Golden Age Reprint Roundup

There have been several Golden Age reprints issued by DC and Marvel over the last several weeks.  DC continues with its Chronicles series, and Marvel with the celebration of its 70th anniversary.

DC Comics

This week, DC published the seventh installment of The Superman Chronicles.  This book contains vintage WWII era Superman stories written by Jerry Siegel and drawn by Leo Nowak and John Sikela, with covers by the great Fed Ray.  In this volume you’ll find Superman stories from Action Comics #s 41 and 42, Superman #s 12 and 13, and World’s Finest Comics #4.   Kudos to DC for continuing their Golden Age Superman and Batman runs in these books.  The Batman Chronicles volume 8 is due out in September.

Superman Chronicles Volume 7 (2009)

Marvel Comics

In celebration of its 70th Anniversary, Marvel has continued to publish some of their old Timely titles with new and old stories.  Recently, Marvel has published U.S.A. Comics #1, with a Golden Age reprint of a Destroyer story, “The Secret Tunnel of Death” from All Winner Comics #3 (Winter 1942).  This story was written by Stan Lee.  Next up is Young Allies Comics #1 which reprints one comic story and two text pieces (both by Lee) from 1940 and 1941.  First, the text piece “The Young Allies Deal a Blow for Justice” in included from Captain America Comics#8 (October 1941).  This is followed by “The School Boy Sleuth” starring Terry Vance from Marvel Mystery Comics #14 (December 1940).  Finally, Lee is back with his text piece, “Captain America and the Bomb Sight Thieves” from Captain America Comics#4 (June 1941).  There are also a couple of vintage “Captain America’s Sentinels of Liberty” membership ads included in this issue.

In Miss America Comics #1, Marvel again reprints several stories from the Golden Age.  First, there are two stories featuring The Whizzer from All-Winners Comics #s 9 (Summer 1943) and 10 (Fall 1943), and a detective yarn, “Let’s Play Detective: The Mystery of the Ghost Killer” from All-Winners Comics #11 (Winter 1943-44).  Most recently, Marvel has published All Select Comics#1, featuring a Golden Age reprint of “Marvex the Super Robot” from Daring Mystery Comics #3 (April 1940) and #4 (May 1940).

Marvel 70th Anniversary Collection (2009)

In addition to these individual “anniversary” issues, Marvel recently published the Marvel 70th Anniversary Collection.  This 344 page trade paperback collects some great stories from all 70 years of Marvel’s history.  From the Golden Age, you will find the first Sub-Mariner story from Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939), “Trapped in the Nazi Stronghold” from Captain America Comics #2 (April 1941),  and “Captain America Foils the Traitor’s Revenge”  a Stan Lee text piece from Captain America Comics#3 (May 1941).  From the Atlas Era (one from the Golden Age and one from the pre-hero Silver Age) you will find, “Till Death Do Us Part!” from Journey Into Mystery#6 (April 1953) and “I Challenged…Groot! The Monster from Planet X!” from Tales to Astonish#13 (November 1960).  This book continues with reprints from Marvel’s early superhero run in the 1960’s and on into the present.

It appears that for the 70th Anniversary Celebration, Marvel will publish several more of the individual Timely issues, so keep an eye out for them.  The stories reprinted in those issues for the most part have never been reprinted before.