Seeing the 100-page Superman 252 was quite a thrill, the 1972 equivalent of the 1960 experience of seeing the first Superman annual on the newsstands.
I loved the theme, superheroes who could fly. Flying is a universal metaphor for perfect freedom, hence its popularity in fantasy. The striking wrap-around cover by Neal Adams featured 21 such superheroes in flight against a dawn cityscape.
The contents dug into DC’s Golden Age treasure trove. We were treated to Superman’s epic battle with a super-powered Luthor from Action Comics 47 and Superman 17 in 1942; the first appearance of Hawkgirl from Flash Comics 24 in 1940; Dr. Fate thwarting the menace of The Fire Murders from More Fun Comics 57 in 1940; the Spectre facing the return of the omnipotent Zor from that same issue; Starman’s first encounter with his invisible archenemy the Mist in Adventure Comics 67 from 1941 and Superman’s Greatest Feats from Superman 146 in 1961.
But wait! There’s more!
DC reached outside its own history to include two Golden Age gems from Quality Comics drawn by Lou Fine — the Ray battling the musical super-villain Stradivous from Smash Comics 17 in 1940 and a Black Condor exploit from Crack Comics 18 in 1941.
The 100-pagers had a convoluted origin story. “In 1971, DC changed the format of their standard comics from 32 pages for 15¢ to 48 pages for 25¢. This conflicted with each of DC’s existing giant series (Series ‘G,’ DC Special, Super DC Giant, and 25¢ Series) which were already 25¢ for 64 pages,” noted Mike’s Amazing World of Comics. “Rather than raise the price of their 64 page giants, DC pioneered a new format: the 100-Page Spectacular, 96 square-bound pages plus covers for 50¢.”
I wasn’t alone in my enthusiasm for them.
“Just imagine: you’re 11 years old, you’re a fan of comic books and superheroes, and one day, you stumble across this on the spinner rack,” wrote Carl Cafarelli. “’100 Action-Packed Pages,’ ‘World’s Greatest Super-Heroes!’ Only 50 cents! If you have two quarters on you, you’ve already fumbled them out of your pocket and handed them over to the guy or gal at the cash register, and flown home faster than any stunned onlooker could even exclaim, ‘Look! Up in the sky…!’
“In 1971, I was that 11-year-old. I couldn’t fly home with my new treasure — I bought it in a Greyhound station, en route from Syracuse to summer vacation in Missouri — but it was a glimpse of glory nonetheless.
“The DC 100-Page Super Spectaculars were so cool, providing eager young fans like me with an opportunity to read and enjoy reprints of adventures from the DC Comics archives, going back as far as the late 1930s up through the then-recent decade of the ’60s. The Golden Age reprints were my main interest; I loved the ’60s stories, sure, but the stuff from the ’40s? That was exciting, and mostly new to me —undiscovered territory. The Super Specs mixed old and older in an irresistible package, all in color for five dimes. Inflation? Vanquished as easily as the mad scientist Luthor punched through a wall by the Man of Steel.”
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