Episode #111: Who's Who In ACTION COMICS #1!

Action Comics 1!

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Since 2010 is DC Comics' 75th anniversary, this is an appropriate year to focus on some unexplored areas of Superman's corner of the DC Universe. This episode explores the other characters and creators who were also featured, after Superman, in ACTION COMICS issue 1, cover dated June 1938. The websites http://www.comics.org/issue/293/ and http://dcindexes.com/features/comic.php?comicid=5 provided stories synopses, and http://lambiek.net/artists/index.htm provided creator biographies.

All of the stories in ACTION 1 were originally untitled but have since been provided names after DC began reprinting their early stories in Archive editions. After Superman's first story, CHAMPION OF THE OPPRESSED, the other stories, in order of appearance, and with a brief publication history, are:

CHUCK DAWSON: THE A-G GANG 6 pg. western adventure, ACTION 1 - 22, written and drawn by Homer Fleming.

ZATARA: THE MYSTERY OF THE FREIGHT TRAIN ROBBERIES 12 pg. occult, ACTION 1 - 132, 136, 138 & 141, NEW YORK'S WORLD'S BEST COMICS 1 - WORLD'S FINEST COMICS 51, written and drawn by Fred Guardineer.

STICKY MITT STIMSON, 4 pg., crime, only appearance, written and drawn by Russell Cole.

MARCO POLO: 4 pg. historical adventure, ACTION 1 - 17, written and drawn by Sven Elvin.

PEP MORGAN: THE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP, adventure, ACTION 1 - 41, written and drawn by Fred Guardineer.

SCOOP SCANLON, THE FIVE STAR REPORTER, 6 pg. adventure, ACTION 1 - 13, written and drawn by William (Bill) Ely.

TEX THOMSON: MURDER IN ENGLAND, 12 pg. adventure, ACTION 1- 32, Mr. America: ACTION 33 - 51 and the Americommando ACTION 52 - 74, written and drawn by Bernard Bailey. Tex Thomson would be a major character in THE GOLDEN AGE, a four issue DC Elseworld's mini-series in 1993, collected in a paperback edition in 1995. It should still be available.

NEXT EPISODE: Since February is Black History Month, it's appropriate to feature a storyline from the 1940's Superman radio show where the Man Of Steel battled racism in SUPERMAN VS. THE CLAN OF THE FIERY CROSS!

Join the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST and MY PULL LIST groups on facebook, and follow the podcast and blogs on twitter @supermanpodcast.

SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is a proud member of the LEAGUE OF COMIC BOOK PODCASTERS at http://www.comicbooknoise.com/league and the COMICS PODCAST NETWORK! http://www.comicspodcasts.com/

SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is at http://thesupermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com/. Expanded show notes are at http://supermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com. (Thanks to Capt. Zorikh for becoming a follower of this blog. Check out his blogs at http://zorikh.blogspot.com/.)Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.

MY PULL LIST is my spoiler free comic book review blog of the titles I read every week. It can be found at http://mypulllist.blogspot.com/ . Send e-mail about this blog to mypulllist@gmail.com .

Superman and all related characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics.

Thanks for listening to the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST and, as always, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Episode #110: Happy Birthday, Alex Ross!

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This episode reviews his career and highlights some of his most famous comic book stories, like MARVELS and KINGDOM COME, and some of his current projects.

For more information about Alex Ross's comic book work go to http://dcindexes.com/ or http://comics.org/, or visit his website, http://www.alexrossart.com/. (If you're curious about what Alex Ross's art studio looks like, click on this link on his website: http://www.alexrossauction.com/rossreport.asp?id=483.)

Several online interviews with Alex Ross:

http://www.twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/27ross.html, from JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR 27 (1999), available at the same website if you would like to read it in magazine form.

http://movies.ign.com/articles/455/455979p1.html.

Alex Ross has also been interviewed on a number of comic book podcasts. Check your favorite podcasts to see if he has appeared on them.

Next episode: Who's Who In Action Comics 1!

Join the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST and MY PULL LIST groups on facebook, and follow the podcast and blogs on twitter @supermanpodcast.

SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is a proud member of the LEAGUE OF COMIC BOOK PODCASTERS at http://www.comicbooknoise.com/league and the COMICS PODCAST NETWORK! http://www.comicspodcasts.com/

SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is at http://thesupermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com/ . Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com .

MY PULL LIST is my spoiler free comic book review blog of the titles I read every week. It can be found at http://mypulllist.blogspot.com/ . Send e-mail about this blog to mypulllist@gmail.com .

Superman and all related characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics.

Thanks for listening to the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST and, as always, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Episode #109: Showcasing Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane!

Showcase 9 & Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane 1!

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SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND LOIS LANE 1, cover dated March/April 1958, was published around January 14, 1958. But Lois Lane's first appearance in a silver age comic book as the main character was in SHOWCASE 9, July/August 1957, published around May 23, 1957. It was edited by Superman editor Mort Weisinger. Al Plastino drew the cover. After a brief history of the beginnings of SHOWCASE, the three eight page Lois Lane stories of issue 9 are featured in this episode:

THE GIRL FROM SUPERMAN'S PAST, written by Jerry Coleman and drawn by Al Plastino.

THE NEW LOIS LANE, written by Otto Binder, pencilled by Ruben Moreira and inked by Al Plastino.

MRS. SUPERMAN, written by Otto Binder and drawn by Al Plastino.

Next Episode: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALEX ROSS!

Join the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST and MY PULL LIST groups on facebook, and follow the podcast and blogs on twitter @supermanpodcast.

SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is at http://thesupermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com/. Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com. SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is a proud member of the LEAGUE OF COMIC BOOK PODCASTERS at http://www.comicbooknoise.com/league and the COMICS PODCAST NETWORK! http://www.comicspodcasts.com.

MY PULL LIST is my spoiler free comic book review blog of the titles I read every week. It can be found at http://mypulllist.blogspot.com/ . Send e-mail about this blog to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman and all related characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics.

Thanks for listening to the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST and, as always, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Episode #108: Happy Birthday, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson!

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To begin celebrating DC Comics' 75th anniversary, this first episode of 2010 features Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, who was born on January 4, 1890 and died on January 1, 1968. He founded National Allied Publications in 1934, which would become the DC Comics we know today. He holds the distinction of publishing the first modern comic book with original material, not newspaper comic strip reprints. His third title, DETECTIVE COMICS, published in 1937 is still published today. It holds the distinction of being the first comic book title dedicated to one genre, detective stories.

Thanks to Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson Brown for bringing my attention to her family's website: http://majormalcolmwheelernicholson.com, which tells their side of the story of the Major's history in an effort to correct what they have found as errors in accounts of the Major's involvement in comic book history.

She also wrote an article rebutting David Hajdu's accounts of her grandfather in his book THE TEN-CENT PLAGUE, in the INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMIC ART, vol. 10 number 2, Fall 2008, at http://ijoca.com.

ALTER EGO 88, August 2009, features a cover story about the Major. Print and digital copies can be ordered at the publisher's website at http://www.twomorrows.com.

NEXT EPISODE: SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND LOIS LANE issue 1.

Join the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST and MY PULL LIST groups on facebook, and follow the podcast and blogs on twitter @supermanpodcast.

SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is at http://thesupermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com/ . Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com . SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is a proud member of the LEAGUE OF COMIC BOOK PODCASTERS at http://www.comicbooknoise.com/league and the COMICS PODCAST NETWORK! http://www.comicspodcasts.com/.

MY PULL LIST is my spoiler free comic book review blog of the titles I read every week. It can be found at http://mypulllist.blogspot.com/ . Send e-mail about this blog to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman and all related characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics.

Thanks for listening to the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST and, as always, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Episode #107: Superman 2009: The Year In Review!

Download Episode 107!

Once again, at the end of the old year and the beginning of the new, I share what I liked about Superman and what I didn't, in both comics and other media.

NEXT WEEK: On the first full week of the new year, and to begin celebrating DC Comic's 75th anniversary, the subject of the episode will be the founder of what would become DC, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson.

SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is at http://thesupermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com/ . Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com .

SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST is a proud member of the LEAGUE OF COMIC BOOK PODCASTERS at http://www.comicbooknoise.com/league and the COMICS PODCAST NETWORK! http://www.comicspodcasts.com/.

MY PULL LIST is my spoiler free comic book review blog of the titles I read every week. It can be found at http://mypulllist.blogspot.com/ . Send e-mail about this blog to mypulllist@gmail.com .

Join the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST and MY PULL LIST groups on facebook, and follow the podcast and blogs on twitter @supermanpodcast.

Superman and all related characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics.

Thanks for listening to the SUPERMAN FAN PODCAST and, as always, thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.