This entry is a "two-fer", concerning the stories involving Sally Selwyn, "The Sweetheart Superman Forgot" and "The Man Who Stole Superman's Secret Life".
The two tales, written by the original co-creator and writer of SUPERMAN, Jerry Siegel, are based on the premise of SUPERMAN getting amnesia from being exposed to "Red Kryptonite", which has a different strange effect on The Man Of Steel every time he is exposed to it. After this happens, in the first Sally Selwyn story (SUPERMAN # 165), Superman changes into his Clark Kent guise and adopts the name "Jim White", who, as the editor's note tells the reader, got his name by combining portions of the names of Perry White and Jimmy Olsen.
I will not spoil the details further here, I will instead reveal what an old softie I am, in that these stories are truly tragic and actually make me cry to this day, even though I have read both several times since I first read them in the 1960's.
The two stories were drawn by cartoonist great Al Plastino, another individual who drew SUPERMAN stories with a very powerful, barrel-chested Superman. Plastino's work is very effective, he will soon be the subject of a blog entry in my CARTTOONIST GREATS THROUGHOUT HISTORY series.
In any case, both of these stories are found in various reprint formats, and are worth the time it will take you to seek them out.
I will enter more information later, as I get to it, so, this is...
TO BE CONTINUED!!!
Friday, June 8, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
JERRY LEWIS, THE ADVENTURES OF # 97 DC/NATIONAL COMICS 1966
Well, believe it or not, I just love this comic book, which came out when the "BATMANIA" fad was in full swing, thanks to the 20th CENTURY FOX television series, BATMAN, which was shown twice a week, on Wednesday and Thursday nights, on ABC TV, here in the US.
This comic book is truly a "comic" book, that is, it is _funny_, and it is about a stand-up comic, which Lewis actually was at the time.
The plot depicts Jerry and his comic book nephew, "Renfrew" going into action as their own version of the famous Caped Crusaders, of course, and the dialogue in this is so typical of the mid-1960's, and, while dated today, really is funny, at least, it is to me, just as funny as it was in 1966.
Written by the late Arnold Drake, and drawn by one of the world's best charicaturists,Bob Oksner, this issue of "JERRY" is one of the few I bought in the original run of the comic books, and kept all these years, because it has sentimental value to me, and it is a true time capsule of it's era, when there was a much larger variety of comic book genres.
Who could forget Jerry as "Ratman", and "Renfrew" as "Rotten"?
I will never do so!!!
:o)
This comic book is truly a "comic" book, that is, it is _funny_, and it is about a stand-up comic, which Lewis actually was at the time.
The plot depicts Jerry and his comic book nephew, "Renfrew" going into action as their own version of the famous Caped Crusaders, of course, and the dialogue in this is so typical of the mid-1960's, and, while dated today, really is funny, at least, it is to me, just as funny as it was in 1966.
Written by the late Arnold Drake, and drawn by one of the world's best charicaturists,Bob Oksner, this issue of "JERRY" is one of the few I bought in the original run of the comic books, and kept all these years, because it has sentimental value to me, and it is a true time capsule of it's era, when there was a much larger variety of comic book genres.
Who could forget Jerry as "Ratman", and "Renfrew" as "Rotten"?
I will never do so!!!
:o)
SUPERMAN issue 149 Original Series "The Death Of Superman"
This is one of my all-time favorite comic book stories, so dramatically told, and really portraying the truly heartfelt way that the people of Earth just love The Man Of Steel.
Written by original SUPERMAN co-creator, Jerry Siegel, this story appeared not long after Siegel returned to DC COMICS, after an absence brought on by the lawsuit he and partner Joe Shuster mounted against DC/NATIONAL to win back the rights to their character.
It is unquestionably one of the best SUPERMAN stories of "The Silver Age Of Comics", which occurred between 1956 and 1969, in this reader's opinion.
In this, one of DC's so-called "Imaginary Stories", because it happens outside of the normal SUPERMAN continuity,Lex Luthor is about as vile as a comic book villain could be, and Siegel's script has a couple of big surprises.
Don't reveal the shock ending to your friends!!!
As usual, Curt Swan's SUPERMAN is a real hero, portrayed realistically, but you can still feel that his pretty normal looking frame has "powers and abilities beyond those of mortal men".
I first read this story in the reprinted version in SUPERMAN # 193, which came out only about four years after the first printing, and, wow, it really affected my nine or ten year old brain at the time.
This story absolutely "made" reading SUPERMAN comic books for me, I loved them already, but this one is a true classic.
I recall re-reading it while my beloved BOSTON RED SOX broadcasts ran commercials during the 1967 "Impossible Dream" win against The Minnesota Twins.
Interestingly enough, I also read FATMAN THE HUMAN FLYING SAUCER and a DENNIS THE MENACE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL during those hot Summer day RED SOX wins!!!
Written by original SUPERMAN co-creator, Jerry Siegel, this story appeared not long after Siegel returned to DC COMICS, after an absence brought on by the lawsuit he and partner Joe Shuster mounted against DC/NATIONAL to win back the rights to their character.
It is unquestionably one of the best SUPERMAN stories of "The Silver Age Of Comics", which occurred between 1956 and 1969, in this reader's opinion.
In this, one of DC's so-called "Imaginary Stories", because it happens outside of the normal SUPERMAN continuity,Lex Luthor is about as vile as a comic book villain could be, and Siegel's script has a couple of big surprises.
Don't reveal the shock ending to your friends!!!
As usual, Curt Swan's SUPERMAN is a real hero, portrayed realistically, but you can still feel that his pretty normal looking frame has "powers and abilities beyond those of mortal men".
I first read this story in the reprinted version in SUPERMAN # 193, which came out only about four years after the first printing, and, wow, it really affected my nine or ten year old brain at the time.
This story absolutely "made" reading SUPERMAN comic books for me, I loved them already, but this one is a true classic.
I recall re-reading it while my beloved BOSTON RED SOX broadcasts ran commercials during the 1967 "Impossible Dream" win against The Minnesota Twins.
Interestingly enough, I also read FATMAN THE HUMAN FLYING SAUCER and a DENNIS THE MENACE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL during those hot Summer day RED SOX wins!!!
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