The Contents of SHAZAM!: From the 40's to the 70's HC Collection

As I mentioned in the first episode of the Superman & Captain Marvel Power Hour Podcast, for the foreseeable future, most of the stories I'll be covering on the podcast will be pulled from the SUPERMAN: From the 30's to the 70's and the SHAZAM!: From the 40's to the 70's hardcover collected editions released by Harmony books in cooperation with DC writer and editor E. Nelson Bridwell in the late 1970's. These gorgeous hardcovers featured introductions to each character by Bridwell and then collected some of the best chronicles of each hero throughout the decades. Of course since Captain Marvel's Adventures ended in 1953 before his revival by DC in the early 70's, there is a 20 year absence where we unfortunately went without any new Captain Marvel material, meaning that the SHAZAM!: From the 40's to the 70's collection is more heavily weighted on the 40's, 50's, and 70's material than the Superman collection is. Unfortunately the Captain Marvel collection is going to be much harder to come by than the Superman one is, and probably set you back upwards of $70!!! So what this blog post is going to do, is outline the contents of the Captain Marvel collection, listing out each story contained within each collection, and also tell you where else these stories are reprinted, that way, you can follow along with the podcast coverage with the resources you have access to. And if you haven't already, be sure to check out the blog post from Wednesday where discussed the contents of the Superman From the 30's to the 70's Hardcover.

Just like the Superman post, for argument's sake, I am just going to be using the Cover Dates for breaking the stories down by decade. For example, Captain Marvel's first appearance in Whiz Comics #2 was cover dated February 1940, but its actual on sale date was the first week of December 1939 (as always, thank you to Mike's Amazing World of Comics for on sale dates & info).

The 1940's

1.) "Captain Marvel" from Whiz Comics #2. Also reprinted in Famous First Edition F-4 Treasury Comic, Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes TPB, Shazam Arvhives Vol. 1 HC, Millennium Edition: Whiz Comics #2, Shazam the Greatest Stories Ever Told TPB.

2.) "Origin of Sivana" from Whiz Comics #15. Also reprinted in Limited Collectors' Edition #C-39, Shazam Archives Vol. 1 HC.

3.) "The Origin of Captain Marvel Jr." from Whiz Comics #25. Also reprinted in Shazam Archives Vol. 4.

4.) "Captain Marvel Introduces Mary Marvel" from Captain Marvel Adventures #18. Also reprinted in Shazam! #8 (1973), Shazam and the Shazam Family Annual #1 (2002), and the Shazam Family Archives Vol. 1 HC.

5.) "The Pearl of Peril" from Captain Marvel Adventures #22. Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else.

 

6.) "Baffin Land" from Captain Marvel, Jr. #12. Also reprinted in Shazam and the Shazam Family Annual #1 from 2002.


7.) "Captain Marvel, Jr. Meets Himself in the Future" from Captain Marvel, Jr. #17. Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else.

8.) "Oklahoma City" from Captain Marvel Adventures #34. Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else. 

9.) "The End of Mr. Mind" from Captain Marvel Adventures #46. Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else. 

10.) "The Mighty Marvels Join Forces" from The Marvel Family #1. Also reprinted in Shazam #8 (1973), Adventure Comics #497, and Shazam and the Shazam Family Annual #1 (2002).

11.) "Uncle Marvel's Wedding" from Captain Marvel Adventures #59. Also reprinted in Shazam! #12 (1973)

12.) "Aunty Anti Marvel" from The Marvel Family #2.  Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else.

13.) "The Riddles of Death" from Mary Marvel #8. Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else. 

14.) "The Horrid Hermit" from Mary Marvel #8.  Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else. 

15.) "The Sivana Family Strikes" from The Marvel Family #10. Also reprinted in Shazam #12 (1973) and Shazam and the Shazam Family Annual #1 (2002).

16.) "The Talking Tiger" from Captain Marvel Adventures #79. Also reprinted in Shazam! #8 (1973) and Adventure Comics #499.

 

17.) "The Return of Mr. Tawny" from Captain Marvel Adventures #82. Reprinted in Shazam! #8 (1973).

18.) "The Flying Shoes" from Mary Marvel #25.Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else. 

19.) "Captain Marvel battles the Plot Against the Universe" from Captain Marvel Adventures #100. Also reprinted in Limited Collectors' Edition #C-35 Treasury Comic.

20.) "The Voodoo Clock" from Captain Marvel, Jr. #78. Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else.  

The 1950's

21.) "The Return of the Ancient Villain" from Captain Marvel Adventures #125. Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else. 

22.) "Double Doom" from Captain Marvel Adventures #130. Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else. 

23.) "The Fourth Dimensional Elephant" from Captain Marvel, Jr. #119. Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else. 

24.) "The Marvel Family Fights the Feathered Fury" from The Marvel Family #86. Unfortunately this story has yet to ever be reprinted anywhere else.

The 1970's

25.) "The World's Wickedest Plan" from Shazam! #1. Also reprinted in Showcase Presents Shazam Vol. 1 TPB and Shazam the Greatest Stories Ever Told TPB.

26.) "The Mystery of the Missing Newstand" from Shazam! #9. Also reprinted in Showcase Presents Shazam Vol. 1 TPB and Adventure Comics #496.

27.) "The Bicentennial Villain" from Shazam! #25. Also reprinted in Showcase Presents Shazam Vol. 1 TPB.

28.) "Case of the Kidnapped Congress" from Shazam! #26. Also reprinted in Showcase Presents Shazam Vol. 1 TPB.

29.) "Secret of the Smiling Swordsman" from Shazam! #19. Also reprinted in Showcase Presents Shazam Vol. 1 TPB

Obviously there are a lot of stories in this collection that aren't reprinted anywhere else, making it more difficult to follow along with the Captain Marvel stories that will be covered in the podcast if you don't have the Shazam!: From the 40's to the 70's collection, than if you were missing the Superman collection. However, all of these Captain Marvel stories from the Golden Age are now in the public domain, and thus can be accessed online for free, just follow the below link to read these stories:

Digital Comic Museum

I imagine DC doesn't feel like there's money in collecting and reprinting these stories in completion due to their availability online for free, and that's just too bad. Hopefully by the time we get the Shazam! movie rumored for 2019, DC will get around to putting out a Golden Age omnibus volume or two collecting Captain Marvel's appearances in chronological order, similar to what they have started doing with Superman and Batman.

The Contents of SUPERMAN: From the 30's to the 70's HC Collection

As I mentioned in the first episode of the Superman & Captain Marvel Power Hour Podcast, for the foreseeable future, most of the stories I'll be covering on the podcast will be pulled from the SUPERMAN: From the 30's to the 70's and the SHAZAM!: From the 40's to the 70's hardcover collected editions released by Harmony books in cooperation with DC writer and editor E. Nelson Bridwell in the late 1970's. These gorgeous hardcovers featured introductions by Bridwell and collected some of the best chronicles of each hero throughout the decades. Of course since Captain Marvel's Adventures ended in 1953, before being revived by DC in the early 70's, there is a 20 year absence with no new Captain Marvel material, meaning the SHAZAM!: From the 40's to the 70's collection is more heavily weighted on the 40's, 50's, and 70's material than the Superman collection is. Speaking of the Superman collection, in addition to containing sampling of the Last Son of Krypton's legacy from each decade, the book itself is also much easier to get your hands on at an affordable price. You can find copies of this hardcover with the dust jacket, fairly easily online for $10-$15. Not bad for a 400 page book collecting the Man of Steel's greatest stories up to the beginning of the 1970's. But the Captain Marvel collection is going to be hard to come by, and probably set you back upwards of $70!!! So what this blog post is going to do, is outline the contents of the Superman collection (with a similar post for the Captain Marvel collection coming later in the week), that lists out each story contained within the collection, as well as where else you can find these fine stories reprinted. That way, you can do your best to follow along with the podcast coverage with the resources you have at your disposal.


Note, for argument's sake, when breaking up the stories by decade, I'm going by the cover date instead of the actual published date. For example, Superman #62 was cover dated Jan/Feb 1950, and thus is lumped into the 1950's decade below, but it actually went on sale on November 2nd, 1949. All on sale dates courtesy of Mike's Amazing World.

So let's start with the Superman collection. Note that the first full story reprinted is "The Coming of Superman" from Action Comics #1, however it is the version from Superman #1, which reprinted the Superman material from the first 4 issues of Action Comics, but adding more content and pages to firm up more origin details.

The 1930's

1.) "Superman, Champion of the Oppressed" (composed of "The Coming of Superman" + "Origin of Superman" + "Clark Kent Gets a Job) - from Superman #1. These are also reprinted in Famous First Edition #C-61 Treasury, Superman Archives HC Vol. 1, Millennium Edition: Superman #1, Superman: the Greatest Stories Ever Told vol. 1 TPB, Superman Chronicles Vol. 1 TPB, and the Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC.

2.) "War in San Monte" from Action Comics #2, and also reprinted in Famous First Edition #C-61 Treasury, Superman Archives HC Vol. 1, Millennium Edition: Superman #1, Superman: the Greatest Stories Ever Told vol. 1 TPB, Superman Chronicles Vol. 1 TPB, Superman in the Forties TPB, Lois Lane: A Celebration of 75 Years HC, Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years HC, and the Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC.

The 1940's

3.) "The Challenge of Luthor" from Superman #4, and also reprinted in Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told HC & TPB, Superman Archives Vo1. HC, Superman Chronicles Vol. 3 TPB, and Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC.

4.) "The Dukalia Spy Ring" from Superman #10, and also reprinted in Superman Archives Vol. 3 HC and Superman Chronicles Vol. 6 TPB.

5.) "The Light" from Superman #13, and also reprinted in Superman Archives Vol. 4 HC and Superman Chronicles Vol. 7 TPB.

6.) "The Archer" from Superman #13, and also reprinted in the Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told (HC & TPB), Superman Archives Vol. 4 HC, and Superman Chronicles Vol. 7 TPB.

7.) "Saboteurs from Napkan" from Superman #15, and also reprinted in Superman Archives Vol. 4 HC and Superman Chronicles Vol. 8 TPB.

8.) "How Clark Kent Met Lois Lane" from Adventure Comics #128. This story hasn't been reprinted anywhere else but this collection.

9.) "Man or Superman?" from Superman #17, and also reprinted in Superman Archives Vol. 5 HC, Superman Chronicles Vol. 9 TPB, and Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years HC.

10.) "Case of the Funny Paper Crimes" from Superman #19, and also reprinted in Superman #183, Superman Archives Vol. 5 HC, and Superman Chronicles Vol. 10 TPB.

11.) "Superman, Matinee Idol" from Superman #19, and also reprinted in Superman #183, Superman Archives Vol. 5 HC, and Superman Chronicles Vol. 10 TPB.

12.) "America's Secret Weapon" from Superman #23, and also reprinted in Superman Archives Vol. 6 HC and Superman in the Forties TPB.

13.) "The Mysterious Mr. Mxyztplk" from Superman #30, and also reprinted in Superman #183, Superman Archives Vol. 8 HC, Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told (HC & TPB), and Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 2 TPB.

14.) "Lois Lane, Superwoman" from Superman #45. This story hasn't been reprinted anywhere else but this collection.

15.) "The Origin of Superman" from Superman #53, and also reprinted in Three-Dimension Adventures #1, Best of DC (Blue Ribbon Digest) #16, Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told (HC & TPB), Superman in the Forties TPB, and Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years HC.

The 1950's

16.) "Black Magic on Mars" from Superman #62. This story hasn't been reprinted anywhere else but this collection.

17.) "The Mightiest Team in the World" from Superman #76, and also reprinted in World's Finest Comics #179, World's Finest Comics Archives Vol. 1 HC, Millennium Edition: Superman #76 (#23), Superman/Batman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told TPB, Showcase Presents: World's Finest Vol. 1 TPB, and Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years HC.

18.) "The Girls in Superman's Life" from Superman #78. This story hasn't been reprinted anywhere else but this collection.

19.) "The Terrible Trio" from Superman #88, and also reprinted in 80 Page Giant #11 and the Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told (HC & TPB).

20.) "The Girl in Superman's Past" from Superman #129, and also reprinted in Superman Annual #1 (1960), Superman #217, Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told (HC & TPB), Giant Superman Annual #1 (1988), Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 1 TPB, Superman: The Man of Tomorrow Archives Vol. 2 HC, and Superman: A Celebration of 75 Years HC.

The 1960's

21.) "The Untold Story of Red Kryptonite" from Superman #139, and also reprinted in Superman Annual #8 (1964), Best of DC (Blue Ribbon Digest) #36, Showcase Presents: Superman Vol. 2 TPB, Showcase Presents: Supergirl Vol. 1 TPB, and Superman: Man of Tomorrow Archives Vol. 3 HC.

22.) "The Son of Bizarro" from Superman #140, and also reprinted in Action Comics #347, Showcase Presents Superman Vol. 2 TPB, Showcase Presents: Supergirl Vol. 1 TPB, and Superman: Escape from Bizarro World HC & TPB.

 

23.) "Superman Meets Al Capone" from Superman #142, and also reprinted in Superman #197 and Showcase Presents Superman Vol.2 TPB.

24.) "Bizarro Meets Frankenstein" from Superman #143, also reprinted in Superman #202 and Showcase Presents Superman Vol.2 TPB.

 

25.) "Superboy's First Public Appearance" from Superman #144, also reprinted in Showcase Presents Superman Vol.2 TPB.

The 1970's

26.) "The Pied Piper of Steel" from Action Comics #398. This story hasn't been reprinted anywhere else but this collection.

27.) "Superman Breaks Loose" from Superman #233, also reprinted in Superman in the Seventires TPB, Millennium Edition: Superman #233, Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 2 TPB, and the Superman: Kryptonite Nevermore HC.


28.) "Superman, You're Dead...Dead...Dead" from Action Comics #399, also reprinted in the Best of DC (Blue Ribbon Digest) #12.


29.) "Duel of Doom" from Action Comics #400.This story hasn't been reprinted anywhere else but this collection.


And those 29 fantastic stories are what are contained within the pages of the Superman: From the 30's to the 70's Hardcover. Be sure to check back on Friday February 5th for the contents of the SHAZAM!: From the 40's to the 70's Hardcover.