The Superman Chronicles Vol. 1
Writer: Jerry Siegel
Artist: Joe Shuster
The Genesis of not only Superman, but of comic books as a whole.
Ranking: 5 stars
What we have here is the birth of not only a legendary character, but also an entire industry and medium.
The character Superman stands not only as the defender of liberty and justice, but also as an archetype for all Superhero comics. Before the publication of the first Superman comic, comic books were a new medium that had just emerged in 1933. The comic books of the early years frequently consisted of reprinted newspaper comic strips, and their stories were often humor based. Comic books did not gain any significant recognition until Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster wrote ACTION COMICS #1 in 1938, which was legendary for introducing the Man of Steel to the printed page. That single story in the 64-page comic became a tremendous success, and helped launch the Golden Age of Comics, a historical period when comics became a mainstream art form, and introduced the concept of a superhero itself.
The DC chronicles are collected editions of the earliest stories about their most famous characters (Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash), and THE SUPERMAN CHRONICLES VOL. 1 is a reprinting of all of the Man of Tomorrow's early adventures. The stories included in this astonishing first volume are ACTION COMICS #1-13, NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR COMICS #1, and SUPERMAN #1. Besides THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN saga, this was the book that brought me into the Man of Steel’s comics. I was never that much of a Superman fan, as his stories seemed fairly straightforward, and appeared to lack the emotion of other superheroes like Spider-Man and Batman. This book made me think otherwise, as I discovered that the character was quite capable of being more than straightforward. I bought this volume for the sole purpose of reading the first Superman issue alone (well of course I did, as it’s a huge target for die-hard collectors), but the stories presented here gave me a whole new perspective of what kind of character Superman could be.
There are numerous differences between the Golden Age and modern day Superman. The Superman presented here is not the defender of truth and justice that America knows today, but was a cold-hearted vigilante who delivered his own brand of justice. The Superman of the Golden Age was not afraid to use his excessive strength against ordinary criminals (he once gave a wife-beater the same treatment he forces upon his spouse), and he casually gave death threats for even the smallest crime (he compared crushing a bar of iron to crushing a man’s neck). I was shocked to see Superman behave in this fashion at first, as it seemed to be completely out of his character. But like the Golden Age Batman (who also regularly killed criminals), he was just in the early stages of his development, as Siegel and Shuster had not yet defined the morals that made his character, and censorship wasn’t strictly enforced, as it would be in later years. I found this Superman to be an interesting version of the character, as it made me realize how different a fictional character’s interpretation can be throughout the years of his development. It not only piqued my interest, but also for the audience of the 30’s, as the personality and concept of Superman was different from other comic book characters at the time. I wouldn’t want this Superman in today’s comics, but he works perfectly in the comics of the 30’s.
Another reason these comics had such a huge impact on the industry, is because they introduced themes never before seen in previous ones. Superman’s most common foes in his earliest adventures were ordinary mobsters, and war tyrants (not extravagant super villains, although Ultra-Humanite could be considered a Lex Luthor type character), which related to the issues that America faced during the time period (The Great Depression and the approaching WWII). This allowed readers to have characters that they could relate and look up to during those hard times, despite being fantastical. I highly recommend this volume for not only Superman fans, but for comic book fans in general, due to its historical significance on comics and stages of character development. I will admit though, that the writing can definitely be cheesy at points (Krypton is said to have died of old age in this book), but it was written in the 1930’s, so it won’t reach the standards of today’s comics. Despite the writing being outdated, you will not be disappointed by this volume, as it not only shows us an interesting beginning for Superman’s character, but the creation of the superhero concept itself, which is why I found it’s stories so thrilling. It’s without a doubt, a must read for anyone who calls themselves comic book fans, due to it’s legendary significance on the medium.
This is comic book culture at the dawn of its life!
