When Superman Was a Force for Humanism and Social Justice
Superman reviews - celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Man of Steel!
Review of the Superman story only:
One of the great things about Golden Age Superman, something that's become a bit lost over the subsequent decades, is that Jerry Siegel's Superman did more than fight supervillains, hucksters and natural disasters; he also championed the oppressed and underprivleged. In just his first year he helped the wrongly condemned, orphans, exploited mine workers, and the urban poor.
And he does it again in the untitled story in this issue of Action Comics. This time he stands up for prisoner's rights. When an escaped con contacts the Daily Star, Kent covers the story. It results in the governor personally visiting the prison, but the sadistic Superintendent covers things up, and the governor leaves the status quo, convinced nothing is wrong. Superintendent Wyman then visits the offices of The Daily Star and forces Clark to reveal the location of the escaped convict. The rest of the staff is livid and threaten to quit, and Lois will no longer speak to him. But Superman has no intention of leaving things at that.
This is also a great story because not only is Superman less powerful (these were the days before he could fly), but also didn't have all the answers. His actions initially make things worse, causing Crane, the convict who revealed the truth about prison conditions to suffer more beatings, torture and a gunshot wound before Superman is able to finally rescue him.
Reading the Golden Age Superman stories really shows the depth of this character, and this issue is a great one to check out.
