The Highlight Reel: I Flew With Superman

Of all the artists who've drawn Superman over the past seven decades, my favorite remains Curt Swan. 

Born and raised right here in Minnesota, Curt began drawing for DC Comics in 1945 following his service in World War II...eventually gravitating toward the Superman family of titles. One thing lead to another, and before long, Swan had supplanted Wayne Boring as the Superman artist...a distinction he would hold for the next several decades.

Curt remained the primary penciller for both Superman and Action Comics from the late 50's through the mid-80's, which is when DC handed their Superman franchise over to a (then) hotshot named John Byrne.

However, a  few years before his involuntary semi-retirement, Swan had both penciled and inked a special story appearing in Superman Annual #9 (1983) titled "I Flew With Superman". The story, by Curt himself (as told to Cary Bates and Elliot S. Maggin), opens with the hard working gent sitting down to burn the midnight oil on a new Superman adventure. At some point during the night, Curt nods off...only to awaken on a bench in the middle of a city park! After wandering around a bit, it slowly dawns on Curt that he's somehow appeared in the mythical city of Metropolis...which sends him immediately to 344 Clinton Street, the mid-town residence of Clark Kent! After the doorman announced him as "Curt Swan from Earth-Prime", a flabbergasted Kent buzzed him in (click on the panels for a larger view)....

  

After a brief visit (and a detour to foil an armed robbery), Superman brought Curt home by flying him through the dimensional barrier....or did he?

 

Twelve years ago today, on June 16th, 1996, Curt passed away...leaving behind a legacy unmatched by any artist before or since.   

I'll never forget the day I finally got to meet him at our local Fallcon back in 1993.  What a thrill it was to talk to the man whose work I'd admired for so long...and how comforting to realize how friendly and kind of a man he was.  I was very nervous as I approached him, but by the end of our brief visit, I felt at ease with him, as if I'd known him personally for years.  Which, in a way, I suppose I did.

I miss you and your work, Curt.  Superman was never more noble, more wise, or strong than under your graceful drawing hand. Thank you for all those late nights and your loyalty to the heroic ideal.

Who knows...maybe today he IS "flying with Superman" somewhere out there beyond the comic book page.

Curt Swan and me, October 9th, 1993

Comments

[PAUL SAETHER]

The first time Curt Swan appeared in a Superman story (as far as I know) was in Superman #145.

In the story 'The night of March 31st'(Page 5, panel 4), the two guys in the closet watching Superman change are Swan (far right with pen over ear) and, I believe, publisher Harry (?) Donnefield {?}.

[Michael Lee]

What better way to be immortalized on this site than in a photo with you with the tool of his trade in his hand.

I might be wrong but wasn't this one of the rare stories where Curt inked his own pencils?

[Mark Engblom]

"I might be wrong but wasn't this one of the rare stories where Curt inked his own pencils?"

No, you're right, Michael. This was indeed one of the rare stories Curt pencilled and inked.

[Mark Engblom]

"The first time Curt Swan appeared in a Superman story (as far as I know) was in Superman #145."

Hey, cool! I'll have to check that out. Thanks, Paul!

[Pat Curley]

That's the "How many boo-boos can you spot" story; I covered it here (including the panel with Swan):

http://sacomics.blogspot.com/2006/03/night-of-march-31st-updated.html

Incidentally, the guy who found the fourth most errors was an MIT student who turned out to have a lifelong love affair with comics, like that kid genius you mentioned a week or two ago.

I always liked Swan's work. It was very neat, tidy and consistent, if occasionally a little on the sterile side (which may have been Weisinger's influence).

[meng]

Curt Swan was always three yards and a cloud of dust for me... utterly reliable and rock solid. his Superman in the 50s, 60s and into the 70s was absolutely without peer.

some of the more science fiction-y stuff that looked so realistic back in the day did grow a tad anachronistic by the 70s and 80s... like any robot/android, brainiac's (literal) flying saucer or any alien/monster- the creature Mxy turns Superman into in Superman 335 comes to mind. but to his last panel, his clean storytelling and sense of proportion & scale, puts all the Rob Liefields, Michael Turners and Ethan Van Scivers of today to shame...

[Mark Engblom]

"some of the more science fiction-y stuff that looked so realistic back in the day did grow a tad anachronistic by the 70s and 80s."

Yeah, I have to admit, that kind of stuff was a little shaky later on. I used to wince a little bit at Curt's B.E.M.'s (Bug-Eyed Monsters), and the guy couldn't draw the "ears" on Batman's mask to save his life....but those weaknesses were utterly surpassed by his many strengths. Too bad they stuck him with a hack inker like Frank Chiaramonte for most of the late 70's and early 80's. It really seemed to take the wind out of Curt (which is completely understandable).