The Millennium Chronicles
The Millennium Chronicles is a regular column that
explores the Millennium Edition reprint series that DC
Comics released throughout 2000.
This time we look at:
Action Comics #1
(Originally Published June, 1938)
Writers: Jerry Siegel, H. Fleming, Fred
Guardineer, Alger, Sven Elven, Will Ely, and Bernard
Baily
Artists: Joe Shuster and all of the above, except
Jerry Siegel.
Price: $3.95 US/$6.25 CAN, (Back-issue. May be
sold for higher price.)
This is it folks. The Book of Genesis for comics.
The Big Bang, the Alpha, the A-#1, the single most
valuable, desired, and important book in the entire
history of the medium.
Action #1 has so many claims to fame, it’s
best just to list them all:
-First appearance of Superman, comics’ first
super-hero.
-First appearance of Zatara, the Magician.
-First issue of DC’s highest numbered series.
-Second-highest numbered comic series of all time,
(Dell’s Four Color Comics number over 1,000).
-Second-Oldest continuously published DC comic, (Detective
is a year older).
-Most valuable comic in the world. A copy in Good
condition is worth at least $50,000.
The impact of Superman on the medium cannot be
overestimated. While there were costumed heroes before
him, they were all normal human beings. Flash Gordon
and Buck Rogers had adventures in outer space, and The
Shadow had mind-reading powers; but any abilities
these men had were learned skills, and were not given
to them at birth. Also, most original comics
characters were pale imitations of popular comic strip
and pulp fiction heroes. Comic books lacked a mascot,
a representative of the medium as a whole. The
newspaper strips had The Yellow Kid. Talking movies
had Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer. In 1938,
comic books got Superman.
It’s interesting to compare the Superman story
with the other stories in this book. The other
stories, especially Zatara, bear a strong
resemblance to the comic strips of the time. Indeed,
many comics stories were strips that couldn’t be
sold to the syndicates. Superman was one such strip,
rejected for being too unbelievable. The Superman
story here is unique for several reasons. First of
all, it’s incomplete. The story continues into the
second issue, a rare event at a time when some comic
books folded after 2 or 3 issues. Also, the story
begins in the middle of the action. The first time the
reader sees Superman, he’s carrying a lady, bound
and gagged, through the night sky. When the entire
tale was reprinted in “Superman #1”, eight new
pages were added to the beginning of the story to
explain why.
The art of Superman is also unique. You’ll notice
how much the strip is shaded with thick, black lines.
The human figures are curved, the faces very
expressive. When people are shocked or scared, the
whites of their eyes are visible. Compare this with
the flat, rigid work in Zatara, or the sketchy
style of Tex Thompson.
Superman became such a success, that other
publishers began creating their own superheroes. Some
were similar to Superman in powers and abilities,
(like Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman). Other had only
a singular power, (super-speed, flight, and strength
were the most common). Since Superman’s powers were
derived from his alien heritage, creators had to find
ways for humans to gain powers. This was achieved
through chemicals, (Hourman’s pill), magic
artifacts, (Green Lantern’s ring), scientific
devices, (Starman’s cosmic rod), or other non-human
heritages, (the half-human Sub-Mariner).
As if to achieve a sense of balance, or perhaps
cover their bets, publishers encouraged more
non-powered costumed crime-fighters. By trying to be
different from Superman, characters like Batman, the
Atom, and the Golden Age Sandman can credit their
creation to Superman’s success.
Since his first appearance, Superman has become one
of the most popular fictional characters in the world.
He’s as recognizable as James Bond and Sherlock
Holmes. Batman is the only other comic book character
to rival him in terms of popularity. Superman was also
the first character to go from comic books to radio,
television, and cartoons. And while Captain Marvel
beat him to films, the Superman movie is still hailed
as a landmark in special effects and considered one of
the greatest movies ever made.
Last, but not least, there is Zatara. Zatara was a
minor player in Golden Age DC comics, really not much
more than a rip-off of Mandrake, a magician in the
comic strips. Over the years, though, Zatara’s role
in the DCU has slowly increased. His daughter, Zatanna,
joined the Justice League of America in the 1970’s,
and has attracted her own set of fans. Zatara has
since been retconned into an important character in
the Golden Age of the DCU.
History:
The popularity of Superman led to super-heroes
being the most popular and most published aspect of
the comic book industry. This is in addition to
Superman being one of the most popular characters in
the world.
Who’d have thought an entire industry could be
changed, let alone born, by two 19-year-old boys from
Toronto and Cleveland?
5.1/5 Slushies, ‘cause we wouldn’t be here
without it.
Quality:
By today’s standards, the book is crude and
amateurish. Of course, they didn’t have computer
coloring in 1938. Think of it as a core sample of
Pre-Golden Age comics. Still, the stories are well
paced and entertaining. The Superman tale is genuinely
exciting.
4/5 Slushies
Total:
4.55/5 Slushies. Every comics reader should own a copy
of this book.
Related Works:
Other Golden Age greats include:
Marvel Comics #1-Atlas Publishing enters the
comic book industry with this anthology title. The
android Human Torch takes the cover, with the
Sub-Mariner and Ka-Zar on the inside. When publisher
Martin Goodman asked Jack Kirby and Stan Lee to create
new superheroes in 1961, they named the new publishing
group after this book: Marvel Comics.
Detective Comics #1-Published in 1937, it was
the first series dedicated to a single genre. The
success of Detective led to the launch of Action.
Captain America #1-The first time a new
character is launched immediately into a monthly
series, rather than an anthology. The book also has
the first published work by Stan Lee.
More Fun Comics #1-First book to feature
all-original stories.
Famous Funnies #1-This premium book of popular
comic strips is considered to be the first modern
comic book.
Highlights for Superman include:
The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told- This
collection of Superman comics covers the first 50
years of the character’s history. Included are such
landmark stories as the first appearances of Lex
Luthor and Mr Mxyzptlk, Neal Adams’ “Is there a
Need for Superman”, and an imaginary tale where Lex
Luthor kills Superman in one of the most perfect and
brilliant plots I’ve ever seen.
Superman: The Man of Steel (mini-series)-John
Byrne recreates Superman for the Modern Age.
Superman #75-The highly publicized and
temporary death of Superman
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? - Two-part
story written by Alan Moore, with art by Curt Swan and
George Perez. Written to be the last Silver-Age
Superman story, it tells of how Superman faced his
greatest foes, and seemingly died.
Highlights for Zatara and Zatanna include:
Swamp Thing #50-Zatara and other magicians
combine their powers to fight an ancient evil. Zatara
and Ibis the Immortal are destroyed.
Batman: The Animated Series-Zatara appears as a
stage magician who teaches a young Bruce Wayne the art
of escape. Zatanna and Bruce are shown as young
lovers.
DC Direct- A Zatanna action figure was released
as part of a set of magic-based DCU heroes.
