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Action Comics in the Bronze Age
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139 posts in this topic

Action Comics #400 to 500 (1971-79) is the predominant theme of my CGC collection.This was before my time, I fell in love with this era as a kid when I found a pocket sized book called Superman in Action Comics: Featuring the Complete Covers of the Second 25 Years, Volume 2.

 

Action Comics in the 70s started with covers from Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson at 15 cents, Neal Adams also did several covers in the beginning of the decade. The covers from Nick Cardy were what captured my imagination, the pieces I have from him are some of my most prized books. Bob Oksner, Ross Andru, Giordano and José Luis García-López also did great cover art.

 

To be honest, I'm not too familiar with the interior art work or stories, I only know the covers. Action went through many of the format changes that have since become popular themes for various DC collectors, like the 52 pagers, the 20 to 25 cent covers (the circle logos that are usually cut off on the top cover alignment), 100 page giants (Action #437 & 443) and the dollar format from the late 70s (Action #500). I have also noticed a set for DC Bicentennial covers, Action #461 (7/76) was apart of that promo.

 

Action does not seem to have as many examples for the various format types mentioned above, like the 100 page giants, compared to Detective Comics, which has several giants. There is also only one dollar series in the Action run, Detective Comics and other DC titles have a lot more examples.

 

I have written journals about some of my Action acquisitions, I have received some great feedback, I've also been thrilled to see some original cover art that some of you have. With this thread, I would love to hear from others who are interested in this run, to see what books and art work other people have, and talk about Action Comics in the Bronze Age.

 

I also have a separate thread dedicated solely to Action Comics #419.

Action Comics #419 (Neal Adams) Appreciation Thread/Club

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As a collector I'm grateful there are only two 100 page giants in the Action run. They are tough in high grade, if I were going for a Detective Comics run, I'd be pulling my hair out, there are quite a few in Detective, and they all have dark covers.

 

Action #437 is a dark 100 pager, and only 1 copy is in 9.8 grade currently.

 

act437_zps533c1e97.jpg

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As a collector, I'm glade there are only two 100 pagers for Action. They are tough in high grade, if I were going for a Detective Comics run, I'd be pulling my hair out, there a quite a few for Detective, and they are all dark covers.

 

Action #437 is a dark 100 pager, and only 1 copy is in 9.8.

 

10006920_709660154021_6586532026957726743_n.jpg

 

Do you own that one??

 

Wow beautiful copy!!!

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Here is one I do own, Action #484, the wedding of Earth-2 Superman to Lois.

 

Action484_zps79f33673.jpg

 

I waited several years for a 9.8 copy of this issue to show up, I love this cover from José Luis García-López. :cloud9:

 

This is a great book, I see this cover from time to time in various guides and books about DC. I also like that it's the 40th Anniversary, it shows Action #1 and it's simple. Classic DC, yellow background and all! Mr. García-López is a great Superman artist!

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Last year I finished putting together a full set of all Superman titles from the line wide soft reboot in September/October 1970 when Mort Weisinger stepped down through the end of Crisis in 1986 (with the exception of the Superboy titles since those aren't in "current" continuity).

 

This includes full runs from this 16 year period of Superman, Superman Family, World's Finest, DC Comics Presents, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Supergirl, Supergirl in Adventure Comics and, of course, Action Comics.

 

I'm reading through the whole line month by month to try and replicate what the reading experience would have been like for Superman fans in the Bronze Age. So far I'm up to about midway through 1973. Reading has kind of been slow going because, frankly, a lot of these issues aren't very good.

 

Action Comics is an interesting title though. Murray Boltinoff took over from Weisinger as editor beginning with #393. Honestly, there's not much of a difference between Weisinger's Silver Age stuff and Boltinoff's early Bronze Age stuff. Boltinoff is a very old schol guy and he just sticks with the forumla, even as the editors on the other titles are trying to modernize things. The closest Boltinoff gets to being modern is just token references to stuff like Morgan Edge's involvement in Jack Kirby's Fourth World storyline in Jimmy Olsen. But there's very little actual change in the title.

 

Change does come very abruptly with #419 though. Julie Schwartz takes over as editor and the difference is immediate. Schwartz kicks things off with a Neal Adams photo cover, immediately jerking the title visually into a more modern era. Schwartz also adds a rotating back-up feature, which he calls "Action Plus." So the title isn't just Superman - Superman merely is the lead feature on an anthology book that also includes The Atom, Green Arrow, and new creation Human Target.

 

Schwartz brings in Nick Cardy as a regular cover artist. He also tweaked the design, going back to the original "big logo" design from the Golden Age. And because of the shorter page count for Superman, Superman's adventures start being multi-part stories on a regular basis instead of one-and-done stories.

 

That's as far as I have gotten so far in my readathon - I'm up to #435. The book is certainly more modern than it was under Boltinoff, as it finally joined the Bronze Age with #419, long after the rest of the Superman line of comics had modernized. The stories themselves aren't all that much better, but with Cary Bates and Elliott S! Maggin doing most of the stories, the formula isn't as Silver Agey, even though it's still definitely a formula.

 

The main problem with the stories form this era, though, is that every time they come up with a good idea or tweak to the status quo - such as the additions of Steve Lombard and Morgan Edge and the move to TV for Clark - they immediately freeze things in place, just creating a different status quo. The titles don't even have the illusion of change that Marvel was doing. There was a big shakeup when they moved from SA to BA under Schwartz, but once he figured out what he wanted, it settled into a stasis that was different from but no less stagnant than what Weisinger we doing.

 

At least, that's my impression of the first four years of Bronze Age Superman and Action Comics.

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I do not. I've seen it sell on both ComicLink and Heritage for a pretty penny. I wonder if any other copies will appear someday. I don't quite have the resources to search out raw copies that are high grade candidates, so all I can do for now is wait and dream.

 

[font:Book Antiqua]Good Luck,

I am sure as soon as a 9.8 go for sale you have to compete with Greggy...

[/font]

 

:eek:

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Crimebuster,

 

Thank you for your response, I like you observations and I'm impressed with your task of completing and reading all those books. I'm also glad you mentioned Action #419, before I started this thread, I had been contemplating a thread asking if this cover should be considered a true classic cover.

 

Terms like "key" and "classic cover" tend to be used loosely. I think out of all the Bronze Age Action covers, #419 is one that can be considered a true "classic cover", by both Superman and overall comic book fans alike. Of course, I'm biased, but I make this case by noting that the cover image has been reproduced on tee shirts, posters and mentioned in numerous DC Anthology books, one book even uses #419 for it's cover. The book is also the first appearance of the Human Target.

 

I have gotten the impression that many of these stories are so so, so I'm not shocked to read you observations, great covers thou.

 

14702_zps18aab38b.jpg

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I do not. I've seen it sell on both ComicLink and Heritage for a pretty penny. I wonder if any other copies will appear someday. I don't quite have the resources to search out raw copies that are high grade candidates, so all I can do for now is wait and dream.

 

[font:Book Antiqua]Good Luck,

I am sure as soon as a 9.8 go for sale you have to compete with Greggy...

[/font]

 

:eek:

 

Thank you, MagnusX. If another one comes up, it will not be easy to get.

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Crimebuster,

 

Thank you for your response, I like you observations and I'm impressed with your task of completing and reading all those books. I'm also glade you mentioned Action #419, before I started this thread, I had been contemplating a thread asking if this cover should be considered a true classic cover.

 

Terms like "key" and "classic cover" tend to be used loosely. I think out of all the Bronze Age Action covers, #419 is one that can be considered a true"classic cover", by both Superman and overall comic book fans alike. Of course, I'm biased, but I make this case by noting that the cover image has been reproduced on tee shirts, posters and mentioned in numerous DC Anthology books, one book even uses #419 for it's cover. The book is also the first appearance of the Human Target.

 

I have gotten the impression that many of these stories are so so, so I'm not shocked to read you observations, great covers thou.

 

14702.JPG

 

 

 

Great book and t-shirt Brandon :)

 

I also am obsessed with Action 419 i have the largest collection ever assembled of every foreign publication of #419

 

Over 20 editions. I would gladly pay $1000 for the South African edition of 419 it is nearly impossible to locate

 

your 9.8 is (worship)

 

 

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Thanks Solarcadet1, I didn't know there were so many foreign editions for #419.

 

From research over the last 2 years this is what I know that exists of Action Comics #419. I currently do not own the Denmark edition it is more rare than a 35 cent variant.....

 

Action 419 (US)

Stalmannen 5 (Sweden)

Stalmannen Laderlappen (Sweden)

Supermann 4 (Norway)

Supermann Album (Norway)

Supermann Lynvingen Album (Norway)

Terasmies (Finland)

Terasmies Lepakkomies (Finland)

Giant 594 (Lebanon)

Superman 483 (Lebanon)

Superman Batman 6 (Germany)

Superman Superband (Germany)

Superman Bi 52 (Brazil)

Super Homem 1 (Brazil)

Superman Batman Album (Netherlands)

Superman 37 (Netherlands)

Superman 974 (Mexico) Novaro

Stalmannen Album (Sweden)

Superman 77 (Canada)

Superman 4 (Denmark)

 

 

 

could be more i am always searching

 

in any langauge it is a classic and beautiful cover!!!!

 

I have one in the mail ill shoot you pics of a nice group shot later on

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Crimebuster,

 

Thank you for your response, I like you observations and I'm impressed with your task of completing and reading all those books. I'm also glade you mentioned Action #419, before I started this thread, I had been contemplating a thread asking if this cover should be considered a true classic cover.

 

Terms like "key" and "classic cover" tend to be used loosely. I think out of all the Bronze Age Action covers, #419 is one that can be considered a true"classic cover", by both Superman and overall comic book fans alike. Of course, I'm biased, but I make this case by noting that the cover image has been reproduced on tee shirts, posters and mentioned in numerous DC Anthology books, one book even uses #419 for it's cover. The book is also the first appearance of the Human Target.

 

I have gotten the impression that many of these stories are so so, so I'm not shocked to read you observations, great covers thou.

 

14702.JPG

 

I remember buying this issue off the stands and it being fantastic. Not only was the cover mesmerizing but I never forgot reading the intro of the Human Target. I still have almost all of these books that I bought between '72 and '82. The Action series seemed to be the most fun in he early seventies with quite a bit of variety in the back up tales. It got weaker later or maybe I'd read enough Superman!

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More Action #419 goodness!

 

10294265_712329045541_4557833065882397857_n.jpg

 

From DC Comics Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle (2010).

A brief synopsis is given about the intro to the Human Target in Action #419.

 

10155882_712329050531_219575432443771536_n.jpg

 

Superman in Action Comics: Volume 2, Featuring the Complete Covers of the Second 25 Years (1994)

 

i like this. Very cool I need to pick up a copy

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