I love the smell of a new book. At any time of the day, not just in the morning. It smells like…well, it smells like a new book.
That was the first thing I noticed when I pulled out DC: Superman from its slipcase. The latest gorgeous hardcover from The Folio Society immediately smelled like a well-crafted book, and it was an instant reminder of how premium these titles are.
The Folio Society published some great new releases in 2024, including a collection devoted to Batman and a book of classic Marvel stories curated by Patton Oswalt and Jordon Blum. The company is starting things off in 2025 with a bang with this new Superman set.
Featuring a foreword from author Marjorie Liu and an introduction from Jenette Kahn, the former DC President, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of DC, DC: Superman features a selection of classic and under-the-radar tales about the Man of Steel from throughout nearly 87 years of storytelling. Among the highlights for me is a story from the pen of John Byrne.
First published in Superman Volume 2 #2 back in 1987, “The Secret Revealed” finds the classic villain Lex Luthor determined to discover the connection between Clark Kent and Superman once and for all. Using his brain and money, along with the help of some of his intimidated underlings, Luthor manages to discover the truth: that Clark and Superman are one and the same. However, he refuses to believe the discovery and dismisses the results of his quest. It’s a fun story through and through, and it also gives us a little insight into how characters often seem to miss what’s right in front of their eyes when it comes to Superman.
DC: Superman also contains “Doomsday!,” arguably the most famous comic to feature the character and the culmination of the epic “The Death of Superman” storyline. The issue, written by Dan Jurgens, who also illustrated the story alongside Brett Breeding, features images that take up an entire page or a two-page spread; this one has no panels. “Doomsday!” looks excellent in this collected edition, and every blow exchanged between Superman and Doomsday pops off the page.
DC: Superman also contains a few cool extras, including a letter written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel in the 1930s, detailing the creation of his and co-creator Joe Shuster’s soon-to-be icon. There’s also a separate reproduction of Superman #1 scanned from an original copy in the DC archives. Since none of us reading (or writing) are bazillionaires, this is the closest we’ll come to having our own copy of that classic. I still may have handled this reproduction very gently.
2025 will be a massive year for Superman, with the highly anticipated release of James Gunn’s new film set for July. For longtime fans and newcomers alike, DC: Superman from The Folio Society is a beautiful book celebrating the Man of Steel that will look great on your bookshelf.
It will also smell great.
