Most Reprinted DC Comics Story Part II

Part I of this series discussed the origin story of The Flash from Showcase 4 (October 1956). Here is a second contender for most reprinted story from DC Comics.

The Bat-Man was introduced in Detective Comics 27 (May 1939) without an origin. The origin was finally seen as two page introduction to the story in Detective 33 (November 1939)- "The Batman Wars Against the Dirigible of Doom". The two pages were reprinted in Batman 1 (Spring 1940) with an illustration from the first page of the story in Detective 34 replacing the dirigible. The first panel's caption has been slightly changed. This is the version usually reprinted.

Great Comic Book Heroes, (The Dial Press) 1965
Batman from the Thirties to the Seventies (Crown Publishers) 1971
Famous First Edition (DC) #F-5 February-March 1975
Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes (Crown Publishers)
Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Volume 1 (DC) 1992
Millennium Edition: Batman 1 (DC) February 2001
Batman Chronicles, The 1 (DC) 2005

The original origin story is reprinted in

Batman (Signet Books) #D2939  1966
Secret Origins 1 (DC) February-March 1973
Batman Archives Volume 1 (DC) June 1990
Batman in the Forties (DC) 2004
Batman Chronicles, The 1 (DC) 2005


The original version below is followed by the version in Batman 1.

Batman Archives Volume 1 page 66

Batman Archives Volume 1 page 67

Batman from the Thirties to the Seventies page 26

Batman from the Thirties to the Seventies page 27

Tommy Tomorrow

One character I remember with fondness is Tommy Tomorrow, first seen in Real Fact Comics 6 (January-February 1947). After four appearances there Tommy spent the 1950s as back up to Superman in 125 issues of Action Comics then back up to Superman and Batman in 23 issues of World's Finest Comics until finally ending in 5 issues of Showcase in 1963. The stories are rarely reprinted but the first story is available in the 1999 collection Pulp Fiction Library: Mystery in Space. A later story from Action Comics 186 (November 1953) is also reprinted here. Another Tommy story from World's Finest Comics 116 (November 1960) is reprinted in DC Super Stars 6.

Tommy has a new story in another of DC Comics odd 1970s reprint series - DC Special. Issues 1 through 26 were reprints but the final three issues were new stories. Tommy is the blond gentleman on the cover below. There is an interesting text piece in this issue about the history of Tommy.

Pulp Fiction Library: Mystery in Space - 1999

DC Special 27 - April-May 1977

DC Super Stars 6 - August 1976

Viking Prince Part I

The Viking Prince series ran in 23 issues of The Brave and the Bold from number 1 through 24, skipping 6, a total of 25 stories. Its standout feature is the artwork by Joe Kubert which earned it a hardcover reprint volume in 2010. Included in this volume were two stories from 1966 issues of Our Army at War that had the Viking Prince meet Sgt. Rock of Easy Co., another Joe Kubert drawn series.

Eight stories were first reprinted in the 1970s. Three from issues 1, 3 and 5 in DC Special 12 and three from issues 23(2) and 24 in three of The Brave and the Bold 100 page Spectaculars. The remaining will follow in part II.

DC Special 12 - May-June 1971

The Brave and the Bold 113 - June-July 1974

The Brave and the Bold 115 - October-November 1974

The Brave and the Bold 117 - February-March 1975

Super DC Giant Part II

In the first part of this series I illustrated the three western issues of the Super DC Giant series. Here are two of the four super hero issues.

Both issues have a story with minor changes from the original. The numbering of the fourth chapter of The Challengers of the Unknown story has been changed from "IIII" to "IV" in the Super DC Giant reprint. The Aquaman story has its title and lead-in paragraph changed.

Super DC Giant S-25 - July-August 1970

Challengers of the Unknown Archives Volume 2 - 2004

Super DC Giant S-26 - July-August 1970

Super DC Giant S-26 page 46

Aquaman Archives Volume 1 - 2000

Super DC Giant Part I

Super DC Giant was an early reprint series distinguished by its odd numbering and wide ranging genres. Numbering began with issue S-13 and ended with 27. Issues are dated September-October 1970 (S-13) through July-August 1971 (S-26) and then 27 came along in summer 1976.

There are romance (2), comedy (3), western (3) horror (2), science fiction (1) and superhero (4) issues.

Here are the three western issues with 16 stories reprinted from All-Star Western, Western Comics, World's Finest Comics, Action Comics, Frontier Fighter, All-American Western and Bat Lash. The characters are Johnny Thunder, Matt Savage Trail Boss, Trigger Twins, Nighthawk, Wyoming Kid, Vigilante, Pow-Wow Smith, Buffalo Bill, Foley of the Fighting 5th and Bat Lash. There is a new story in S-15.

Super DC Giant S-14 - September-October 1970

Super DC Giant S-15 - September-October 1970

Super DC Giant S-22 - February-March 1971

100 Page Super Spectacular Part I

One of the best of all the reprint comics is Superman 252, also numbered DC-13 in the 100 Page Super Spectacular series. A couple of things make it special.

Nine stories are reprinted thanks to 100 pages (including covers) and no ads. At a time when very few golden age stories were reprinted, eight of the stories were originally published 1940-1942. The line up includes Superman (with 3 stories), Hawkman, Starman, Black Condor, Ray, Spectre and Doctor Fate. Two of them were, 20 years later, included in The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told.

And, of course, the gorgeous wrap-around cover from Neal Adams

Superman 252 - June 1972

Superman 252 back

The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told - 1990

DC Super Stars Part I

DC Comics published a number of short-lived series in the mid 1970s that were either full or partial reprints. DC Super Stars is an example. Eighteen issues were published between March 1976 and August 1977. The first nine were all reprint as was 11. Issues 10 and 12 had reprints and a new story. Issues 13 to 18 were all new.

The series had little focus with 20 characters in 34 reprint stories originally published in 15 series. Four of the issues had a science fiction theme with Adam Strange as the lead character. Adam Strange is the only DC science fiction character from that era to have been reprinted in the Archives editions.

DC Super Stars 2 - April 1976

DC Super Stars 4 - June 1976

DC Super Stars 6 - August 1976

DC Super Stars 8 - October 1976

Gorillas Part I

The period 1960-1977 was the golden age of DC reprints. Hundreds of comics reprinted earlier DC stories. In the late 1980s DC began reprinting stories in their Archive Editions and other collected editions. These collections are much welcomed but they lack the charm and surprise of the earlier reprints. They are also much more expensive.

Here's an example dated Winter 1976. Super-Heroes Battle Super-Gorillas 1 was the only issue published. There are three stories, two of which were reprinted in the Giant Annual reprint series in the early 1960s:

"The Super-Gorilla From Krypton" from Action Comics 238 (March 1958). First reprinted in Superman Annual 7. The original cover is reprinted on the back cover of the Annual. The gorilla is not in costume in the story.

"Grodd Puts the Squeeze on Flash!" from Flash 179 (August 1967)

"The Gorilla Boss of Gotham City!" from Batman 75 (February-March 1953). First reprinted in Batman Annual 3 Super-Heroes Battle Super-Gorillas 1 - Winter 1976 Superman Annual 7 - Summer 1963 Superman Annual 7 back Batman Annual 3 - Summer 1962

1975 Giants Part I

The last of the 116 issue 100 Page Super-Spectacular series from DC Comics had an April-May 1975 date. Immediately after this DC published a short series dated April through July 1975 with "Giant" on the cover of only one issue in a few series. Here are a couple. The Giants are 68 pages.

Action Comics 449 reprints three stories - two Green Arrow and Speedy originally published in Adventure Comics 252 (September 1958) and 253 (October 1958)and an Atom from Atom 18 (May 1965). The two Green Arrow stories were reprinted again 25 years later in a small collection of stories illustrated by Jack Kirby. The two stories are connected and were edited when reprinted in Action Comics with the first page of the second story removed.

Tarzan 238 reprints United Feature daily newspaper strips from November 1971 to May 1972. They have been coloured and formatted for the comic page. There are 49 pages of Russ Manning art - all for 50cents.

Action Comics 449 - July 1975

The Green Arrow by Jack Kirby - 2001

Tarzan 238 - June 1975

DC 52 Part II

The new DC has come and gone - 52 #1s in September. A good time for me to say goodbye to DC and superhero comics after 50 years. For a long while the connection was tenuous with only two or three books a month but now it is clear that even that is a waste of time and money.

I picked up a few of the 52 and confirmed how awful the new stuff is. With one exception the stories and art are cliched junk. An example is Blackhawks which I enjoyed for many years when called Blackhawk. The characters are different which wouldn't necessarily be a problem if I enjoyed the new but I don't. So goodbye Batman, Superman, Flash - good luck in your new lives.

The old Blackhawk was revived a few times. The first series ended in 1968. In 1976 Blackhawk returned with new costumes and old numbering. This series was extended in 1982 with a second following in 1989.

Note the eye patch on the woman in 1989 and (how original!) in 2011.

Blackhawks 1 - November 2011

Blackhawk 244 - January/February 1976

Blackhawk 251 - October 1982

Blackhawk 1 - March 1989

DC 52 Part I

Anyone following current mainstream comics knows that DC 52 means the 52 new #1s that DC Comics is publishing in September. All current comics end and the DC Universe is reborn. Sort of. While DC and the press make much of the effort I haven't seen anyone note that fully half of the new comics feature characters whose first stories were seen over 70 years ago. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Blue Beetle, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Blackhawk.

It's amazing to me that the superhero comic still dominates the mainstream comic book world. All of the characters mentioned are children of the 1930s depression and when you think about it how can they matter (in a commercial, cultural or entertainment sense) in 2011? The 1960s Marvel universe has extended the life of the superhero comic but for how long?

This blog is about the time when comic books did matter and here is an example from Wonder Woman 39 (Jan-Feb 1950).