Reviews

Superman Archives, Vol. 1 by Paul Cassidy, Jim Steranko, Sheldon Moldoff, Vin Sullivan, Hugh Langley, Joe Shuster, Fred Guardineer, Fred Schwab, Bert Lexington, George Papp, Jerry Siegel

dantastic's review

4.0

This collects Superman #1-4 where were themselves reprints of various stories from Action Comics. The Superman of the late 1930s/early 40s isn't a demigod like the Superman of today. He can't fly, has no vision powers, and doesn't have x-ray vision, heat vision, and half a dozen other powers. He can run fast, jump high, and has the proportional strength of an ant according to a feature in one of the issues. He's also no boy scout. The Golden Age Superman beats the shit out of crooks and stands up against authority when such a thing needs doing.

The art reminds me of Roy Crane of Captain Easy fame making this strip easy on the eyes. Honestly, there's nothing about this collection I don't like. Brief sidebar, 10 cents for 64 pages back in the day.

lesgles's review

3.0

An enjoyable glimpse at the first incarnation of Superman. In these stories he can only leap over tall buildings and faster than an express train, but he is already pretty much unstoppable. I liked the "period" flavor of the stories are standard pulp fiction of the time, and also the old ads and promotions that are also included in the volume. The plots themselves are pretty weak, and the art is simplistic. But for fans of Superman, it merits a look.