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Toys of Steel Review - DC Direct: Joe Shuster Superman

By Jasper Lloyd Tan

For my initial entry, let's go back to where it all started... Superman's creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's Action Comics #1 featuring the first appearance of the Man of Steel!

The first Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster was actually a bald headed villain. This though did not resonate well with the readers. So Siegel and Shuster repositioned him as a Superhero on the side of the law. Appearing on a 13 page comic under National Periodical's inaugural Action Comics comic book, this Superman proved to be a success as copies of Action Comics flew off the stands.�This birthed the Golden Age of comics and positioned Superman as the father of comic book Superheroes. In his initial adventures, Superman fights against real world social evils and champions himself as the protector of the down trodden and oppressed. In the inaugural 13 page story, Superman combats a crooked politician, gun runners, wife beaters, drunk drivers, corrupt businessmen, and other social evils. This resonated well with the masses because it was an era of the burgeoning social ills of America. Superman became the masses' escape from the real world. He gave the people both entertainment and fantasy as they threw their hope in the belief that even for one day, someone like Superman would save them from the social ills that they were suffering from. This unparalleled success saved the comic book industry from the usual funny books and ushered in the Golden Age of Comics. Superman's initial saving act was to be the salvation of the comic book industry.

The original Superman that was written was actually not as powerful as we've come to know him now. His powers were originally modeled after mythic characters such as Hercules and Samson. He had powers beyond those of mortal men, bullets would bounce off his chest, X-Ray vision and Heat vision, and was able to leap (not fly over) tall buildings in a single bound. As Superman's comic book success continued to roll, writers would slowly flesh out Superman's powers and put in more science fiction elements to explain Superman's origins and powers. Superman now comes from the planet Krypton which orbits a dying red sun. It is established that our Earth's lighter gravity gives Superman his abilities. Later the editors also gave Superman the power of flight, further establishing the fantastical powers that he posses that we mortal men could only dream of. Superman's early incarnation was a rough and tough bruiser with little regard for human life. An editorial change later established Superman's vow to never take another human life again. This characteristic continues to be upheld until this very day.

The Action Figure:

I've always wanted to own a representation of Joe Shuster's Original Superman. My options besides this one were the original incarnation of this figure, the DC Direct First Appearance Superman which featured the same mold except that it came with a cloth cape, and the latter release DC Direct Origins two-pack which was a straight repaint of this figure but with darker hues of blue and red. Naturally I picked this figure because this is included in the DC Direct "Superman Through the Ages" Box Set which featured four Superman action figures based from the art of four of the most iconic Superman artists (the other three being Jim Lee, John Byrne, and Ed McGuinness) from the past to present. This figure is amazingly sculpted to appear very faithful to Joe Shuster's art. The amount of detail put in this figure makes it a very striking 3D incarnation of Shuster's art. The figure features a ball jointed head, ball jointed shoulders, pivot elbows, swivel wrists, pivot hip, and pivot knees. The cape is composed of rubbery plastic. This figure would look great as a centerpiece of your Superman collections because its classic look makes your Superman collection more meaningful, this being the first appearance of Superman. I believe this is a must own figure for collectors who are a fan of Superman.

The Defining Comic Book in my collection featuring this figure:

Unfortunately, I don't own a copy of Action Comics #1 (well who does?). That comic book was auctioned off for a whopping $2.16 million dollars! It's rare to own one nowadays. What I do have though is the Free Comic Book that came with the "Superman Through the Ages" Box Set.�It reprints the entire 13 page Action Comics #1 and other key stories from the Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age, and Modern Age Superman stories. The crisp reprint copy is enough for me because I don't have $2.16 million dollars in my pocket. Though I would have preferred a copy that came with the original cover of Action Comics #1. But at least the "Superman Through the Ages" complimentary comic book featured a small photo of the Action Comics #1 cover on the top most right corner (encircled). It is kind of deceptive though for the cover to feature Jim Lee and Ed McGuinness' art as there were no stories featuring their art inside. What we have though are Pin Ups of their work (one each).

Visit Jasper's personal blog for more action figure reviews.

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