DC released their latest round of solicitations earlier this week. Jerry Siegel- and Joe Shuster-related items were slimmer this month, but there is one item of which Siegel fans will want to take note.
Originally released in hardcover earlier this year, on April 13, DC will release a trade paperback version of DC UNIVERSE: SECRET ORIGINS. According to the solicitation, and judging by the softcover version, the collection contains four Secret Origins reprint one-shots published throughout the years, including WEIRD SECRET ORIGINS from 2004. The stories in the volume include three noteworthy Siegel items:
“The Origin of the Bizarro World!” from WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #181. This four-page story is composed of a patchwork of panels from previously published stories, some written by Siegel and the balance by Otto Binder, who wrote the first comic book story with Bizarro.
[The Spectre: Introduction] from MORE FUN COMICS #52. Illustrated by co-creator Bernard Bailey, this is the first Spectre story and the part one of his origin.
[The Spectre Strikes] from MORE FUN COMICS #53. Continued from the previous issue, this story concludes the origin of the Ghostly Guardian.
No work from Joe Shuster is included in this volume, unfortunately. But, it’s great seeing some of Siegel’s non-Superman stories get reprinted, even if they have been reprinted before.
Also, announced, but not yet officially solicited, for release in June, is SUPERMAN: THE GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC. The massive, 784-page tome will contain the Superman stories from ACTION COMICS #1-31, both issues of NEW YORK WORLD’S FAIR COMICS and the first seven issues of SUPERMAN. Nearly every Superman comic book story from his first two years — plus some.
Each and every story included was written by Siegel and many were illustrated by Shuster.
All the stories in the volume have been reprinted before (most recently in volumes 1 through 4 of the SUPERMAN CHRONICLES line). But, this is the largest single collection of Superman comic book stories by Siegel and Shuster ever put together. Even at a suggested price of $75, it would be a remarkable addition to anyone’s bookshelf.
