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Friday, July 31, 2009

Featuring "The Blogpost of The Future!"


Welcome to the second of my blogs spotlighting comics from my collection. This comic is the first from the books that belonged to my father. From here on to be known as "The Father Collection". These books my dad was able to put aside and save from my grandmother, who tossed out any she ran across them.
My father saved a few dozen, in various states of ruin. There are a good bunch that are in Good and Very Good condition and the rest are pretty bad. A lot have covers missing or writing on them, most of it from my dad.
He gave the comics to me when I was pretty young, they were kept in a brown paper bag for most of the time I had them, so I'm sure that didn't help to preserve them. I really didn't think too much of them until we went on vacation up to Vermont. Then I'd always bring the comics on the trip with me and I'd read them in the car and during the week.
I remember trying to convince my parents that the free passes to Palisades Park in NY were still good since there was no expiration date. I refused to listen to their outrageous statements of "but the tickets are over 30 years old" and "I'm pretty sure that the park isn't even there anymore". I was convinced they were lying because they just didn't want to take us.

Most of "The Father Collection" is DC, my dad was a big Superman fan, so on that note...


I bring you, Action Comics #256 from 1959! The unbelievable story of Ultra Superman!

The basic story is that Superman volunteers to be a test subject for this time displacement device, he is going to be sent to the year 100,000 AD for one hour. When the hour is up, Ultra Superman steps out of the tube and announces to the crowd that their Superman wanted to stay in the future for 24 hours so he came back to keep the portal open.
He then goes on to show off his new future powers by projecting a vision of the future and a warning about 4 disasters. He tells everyone about 3 then runs off to prevent them all. The 4th is revealed to be the assassination of the President! But even Ultra Superman doesn't know how to stop it, for just as we do not know much about ancient Egypt, his future knows little about the present!
This turns out all to be a ruse, because as the President's car blows up, Superman steps out and reveals that his big brain was all a costume! He was working with the Secret Service to flush out a spy! They knew about the plot against the President the whole time! The spy is, of course, the most obnoxious reporter that's been following Supes around all day.
So the President is safe and the damn commies are in jail! Huzzah Superman!

The extra Supergirl story is pretty much her trying to protect her secret identity. She's trying to be Supergirl and yet keep hidden. She blunders along almost revealing her secret identity a few times while trying to convince her friend that there is no such thing as Supergirl. In the end, Supergirl shows up to her school and performs some feats of strength in front of a surprised Linda Lee, then reveals that it was a robot sent by Superman as a demonstration...of something, being a super cool robot I guess. Superman was nice enough to leave a note for Linda explaining he saw her problems and sent the robot to help clear things up. Then he signed it...Superman. You'd think that the fact that since Clark and Linda are COUSINS that he's sign it Kal-El or at the very least Clark. Oh well, I'm not Kryptonian, so I really can't speak for their customs.

Next time, I'll show off one of the prizes of my collection. I hope you enjoyed the blog, let me know what you think!

I'm lookin at you, Gary.

(edit: fixed mispelling of Kal-El)

4 comments:

  1. Goog, I was giddy when I saw this blog and was reading it. I have this book so I know about the stories that you described. As a huge DC fan, I freely admit that most of their silver age stories are simplistic at best. Especially the Superman stories. Everything always seems to work out a little too conveniently and improbably. Everytime I read one of these stories I come away thinking that their are some very stupid people hanging around Superman. That being said, I love them! In regards to some of your comments, my favorite two lines are these: "So the President is safe and the damn commies are in jail! Huzzah Superman!" Couldn't of said it better myself. A perfect description. As far as the Supergirl story, she was always getting herself in trouble with her secret identity. Sometimes I think that the fact that he signed it Superman instead of Clark is his way of showing that he's the older cousin and more superior. Probably not though as it doesn't sound like something he would do. Great blog overall, but I do have a correction for you. His name is not Cal-El. It's Kal-El. I'll let that slide however seeing as how you're more of a Marvel guy. Keep 'em coming!

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  2. Damn! I thought that looked wrong. I should have double checked myself. What a noobish mistake!

    As far as the simplistic stories go, Marvel was no better. They were writing them for kids after all.
    I love these types of books though, they're a bit crazy and just a blast to read.

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  3. You're right in saying that they're a bit crazy and a blast to read. It's interesting to hear you say that Marvel was no better when it came to their stories. I was always under the impression that they were more "realistic" (or as realistic as a comic book story can get) especially in the Spider-Man stories. I've always heard him touted as the one superhero who had "real world" problems, as opposed to Superman or Batman who, in the 60's, always just seemed to have silly adventures with more outrageous problems.

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  4. That's true, but many of the scenarios are just as ridiculous. It maybe less silly, but no better written, I guess that's what I was trying to say.

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