What would you like to see as a Superman TPB?

[Gernot]

What stories would you like to see collected in TPB form?

Here are my choices:

*Virus X (a 1968 Action Comics serial)

*Superman Vs. The Sand Creature (arguably Denny O'Neil's only good Superman story)

*Superman Split In Two (an Action Comics serial by Marv Wolfman, Gil Kane, and Mike W. Barr from 1982)

*Superman Vs. The Super-Powers Luthor And Brainiac (from 1983-1986)

*The Best Superman Team-Ups

*The Best Of World's Finest

*Action Comics Weekly (the 2-page Superman spreads collected in one comicbook--NOT necessarily a TPB)

*Justice For All Includes Children (Public Service Announcements that ran through DC's titles in the 1970's--reprinted in comicbook form, too)

What're your choices?

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Damn...

Pretty much everything, Post-CoIE is being covered.

As for Pre-CoIE, I guess it will be made available in TPB sometime in the future.

But, if I could wish for anything, it would be a kick-ass and all-new Superman story, written by Alan Moore. OR just as good, the Superman 2000 revamp proposed by Morrison, Waid, Millar and Peyer. And after that, that it became the official - and definitive - Superman origin (only if it's as good as some people claim).

[Yoda]

Never Ending Battle.

They stopped those Superman tpb's after Our Worlds at War, but i would really like to see that storyline collected.

[JulianPerez]

*Virus X (a 1968 Action Comics serial)

This was put on TPB in the SUPERMAN IN THE 1960s, which also contains the issue where Superman met President Kennedy that had to be pulled off the stands after his assassination, and the issue where thanks to Red Kryptonite, Kal-El loses his memory and becomes a cowboy.

*Superman Vs. The Super-Powers Luthor And Brainiac (from 1983-1986)

Awww, man, I'd LOVE to see this in TPB form. Marv was uneven as a Superman writer, but that George Perez designed battlesuit was incredible. Ditto for the destruction of Lexor, the reporter that was a juvenile delinquent the Kents adopted before Superbaby, and the Superman/Lana Lang relationship that tragically was never resolved.

As for my TPB pics:

Since so many of the Superman stories were eight pagers, it can be hard to collect a trade paperback for many of Superman's stories except by theme, a la CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS.

I for one, would love to see a TPB that collects the issues that were the first appearances of the Super-Pets, and in addition to their first appearances, also features Krypto Mouse, Mynah the Super-Bird, and that gorilla with a Kryptonian scientist's brain, King Krypton. Ditto for the stories where Comet the Superhorse turns into Bronco Bill Starr. These were the stories we learn that "Circe" was Kryptonian, and her "magic" is Kryptonian science. And as a great finale, it would have the "REVOLT of the Super-Pets" from ADVENTURE COMICS (where Comet says "Great PEGASUS! Crime Machines!"), and "Hand of the Luck Lords," where the pets save the Legion's bacon.

A "Best of" collection ought to be created for the various Schwartz Superman writers: Len Wein, Cary Bates, and Elliot S! Maggin.

The "Tales of the Super-Sons" backup strip also ought to be in trade paperback in some form.

One story that can very easily be put in trade paperback form is the several issue story arc where Superman first constructs the Supermobile in order to fight Amazo, when the Earth's sun temporarily turns red. Superman's skills as a gadgeteer and inventor have really been severely underused in recent times.

Don't forget the "Nightwing and Flamebird" stories, where Superman and Jimmy become the Batman and Robin of Kandor. It would start with the first time they adopt the identity to fight a corruption plot in Kandor, and end with the 1970s issues where Superman's identical look-alike cousin Van-Zee takes over the Nightwing role, including that one SUPERMAN FAMILY where the Kandorians judge and convict Supergirl and the two have to find evidence to save her from the Phantom Zone.

Some of the JIMMY OLSEN, MR. ACTION stories with Kurt Schaffenberger art could stand for a packaging; Jimmy Olsen was MUCH better as a crook-busting two-fisted tough guy than he was as a bowtie wearing pansy. This would naturally include the story that was the first appearance of Diana Savage, Jimmy's personal archenemy.

A "Phantom Zone Criminals" TPB ought to be interesting, with Cru-El, Superman's evil cousin, that gorilla with one horn on his forehead, that time the Phantom Zoners used Jewel Kryptonite to gain telepathy, and the time Jimmy Olsen as Elastic Lad was temporarily trapped in the Phantom Zone. And possibly the story where General Zod creates an army of clones.

And also...would it be too much to ask to see Maggin's SUPERMAN: LAST SON OF KRYPTON and MIRACLE MONDAY back in print again? They were the finest superhero novels ever written. Dead-on.

[dancj]

You could have Best of Elliot S! Maggin and Best of Cary Bates tpbs

Dan

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Never Ending Battle.

They stopped those Superman tpb's after Our Worlds at War, but i would really like to see that storyline collected.

That would be "Ending Battle", and you're absolutely right.

I liked that story very much. Not to mention it was, to date, the last appearance made by The Cyborg.

[Gingold]

Superman: The Secret Years miniseries from 1985 or so.

Steve Gerber's Phantom Zone miniseries.

Those Gil Kane Superman specials from the mid 80s.

A collection of those treasury editions that had Superman and Wonder Woman, Superman and Cap. Marvel and (of course) Superman vs. Muhammed Ali (legal complications be damned).

[Gernot]

This was put on TPB in the SUPERMAN IN THE 1960s, which also contains the issue where Superman met President Kennedy that had to be pulled off the stands after his assassination, and the issue where thanks to Red Kryptonite, Kal-El loses his memory and becomes a cowboy.

Actually, Julian, the story I'm talking about is from the LATE '60's (I think it 1968), and was a serial that ran for about 6 issues. The concluding chapter had several JLA members masquerading as Superman, to keep Earth people from panicking after Superman's "death."



Awww, man, I'd LOVE to see this in TPB form. Marv was uneven as a Superman writer, but that George Perez designed battlesuit was incredible. Ditto for the destruction of Lexor, the reporter that was a juvenile delinquent the Kents adopted before Superbaby, and the Superman/Lana Lang relationship that tragically was never resolved.

I don't think Marv had anything to do with the Lexorian armor... I thought that was Cary Bates who updated Luthor, and Wolfman did Brainiac. I always liked BOTH updates, personally. ;)

As for my TPB pics:

Since so many of the Superman stories were eight pagers, it can be hard to collect a trade paperback for many of Superman's stories except by theme, a la CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS.

I for one, would love to see a TPB that collects the issues that were the first appearances of the Super-Pets, and in addition to their first appearances, also features Krypto Mouse, Mynah the Super-Bird, and that gorilla with a Kryptonian scientist's brain, King Krypton. Ditto for the stories where Comet the Superhorse turns into Bronco Bill Starr. These were the stories we learn that "Circe" was Kryptonian, and her "magic" is Kryptonian science. And as a great finale, it would have the "REVOLT of the Super-Pets" from ADVENTURE COMICS (where Comet says "Great PEGASUS! Crime Machines!"), and "Hand of the Luck Lords," where the pets save the Legion's bacon.

A "Best of" collection ought to be created for the various Schwartz Superman writers: Len Wein, Cary Bates, and Elliot S! Maggin.

The "Tales of the Super-Sons" backup strip also ought to be in trade paperback in some form.

One story that can very easily be put in trade paperback form is the several issue story arc where Superman first constructs the Supermobile in order to fight Amazo, when the Earth's sun temporarily turns red. Superman's skills as a gadgeteer and inventor have really been severely underused in recent times.

Don't forget the "Nightwing and Flamebird" stories, where Superman and Jimmy become the Batman and Robin of Kandor. It would start with the first time they adopt the identity to fight a corruption plot in Kandor, and end with the 1970s issues where Superman's identical look-alike cousin Van-Zee takes over the Nightwing role, including that one SUPERMAN FAMILY where the Kandorians judge and convict Supergirl and the two have to find evidence to save her from the Phantom Zone.

Some of the JIMMY OLSEN, MR. ACTION stories with Kurt Schaffenberger art could stand for a packaging; Jimmy Olsen was MUCH better as a crook-busting two-fisted tough guy than he was as a bowtie wearing pansy. This would naturally include the story that was the first appearance of Diana Savage, Jimmy's personal archenemy.

A "Phantom Zone Criminals" TPB ought to be interesting, with Cru-El, Superman's evil cousin, that gorilla with one horn on his forehead, that time the Phantom Zoners used Jewel Kryptonite to gain telepathy, and the time Jimmy Olsen as Elastic Lad was temporarily trapped in the Phantom Zone. And possibly the story where General Zod creates an army of clones.

And also...would it be too much to ask to see Maggin's SUPERMAN: LAST SON OF KRYPTON and MIRACLE MONDAY back in print again? They were the finest superhero novels ever written. Dead-on.

A LOT of the stories you'd like to see ARE a lot of fun! I think I've got most of 'em in the DC Digests from the '70's and '80's. ;) They were bought used, but I love those things! ;)

[JulianPerez]

Actually, Julian, the story I'm talking about is from the LATE '60's (I think it 1968), and was a serial that ran for about 6 issues. The concluding chapter had several JLA members masquerading as Superman, to keep Earth people from panicking after Superman's "death."

Oh really? Which one am I thinking of, then?

It had Superman blasting "BE EXCELLENT TO EACH OTHER AND EVERY MAN A SUPERMAN" right on the moon, and Sun Boy creating a "second sun" that melted the earth's ice caps. "NO, you FOOLS! You foolish FOOLS! NOOOO! DON'T MELT THE ICE CAPS! Bad - BAD - idea!"

That sort of serial format with separate characters was an absolutely fantastic idea; witness the Julie Schwartz ZATANNA'S QUEST story that first introduced the character, where she bums around with other characters to save her father. Arguably, this style is MORE effective than just straightforward JLA style teamups, because it means that the "Atom" story involves shrinking to microscopic universes, and the "Batman and Robin" story involves a lot of detective work and gangsters.

I don't think Marv had anything to do with the Lexorian armor... I thought that was Cary Bates who updated Luthor, and Wolfman did Brainiac. I always liked BOTH updates, personally.

Oh, how true - Luthor was never better when he had that WRATH OF KHAN thing going on where he blamed Superman for the death of his Lexorian wife.

For such an obsessed guy, Luthor sure had a really great sense of humor, though.

Those Gil Kane Superman specials from the mid 80s.

I really hate to disagree with you, Gingold, because of how much respect I have for the incredible Gil Kane as an artist. As an ARTIST.

As a writer, though, he did stuff like SUPERMAN SPECIAL NO. 1 (1983) "Behold, the Ultimate Man"

Reading this from cover to cover, I'm positive there's not an original idea in the entire thing.

The tale is about a scientist that discovers a means to evolve himself upward until he acquires titanic mental powers. Isn't this the premise of something like fifty TWILIGHT ZONE episodes? What his gigantic new hydrocephalic head lacks in the ability to wear hats, it makes up for in the amazing superpower to do whatever Gil Kane needed him to do at any given moment, including creating tidal waves (somehow) and pulling out meteors from space. To quote SUPREME: "Watch out! His powers are so ill defined as to be virtually limitless!" But this begs the question: if the scientist is now so powerful that he can create volcanic eruptions and fire comets to the earth to distract Superman, why doesn't he just turn the blood in Superman's veins to Kryptonite or trap him in a field of stopped time?

The "evolutionary advancement" to gain superpowers is not the most original idea here (the High Evolutionary, Captain Comet, and X-Men after all, were all doing this before it was cool) but even this derivative concept was particularly tired here. The scientist advances himself through the future state of humanity and it's a guy with a giant head. Gee, how innovative. What's especially rich, though, is the fact he's described as "genetically perfect." When I think of perfect, I think of Michaelangelo's David. I don't think of creepily slim giant-headed hipsters with a stare like he just smoked a reefer the size of a highway flare. Later on, he takes another evolutionary advancement, his head increases to twice the size of the rest of his body, requiring a chair to move him around. If you're being derivative of the hypercephalic Mobile Organism Designed Only for Killing (MODOK) you've really cribbed off the bottom of the barrel.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that there was a moral there about how "man loses his humanity with too much intelligence?" Nope, never heard that one before.

Superman's solutions to problems are a snore. He escapes from the belly of a space monster by Spinning Really Fast to collect the anti-energy or whatever the hell, I really can't figure it out. And if you've seen Superman stop a volcano, comet, and hurtling asteroid one time, you've pretty much seen them all. None of it is worth mentioning.

[Gernot]

You're thinking of the ORIGINAL Virus X story, Julian. Superman THOUGHT he'd contracted the virus, but found he actually hadn't, by story's end.

In the serial I'm talking about, Superman DOES contract the virus, and it's destroying him. He's losing his powers throughout the story, is turning green ala Kryptonite poisoning, and his skin is CRACKING, like Bizarro. He took to wearing a Superman mask, and human gloves to avoid frightening people.

It was VERY late in the Silver Age of Comics, and one of the last prior to the Bronze Age.

About that Gil Kane special, perhaps it was an inventory story Julius Schwartz "needed" to get out of the way before the revamp. As was the case in the Digests, maybe they were intended NOT for long-time readers, but for the CASUAL or FIRST-TIME readers.

God, I love those digests! Trade Paperbacks BEFORE there were Trade Paperbacks! :) I wish they'd bring 'em back for the new movie! Too bad they didn't start off with any Batman versions last spring, too!

[Gingold]

I really hate to disagree with you, Gingold, because of how much respect I have for the incredible Gil Kane as an artist. As an ARTIST.

As a writer, though, he did stuff like SUPERMAN SPECIAL NO. 1 (1983) "Behold, the Ultimate Man"

Reading this from cover to cover, I'm positive there's not an original idea in the entire thing.


You may be right. I haven't read them in about 20 years or so, I liked them a lot when I was 10...

Dammit Julian, you're ruining my childhood! :)

[Wannabe]

I think that the worst of "The Worlds Finest" would be much better. Just have the most ridiculous collection of Worlds Finest. There are alot of them.

[MythicBrawn]

Is the storyline where Superman kills the Kryptonian criminals collected in a TPB? I would like to get that complete story. I don't care what anyone says, he did the right thing. DC has made a big deal about him not killing and I agree for the most part. But, he was justified in that case.

[jadegiant77]

Put me down for the "Sandman Superman" story by Maggin and the "Emperor Joker" storyline. I'd also like Maggin's Superwoman and Sword of Superman stories reprinted(you can read more abou t them at the coolest superman website ever,theages.superman.ws (http://theages.superman.ws)

[SuperSince92]

I would like to see the "King of the World" story collected. Never read it, but heard the premise and it sounds very cool.

[dancj]

I liked that story very much. Not to mention it was, to date, the last appearance made by The Cyborg.

Cyborg was in last month's issue of The Flash. (mediocre story though)

[dancj]

Is the storyline where Superman kills the Kryptonian criminals collected in a TPB? I would like to get that complete story. I don't care what anyone says, he did the right thing. DC has made a big deal about him not killing and I agree for the most part. But, he was justified in that case.

They're working their way through the Byrne era with the Man of Steel series of TPBs - That was his last story so if they make it that far it'll probably be in the last TPB of the series.

Dan

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Cyborg was in last month's issue of The Flash. (mediocre story though)

Is that so? What was he doing there?

I meant not The Titans' Cyborg, but The Cyborg.

[dancj]

Oops - sorry this was the Titans one.

[666MasterOfPuppets]

Oops - sorry this was the Titans one.

Meh, he also appeared in IC #2.