Review by Frank Plowright

In 1978 DC introduced DC Comics Presents, in which Superman teamed with a different superhero every month, each a standalone story by a different creative team. A run of 97 issues to 1986 indicates fans of the time supported the idea, but they were hardly rewarded with quality material, and most stories that stood out have already been reprinted in collections such as Adventures of Superman by José Luis García-López.

The collection opens with two ordinary outings alongside Superman’s fellow Justice League members Aquaman and Wonder Woman, but thereafter it prioritises less conventional pairings. Superman teams with his younger self Superboy, and his alter-ego Clark Kent. He accompanies Sgt Rock during World War II, and pairs with Amythyst, Batgirl, Elongated Man and Santa Claus. Yes, Santa Claus. Sadly, few of them prove as enticing as they might sound, many are further handicapped by uninspired art and if the guest star is male, it’s likely to feature the cliché of Superman first having to fight his fellow hero. For the times it was all acceptably professional, but all these years later inspiration is at a premium.

To select the better material, Len Wein and Jim Starlin pitting Superman and Supergirl against Mongul’s Warworld still thrills, although has an abrupt ending as the continuation is absent. Martin Pasko and Joe Staton dropping Superman into Plastic Man’s world has its moments, there’s a charm to Wein and E. Nelson Bridwell’s Santa Claus story drawn by Curt Swan, and Bridwell and Swan’s Amazo tale also entertains. Swan (sample art right) drew Superman for decades, so is extremely polished, but not the best at creating a darker mood when it’s needed.

Given this selection, you’d think Superman teamed with a woman every third issue, whereas the reality is pretty well every team-up with a woman over 97 issues appears here, allowing for not duplicating Wonder Woman and Supergirl appearances. That being the case, couldn’t space have been found for Superman meeting Madame Xanadu drawn by Gray Morrow?

The closer runs to twice the usual page count, and is also included in 2013’s Superman: Phantom Zone. Steve Gerber and Rick Veitch’s look at the Phantom Zone ranks among the book’s highlights. It chronicles Kryptonian physicist Jor-El discovering a sphere of existence where life can continue in ghostlike form, but physical interaction is impossible. At first Kryptonian criminals are sentenced for punishment, Gerber detailing their crimes surprisingly graphically before taking a look at the wider world surrounding Superman. It’s a bonkers, but imaginative story given a veneer of normalcy by Veitch.

Superman’s Greatest Team-Ups is definitely for the converted only. Comic readers whose childhood was brightened by these adventures may appreciate eighteen issues, over a fifth of the series between two covers. Younger folk will surely expect greater sophistication.