The Folio Society Publishing ‘DC: Superman’: What Stories Made The Cut?

The Folio Society, independent publisher of beautifully illustrated hardback books, will celebrate the legacy of the Man of Steel with the publication of DC: Superman, a collectible compilation featuring twelve seminal comics by a host of iconic writers and artists, including Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Curt Swan, Marshall Rogers, Alan Moore, John Byrne, Dan Jurgens, Paul Dini, and Alex Ross. These classic stories — all selected and introduced by Jenette Kahn, the former DC President, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of DC, and published in collaboration with DC — form a collection of the best and most significant Superman stories from the 20th century.

Along with the 312-page one-of-a-kind deluxe book, DC: Superman comes with a stand-alone replica copy of Superman # 1, one of the most valuable comics in the world, scanned from an original copy held in the DC Archives. DC: Superman also features a rarely seen letter written by Jerry Siegel in 1934, detailing the original character ideas for Superman four years before the character first appeared in Action Comics’ historic debut issue, as well as all-new foreword by Marjorie Liu, the Eisner Award-winning writer of Monstress and The Night Eaters. As Liu writes in her personal essay, “If there is one superhero who will remain immortal, passed down from generation to generation, it will be Superman.”

“Symbolizing ‘Truth, Justice and a Better Tomorrow,’ Superman has been a feature of comics and Western culture for almost ninety years, and where other characters have changed their allegiances and desires Superman has always stood for one thing: Hope. And we could all do with a little hope now and again,” said James Rose, Head of Editorial for the Folio Society.

DC: Superman includes:

• Action Comics #36 (May 1941) – ‘Fifth Columnists’ by writer Jerry Siegel, artists Wayne Boring and Joe Shuster, and cover artist Fred Ray.
• Superman #30 (October 1944) – ‘The Mysterious Mr. Mxyztplk!’ by writer Jerry Siegel, artist Ira Yarbrough and Stan Kaye, and cover artist Jack Burnley.
• Superman #96 (March 1955) – ‘The Girl Who Didn’t Believe in Superman!’ by writer Bill Finger, artists Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye, and cover artist Al Plastino.
• Superman #149 (November 1961) – ‘The Death of Superman’ by writer Jerry Siegel, artists Curt Swan and George Klein, and cover artists Curt Swan and George Klein.
• Superman #400 (October 1984) – ‘The Living Legends of Superman – Chapter Four’ by writer Elliot S. Maggin, artist Marshall Rodgers and Terry Austin, and cover artists Howard Chaykin and Frank Miller.
• Action Comics # 583 (September 1986) – ‘Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?’ by writer Alan Moore, artists Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson, and cover artists Curt Swan, Murphy Anderson, and Anthony Tollin.
• Superman Vol. 2 #2 (February 1987) – ‘The Secret Revealed’ by writer John Byrne, artists John Byrne, Terry Austin and Keith Williams, and cover artist John Byrne.
• Superman Annual #2 (August 1988) – ‘Love’s Labors …’ by writer Roger Stern, artists Ron Frenz and Brett Breeding, and cover artist Ron Frenz.
• The Adventures of Superman #462 (January 1990) – ‘Homeless for the Holidays’ by writer Roger Stern, artists Dan Jurgens and Art Thibert, and cover artists Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, and Tom Ziuko.
• Superman #75 (January 1993) – ‘Doomsday!’ by writer Dan Jurgens, artists Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding, and cover artists Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding.
• Peace on Earth (January 1999) by writer Paul Dini and artist Alex Ross.

The release of DC: Superman has been made according to The Folio Society’s exceptional production standards, with a slipcase and cover design which are taken from vintage DC artwork. Scanned from original copies held in the DC archives, the comics have been reproduced in 10” x 7” treasury format.

The Folio Society edition of DC: Superman will be available for £70 / US $100 from 4pm UK time (11am EST, 8am PT) on February 4, 2025 exclusively from https://www.foliosociety.com/usa/fiction/comics-graphic-novels.

On February 3rd, The Folio Society will be debuting an extremely limited run on 50 copies of DC: Superman, signed by Eisner Award-winning Writer Marjorie Liu available at FolioSociety.com at 4pm UK, 11am EST, 8am PT.