Simply the Best: Superman #187

As a life-long fan and collector of Superman comics, I've seen my share of great (and not so great) covers featuring the Man of Steel.  As memorable as so many of them are, I don't think any of them can quite surpass a special cover that, in many ways, remains my favorite.

Why is that?  Well, quite simply, Superman #187 (1966) was the very first comic book I can remember reading.

My grandparents had a modest stack of comics for us grandkids to read when we visited.  Although most of them were Gold Key Disney and Looney Tunes comics, there was one comic book that wasn't at all like the others.  There was this "Superman" guy, hefting a huge golden key to unlock the ultimate secret clubhouse.  A "Fortress of Solitude"?  What's this?  A city in a bottle?  An Interplanetary Zoo?  An undersea Fortress in addition to the ice Fortress?  Even the phrase "80-page Giant" seemed cool beyond belief!

Obviously, I was in "Kid Heaven" with concepts like these...and can you think of any better crash-course introduction to superhero comic books? 

I can't tell you how many times I read and re-read this comic book when I visited my grandparents. A few years later, I started collecting comics and eventually bought my own copy of Superman #187.  Needless to say, it's still one of the highlights of my collection. Not only for its status as "my first comic book", but also for its association with my grandparents (now long gone).  In a way, it almost feels like a "souvenier" from a happy childhood.   

So, it might not win the "Most Awesomely Mind-Blowing Cover Design of All Time" award, but to me, it's Simply the Best.

Comments

[Loren]

::Dances around the room::

I have this issue! I have this issue!

I always loved the comics with a multiude of stories in them and you got a sneak peak on the cover. Oh, why can't they do stuff like this now?!?!?!

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, I really enjoy all of the 80 pg. Giants in my collection. They really gave you a nice "flyover" of the Superman books at the time.

Loren, how far back does your collection go? What kind of titles do you like to collect?

[Loren]

Hey, Mark...Probably my earliest comics go back into the 1950s. I'm not a collector that goes for value, but somebody who'll grab something because I think the cover is fun. That's why I love your "Cover to Cover" entries and even the "Worst.Cover.Ever." While I primarily collect DC and Marvel in the currents, I also tended to like to find obscure titles in the Silver and Bronze age...things like Nukla (Dell) and Owl Man (Gold Key). It's just fun to look at them. My philosophy on comics, old and new, is that they are meant to be enjoyed and not stuffed in a bag and board in a box (although, ultimately, I store them that way...but, I'm sure, you get my point).

[Mark Engblom]

Absolutely! I'm also open to picking up stuff that catches my eye. My most recent interest seems to be old Dell Lone Ranger comics with the beautiful painted covers (although the Clayton Moore photo covers are appealing in their own right). The old Doctor Solar covers are also pretty cool.

I completely agree that comics should be enjoyed and not locked away in hermitically-sealed vaults. In fact, I've got an anti-slabbing rant inside of me just waiting to get out. Maybe I'll save it for after the holidays...cuz it could get UGLY! ;)

[Loren]

You should totally write the rant. I'm so against slabbing myself. Don't understand it...never will!