Secret Origins #1 [Newsstand]
(April 1986)

DC, 1986 Series
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Price
0.75 USD
Pages
36
Indicia Frequency
monthly
On-sale Date
1986-01-10
Publisher's Age Guidelines
Approved by the Comics Code Authority
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
DC Comics Inc.
Brand
DC [bullet]
Barcode
0709893176604
Editing
Roy Thomas (editor); Janice Race (associate editor); Tom Condon (managing editor)

Issue Notes

On-sale date from DC Releases #23.
This issue is a variant of Secret Origins (DC, 1986 series) #1 [Direct]. There exist further variants:

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

Superman / cover / 1 page (report information)

Pencils
Jerry Ordway (signed); Wayne Boring (image in crystal ball, signed)
Inks
Jerry Ordway (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
Alex Jay (sourced) (logo design); ?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Superman [Kal-L; Clark Kent]; Spectre; Doctor Fate [Kent Nelson]; Wonder Woman [Diana Prince]; Flash [Jay Garrick]; Huntress [Helena Wayne]
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Image in crystal ball is reprinted from page 19 of main story.

The Secret Origin of the Golden-Age Superman (Table of Contents: 1)

Superman / comic story / 22 pages (report information)

Script
Roy Thomas
Pencils
Wayne Boring
Inks
Jerry Ordway
Colors
Gene D'Angelo
Letters
David Cody Weiss

Job Number
G-1788
Genre
superhero
Characters
Superman [Kal-L; Clark Kent]; Jor-L; Lara Jor-L; John Kent; Mary Kent; George Taylor; Lois Lane; Butch Mason
Synopsis
Rocketed to Earth-Two from the exploding planet Krypton, Kal-L grows up to become Superman. He makes his public debut in 1938, trying to prevent the execution of an innocent woman.

Indexer Notes

Retelling of the stories in Action Comics #1 and Superman #1.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 2) (Expand) /

Meanwhile... / in-house column / 1 page (report information)

Superman (Table of Contents: 3)

Superman / illustration / 1 page (report information)

Script
Roy Thomas
Pencils
Joe Shuster (layout); Paul Cassidy (preliminary sketches); John Sikela (Superman's heads only)
Inks
Ed Dobrotka; John Sikela (Superman's heads only); Lee Nowak (line work inside figures)
Colors
?
Letters
?; typeset

Genre
superhero
Characters
Superman [Kal-L; Clark Kent]

Indexer Notes

Previously unpublished artwork. Wayne Boring provided information as to who did what.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 4)

The Secret Origin of Secret Origins / letters page / 2 pages (report information)

Script
Roy Thomas
Pencils
Wayne Boring
Inks
Wayne Boring
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

Job Number
L-2263
Synopsis
Letters page explains why series was created post-Crisis. Roy Thomas goes into details how odd numbered issues would cover Golden Age origins, while the even numbered ones would follow the more silver/modern age origins. Gives brief history behind Golden Age Superman, and the writers and artists associated with him, including this issue's artist Wayne Boring.

Indexer Notes

Last Wayne Boring artwork before his passing.

Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. [no title indexed]
    Superman
  2. 1. The Secret Origin of the Golden-Age Superman
    Superman
  3. 2. [no title indexed]
    Meanwhile...
  4. 3. Superman
    Superman
  5. 4. [no title indexed]
    The Secret Origin of Secret Origins
This issue was modified by
  • Jerry Hillegas (R.I.P.)
  • Mike Nielsen
  • Jim Van Dore