Tuesday, April 7, 2015

DC Comics Silver Age Classics Action Comics #252


DC Silver Age Classics was a series put out by the company 25 years ago reprinting key issues from DC's history. It was an interesting 10 issues that DC chose, including the Showcase 4 (first silver age Flash), Showcase #22 (first silver age Green Lantern), Brave and Bold #28 (first JLA), and others.

One of the ten was Action Comics #252!

The book is a complete reprint of the issue including the Superman solo story introducing Metallo, a Congorilla story, and the first appearance of Supergirl, the eight page story at the end of the issue. So interesting that Supergirl's origin and the set-up for her back up series was done so quickly. These days her origin took 6 issues!

The story is reprinted in many many places so no need to cover it again.


But the issue did include a small column called 'Classic Comments', a brief write-up about the importance of the issues.

I don't know if this column by Kim 'Howard' Johnson is great but I thought I would share.

For one, even in 1992, I don't know if Supergirl would be the second female super-hero that people would name. As much as I think Supergirl is up there in the pantheon, I don't know if the general public knew about Supergirl then. Would she be the quick second choice? Maybe ...

And Howard's statement that maybe part of Supergirl's appeal is her being a cute young girl was probably true back in 1959.


Howard does a good job of quickly recapping not only this Supergirl's origin but the 'dry run' of Supergirl from back in Superman #123.

Her career and adventures are truncated to one paragraph, jumping from Midvale orphan to death in the Crisis 3 sentences.

Still, this issue might be the closest I get to actually holding Action Comics #252 in my hand. So I am glad to have it in my collection.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lets not forget the Supergirl movie was pretty ubiquitous on cable and network TV even after the character had been killed off and expelled from DCU continuity...something like that helps a character's overall name recognition in positive ways IMHO.


JF

Martin Gray said...

Having first come across Totem Supergirl in reprints, it was years before I learned she wasn't a ginger wearing green!