The Many Lives of Superman #5

The Many Lives of Superman

Surgeon!

Script by Leo Dorfman
Pencils by Al Plastino
Inks by Al Plastino

Action Comics #337
From Riches To Rags
May 1966
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Posted for no other reason...

...than for sometimes you just have to dance!


(and sometimes you may have to use the dance as an excuse to send vibrations through the floor to shatter the timing mechanism of the bomb located underneath the dance floor)

Script by Cary Burkett
Pencils by Kurt Schaffenberger
Inks by Dan Adkins
Colors by Adrienne Roy
Letters by Jean Simek

The Superman Family #196
Super-Disco Fever
July/August 1979
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Ten Days of Action Comics #10

And so we bring our ten day celebration of the centennial issues of Action Comics to a close with today's post. Following the pattern that we've established over that last nine days would mean we're showing the cover to Action Comics #1000. We're going to have to wait another 8 years for that one, so instead we're going for a two-fer by combining day ten with this week's Weekly Panel of Steel post and take a look at what's inside the issue.

With well over twenty collaborators involved, we had a wealth of panels to choose from. Pete Woods has been a phenomenal Superman artist for the past five years now. (Geez, has it been that long since Up, Up and Away!) If anyone deserves the honor, it's him. Dan Jurgens revisited his iconic Death of Superman storyline for a page, so there was that to choose from. Rags Morales packed a whole issues worth of emotion into his one page recap of the destruction of Krypton. And then there was contributions by Ryan Sook, R.B. Silva, Gary Frank, and Brian Stelfreeze...

All of these creators made it almost impossible to choose, so I went with the sentimental pick instead.


That's right, the band's back together again!

Anyone who has been reading my blogs for the last two years knows that the Death of Superman storyline was the moment I became a lifelong Superman fan. How could I not pick the awesome two-page spread of all of the major players from that era back together in one room.

And when it's drawn by Jesus Merino, whose style I have enjoyed for well over a decade now, it's even better. I, for one, can't get enough of his work, so I was thrilled to see him helping out at the tail end of the Black Ring storyline. I'm hoping that he sticks around the Superman stable of artists for the foreseeable future (like a post-Grounded Superman gig would suit me just fine).

So there you go...Superman is back in Action where he belongs and everything is right with the world.

Life is good.

Script by Paul Cornell
Artwork by Jesus Merino
Colors by Blond
Letters by Rob Leigh

Action Comics #900
The Black Ring Finale
Reign Of Doomsday
May 2011
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Ten Days of Action Comics #9

And finally, here's the cover for the first American super-hero comic book to reach 900 issues the honest way, in stores today.


Only one thought comes to mind...welcome back Superman!

(psst...Hey Superman editors! Can we not have another two years go by without Superman in Action Comics? Please?)

While we're celebrating, we might as well take a look at the alternate covers too!

That's Alex Ross on the left and Adam Hughes on the right.

Artwork by David Finch

Action Comics #900
June 2011
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Ten Days of Action Comics #8

Here's a bit of a surprise...Eight days into our celebration of Action Comics and it's our first homage to the original cover.

I would've thought that that would've happened a lot sooner than with issue #800, but here it is.


I always liked the homages that play a little bit with the perspective of the original cover, and this one's no exception. A gorgeous cover for a fantastic issue (Boy, do I sure miss Joe Kelly on Action Comics).

Artwork by Drew Struzan

Action Comics #800
April 2003
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Ten Days of Action Comics #7

Seven hundred issues in, and we finally hit the 1990's with our ten day long celebration of the longevity of Action Comics. Today's anniversary issue is #700 and I have to reluctantly say, it's the only real stinker of the bunch.

Readers of my other blog, The Random Longbox, are no doubt well aware of my admiration for the artwork of Jackson Guice. His work on Doctor Strange in the late 80's made me a fan for life. I'm just thankful that this issue wasn't my first exposure to his work.


It's a good cover concept, it just loses something in the translation. And if you can get past the woefully outdated hair styles, the inside work is actually pretty stellar.

Artwork by Jackson Guice

Action Comics #700
June 1994
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Ten Days of Action Comics #6

We're quickly approaching Wednesday, and with it the release of Action Comics #900. Like we did for most of last week, we're taking a look at all of the centennial anniversary issues of Action. Up today is issue #600!


Like yesterday's issue #500, this one feels very anniversary-ish...what with the gold statue and all.

Readers of my other blog, The Random Longbox, may remember that I took an in depth look at this issue last year. Click on over here, here, and here if you need more than one panel of Superman excellence today,.

And readers of this blog have come to expect a Superman vs. Dinosaurs themed posting today, to which I apologize and promise the Sunday versus posts will resume next week. In the meantime, if you squint really hard and look at the cover for today, you can almost imagine that Superman is fighting a pterodactyl instead of Mat-Bat. Almost.

Pencils by John Byrne, George Perez, Kurt Schaffenberger, Dick Giordano, Curt Swan, Mike Mignola
Inks by George Perez, Jerry Ordway, John Beatty, Murphy Anderson, Mike Mignola

Action Comics #600
May 1988
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Ten Days of Action Comics #5

We're halfway through our ten day celebration of the centennial celebrations during Action Comics long and storied history, all in anticipation of the release of issue #900 in less than a week's time.

Up today is issue #500 and for the first time we get a cover that looks like a real celebration.

Pencils by Ross Andru
Inks by Dick Giordano

Action Comics #500
October 1979
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Ten Days of Action Comics #4

Another day, another anniversary cover for Action Comics, counting our way up to issue #900! Today's cover comes from issue #400, and to help celebrate they brought in the incomparable Neal Adams to do the honors!

And its got a gorilla!


(Technically it's half a gorilla, but I'll still count that as a win)

Pencils by Neal Adams
Inks by Dick Giordano

Action Comics #400
May 1971
Copyright (c) DC Comics

Ten Days of Action Comics #3

Day three of the countdown to issue #900 and believe it or not, things are getting even less exciting around here.


Come on, anniversary covers, you need to start picking up your game a little bit. We're supposed to be building to some sort of climax in seven days time.

Pencils by Curt Swan
Inks by George Klein

Action Comics #300
May 1963
Copyright (c) DC Comics