Showcase Presents is a series of large comic book collections that DC created. It was a risky move because the fans really enjoy these comics, but we usually read them in color. Having them in black and white seemed like a weird decision. Can this collection succeed anyway, despite the disadvantage? Time to find out!

With over 500 pages at its disposal, you can imagine how many comics and story arcs are in this collection. So, rather than talk about all of the different stories, I will just mention some of them and try to convey how much fun they were. This collection covers the comics that came out during some of Superman’s best years. They aren’t strictly speaking, Superman comics, so much as comics about his friends. Most of the comics that are contained in this one are Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane comics. Still, since they are the main characters, Superman gets plenty of screen time. You would almost think that they were regular Superman comics while reading it.

Jimmy’s comics usually involve something happening to him and then he must find a way to save himself, without Superman’s help! (Or so he hopes) Jimmy got turned into a giant monster, he got stuck in Kandor, and he even got Superman’s powers. The last comic was one of the only ones where Superman actually lost his cool. Without his comics, he probably experienced danger for the first time in years. Maybe the first time ever!

Jimmy is pretty brave for the comics and he usually won’t go down without a fight. Even when he was dared to spend a night at the ghost house, the “ghosts” didn’t scare him. Jimmy actually gave them a pretty good fight and showed that he’s tougher than he looks. He does need to be rescued by Superman many times, but it’s usually because there are very dangerous circumstances. An alien robot duplicate of himself even tried to destroy him!

Lois got her share of comics as well including some imaginary stories. In one of theme, Lois had to stay in a bullet proof bubble for her own protection, but everyone mocked her and she had no fun. She also had a comic where she shocked Clark Kent because she explained how she got her job. She was able to solve three cases without the help of Superman! The only problem was that Superman Did help her, she just didn’t know it at the time and still doesn’t!

In one comic, Lois and Lana both got super powers and they challenged each other to a battle of super feats. Since both of them were invincible, such a battle could last a long time. In one comic, Lana got super powers once again, but this time they were permanent and she had to spend a lot of time saving Superman from average thugs. The story had a pretty sad ending and it makes you feel bad for Superman.

There were also a few time travel stories where Lois went back in time and met famous people. She met Robin Hood who was the Superman of the past! There was also a knight who was the Superman of the further past. They weren’t Clark Kent, but they were “Super” in their own way and they even had secret identities. Lois figured them out pretty quickly, but she is a detective so it makes sense. Unfortunately, these time travel stories were always the worst ones. Part of the reason why I enjoy these comics so much is because of Superman. Superman is the heart of the party and he’s one of the main reasons as to why the comics are so fun. Whether it’s a facial expression or a really clever pun, Superman makes sure that you enjoy the comic. These “Supermen” just aren’t as interesting.

Lois also got amnesia and started hallucinating that she was famous women of the past. While that issue was interesting, a much better one was when Superman went to the past and tried to relive his life and not go to the Daily Planet. As irony would have it, Superman would still meet up with Lois and he had to save her many times anyway. He decided that his life wouldn’t really change and he may as well go back to the Planet, this way he can protect everyone and also have his normal job.

As I mentioned before, the art is solid and Superman’s a great character. One of the reasons why these were some of Superman’s best years is the fact that everyone was a reasonably cool character. They all got their share of good lines and the villains were pretty neat as well. They were actually pretty smart at times and nearly tricked Lois and Superman into eroding the evidence with his X Ray vision. Jimmy and Lois are also pretty cool and this is back in their classic days. Clark Kent is also pretty intelligent and I give him a separate bio from Superman since they act differently while on screen. Both of them are great characters in their own right.

As you can see, there are definitely a lot of stories in this collection. I doubt that I even mentioned half of them! The collection doesn’t really have any fights since it’s more about Superman’s lighthearted adventures with Lois and Jimmy. Still, the art is superb and while I do wish that it were in color, it doesn’t hold the comic back. I highly recommend this comic to all readers and especially those who just want to have a fun read. It really doesn’t get much better than this and you’ll definitely be getting your money’s worth since there are over 500 pages.

Overall 7/10