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misterintensity's review against another edition
3.0
Eighty years of Action Comics is a long time. This book is full of reprints from Action's 80 year run. Most of the book consists of Superman reprints and essays about Superman but there is some spotlight of on some of the other features that appeared over the years including Zatara the Magician, The Vigilante, and The Human Target. Throughout the book you get a snapshot of superhero comics throughout the history of the medium. Yeah a lot of the stories have been reprinted ad nauseam (Superman's first appearance, The Key to Fort Superman, etc.), yet you cannot deny the importance of the stories of this collection. If your someone who is already well versed in Superman comics history you could skip this, for anyone else who wants to look at why Superman and Action Comics have endured for 80 years then check this collection out.
jammasterjamie's review against another edition
5.0
I got exactly what I wanted from this collection. If you're a fan of Superman, or just interested in the history of comic books in general, adding this to your reading list should be a no-brainer.
loonyboi's review against another edition
4.0
A decent, if slightly schizophrenic collection of Superman stories. The text pieces by Levitz and especially the great [a:Jules Feiffer|5116|Jules Feiffer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1208540516p2/5116.jpg] are welcome, as is the excellent (if brief) piece by [a:Gene Luen Yang|68959|Gene Luen Yang|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1415919636p2/68959.jpg]. But the reprinted stories are all over the place.
The previously unpublished piece believed to have been written by Jerry Siegel is great, if only because of the amazing story (told in his introduction) of how it was saved by a young [a:Marv Wolfman|10178|Marv Wolfman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1298865686p2/10178.jpg]. And I will always be up for Superman stories by greats like [a:John Byrne|15083|John Byrne|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1270670409p2/15083.jpg], [a:Neal Adams|61970|Neal Adams|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1362629672p2/61970.jpg], [a:Curt Swan|93458|Curt Swan|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] or any others I've loved over the years. But did we really need a Human Target story in this book? Or Zatara: Master Magician? If this is a retrospective of Action Comics as a whole, then sure. But it's 80 Years of Superman in Action Comics, which makes those feel particularly out of place.
But still, good collection. Don't go expecting this to be a comprehensive book of the best Superman stories ever told (DC has books with those names, but they're hardly definitive), as this is limited to tales that appeared within the Action Comics run. But it's a decent collection, and some of these stories haven't been collected elsewhere. Worth reading if you're a fan for sure.
The previously unpublished piece believed to have been written by Jerry Siegel is great, if only because of the amazing story (told in his introduction) of how it was saved by a young [a:Marv Wolfman|10178|Marv Wolfman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1298865686p2/10178.jpg]. And I will always be up for Superman stories by greats like [a:John Byrne|15083|John Byrne|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1270670409p2/15083.jpg], [a:Neal Adams|61970|Neal Adams|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1362629672p2/61970.jpg], [a:Curt Swan|93458|Curt Swan|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] or any others I've loved over the years. But did we really need a Human Target story in this book? Or Zatara: Master Magician? If this is a retrospective of Action Comics as a whole, then sure. But it's 80 Years of Superman in Action Comics, which makes those feel particularly out of place.
But still, good collection. Don't go expecting this to be a comprehensive book of the best Superman stories ever told (DC has books with those names, but they're hardly definitive), as this is limited to tales that appeared within the Action Comics run. But it's a decent collection, and some of these stories haven't been collected elsewhere. Worth reading if you're a fan for sure.
ktaborn's review against another edition
5.0
I liked this way better than the actual Action Comics 1000. This is a great anthology showing one or two complete stories with Superman throughout his history. Every period it touched on and it is interspersed with interviews, memoirs, and the like.
manumaan's review against another edition
4.0
A great compilation of Superman stories from previous years. Some of the stories bring back childhood memories. Some bring tears to eyes.
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