Superman: Vol. 3
I recently read my first DC Archives Edition and loved it so much that I picked up another one. This time I gave Superman a try.
I really love these golden age stories. It was such a simpler time. I don’t think that it makes for bad stories just because they are different from today.
One thing typical of this era is a lack of focus on super villains. It is mostly organized crime that are the protagonists.
Although at the time of these issues, the Second World War had started even though America had not entered. A number of the stories included enemies, foreign or domestic, that try to prevent America’s rearmament. Germany is never mentioned by name.
One villain who is included is Lex Luthor. It is actually in these issues that Luthor appears for the first time in his familiar bald appearance. He definitely is portrayed as a threat to Superman.
Another important part of the Superman cast introduced here is Perry White. It is White that sends Lois and Clark on their investigations, which usually end up in Superman rescuing Lois.
One of the things I like is that we get a more human Superman. When he gets hit by missiles, he feels it. Luthor can shoot him with a ray gun and knock him out. It far from the god-like status that later stories give him. This Superman can’t move planets.
I really enjoyed DC Archives Editions – Superman Vol. 3 and I hope to get more.
