In my FCBD quarter-bin grabs, I found a lot of Superman books. Most of them were from the triangle era and were books that I owned in trade or could easily read on DC Infinite, but here and there I came across a few that were old enough to pique my curiosity or were “deluxe” issues that I’ve always wanted to read and put on the bookshelf. Instead of writing individual reviews, I thought I’d go ahead and do quickies of each.

Superman (vol 1) #289. “The Phantom Horseman of Metropolis!” This caught my eye because it has one of those covers where the background is a photo but Superman and the villain are drawn like they normally are. The conceit of this issue (by Cary Bates, Curt Swan, and Bob Oksner) is that there’s … well, a phantom horseman striking Metropolis and we know he’s a phantom because all we see is a silhouette of a cavalier in white. It involves a professor who has invented a silhouette projector that seems to be used for nefarious purposes but in the end it turns out that his wife stole it and put it on top of the television as a way to maybe get his attention because it’s their wedding anniversary. It’s a pretty goofy story that is also charming, but not one I’ll hold onto. Donate.

Superman (vol 1) #293. Four months later, we have “The Miracle of Thirsty Thursday!” that’s an Elliot S! Maggin story and has a cover that’s pure “Super Dickery”: the citizens of metropolis are begging for water from a fire hydrant and Superman tells them “Nobody gets a drop!” In this one, scientists from the future travel back in time to figure out the mystery of who saved Metropolis on “Thirsty Thursday.” They can’t necessarily connect it to Superman, but of course it’s Superman. Even though the ending is a bit of comic book contrivance, I found this entertaining. Donate.

Superman (vol 1) #336 (Whitman Cover). I totally grabbed this one for the Whitman logo in the corner. It’s Superman teaming up with Thorn, who is the alter ego of a woman named Rose (Rose and Thorn would have occasional appearances over the decades and were even a part of Bendis’ Legion of Super-Heroes run). In here, we have a pretty solid Len Wein-written story that serves as a team-up between the two heroes as they take on a biker gang and the mystery of who Thorn actually is deepens courtesy of a therapist and an amulet that is causing all sorts of trouble. And in clever fashion, the last panel has Superman dismissing the idea that quiet Rose Forrest could ever be Thorn. Donate.

Action Comics #499. A Cary Bates Vartox story with Vince Colletta inks. It involves the possible destruction of Earth and it seems like Vartox is the real hero here, trying to save the Earth from some sort of exploding X-element. I’m not too familiar with this character, although I know he’s got his fans. The story was interesting enough with Vartox playing all sorts of head games with the man of steel until he’s finally able to get our hero to help save the day. In the end, he flies off, having succeeded, so it’s a solid one-and-done. Donate.

Superman and the TSR Whiz Kids. I know I owned this at one point but don’t remember if I reviewed it here. Instead of a lame anti-drug message like the other one I reviewed, this one has Major Disaster causing all sorts of problems. Naturally, the Whiz Kids help out. Jim Starlin does the art, so that’s a plus, and for a book that is ostensibly a Radio Shack commercial, it’s not too bad. Donate.

Superman: The Earth Stealers. A prestige-format one-shot that was written by John Byrne with art by Curt Swan and Jerry Ordway. I think this is Superman’s first of this nature. I remember seeing house ads for it over the years, and couldn’t pass it up for a quarter. For a post-Crisis Superman story, the concept is very pre-Crisis: aliens “steal” the Earth and Superman has to stop them. Maybe Byrne wanted to give everyone a Silver or Bronze Age story in the midst of his master reinvention? Maybe this was a leftover story that eventually found its way into the artists’ hands (and Ordway on Swan is a good combo, btw)? Either way, I enjoyed this. Keep.

Superman: Under a Yellow Sun. Another prestige format book that came out during the 1990s. It’s both a Superman/Lex Luthor story and a “novel” by Clark Kent, with Kerry Gammill doing the art on the “in-universe” pages and Eduardo Barreto drawing the pages of Clark’s “novel.” The Superman story involves Lexcorp having ties to a gun-running operation that’s putting super weapons in the hands of street gangs; the novel borrows elements from it all to give us a spy novel of sorts … as if Clark wants to be James Bond. All in all, it’s solid, and I’m glad I finally found it on the cheap. Keep.