Trade collections before there were trade collections…
By PETER BOSCH
When young comic book readers went to the local newsstand or grocery store on June 4, 1964, they may have seen a Superman comic on the rack that they might have mistaken as one of that series’ “Annual” issues. They would be excused for thinking it was, as it was about the time for a new one to appear. What they didn’t know was that the DC annuals were at an end. In the annuals’ place was a new series, 80 Page Giant (with the first issue cover listed as August 1964 in the indicia), which served the same purpose, reprinting past Silver Age stories (and an occasional Golden Ager).
There were a total of 15 issues in the original series (starting with #2, the indicia title was changed to 80 Page Giant Magazine). After it ended, DC would double-brand a regular-numbered issue of an ongoing series — for example, Superman #183 was also 80 Page Giant #G-18.
Curt Swan and George Klein
DC should consider creating an omnibus volume that collects all of these. That would be a great mix of stories!
In honor of the start of the 80 PAGE GIANT Magazine series, here is a 60th anniversary cover tribute to the 15 issues. (Or, if you’re a 13th Dimension stickler — 13 COVERS plus 2!)
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Curt Swan pencils and George Klein inks
Swan and Klein
Kurt Schaffenberger
Carmine Infantino pencils, Murphy Anderson inks
Win Mortimer
Swan and Klein
Joe Kubert
Murphy Anderson
Infantino and Anderson
Swan and Klein
Swan and Klein
Win Mortimer and Sheldon Moldoff
Swan and Klein
Schaffenberger, Swan and Klein
Swan, Dick Sprang and Stan Kaye
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MORE
— 13 INNOVATIONS Introduced in SUPERMAN #1: An 85th Anniversary Salute. Click here.
— NEW YORK WORLD’S FAIR COMICS: An 85th Anniversary Salute. Click here.
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13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. He is currently at work on a sequel, about movie comics. Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.
June 4, 2024
Jimmy Olsen 80 Pg. Giant #13 was the first superhero related comic book I ever bought. The drug store I bought it from is still in business 59 years later.
June 4, 2024
Never got these in the UK (like annuals). I used to stare at the adverts with envy.
June 4, 2024
Kurt Schaffenberger was an absolute beast of an artist. It amuses me to think that when I was little I strongly disliked his work on Captain Marvel. From my adult perspective I think he was one of the best comic artists to ever pick up a brush, as demonstrated by the impeccably laid out and rendered covers of his depicted above. His work was incredibly strong and continues to stand the test of time.
June 4, 2024
Omnibus? No way. Facsimile editions of each!
June 4, 2024
As a Bronze Age Kid, my jam was the 100 Page Giants of the 70s. But these 80 Page Giants are the older siblings to Giants. I’ve been lucky enough to find some affordable issues and they’ve been a delight! Through them I was able to find out about what would now be considered the Earth-2 Phantom Zone criminals. So much gold in those issues! Definitely worthy of some new facsimile editions…
June 4, 2024
great
June 4, 2024
I would like a facsimile edition of each please!
June 4, 2024
Me too!
June 4, 2024
I remember having at least a couple of these. Today it is nice to have the Secret Origins Giants collected and the Batman Annuals volumes. But sure would like to see the Superman and Superman family books collected as well.
June 4, 2024
I have 37 of the original 80 page books. They are awesome.
June 4, 2024
80 and 100 pagers were worth their weight in gold. It was the best intro to the Golden Age. Unfortunately the 100 pg Walmart specials didn’t quite hit the mark but still worth it.
June 5, 2024
I’ve been Scanning my DC Comics collection, all Silver Age. I soon realized that the Giants could not and should Not be opened enough to lay flat, so taking the shots with my Phone will have to do!
June 5, 2024
Still have my 80pg giants collection!!!!
June 6, 2024
These are fantastic, and I’d love to own facsimles of each. But on issue #14…Supergirl is considered one of Superman’s OTHER girlfriends?!? I hope that’s the proto-Supergirl that WASN’T his cousin, because otherwise…that’s just wrong!
June 7, 2024
Actually, in some ways, that could be considered worse than it seems. It comes from a story in which Superman marries Lois and they adopt Supergirl as their daughter. But there in no hanky panky. It is all above board.
June 6, 2024
Phenomenal. And the only thing better was 100-Page Super Spectaculars. (By a hair!)