super-computer called the Univac (which sounds more like Hoover's latest model...) and Superman can visually see how his life might have been if Krypton had not exploded and he was sent to Earth. It's actually an interesting story though hindered by Wayne Boring's art who I never much cared for due to his blocky character appearances.

Superman #141 gives us "The Team of Luthor and Brainiac" a pedestrian title for sure but a solid story written by popular Sci-Fi author Edmond Hamilton. Includes early Curt Swan art.

I'd say my favorite story in the book is "The Secret Revealed" from Superman #2 (2nd series) by John Byrne. Luthor is delving into Clark Kent's mysterious past and goes so far as to kidnap and torture Lana Lang. When all his data is processed by computer it reveals that Clark Kent is Superman. Luthor refuses to believe this as he thinks no person could hold such power without abusing it. A truly chilling look at Luthor's twisted personality.

Jonathan Kent is the true star of "Life After Death" from Superman 500. As Jonathan fights for life in a hospital, his spirit travels far and wide to try and return his son to life after being killed in the battle with Doomsday.

These aren't the greatest Superman stories ever but then again, ask a hundred people to give you their top Superman stories and you'd get a hundred different answers. Most of the stories are very good, a few are exceptional, and a few are ordinary. Great cover by Alex Ross!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Man of Socialism.......2006-11-04

I hate Superman. I have always hated Superman. This has nothing to do with my childhood years and my brother always calling Superman before I could get a chance to. I just hate Superman. Too damn good. Too patriotic. Too one-dimensional. Too authoritarian. I always gravitated to the more grey area heroes like Batman, SPider-Man, Daredevil, Dr. Strange. This being said, Superman Chronicles is a wonderful collection and allows the scholar to see Seigel and Schuster's creation in its original context. This has opened a new window on the character for me, and for that, this book is worth exploring if you have ambivalence toward the Superfascist.

Superman's Song: The Story of Crash Test Dummies

Average customer rating:

Superman's Song: The Story of Crash Test Dummies
Stephen Ostick
Manufacturer: Quarry Music Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 155082130X

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