differance between "golden age" and "earth-2"

[Jor-L5150]

ok, for the minutia starved geeks here, this is something i have been occupied with of late.

in a literal sense, superman appears as a superhero in ACTION 1. (we're not talking about the other superman idea that they toyed with).
for the period of the late 30's and 40's that's the ''golden age" superman.

so, question: "when did 'golden age superman' become "earth-2 superman" ?

short/obvious answer? when DC launched the silver-age versions of green lantern and flash.
but hold on a second- superman and batman were among the FEW superhero comics published continuously even when other superhero ideas ceased.
when the silver age green lantern/flash and justice league were brought in superman had always...been around.

so since superman and batman were associated with the originals, and the justice society and also the newer models and the league it was sensible that there would be and earth-1 earth-2 counterpart for them as well.

now maybe it's just me- but i would submit that by then superman -as a printed character- had had a direct evolution from ACTION 1 to the time when green lantern and flash were hopping between parallels. i used to assume that the retro-active/ret-con was to assume "action 1" was for Kal-L and superman volume one was for Kal-El.
but no, that's not right. superman volume one and action were about the SAME superman. right up until the earth-1/earth-2 concept was cemented as cannon.

i did a little research (and this is from wikipedia- so don't bet the kent farm on it) and the first time the "superman of earth-2" was depicted as a distinct character separate from the superman that had been published thus far was in Justice League volume 1 # 73 (1963).

so- debate(?) - i would believe that earth-2 superman is a separate character from the ACTION 1, and that they gave him the trappings of the action 1 version ("L" as opposed to "El"/ "daily star" as opposed to "planet") to root him in that era.

obviously at that point the characters evolved much differently with the earth-1 having a sprawling mythos and the "original" being allowed to age/marry etc.

am i a heretic? or is the ACTION 1 superman the same superman as earth 2?

(i expect to be very lonely in this thread)

[Valentine Smith]

I fucking live for shit like this.

ok, here's the thing...

By the late 50s, it was pretty clear that the Superman inhabiting the pages of Action/Superman/World's Finest was NOT the same guy from Action #1. Now, the general lack of attention to continuity at the time in general means that they were NEVER EVER referring to events from even a few issues ago, let alone twenty years back.

Now, DC Editorial will tell you that the "silver age" Superman officially begins with June 1958's Action Comics #241, and the story "the super-key to fort Superman", some time after 1956's Showcase #4 brought us the new Flash.

Why does DC pick this point? It appears that, while there had been sci-fi elements in previous years, this is where they really start introducing lots of fantastic elements, Supergirl, Krypto, etc as well as powerhouse sci-fi villains like Brainiac and Metallo. There's NO WAY that had they done a "Superman's first day on the job" flashback story (which, to the best of my knowledge, they never did) that they would have referred IN ANY WAY to Action #1, or even depicted a Superman with such reduced power levels. Still, it seems a little arbitrary.

So, no, you are not a heretic. The Action #1 Superman IS the same guy as "Earth-2" Superman. For proof of this, go to the back issue bins and spend a buck or fifty cents on Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway's WONDERFUL "Secret Origins #1" from 1986, which is a great retelling of not only Earth-2 Supes' origin, but does an almost panel-for-panel Action #1 with brilliant Jerry Ordway artwork!

[Jor-L5150]

oh i have that one! it's a beauty.

but see, i have to think that they sort of "grandfathered it in"- the idea that ACTION 1 was earth 2 -

but you're spot-on about the silver age being where the sci-fi camp just exploded in the superman mythos. whereas superman earth 2 was much more low-key. he got like power girl as a cousin and thats about as far as it went with fleshing that out.

Now, the general lack of attention to continuity at the time in general means that they were NEVER EVER referring to events from even a few issues ago, let alone twenty years back.

exxxaaaaaaactly.


The Action #1 Superman IS the same guy as "Earth-2" Superman

ok, i'm an idiot- i didnt word it properly. what i was speculating was that action 1 superman morphed into what would be superman earth one and then they said "oh- that old shit is...earth 2 man!"
thats the literal history:
- action 1 followed by superman vol 1
- superman's look and scale of power evolve/escalate
- suddenly/arbitrarily they "assign" THE superman continuity into TWO continuities and hand the older stuff to Kal-L earth-2 superman..

my point/view/speculation is that ACTION 1 superman is a different guy from earth 2 in that the context/tone/premise was completely different.

it was like "we need another superman for earth2 ....uhhmm ...just hand over the old shit and we'll say its him"

maybe what i'm saying is that ONE superman, starting in action 1 morphed into BOTH, meaning that the original is it's own thing with TWO reinvented versions ( earth 1 and earth 2)

but at some point it's semantics.

[Jor-L5150]

ok- ok...THIS time i've got it!

what i am trying to say is that "superman earth-2" is NOT the 'original superman' - he is the THIRD superman.

now strictly from a literal, publishing history and issue to issue perspective there is no fine line where ACTION 1 superman stops being ACTION 1 superman and suddenly becomes "silver age" superman. it all just kinda..happened.

now, val's point about not being married to old stuff is correct, DC/national periodicals was just making it up as they went. correct absolutely. spot on, val.

but- i would submit that earth 2 superman is a third, distinct version in that he was "created" to correct an apparent plot-hole ( that superman was associated with the society AND the leaugue, now (then) considered to be parallels) and to excuse the existance of superBOY.

(this brings me to something else for another thread)
obviously the addition of superBOY comepletely contradicts the origin of superman in ACTION 1. and it makes no sense that a city/world would be "stunned" by superman, or that (as we see in early action issues) superman builds into an urban legend before being widely know IF the world already knew of a superBOY.

so, my theory/view is that the literal history leads directly from ACTION 1 to silver age as a simple matter of publishing record, and the addition of "earth-2 superman" allowed DC/national to have a reason for superBOY and a superman for the society.
the literal history has no direct link from ACTION 1 to superman of earth 2. he (earth 2) simply showed up in the justice league issue mentioned above.




superman.nu/theages/comics.php

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