Alvin Schwartz (2) (1916–2011)

"Showcase Presents: Superman (Volume 1)" is a chronologically-ordered collection of Superman stories from the late 1950's. There's no editorial explanation or prologue to explain why this particular period of Superman's history was collected into a series of graphic novels, nor is there any explanation as to how any of the comics fit into the larger Superman canon, or how the stories affected the development of the character of Superman. The collection itself doesn't tell a larger, single story, either. I'll take the reason for the anthology at face value - an introduction to Superman, as depicted in the late fifties. I don't think it is the best way to introduce people to the character of Superman, which I will elaborate upon.

In "Showcase Presents: Superman", the titular hero, Superman, deals with a variety of problems that all superheroes must face - keeping their secret identity a secret (because Clark Kent looks nothing like Superman; he's wearing glasses), dealing with an assortment of disasters that beset the world, all of which only a superhero can fix, and dealing with the idiotic and gullible villians and foes that try to tangle with Superman. If the world isn't on the verge of self-destruction, we get to see what might life might be like if the canon of Superman is changed in some fashion, either in the context of someone's dream, or in a storyline that is forgotten by the time the next adventure rolls around. It's all in a day's work for the Man of Steel.

As to the problems with this collection... it might be more adequate to ask what is actually done well. Or even competently. Many, if not most of the stories here are rather silly, and badly written, and the few stories that have an interesting idea are poorly delivered. There's nothing as sophisticated as character development.

From the opposite perspective, there's no suspense generated in seeing Superman best his problems, because there is no question that Superman will not manage to save the day. Indeed, Superman rarely experiences much that taxes his abilities at all. And, since there are only really a few different story-types, the book itself becomes quite repetitive quite quickly. Oh, and each story has a myriad of plot inconsistencies that must be accepted to make the story work.

While a short reading of this collection gives the impression of a a light and entertaining amusement, five hundred pages worth of the stuff is far, far too much - the same stories are repeated without doing anything interesting or innovative. And, even then, the stories stories are told rather badly, too. A book only for serious fans of Superman.… (plus d'informations)

A queer little book, but not without merit. The subtitle calls it a "metaphysical memoir," and that's true after a fashion, even if it only describes a singular event that set Alvin Schwartz on the Buddhist "Path Without Form," which is as hard to describe as it sounds. Parts of it are strange and fantastic, especially all the time Schwartz recalls spending with the Tibetan tulpa (a being of pure thought brought into physical form) who sought him out, and the fairly improbable things that happened afterwards. It has a good payoff at the end, tho; when Superman's role as a tulpa himself is revealed.Not a bad read. Schwartz's writing style is a little wooden at times, but if you roll thru it with the idea that it's a recollection of personal transformation instead of an eyewitness account of the hidden world in action, it becomes less and less silly.… (plus d'informations)