ah yes, the prison inmate medical laboratory. Definitely a thing prisons have. Also I love that Lex Luthor's plan to defeat Superman starts off like: Step 1: Sucker punch a prison guard. Step 2: Cure cancer.
Don't you love how Luthor could always get access to a fully - stocked laboratory even while in prison during the Silver Age ? What utter maroons ! He should try taking over Tony Stark's place back when J.A.R.V.I.S. was Tony's cyber - valet or even F.R.I.D.A.Y.
Steve Shives is the only man I know who can upload 3 super heavy political videos then immediately swivel around and talk about Superman for about 20 minutes and I'm all for it
"You can stop wasting bullets!" I love that line. It's just as hilarious as when in the Supergirl show Superman in one of his cameos asks why they always go to punching when the shooting doesn't work.
David Brenner used to do a bit about the George Reeves TV series "The bad guy SHOOTS Superman. And the bullets BOUNCE OFF HIM. Then when the bad guy's out of bullets he THROWS THE GUN at Superman...And he DUCKS!"
It's funny cause in superboy the tv show. They had a bad guy dressed as superboy trying to punch him on the chin. And when that didn't work, but hurting his own hand. He tried to kick superboy on his boot/shin, having him jump around holding his injured foot. like shooting him and running him over with a car didn't work, so obviously hitting is the only way... lol...
@@willmfrank While I'm sure being hit in the face with a gun wouldn't hurt him I'm sure it is still annoying. Plus he is still a living being with natural instincts and reflexes and only has the superpowers due to being on a different planet from the one he was naturally born on. So old habits die hard I guess?
I feel like there's a good story in a villain who plays the long con, turns over a new leaf to get back at their enemy. Starts getting second thoughts as their their "Fake" good deeds get them the positive reinforcement they never got in the first place. Leading to the epiphany of "Wait, was I the asshole this whole time?" Maybe I'm just channelling a bit of my love of Lex's end in "All Star Superman"
This was the first Superman comic I ever saw. My mom read it to me when I was around four, which would have made it 1965 or so. If I remember correctly, my uncle had given me and my brothers all of his old comics and this was amongst them. I clearly remember the general plot, the dastardly betrayal and the panel with Superman strapped to the gurney with Lex x-raying his corpse. I'd thought about it from time to time over the years because I couldn't recall how Superman finally got brought back to life, but that's no wonder now... He didn't!
3:22 I love how Superman seems so eager to forgive Luthor, I dunno, he just always struck me like the type of guy who'd really love nothing more but to see one of his former enemies going on a redemption arc. (Comming from a guy who knows literally nothing about Superman comics, and only really knows the character via the Justice League cartoon.)
It really makes what Superman said to Lex Luthor and All-Star Superman hit home. You could have saved the world at any time if it had mattered to you Luther
God, this is a good one. Unlike other ones, it features the triumph of his arch-foe. That's what's great about this: it's not so much a great Superman story as it is a great Luthor story. For one of the best supervillains of all time, this is so fitting.
Supergirl's Superman disguise is amazing! Either she had it sitting around already waiting for an occasion like this, or she took time out from hunting Lex to make it. A lot of effort to confuse a room of villains for 5 seconds!
In ACTION #264- which IIRC came out before this- it’s shown that Supergirl- who was still operating in secret @ the time- had rigged up a Superman disguise for those occasions when she unavoidably had to be out in the open.
What a great video. I didn’t know about this story, but will look it up now. One thing you didn’t mention is that Alan Moore must have known this story well, when he wrote Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. The text that starts both stories, reassuring us that the story is imaginary (or is it?), is very similar. But so is the gallery of heroes that shows up at his wake, down to who represents the Legion of Superheroes there. Even the idea that his closest friends are present to watch him die. Impressive.
Superman is a good guy, I can't believe he's been gone this long and still they tell legends of his deeds. He will be missed. Until next week at least.
The most insane thing is that the Candor Judge wasn't at all swayed by Lex's offer and was just like "what? No! Do you think we're fucking stupid?" A lot of other stories would have that work.
Some older fans have mentioned the “Virus-X” story as being far more convincing than the entire 1990s “Death of Superman.” I’ve never read it myself, but enjoyed it vicariously when they’ve written about it. Some comic stories just have that ability to really grab you.
I think not only one of my favorite Silver Age Superman stories, but one of my all time Superman stories, is The Last Days of Superman (Superman #156), that also showcases a scenario in which the hero ''dies'', but in such a way that it really captures his whole mythos, and the famous phrase inprint on the moon: ''do good to others and every man can be a Superman''. I don't know if this channel has also covered that one, but it would be nice if that's ever the case. I hope the Legion of Superheroes is adapted in live action at some point, as it is an important yet forgotten part of the character's whole existence, as vital as Supergirl or Krypto, they're the quintessential proof of Superman's legacy and the everlasting validity of his ideals.
Steve, did you ever watch the Death of Superman in Super Friends? They did the same kind of thing here where his skin turns green. Then bury his body in the sun...only to realize he might be in a supercoma. More Silver Age schmaltz and I loved it!
Man, do I love Silver Age stories! So much fun, even when the subject matter is a little darker. Comics were made for entertainment and they did exactly that. ♥ I'll admit I was kept in waiting for the ending twist where Superman reveals he saw through Lex's scheme from the beginning. A 'minor' plot quibble, though - where did Lex get the Kryptonite from to power his ray? 🤔 Thankfully, Silver Age comics weren't necessarily made for us to ask such silly questions. 😂 Noting the cover date, November 1961 was about to see a major change in the direction of the comic book. Not only did I make my debut that month and year 😁, but so did the dawning of the Marvel Age of comics with the publication of Fantastic Four #1.
One of the joys of this and the Batman series has been seeing the origins of so many ideas that later writers, both of comics and adaptations, in their original form. There’s a lot of this story not only in Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow but in All-Star Superman and even echoes in the later Death of Superman and by extension animated things like the Justice League episode Hereafter. Seeing these chains of ideas over time, how different writers interpret these ideas, what changes, stays the same, and even leaves in one era but returns the next is absolutely fascinating.
Silver Age Luthor is such an amazingly fun character.The more you learn about him the more you realize there's really nothing like him in modern comics.
Thanks, Steve. Another of my favorites of the Silver Age. But if you really want to do a "best Superman ever," how can you not cover one of the greatest Silver Age Superman imaginary tales: Superman #162, Superman Red/Superman Blue. As a kid, I thought that was such an awesome feel good story and a lot of fun. The interstellar water spout the Atlanteans use to travel to their new world is a riot! Covering this piece would counter some of "Super gloom" from these death comics. One of my favorite Superman comics, which I think is a legitimate tale, although may have taken place in an alternate future, is Action Comics #387, "Even a Superman Dies!" Thanks again, Steve.
16:56 This perfectly describes why comic book Superheroes are considered our "Modern Mythology." Like the stories and myths of the ancient civilizations and cultures before us, they'll outlive us all. New stories will always be told for generations to come. Who knows, maybe in a thousand years after a full-on collapse of our current civilzation, our descendants will think that these superheroes were real in our time. Especially if they find fragmentary footage of the live action movies, without knowing the context of them just being movies.
I have been watching this Best Superman Even playlist on my TV. Your summary/review of this iconic superhero character is as outstanding as the first Fleischer Studios shorts. Thanks for sharing your unique and energetic point of view on a well-known and beloved character. Now I am going to read my Golden Age Superman Vol 2 anthology.
I always loved DC's Silver Age "Imaginary" stories, and THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN was (and remains) my very favorite of the stories I read as a kid. And it still brings a tear to my eye. Thanks for bringing back my childhood, Steve! ❤❤❤❤
I had an old digest book my mom had kept from her youth which included a reprint of this story. Nice to get more of the context behind it. Should have shown off more of the weird aliens at Superman's wake tho 😆
I had this comic when it came out. The four of us kids were piled into the car for the drive from Indy to Detroit. Mom & Dad bought comics to keep us quiet on the way. Helped us all learn to read while being entertained and most importantly, quiet :) I remember a comic book story Saying it was the last imaginary tale... weren't they all ? Huh, it turns out that I never read this comic after all. Wow.
Curt Swan was really at the top of his game in those days. The art is clear, beautifully crafted, perfectly portrays the action. Comic artists could learn a lot by studying him.
I remember reading this back in the early70s; it was the grimmest "modern" comic I had seen by that point. Marvel and even some DC had had some near it, but those were Marvel and were Batman and Black Hawks. And never the hero himself. So it caught me off guard. Especially because I was still mostly looking at the pictures and reading only the key scenes and just skimming the rest. So it being imaginary slipped by me. I was expecting it to a trick, or Brainiac 5 in disguise (again?) or that Luthor would admit Superman was just unconscious and that Luthor didn't want to let on that he couldn't kill him. So when it just ended with him dead, even though it let us know it was imaginary, I was sorta shaken. It left me for a while not sure if comics I was reading would actually have the hero loos, if they were imaginary or if worse if all they would be killed off and not be imaginary. It gave things elevated stakes but also gave me a slight distrust of the comic companies. All these years later it still holds up well. And it was a treat as a teen to see it reimagined (though not as well) by the Super Friends cartoon. Well made comic, very well made video.
I want to respectfully suggest that Tom DeHaven’s beautiful and overlooked novel, “It’s Superman!” is a prime contender for Best Superman Ever. I hope you’ll consider reviewing this loving tribute to Superman (and his social justice roots).
It's such a Lex thing to cure cancer just to kill Superman. The ultimate good motivated by the pettiest evil, showing just what Lex could put his mind to if not for his ego or pension for vengeance.
❤️ This is one of the first Superman stories I've ever read, and it was in a 90's/early 00's italian Superman anthology my mom bought me in some family trip. Lucky for me I'm native in spanish and galician, and from there italian is easy Still there in my library as the stuff that got me into the character
Well, after watching videos talking about the Archie Sonic comics, I got this gem from Steve as yet ANOTHER reminder today, to how FUCKING WEIRD comic books can be.
My thoughts too! For example, would she have joined(more likely be invited into)the Justice League? Would she too, have worked with Batman & Robin? And does she keep her secret Linda Lee identity?
I kinda like to think he did actually reform but then went insane after Superman basically left him alone in space for assumedly months. Then just started obsessing over Superman again and forgetting why he went straight
I read that story in an 80 page giant reprint as I hadn't yet become a comic book reader until comics were being sold for twelve cents. It was a blunt no nonsense tale which wasn't connected with any transition or anniversary.
I didn't know this one, but I do recall superman "dying" alot in the 60s/70s.. like in Action Comics 366, or one of the ones I found really creepy as a kid, Action Comics 399 where apparently he's died a number of times!
I can’t help but wonder how people must’ve felt having taken the cancer cure, knowing what they now know. And you thought it was tough to talk about Bill Cosby…….
Thanks Steve for this video. There is another story to end all Superman stories. "The Has--Been Superman " in World's Finest Comics #178,by Danny O'Neil, continued in "Superman's Perfect Crime ",which is WFC 180,September 1968 I believe. Not a good story at all but another attempt to remove the Man of Steel from the scene, perhaps they wanted to get rid of the Last Son of Krypton to be relieved of the intellectual property issues. I'm sixty--two years old and may well be wrong. Thanks for your patience Steve
There’s a bit of interesting symbolism in this story if you take into account real world events in 1961. The trial of Luthor by the people of Kandor resembles the trial of Adolf Eichmann being held in Jerusalem that year. Luthor is shown standing in a glass booth. I wonder if that was a detail Jerry Siegel put in the script.
I just noticed something! Siegel was DEFINITELY referencing that trial. Have a look at the panel where Luthor is about to be zapped to the Phantom Zone, the judge calls him the worst criminal since Eichmann.
But how in the name of Clark Kent could the Kandorians- sealed up in a bottle located in a complex as far away from so-called “civilization” as the North Pole- even hear about Eichman in the first place?
I had this comic in a French graphic novel with Batman. There was another comic that Superman dies again, but the twist, it was a robot superman that died the entire time, PLOT TWIST! Also, Superman is back, but it was Supergirl in disguise replacing him, to fool Lex.... comic from that era was weird.
Can we reflect on the fact that, in this world, cancer is still cured. That’s should save millions upon millions of lives. In death, this Superman seems to have saved far more people than he ever could have hoped to in life.
8:24 That pannel where Luthor gloats about his victory and announces his goal to take over the world... Makes me really uncomfortable as I notice he looks a lot like Captain Picard in this pannel....
We don't often get too many of these in a row And I hate seeing these sorts of stories (they give me the good-bad feels) But I would take 10,000 of them from you
Who said anything that he abducted them? He was a good guy then. He could had perfectly invited them to the space laboratory for an interview. Louis is in disbelief when she sees Luthor evil again killing Superman, so for all we know before Superman arrived they could had been until then sitting confortable in a couch and eating cookies having a casual conversation until Lex said: "Give me a minute. I have to go do a thing."
While hearing this comic recounted episodes 21 & 22 of Batman kept coming to mind called the penguin goes straight and Not Yet, He Ain't which could have been inspired by this comic storyline since it released in 61 and Batman didn’t air the episodes until march 23rd and 24th of 66 cause it not unheard of for the show to pull from non Batman material cause the puzzler episodes was said to be adapted for an unused adventures of Superman script and the clock king they used is a green arrow villain so that could have been the inspiration
I like these and I like your enthusiasm for them. I kind of want, and at the same time, don't want a review of things like the Doomsday arc. I stopped collecting shortly after that, actually during the Knightfall saga. I needed a new car and a monthly payment for what I wanted cost about what I spent a month on comics.
Man, I wish I could find a copy of this issue. I love the Silver Age and in fact, have set aside Saturday as Silver Age/Golden Age/whatever else Saturday and read Silver and Golden Age comics. Mostly DC. Other than the Old Testament, there is nothing more fun than reading A Silver Age or Golden Age comic. To me, anyway. Well, a few modern age stories, but for the most part, there is nothing more fun than reading something from the Silver or Golden age.
well shives it seems i picked up on something you missed as shocking as as the understated nature of superman's death is what stood out to me was what happened after Lex is celebrating his victory with his croneys like they've won But then "bam!" like the Kool-Aid Man before her Supergirl bursts through the wall almost as if to say "what bitch, you thought this was done." and then just drags his sorry ass off to jall because it doesn't matter that superman died what matters is what he left behind a legacy that will outlive all of us Because it doesn't matter how many Luther kills there will always be another hero
A funny version of this story would be Lex pretending to reform curing cancer, heart disease and doing all kinds of good and then revealing his true colours but being thwarted in his evil doing by the inventions he did as an act to convince the world he'd gone straight: "Lex you've been thwarted by the very tools you gave to Metropolis police." "No curse my perfect commitment to the bit! Now I've made the Earth a paradise I'm never going to achieve my dream of becoming the world's most infamous villain!" So his villainous heroes included Atilla the Hun, Ghenghis Kahn, Captain Kid and Al Capone a rather odd assortment of histories worst villains. Maybe Lex was a bit of a hipster too, the fiend.
I first read this story just a few years after the death of President Kennedy! I think Siegel and Curt Swan used the still-fresh-in-our-minds image of JFK'S funeral to depict Superman's!
What was the point of the Lex shaped rocket anyway? I was expecting him to smuggle himself to earth for some reason. Why not just have the watch work in space?
I first read this story a few years after it came out(U must have been about 7 or 8 @ the time)& yes, it did make me cry! And even now, I still think that the ending packs a punch. One question though. After Superman dies, what about Clark Kent? That is, is it discovered that all along he was actually Superman’s secret identity? Or does everyone just wonder where Clark disappeared to? Something else I now can’t help but wonder about. Wouldn’t Batman advise Superman not to be so trusting, that maybe this great reformation on Lex’s part isn’t what it seems?
What happened to the the Superman robots? Did they self destruct or shut off? They are mad to match superman so they could just have easily take up his mantle.
I liked this one, but the truly superior story is in Superman #156, "The Last Days of Superman". NOT a hoax! NOT and imaginary story! Edmund Hamilton was really good on his best days.
The DC universe infinite app is missing so many silver and bronze age superman books. I do not know what the deal is. Batman however ever is like 93% complete.
Imagine the film version of this story, as it is imagined? Lex sent into the phantom zone never to break free or discovering a link to the multiverse there and finding out he has counterparts throughout the multiverse and then scenes a way to establish away to communicate with his other self's and they in turn make possible for him to break the phantom zone and cause the same to happen across the multiverse and other phantom zones, Imagine this if you dare the Luthor who started the Imagination war Lex who broke the multiverse again and again " Luthor Who Laughed "? IMAGINE THAT, and remember the cure Luthor did discovered Element X did appear in another story years later only it wasn't Luthor who discovered it, it was was the Alec Holland and it wasn't called X, and it had some side affects on Holland? SWAMP THING, the cure for cancer wasn't the only thing that rare element was found do, and Luthor Croup had loads of hidden agendas for that element, but the man behind the story of this comic didn't he work on the original Swamp Thing stories?
"Superman never made any money Saving the world from Solomon Grundy Sometimes I despair the world will never see Another man like him" --"Superman's Song," Crash Test Dummies
Not only was Luthor banished to the Phantom Zone, he was sent there while still microscopic. He's the teeniest villain floating around over there.
Lol I was thinking the exact same thing
He's like Plankton from Spongebob.
@@st.anselmsfire3547 ...And you DIDN'T make a "Plankton Zone" joke...?! 🤨😉😁
@@st.anselmsfire3547 nah a plankton sized golden age Luthor is the funniest thing evee
He'll have to contend with... whatever DC's equivalent of the Micronauts is!
ah yes, the prison inmate medical laboratory. Definitely a thing prisons have.
Also I love that Lex Luthor's plan to defeat Superman starts off like:
Step 1: Sucker punch a prison guard.
Step 2: Cure cancer.
Don't you love how Luthor could always get access to a fully - stocked laboratory even while in prison during the Silver Age ? What utter maroons ! He should try taking over Tony Stark's place back when J.A.R.V.I.S. was Tony's cyber - valet or even F.R.I.D.A.Y.
Steve Shives is the only man I know who can upload 3 super heavy political videos then immediately swivel around and talk about Superman for about 20 minutes and I'm all for it
A man of many talents. He probably is well versed in haikus, physics & researching dyslexia. Seriously, he's a talented dude.
I had this comic as a kid. Read and re-read it multiple times. Never fails to bring a tear to my eye. Damn you, Lex Luthor!!!
I guess that you never read about Virus X - Lex recreates an alien virus which turns Kal El into a mass of withered green flesh.
Man, I love that "Kandorian justice": "... Send this wretch into the Phantom Zone immediately!" Lol!!!!!
"You can stop wasting bullets!" I love that line. It's just as hilarious as when in the Supergirl show Superman in one of his cameos asks why they always go to punching when the shooting doesn't work.
David Brenner used to do a bit about the George Reeves TV series
"The bad guy SHOOTS Superman. And the bullets BOUNCE OFF HIM. Then when the bad guy's out of bullets he THROWS THE GUN at Superman...And he DUCKS!"
It's funny cause in superboy the tv show. They had a bad guy dressed as superboy trying to punch him on the chin. And when that didn't work, but hurting his own hand. He tried to kick superboy on his boot/shin, having him jump around holding his injured foot. like shooting him and running him over with a car didn't work, so obviously hitting is the only way... lol...
@@willmfrank While I'm sure being hit in the face with a gun wouldn't hurt him I'm sure it is still annoying.
Plus he is still a living being with natural instincts and reflexes and only has the superpowers due to being on a different planet from the one he was naturally born on. So old habits die hard I guess?
I feel like there's a good story in a villain who plays the long con, turns over a new leaf to get back at their enemy. Starts getting second thoughts as their their "Fake" good deeds get them the positive reinforcement they never got in the first place. Leading to the epiphany of "Wait, was I the asshole this whole time?" Maybe I'm just channelling a bit of my love of Lex's end in "All Star Superman"
This was the first Superman comic I ever saw. My mom read it to me when I was around four, which would have made it 1965 or so. If I remember correctly, my uncle had given me and my brothers all of his old comics and this was amongst them. I clearly remember the general plot, the dastardly betrayal and the panel with Superman strapped to the gurney with Lex x-raying his corpse. I'd thought about it from time to time over the years because I couldn't recall how Superman finally got brought back to life, but that's no wonder now... He didn't!
Yep. Ol' "Supes" was deader than a green-painted doornail that time.
3:22 I love how Superman seems so eager to forgive Luthor, I dunno, he just always struck me like the type of guy who'd really love nothing more but to see one of his former enemies going on a redemption arc. (Comming from a guy who knows literally nothing about Superman comics, and only really knows the character via the Justice League cartoon.)
It really makes what Superman said to Lex Luthor and All-Star Superman hit home. You could have saved the world at any time if it had mattered to you Luther
God, this is a good one. Unlike other ones, it features the triumph of his arch-foe. That's what's great about this: it's not so much a great Superman story as it is a great Luthor story. For one of the best supervillains of all time, this is so fitting.
Supergirl's Superman disguise is amazing! Either she had it sitting around already waiting for an occasion like this, or she took time out from hunting Lex to make it. A lot of effort to confuse a room of villains for 5 seconds!
This silver age superman, he definitely has about 50 different convincing superman costumes around.
In ACTION #264- which IIRC came out before this- it’s shown that Supergirl- who was still operating in secret @ the time- had rigged up a Superman disguise for those occasions when she unavoidably had to be out in the open.
What a great video. I didn’t know about this story, but will look it up now. One thing you didn’t mention is that Alan Moore must have known this story well, when he wrote Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow. The text that starts both stories, reassuring us that the story is imaginary (or is it?), is very similar. But so is the gallery of heroes that shows up at his wake, down to who represents the Legion of Superheroes there. Even the idea that his closest friends are present to watch him die. Impressive.
Superman is a good guy, I can't believe he's been gone this long and still they tell legends of his deeds. He will be missed. Until next week at least.
Superman has died more times than Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, & Dr. McCoy.
I still remember how brilliant and traumatizing the story was to 10-year-old me!
In the Silver Age, even the dog had a cape.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold.” Lex though by sitting in his cell “Where is it most cold?”
“Ah! In spaaaaaace.” He chuckled to himself.
Sounds like he's turning into a Khan-artist. 🖖😁👍
@@Willpower-74205 I can't produce a quip if my life depended on it, right now anyway CRAP !
he cured cancer, as a bit
Golly, Lex had *me* fooled, too!
In fact, are we sure he wasn’t framed? Maybe a robot Lex made by the mobsters actually did it?
The most insane thing is that the Candor Judge wasn't at all swayed by Lex's offer and was just like "what? No! Do you think we're fucking stupid?"
A lot of other stories would have that work.
Some older fans have mentioned the “Virus-X” story as being far more convincing than the entire 1990s “Death of Superman.” I’ve never read it myself, but enjoyed it vicariously when they’ve written about it. Some comic stories just have that ability to really grab you.
I think not only one of my favorite Silver Age Superman stories, but one of my all time Superman stories, is The Last Days of Superman (Superman #156), that also showcases a scenario in which the hero ''dies'', but in such a way that it really captures his whole mythos, and the famous phrase inprint on the moon: ''do good to others and every man can be a Superman''. I don't know if this channel has also covered that one, but it would be nice if that's ever the case.
I hope the Legion of Superheroes is adapted in live action at some point, as it is an important yet forgotten part of the character's whole existence, as vital as Supergirl or Krypto, they're the quintessential proof of Superman's legacy and the everlasting validity of his ideals.
Steve, did you ever watch the Death of Superman in Super Friends? They did the same kind of thing here where his skin turns green. Then bury his body in the sun...only to realize he might be in a supercoma. More Silver Age schmaltz and I loved it!
Man, do I love Silver Age stories! So much fun, even when the subject matter is a little darker. Comics were made for entertainment and they did exactly that. ♥ I'll admit I was kept in waiting for the ending twist where Superman reveals he saw through Lex's scheme from the beginning. A 'minor' plot quibble, though - where did Lex get the Kryptonite from to power his ray? 🤔 Thankfully, Silver Age comics weren't necessarily made for us to ask such silly questions. 😂
Noting the cover date, November 1961 was about to see a major change in the direction of the comic book. Not only did I make my debut that month and year 😁, but so did the dawning of the Marvel Age of comics with the publication of Fantastic Four #1.
One of the joys of this and the Batman series has been seeing the origins of so many ideas that later writers, both of comics and adaptations, in their original form.
There’s a lot of this story not only in Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow but in All-Star Superman and even echoes in the later Death of Superman and by extension animated things like the Justice League episode Hereafter. Seeing these chains of ideas over time, how different writers interpret these ideas, what changes, stays the same, and even leaves in one era but returns the next is absolutely fascinating.
Silver Age Luthor is such an amazingly fun character.The more you learn about him the more you realize there's really nothing like him in modern comics.
"The prison's medical lab": ah yes, prisons are well known for having world-class research labs where inmates can freely experiment.
Thanks, Steve. Another of my favorites of the Silver Age. But if you really want to do a "best Superman ever," how can you not cover one of the greatest Silver Age Superman imaginary tales: Superman #162, Superman Red/Superman Blue. As a kid, I thought that was such an awesome feel good story and a lot of fun. The interstellar water spout the Atlanteans use to travel to their new world is a riot! Covering this piece would counter some of "Super gloom" from these death comics.
One of my favorite Superman comics, which I think is a legitimate tale, although may have taken place in an alternate future, is Action Comics #387, "Even a Superman Dies!"
Thanks again, Steve.
16:56 This perfectly describes why comic book Superheroes are considered our "Modern Mythology." Like the stories and myths of the ancient civilizations and cultures before us, they'll outlive us all. New stories will always be told for generations to come. Who knows, maybe in a thousand years after a full-on collapse of our current civilzation, our descendants will think that these superheroes were real in our time. Especially if they find fragmentary footage of the live action movies, without knowing the context of them just being movies.
I remember reading this as a kid!
I have been watching this Best Superman Even playlist on my TV. Your summary/review of this iconic superhero character is as outstanding as the first Fleischer Studios shorts. Thanks for sharing your unique and energetic point of view on a well-known and beloved character. Now I am going to read my Golden Age Superman Vol 2 anthology.
I always loved DC's Silver Age "Imaginary" stories, and THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN was (and remains) my very favorite of the stories I read as a kid. And it still brings a tear to my eye.
Thanks for bringing back my childhood, Steve!
❤❤❤❤
"Strategic genius that he is, Luther punches a dude."
I might have paraphrased.
I had an old digest book my mom had kept from her youth which included a reprint of this story. Nice to get more of the context behind it. Should have shown off more of the weird aliens at Superman's wake tho 😆
Thank you for these, Steve.
I had this comic when it came out. The four of us kids were piled into the car for the drive from Indy to Detroit. Mom & Dad bought comics to keep us quiet on the way. Helped us all learn to read while being entertained and most importantly, quiet :)
I remember a comic book story Saying it was the last imaginary tale... weren't they all ? Huh, it turns out that I never read this comic after all. Wow.
Grreat presentation! Thank you!
Curt Swan was really at the top of his game in those days. The art is clear, beautifully crafted, perfectly portrays the action. Comic artists could learn a lot by studying him.
This is the most memorable, and second, Superman story of my life. I was 5 years old I believe.
A rich guy like Lex Luthor seeing the inside of a prison has to be most fantasical part of the story.
I think (?) Silver Age Lex wasn't rich he was just a mad scientist, Lex as corporate mogul was an 80s innovation.
149 thanks Steve
You gotta admire the commitment of curing cancer just to fool the public you might be rehabilitated.
Wow…just wow, there so many things I still never found out about the golden age comic of dc
I remember reading this back in the early70s; it was the grimmest "modern" comic I had seen by that point. Marvel and even some DC had had some near it, but those were Marvel and were Batman and Black Hawks. And never the hero himself. So it caught me off guard. Especially because I was still mostly looking at the pictures and reading only the key scenes and just skimming the rest. So it being imaginary slipped by me. I was expecting it to a trick, or Brainiac 5 in disguise (again?) or that Luthor would admit Superman was just unconscious and that Luthor didn't want to let on that he couldn't kill him. So when it just ended with him dead, even though it let us know it was imaginary, I was sorta shaken. It left me for a while not sure if comics I was reading would actually have the hero loos, if they were imaginary or if worse if all they would be killed off and not be imaginary. It gave things elevated stakes but also gave me a slight distrust of the comic companies. All these years later it still holds up well. And it was a treat as a teen to see it reimagined (though not as well) by the Super Friends cartoon. Well made comic, very well made video.
This issue was inked by Stan Kaye not George Klein. The online databases have this wrong as Klein didn't start collaborating with Swan until 1962.
I want to respectfully suggest that Tom DeHaven’s beautiful and overlooked novel, “It’s Superman!” is a prime contender for Best Superman Ever. I hope you’ll consider reviewing this loving tribute to Superman (and his social justice roots).
It's such a Lex thing to cure cancer just to kill Superman. The ultimate good motivated by the pettiest evil, showing just what Lex could put his mind to if not for his ego or pension for vengeance.
Seems they forgot Kal-els lookalike cousins Don-el and Van zhee who could have scared the hair back on Luthor appearing as 2 Supermen.
I was honestly unaware of this story 'til now.
❤️ This is one of the first Superman stories I've ever read, and it was in a 90's/early 00's italian Superman anthology my mom bought me in some family trip. Lucky for me I'm native in spanish and galician, and from there italian is easy
Still there in my library as the stuff that got me into the character
crazy how you are covering a lot of these DC comics I grew up reading and have been largely forgotten. Well ... except for the Alan Moore stuff.
I used to have these comics. But they were lost due to circumstances.
Please do more like these. For X-Men as well.
Well, after watching videos talking about the Archie Sonic comics, I got this gem from Steve as yet ANOTHER reminder today, to how FUCKING WEIRD comic books can be.
It would've been interesting to see a Supergirl series set in this imaginary "World Without a Superman."
My thoughts too! For example, would she have joined(more likely be invited into)the Justice League? Would she too, have worked with Batman & Robin? And does she keep her secret Linda Lee identity?
I kinda like to think he did actually reform but then went insane after Superman basically left him alone in space for assumedly months. Then just started obsessing over Superman again and forgetting why he went straight
I rember the page with Lora Lemas the Mermaid was put in. But no Pete Ross SUPERBOY Friend.
Man, Lex Luthor is Trump without the hair, so.... Trump. Lex Luthor is Trump.
Well, ok, Lex has brains, so the similarity ends right there ;)
I read that story in an 80 page giant reprint as I hadn't yet become a comic book reader until comics were being sold for twelve cents. It was a blunt no nonsense tale which wasn't connected with any transition or anniversary.
I didn't know this one, but I do recall superman "dying" alot in the 60s/70s.. like in Action Comics 366, or one of the ones I found really creepy as a kid, Action Comics 399 where apparently he's died a number of times!
I can’t help but wonder how people must’ve felt having taken the cancer cure, knowing what they now know.
And you thought it was tough to talk about Bill Cosby…….
Didn't anyone notice Clark Kent vanished at the same time?
Thanks Steve for this video. There is another story to end all Superman stories. "The Has--Been Superman " in World's Finest Comics #178,by Danny O'Neil, continued in "Superman's Perfect Crime ",which is WFC 180,September 1968 I believe. Not a good story at all but another attempt to remove the Man of Steel from the scene, perhaps they wanted to get rid of the Last Son of Krypton to be relieved of the intellectual property issues. I'm sixty--two years old and may well be wrong. Thanks for your patience Steve
There’s a bit of interesting symbolism in this story if you take into account real world events in 1961. The trial of Luthor by the people of Kandor resembles the trial of Adolf Eichmann being held in Jerusalem that year. Luthor is shown standing in a glass booth. I wonder if that was a detail Jerry Siegel put in the script.
Seems very likely. Wasn't Siegel Jewish? He certainly would have been aware of it.
I just noticed something! Siegel was DEFINITELY referencing that trial. Have a look at the panel where Luthor is about to be zapped to the Phantom Zone, the judge calls him the worst criminal since Eichmann.
But how in the name of Clark Kent could the Kandorians- sealed up in a bottle located in a complex as far away from so-called “civilization” as the North Pole- even hear about Eichman in the first place?
I had this comic in a French graphic novel with Batman. There was another comic that Superman dies again, but the twist, it was a robot superman that died the entire time, PLOT TWIST! Also, Superman is back, but it was Supergirl in disguise replacing him, to fool Lex.... comic from that era was weird.
Take that moment, Steve... my chest is pretty tight, too.
Can we reflect on the fact that, in this world, cancer is still cured. That’s should save millions upon millions of lives. In death, this Superman seems to have saved far more people than he ever could have hoped to in life.
Cried for 2 or 3 days over this imaginary story. Just a 3rd grader not that long after George Reeve's death.
8:24 That pannel where Luthor gloats about his victory and announces his goal to take over the world... Makes me really uncomfortable as I notice he looks a lot like Captain Picard in this pannel....
Fire all phasers @ him immediately!
We don't often get too many of these in a row
And I hate seeing these sorts of stories (they give me the good-bad feels)
But I would take 10,000 of them from you
Still a better story than the Death of Superman we got in the 90s.
I love how cartoonishly evil silver age Lex is.
Only flaw I can see in Luthor's plan was him abducting Lois, Perry and Jimmy without Superman noticing. Otherwise, kudos.
At least they set up that their call buttons don't work in space.
Who said anything that he abducted them? He was a good guy then. He could had perfectly invited them to the space laboratory for an interview. Louis is in disbelief when she sees Luthor evil again killing Superman, so for all we know before Superman arrived they could had been until then sitting confortable in a couch and eating cookies having a casual conversation until Lex said: "Give me a minute. I have to go do a thing."
I loved this story. It is the perfect Luthor.
While hearing this comic recounted episodes 21 & 22 of Batman kept coming to mind called the penguin goes straight and Not Yet, He Ain't which could have been inspired by this comic storyline since it released in 61 and Batman didn’t air the episodes until march 23rd and 24th of 66 cause it not unheard of for the show to pull from non Batman material cause the puzzler episodes was said to be adapted for an unused adventures of Superman script and the clock king they used is a green arrow villain so that could have been the inspiration
I like these and I like your enthusiasm for them. I kind of want, and at the same time, don't want a review of things like the Doomsday arc. I stopped collecting shortly after that, actually during the Knightfall saga. I needed a new car and a monthly payment for what I wanted cost about what I spent a month on comics.
So if Lex was super tiny when he got put in the Phantom Zone, does that mean Zod and everyone else in there are enormous to him?
Man, I wish I could find a copy of this issue. I love the Silver Age and in fact, have set aside Saturday as Silver Age/Golden Age/whatever else Saturday and read Silver and Golden Age comics. Mostly DC. Other than the Old Testament, there is nothing more fun than reading A Silver Age or Golden Age comic. To me, anyway. Well, a few modern age stories, but for the most part, there is nothing more fun than reading something from the Silver or Golden age.
well shives
it seems i picked up on something you missed
as shocking as as the understated nature of superman's death is
what stood out to me was what happened after
Lex is celebrating his victory with his croneys like they've won
But then "bam!" like the Kool-Aid Man before her
Supergirl bursts through the wall almost as if to say
"what bitch, you thought this was done."
and then just drags his sorry ass off to jall
because
it doesn't matter that superman died
what matters is what he left behind
a legacy that will outlive all of us
Because
it doesn't matter how many Luther kills
there will always be another hero
wasn't there several "Death of Superman" stories? I seem to recall it was redone several times over the years of the Silver Age.
A funny version of this story would be Lex pretending to reform curing cancer, heart disease and doing all kinds of good and then revealing his true colours but being thwarted in his evil doing by the inventions he did as an act to convince the world he'd gone straight:
"Lex you've been thwarted by the very tools you gave to Metropolis police."
"No curse my perfect commitment to the bit! Now I've made the Earth a paradise I'm never going to achieve my dream of becoming the world's most infamous villain!"
So his villainous heroes included Atilla the Hun, Ghenghis Kahn, Captain Kid and Al Capone a rather odd assortment of histories worst villains. Maybe Lex was a bit of a hipster too, the fiend.
I always feel bad for Krypto. He was always portrayed as such a faithful dog any story wher he is sad makes me feel bad.
I first read this story just a few years after the death of President Kennedy! I think Siegel and Curt Swan used the still-fresh-in-our-minds image of JFK'S funeral to depict Superman's!
What was the point of the Lex shaped rocket anyway? I was expecting him to smuggle himself to earth for some reason. Why not just have the watch work in space?
I first read this story a few years after it came out(U must have been about 7 or 8 @ the time)& yes, it did make me cry! And even now, I still think that the ending packs a punch. One question though. After Superman dies, what about Clark Kent? That is, is it discovered that all along he was actually Superman’s secret identity? Or does everyone just wonder where Clark disappeared to? Something else I now can’t help but wonder about. Wouldn’t Batman advise Superman not to be so trusting, that maybe this great reformation on Lex’s part isn’t what it seems?
What happened to the the Superman robots? Did they self destruct or shut off? They are mad to match superman so they could just have easily take up his mantle.
You know that its a piece of fiction since some gangsters try to assassinate lex for curing cancer instead of the cia
(Im joking of course)
I liked this one, but the truly superior story is in Superman #156, "The Last Days of Superman". NOT a hoax! NOT and imaginary story! Edmund Hamilton was really good on his best days.
Damn, that story was dark.
The DC universe infinite app is missing so many silver and bronze age superman books. I do not know what the deal is. Batman however ever is like 93% complete.
Lex Luther needs some serious kind of magical therapy or something.
Wtf I just happeneded to read this yesterday
First! Or... do people not do that anymore? Oh well... FIRST!
Talk about Lex reforming and a grim story, try for Action #510!
Imagine the film version of this story, as it is imagined? Lex sent into the phantom zone never to break free or discovering a link to the multiverse there and finding out he has counterparts throughout the multiverse and then scenes a way to establish away to communicate with his other self's and they in turn make possible for him to break the phantom zone and cause the same to happen across the multiverse and other phantom zones, Imagine this if you dare the Luthor who started the Imagination war Lex who broke the multiverse again and again " Luthor Who Laughed "? IMAGINE THAT, and remember the cure Luthor did discovered Element X did appear in another story years later only it wasn't Luthor who discovered it, it was was the Alec Holland and it wasn't called X, and it had some side affects on Holland? SWAMP THING, the cure for cancer wasn't the only thing that rare element was found do, and Luthor Croup had loads of hidden agendas for that element, but the man behind the story of this comic didn't he work on the original Swamp Thing stories?
Does Steve know about Julie Schwartz’s allegations?
Yeah but hey, no cancer any more! That's really something!
"XXX-Ray" fml
Have you read Elliot S! Maggin's Death of Lois Lane?
It's neat.
"Superman never made any money
Saving the world from Solomon Grundy
Sometimes I despair the world will never see
Another man like him"
--"Superman's Song," Crash Test Dummies