The 1979 classic was originally supposed to be a treasury… While we wait for November’s official return of DC’s Limited Collectors’ Edition line — featuring the first three issues of George Perez’s 1986 Wonder Woman reboot — we can’t help but think what should be next. May I not so humbly propose 1979’s Action Comics #500, a beloved anniversary issue featuring The Life Story of Superman, by Martin Pasko, Curt Swan and Frank Chiaramonte, behind a wraparound cover by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano. As our pal, Rob Kelly of TreasuryCast, wrote back in 2018: “DC Comics rightfully made a big deal about Action Comics hitting its 500th issue… featuring a 68-page story that trip-hammers through the Man of Steel’s storied past. But it was originally designed as an issue of All-New Collectors’ Edition, tentatively titled “Superman’s Life Story.” Not that Action #500 isn’t a fine comic, but considering that 1978 was Superman’s 40th anniversary, it would have been great to celebrate that in the treasury size.” Now, 2027 isn’t an anniversary year for the Metropolis Marvel but we are getting the sequel to 2025’s Superman with Man of Tomorrow. In ’25, DC published the all-new Superman Treasury 2025: Hero for All to hype the first James Gunn/David Corenswet flick, so it would be fitting to right a historic wrong this time around. It’s such a clearcut decision, I can’t see DC not doing it — though perhaps the publisher would wait until summer, and tuck in another new LCE before then. We’ll find out either way. — MORE — WONDER WOMAN Gets First-Ever Classic TREASURY EDITION — and It’s by GEORGE PEREZ. Click here. — 13 THINGS TO LOVE About BATMAN’s First 1970s Treasury Edition. Click...
A galaxy far, far away from Shang-Chi… By PETER STONE In the 1980s, during the explosion of independent comic companies, Marvel created its Epic imprint, which produced a plethora of unique comics. Some of their standard heroes would sneak into Epic if the story was deemed to be too adult for Marvel’s mainstream line of comics. Other titles were completely fresh. One of the more compelling series produced by Epic was a 1984 creator-owned, four-issue series called Six From Sirius, by the multi-talented writer Doug Moench and artist Paul Gulacy. These two creators had worked together before, most notably on Shang-Chi in Master of Kung Fu. The end result was a completely new science fiction story featuring six mercenaries from a distant planet named Sirius. They appear as a tough, no-nonsense team of battle-ready warriors ready to complete their mission at any cost — to rescue and then protect an ambassador, Phaedra, from the planet of Balsamo. The ambassador has been kidnapped by robots called Fax-Men, who are trying to incite a war between Balsamo and Axellon with the moon of Heavenstone thrown into the mix. As you might imagine, everyone is out for themselves. Six From Sirius didn’t have Batman or any superheroes, and the science fiction aspect at the time was tremendously attractive to the fan market. There were sexy women, blasters, explosions, and alien races. There was also espionage, betrayal, and last-minute saves. Moench crafted a thought-provoking story, and Gulacy, who had stretched his artistic wings past his early imitations of Jim Steranko, had a cinematic and photorealistic style, boasting a healthy blend of spy-film aesthetics. The artist also used movie stars as models for his characters. Marlon Brando, Bruce Lee, Sean Connery, and David Niven were just a few of his favorites. The first series was successful enough for the band to get back together and do a second miniseries a little over a year later. All in all, Six From Sirius I and II were solid, terrific storytelling with flashy, well-drawn art and interesting characters and storylines. They could make a good streaming TV show or a movie. Give it a shot if you like science fiction or Star Trek, or just exciting, unique stories. — MORE — BURIED TREASURE: Harlan Ellison and Marshall Rogers’ DEMON WITH A GLASS HAND. Click here. — BURIED...
We kick off a recurring series on IDW and their superb line of archival books — from Artist’s Editions to Yoe Books to the Library of American Comics … and so much more.
COOL EVENT ALERT: Arlen Schumer’s Jews ‘n’ Comics at the 92nd Street Y!
Day 2 of our Jack Kirby anniversary celebration!
