Superman #233 Published A Half-Century Ago

Above, the iconic cover artist Neal Adams doesn't like.

Fifty years ago this month, I was in the first half of my sophomore year in high school.

This month fifty years ago was when Superman #233 (cover date January 1971) hit the newsstands at the "expensive" price of fifteen cents. This issue marked the beginning of the "Bronze Age" of comics for Superman.

A post at the "Neal Adams Almanack" Facebook page caught my attention on the issue.

In this issue, kryptonite was done away with, and Clark Kent was reassigned from the Daily Planet newspaper to Galaxy Broadcasting Company's newsroom. In other words, Clark Kent became John Chancellor (the then-anchor of NBC Nightly News). 

Above, #233's "splash" page by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

Superman #233 also featured an iconic cover by Neal Adams of Superman bursting kryptonite chains from his chest. It is interesting to note that Adams did not like the artwork, feeling it was "rushed". The interior featured the story of "Superman Breaks Loose" by Denny O'Neill with superb artwork by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

The "splash" page of the story states "a return to greatness" for the Man of Steel. Yes, a return was needed as stories became dull and formulaic since the glory days of the early 1960s when science-fiction writer Edmond Hamilton wrote for the comic.

Above, artist Neal Adams and your truly at Comikaze Expo in 2012.

I know it has been a long time since Superman #233 came out, but seeing that it is now a half-century ago, it puts it into a whole different perspective for me. (Jeez, I'm getting old!)

For more details on Superman #233, go here.

Oh, yes. I still have Superman #233 in my collection. I'm hanging onto it since it is considered a "key issue" by collectors.