Continuing the efforts to preserve comic history, IDW will soon begin republishing decades of classic Superman Sunday newspaper comic strips that have never been previously reprinted. Through a partnership with DC Entertainment, IDW's Library of American Comics imprint will publish twenty-five years of Superman Sunday comic strips in a series of volumes. The comics will be divided into decades from the 1940s Golden Age through the 1950s Atomic Age to the 1960s Silver Age.
Due up first in the Golden Age group is a volume collecting Superman's comic strips from May 1943 through August 1946. This volume will be of particular interest because it covers an important period in world history. The impact of World War II is directly reflected in the Superman stories, too. This volume contains the "Superman's Service to Servicemen" stories, which featured the Man of Steel aiding American G.I.s fighting the War by helping with soldiers' home front problems. After the conclusion of the war, Superman gets back to Metropolis and cosmic adventures.
The book will be true to the original Newspaper format by printing in a large format. The 9.5" x 12" size will allow readers to "fully enjoy these glorious full-color tabloid Sundays," says editor Dean Mullaney. Mullaney began the Library of American Comics line in 2007 to preserve, restore and reintroduce classic comic strips. The Library of American Comics have since won numerous awards from the comic industry, including Eisners and Harveys. Each book in the Superman series will begin with an introduction by Mark Waid and will feature volume covers drawn by Peter Poplaski. Superman Golden Age Sundays: 1943-1946, the 184-page first volume, will be published by IDW Publishing on December 31, 2013.
