Le Cafe Singe Bleu Serving generous portions of history and mystery from our monthly menu Volume 1, Issue 1: January 1, 2003

BOOK REVIEWS

Superman: The Dailies 1939-1940 Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster 1997 Detectives: Superman, Clark Kent, Lois Lane Location: Metropolis, USA Time: 1939-1940 (Contemporary) Should you read this book? Oui.

This collection of comic strips is worth reading for two reasons. First, those who are fans of Superman will find it fascinating to read the adventures of his earliest years, to see the evolution of the character. The Superman of the 'pre-Code' era could not fly. He could leap over tall buildings, he could run faster than a locomotive or even an out-of-control tide of water from a broken dam. If he had to go any distance he'd hitchhike on the back of an airplane or swim through the ocean. While an explosion of any great force wouldn't kill him, it would knock him unconscious for a time. But he had the super sight, the super hearing, the super strength. His goal was simple - to help those in need. And to that end he dedicated his life. He also was not above beating up criminals, terrorizing them into revealing their bosses or their henchmen or their nefarious plans, and if they had a heart attack and died because of it he didn't mind at all. Not only does one see the evolution in Superman's character, one also sees the evolution in the abilities of writer Jerry Schuster. The first story, which tells of Superman's origin is only 12 strips (12 days) long. But at that it is longer than the origin he got in the first page of his comic book - which consisted of one panel! Also in the beginning Schuster recycles old plots from the comic books Superman and the Runaway is from Superman #3, for example. But Schuster had a lot of writing to do, for Superman comics, comic strips, and the comic boks of his other characters. The format for writing comic books is different from that of comic strips. In a comic strip story, each day must be a cliffhanger of some kind, to make the reader come back the next day. An end panel featuring ''scientific explanations for Superman's powers'' just don't cut it - the writer obviously couldn't think of anything to advance the plot! The art of Joe Siegel seems to change with each strip - but that's because each of the strips is drawn by a different artist - one of a stable of ghost artists needed by this duo after their many comic characters became successful. Superman becomes a newspaper reporter so that he can learn as soon as possible about people in need. He starts out at the Daily Star, taking a reporting job away from Lois Lane, who had been struggling to get away from the Love Lorn columns to become a 'real' reporter. Clark Kent, as a meek and mild Harold Lloyd type, wants to ask her out on dates, but since he always scoops her on stories when he isn't acting like a coward, has little success. Superman would have success, even though he's always telling her to ''stick with the lovelorn column, it's safer,'' but Superman never asks her out on dates despite the fact that Lois Lane frequently stays at home hoping that he'll stop by. And that's the second reason to read these stories. They make a great social document of what life was like in the late 1930s and early 1940s. How the average citizen must have longed for the police to be able to get the criminals off the streets for good. Gangsters, racketeers, all of course Caucasian, get their comeuppance in these stories, usually by death. There is no mollycoddling. What's the status of women in 1939-1940? Well, they're not reporters. They answer lovelorn letters. They exist for men to fall in love with, to spank when they misbehave, to get in trouble and be rescued, to sit at home and cook and wait for the man of their dreams to show up in their lives. It doesn't seem that anything fundamental has changed in the depiction of women in the 1990s-2000s, and that's a pity. These stories are not 'politically correct'. They can be infuriating at times. (At least to a woman who prides herself in her independance!) But they were the reality in 1939 and must be accepted as such. The stories in Superman: The Dailies 1939-1940 Title # of Strips Dates 1. Superman Comes To Earth: Strips 1-12 (12 total), January 16-28, 1939 2. War Against Crime: Strips 13-30 (18 total), January 30- February 18, 1939 3. The Comeback of Larry Trent: Strips 31-54 (24 total), February 20- March 18, 1939 4. Jewel Smugglers: Strips 55-66 (12 total), March 20 - April 1, 1939 5. Skyscraper of Death: Strips 67-90 (24 total), April 3-29, 1939 6. The Most Deadly Weapon: Strips 91-126 (36 total), May 1- June 10, 1939 7. Superman and the Runaway: Strips 127-162 (35 total), June 12 - July 22, 1939 8. Royal Deathplot: Strips 163-258 (96 total), July 24- November 11, 1939 9. Underworld Politics: Strips 259-288 (30 total), November 13- December 16, 1939 10. Unnatural Disasters Strips 259-288 (18 total - in this book), December 18-19839 - January 6, 1940 (continued!) 1. Superman Comes To Earth (12 strips) Gives the origin of Superman, as the little baby sent to Earth from the doomed planet Krypton, who grows up to believe that he must use his powers to help the oppressed. Jor-L's super speed and strength (not to mention intellgence) are revealed. His wife apparently has no super strength (she's buried underneath the rubble of their home after an earthquake and its up to Jor-L to dig out his family) Jor-L does the thinking, Lora provides the refreshments, but bravely states that if only one on Krypton can be saved it must be there newborn son. 2. War Against Crime (18 strips) Superman arrives too late to save everyone locked in a bank vault. He decides to become a newspaper reporter so that he can learn immediately whenever people are in trouble. He chooses the Daily Star. He assumes a meek and mild, 'Harold Lloyd-ish' appearance so no one will suspect he has a secret identity. The editor doubts his ability and tests him - ''Get me an interview with Superman'' he says. Meanwhile, Kent's superhearing is eavesdropping on Lois Lane, who is working on a graft series for the paper -her one chance to come through and get away from the lovelorn column. Kent hears her making an arrangement with a thug named Weasel to learn the name of the ''Big Boss'' behind the graft at the City Hall. But Weasel has set her up, and Lois is captured. Can Superman save her? This is the strip in which Superman terrorizes Weasel into naming the 'Big Boss' - something that Lois had to do with monetary payments. Lois is kidnapped and brought on board a plane. She does struggle - ''You let me go!'' but of course falls out of the plane so that Superman must rescue her. After he does so, he leaves her to go rip the wings off the plane and send its inhabitants to their doom. Meanwhile Lois has stumbled into quicksand and must be rescued again. ''Hold me tight, I'm afraid.'' she cries as Superman begins a series of energetic leaps into the city. ''So long,'' Superman tells her, dropping her off at the office of the Daily Star. ''Better stick to the Lovelorn column from now on. It's safer.'' 3. The Comeback of Larry Trent (24 strips) World champion heavyweight boxer Larry Trent has been cheated by his manager and lost his crown and his will to live. Superman rescues him from suicide and persuades him to resume his career as a boxer, while Superman takes care of the crooks in the boxing game. Lois, and no other women, appear in this story. 4. Jewel Smugglers (12 strips) With Clark Kent hired as a reporter, Lois Lane is back on the Lovelorn column and resents it. Clark tries to invite her out on a date: ''Let me take you to some gay place tonight...I'm very expert at consoling people.'' but Lois is not interested. To her he is a worm. A woman comes to Lois with a problem. ''It's about my husband, Lew Frawley. We got along fine 'till he took to hanging out with a tough bunch at Joe's Joint. Now he rarely comes home...when he does, he beats me!'' ''Give me a few days - perhaps I'll be able to help you get your husband back,'' Lois tells her, but secretly she's thinking ''Golly! This sounds like the tip to a great story that may win me back my news reporter job!'' Lois immediately goes to Clark. ''I'll be delighted to accompany you tonight.'' She has him take her to Joe's Joint, where she immediatley begins flirting with Lew Frawley. She manages to slip a piece of paper from Lew's pocket. Unfortunately, but expectedly, she is seen in the process, and therefore must be taken for a ride...in a boat. At the end of the tale, Lois thinks she has an exclusive - only to find that Clark Kent has scooped her. 5. Skyscraper of Death (24 strips) Many workers have died in accidents on the construction site of the Atlas Building. Superman pays a nighttime visit to the site to see what he can discover. He discovers sabotage, and the reason for it. A rival contractor wants to drive his competitor out of business. Superman begins to investigate, terrorizing the names of the leaders out of the thugs who were sent to do the sabotage. Eventually he finds the ring leader - but will he be able to fight his way through a booby-trapped house to capture the criminal? Lois Lane and no other women appear in this story. 6. The Most Deadly Weapon (36 strips) Professor Runyan has developed a new poison gas that renders gas masks useless. It kills within seconds. But he's only going to give the formula to the government for it to wage a 'defensive' war. While Clark Kent is interviewing Runyan, several gangsters arrive and kidnap the Professor. They want his formula for a civil war in their own country, Boravia. Superman determines to bring peace to that country. He threatens to kill the leaders of each side unless they declare peace. They declare peace pretty quickly. Lois Lane and no other women appear in this story. 7. Superman and the Runaway (35 strips) Young Frankie Dennis runs away from the State Orphanage. The superintendant 'beats, an' starves, an' slavedrives ya.' Superman rescues the boy from the traintracks, then persuades him to go back to the Orphanage to get information about the superintendant, while he plans a visit as Clark Kent. Frankie agrees. Lois and Clark, and a few other reporters, go to the Orphanage, but the orphans - threatened with dire consequences by the villainous superintendant - say all is well. (Apparently there is only one superintendant, and no one else, in this orphanage with the children). Lois attempts to spy on the superintendant, and is of course captured. The villain imprisons Lois and little Frankie in a room and sets the orphanage on fire to cover his escape! When Superman arrives to rescue them Frankie is yelling for help, but Lois is 'unconscious from the smoke.' An interesting take on criminals and how they tried to evade the consequences f their actions even in 1939: ''Arrest that man - he set fire to the orphanage!'' says Clark Kent. ''Let me go! I didn't know what I was doing!'' yells the superintendant. 8. Royal Deathplot (96 strips) The longest and most complex story in the book. Lois feels in 'a conciliatory mood,' so she invites Clark Kent over to her house for dinner. While she's in the kitchen, Clark turns on the radio and hears that an unknown submarine is trailing the royal yacht Milan, enroute to America from Rangoria with King Boru and his daughter Tania aboard! Impending violence is feared! Clark Kent jumps out of the window of Lois's highrise, changes into Superman, and starts swimming with his super speed toward the yacht. Lois comes out of the kitchen with various table things. ''Clark?'' Superman saves the yacht from the submarine, and arrives on board the yacht in time to be slapped by Tania before she realized that the strange man holding her in his arms is the same one who rescued them from the sub. (Who else could it have been?) Once in the United States, attempts to kill King Boru and kidnap his daughter continue. Clark is invited to a reception at the mansion where the royal party are staying - Lois of course tags along. Tania tries to pump Kent for information about Superman - Lois gets jealous. Superman rescues Tania from kidnappers, spurns his advances, and as a reward she attempts to stab him! He turns her over his knee and spanks her, then flies off. ''I should hate him,'' sobs Tania, ''but I don't. I love him!'' A somewhat sophisticated story (apart from its teeth-grittingly soppy treatment of the two women) in that Clark gets to do some undercover work, and Lois thinks he's turned traitor. How will Clark be able to clear himself? 9. Underworld Politics (30 strips) The new DA has decided to get tough on criminals. He's ordered all known criminals to be rounded up! Political boss Mike Hennessy is not happy about this, and decides the DA must go. While Superman protects the DA from Hennesy's minions, Lois Lane decides to get an interview with Hennessy. ''I'm sick of writing sentimental pap,'' she tells the editor. ''I demand a chance at the news.'' ''Little girl getting bored?'' asks Clark Kent. Superman follows Lois to Hennesy's house. ''The gal's certainly got a lot of spunk.'' (No woman has courage in these stories, they have 'spunk.') Hennessy indeed manhandles Lois, but fortunately Superman is there to save her. Lois is rescued from a pit of water, and thanks her rescuer composedly. (No teary eyed hysterics, although probably only because Schuster didn't have a panel to spare for it!) Nevertheless, Lois Lane gets her scoop this time. Except....War is declared in Europe, pushing her story off the front page. ''Wow, that'll mean action,'' Clark cries. ''Let's hurry back to the office!'' 10. Unnatural Disasters (18 total in this book) A telegram arrives at The Daily Planet. ''Elmore Dam destroyed by mysterious explosion.'' Superman hops, skips and jumps the scene, only to find that the dam has not been destroyed. Yet. He's unable to prevent the dam's destruction, but he saves the townspeople. Then he overhears a plot to unleash deadly bacteria in the town's reservoir! He tries to persuade the water superintendant at the waterworks not to turn the lever that will unleash the water into the system, but the man refuses to believe him! Lois and no women appear in this story (except in a crowd scene) however - the story isn't finished. You've got to pick up Superman: The Dailies 1940-1941 to find out how it ends! External Links Superplanet Chronicles - The website for Superman collectors and all things Superman. Break out of this frame (if you must) by pasting this url www.supermancollectors.com/superplanet/index.html into your browser.

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