Superman stories for Ehapa

List of original Superman stories DC produced for Ehapa in the 1980s
This fan page researched and posted by dave (at) fishdog.net
Superman and all images on this page are copyright (c) DC Comics, Inc. and/or trademarks of DC Comics, Inc.
Updated 27 Mar 2024, 10:52 pm PT

For a time in the early 1980s, Superman comics were more popular in Germany than in the US, where the stories were produced. Under Julius Schwartz's editorship, DC Comics produced 21 46-page stories and four 30-page stories specifically for DC's German licensee, Ehapa Verlag.

A few of these were later reprinted in the US, the UK, and elsewhere, but not all. DC's US Superman titles did not have enough page count to run 30- and 46-page stories, so panels and pages were trimmed or stories split into 2 parts with new splash pages added. Gil Kane was Julie's go-to cover artist for the US Superman titles at that time, and he drew several new covers for the US reprints. Occasionally, even Ehapa trimmed stories a bit, so some pages likely never saw print anywhere.

Even more Superman stories for foreign publishers may exist than what I've listed here. I'm curious if "The Sinbad Contract" in October 1990 DC issues of Superman #48, Adventures of Superman #471, and Action Comics #658 was originally for another market.

I wish DC Comics would reprint these stories, at least digitally, but I assume the audience would be pretty small by now. Sad to think there are hundreds of pages of Bronze Age Superman left unpublished in English. (Sugar & Spike fans must feel the same way: Sheldon Mayer produced tons of material for Latin American markets that never saw print in English.)

As a Silver Age and Bronze Age Superman fan, I've been researching this topic for almost 40 years. I met Julie Schwartz at DC's offices in 1985, but I don't recall asking him about the Ehapa stories. (We did share a love for the card game pinochle, and these days I write several popular pinochle apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.) If you'd like to help me with my Superman Ehapa research, please send me an email. -- dave (at) fishdog.net

1. Startling Saga of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue (S-5054) (46 pp) (Luthor, Terra-Man)
by Bob Rozakis, Adrian Gonzales, Vince Colletta
Cover: Adrian Gonzales, Joe Orlando

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Album #1 (46 pp) (Ehapa)
ITALIAN EDITION: Superman Album #79 (46 pp) (Ehapa)
US EDITION: Superman Spectacular 1982 (Ehapa for DC)
UK EDITION: DC Super Heroes presents Superman Spectacular #1 (Ehapa for London Editions)

2. Conqueror from the Past (S-5060) (46 pp) (Alexander the Great)
by Bob Rozakis, Curt Swan, Vince Colletta
Cover: Curt Swan, Dick Giordano

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Album #2 (46 pp) (Ehapa)
ITALIAN EDITION: Superman Album #87 (46 pp) (Ehapa)
US REPRINT: Superman #387 (9/83), Action Comics #547 (9/83) (Gil Kane covers, new splash and added panels by Curt Swan, Pablo Marcos)

3. Superman Meets the Zod Squad (S-5066) (46 pp) (Phantom Zone villains)
by Cary Bates, Alex Saviuk, Vince Colletta
Cover (C-882) by Howard Chaykin

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Album #3 (46 pp) (Ehapa)
UK EDITION: Superman Spectacular #2 (Ehapa for London Editions)
US REPRINT: Action Comics #548 (11/83), #549 (12/83) (Gil Kane covers)
DUTCH REPRINT: Superman #16 (Baldakijn) (Gil Kane cover)

4. Behold! The Ultimate Man! (S-4006) (46 pp)
by Gil Kane
Cover: Gil Kane

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Album #4 (46 pp) (Ehapa)
DUTCH EDITION: Superman Album #4 (46 pp) (Ehapa)
US REPRINT: Superman Special #1 (1983) (43 pp)
US REPRINT: Adventures of Superman: Gil Kane (2013) (43 pp)
DIGITAL: Comixology sells Adventures of Superman: Gil Kane (2013)

5. The Demon with a Cape (S-4047) (46 pp) (Brainiac)
by Cary Bates, Gil Kane
Cover: Gil Kane

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Album #5 (46 pp) (Ehapa)
US REPRINT: Superman Special #2 (1984) (43 pp)
US REPRINT: Adventures of Superman: Gil Kane (2013) (43 pp)
DIGITAL: Comixology sells Adventures of Superman: Gil Kane (2013)

NOTE: This Cary Bates-scripted tale picks up the story of Brainiac after Action Comics (US) #530, a Marv Wolfman-scripted tale. Possibly Marv was unaware of or disagreed with the Bates story and resolved Brainiac's story differently in Action Comics (US) #544. When DC eventually reprinted this 5th Ehapa album in Superman Special (US) #2, a new caption on the splash page explained that the Bates story was imaginary: "IN THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE OF ACTION COMICS [#544], BRAINIAC ESCAPED FROM HIS PRISON WITHIN AN ARTIFICIAL PLANET, AND IN SO DOING BECAME THE NEW BRAINIAC. BUT SUPPOSE HE HAD FOUND A WAY TO ESCAPE WITHOUT CHANGING? THIS IMAGINARY STORY SEEKS TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION!"

6. The Man Who Hated the Human Race (S-4094) (46 pp)
by Paul Kupperberg, Alex Saviuk, Frank McLaughlin
Cover (S-4140): Alex Saviuk, Mike DeCarlo

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Album #6 (46 pp) (Ehapa)
DUTCH EDITION: Superman Album #6 (46 pp) (Ehapa)

7. My Master -- The Parasite (S-4141) (46 pp)
by Bob Rozakis, Alex Saviuk, Pablo Marcos
Cover (S-4158): Alex Saviuk, Larry Mahlsted

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Album #7 (46 pp) (Ehapa)

8. My Friends, the Enemy! (S-4160) (46 pp)
by Bob Rozakis, Alex Saviuk, Joe Giella
Cover (S-4238): Alex Saviuk, Pablo Marcos

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Album #8 (46 pp) (Ehapa)

9. Deadly Sting of the Hive (S-4232) (46 pp)
by Paul Kupperberg, Irv Novick, Tony DeZuniga
Cover (S-4312): Joe Kubert

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Album #9 (46 pp) (Ehapa)
DUTCH EDITION: Superman Extra #1 (Baldakijn)

10. The Life of a Rock (S-4271) (46 pp)
by Bob Rozakis, Alex Saviuk, Dennis Jensen
Cover (S-4304): Alex Saviuk, Mike DeCarlo

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Sonderausgabe #9 (46 pp) (Ehapa)

11. The One-Man Balance of Power! (S-4356) (46 pp) (Neutron)
by E. Nelson Bridwell, Alex Saviuk, Pablo Marcos
Cover (S-4430): Alex Saviuk, Dick Giordano

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Album #10 (Ehapa) (46 pp)
DUTCH EDITION: Superman Extra #2 (Baldakijn)

12. Sun-Stealer of Space (S-4370) (46 pp) (Solarus)
by Paul Kupperberg, Irv Novick, Joe Giella
Cover (S-4480): Eduardo Barreto

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Album #11 (Ehapa) (46 pp)
DUTCH EDITION: Superman Extra #3 (Baldakijn)

13. Amazo Means Mayhem (S-4413) (46 pp)
by E. Nelson Bridwell, Len Wein, Irv Novick, Pablo Marcos
Cover: Eduardo Barreto

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Album #12 (Ehapa) (46 pp)
US REPRINT: Superman Special #3 (1985) (45 pp)
DUTCH REPRINT: Superman en Batman Special #10 (Baldakijn)

14. The Greatest (S-4469) (46 pp)
by Paul Kupperberg, Alex Saviuk, Joe Giella
Cover (S-4500): Alex Saviuk, Mike DeCarlo

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Sonderausgabe #10 (Ehapa)

15. Luthor's Ultra Ego (S-4534) (46 pp)
by Cary Bates, Alex Saviuk, Pablo Marcos
Cover (S-4570): Alex Saviuk, Klaus Janson

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Superband #29 (Ehapa) (42 pp)
US REPRINT: Superman Annual #12 (Brian Bolland cover) (40 pp)

16. The Luckiest Man in the World (S-4583) (46 pp) (The Gambler)
by Paul Kupperberg, Alex Saviuk, Pablo Marcos
Cover (S-4637): Alex Saviuk (unused?)

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Taschenbuch #78 (Ehapa)

17. Terra-Man's Terrible Trio (S-4634) (46 pp)
by Paul Kupperberg, Alex Saviuk, David Hunt
Cover (S-4661): Alex Saviuk, Murphy Anderson

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Taschenbuch #79 (1986) (Ehapa)
DIGITAL: Superman_Taschenbuch_79_Ehapa_1986.cbz

18. Cosmic Nemesis Number One (S-4663) (46 pp)
by Paul Kupperberg, Alex Saviuk, Pablo Marcos
Cover (S-4705): Alex Saviuk, Pablo Marcos (used as contents page in Superman Superband #30)

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Superband #30 (36 pages) (Ehapa)

19. The Wall to Infinity (S-4690) (46 pp) (Brainiac)
by Robert Loren Fleming, Keith Giffen, Romeo Tanghal
Cover (S-4742): Giffen, Murphy Anderson

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Taschenbuch #72 (Ehapa)

20. The Bride of Bizarro (S-4733) (46 pp)
by Cary Bates, Alex Saviuk, Frank McLaughlin
Cover (S-476?): Alex Saviuk, Kurt Schaffenberger

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Taschenbuch #78 (Ehapa)

21. The Parasite Curse (S-4775) (46 pp)
by Cary Bates, Alex Saviuk, Dave Hunt
Cover (S-4823): Alex Saviuk, Dave Hunt

GERMAN EDITION: Superman Superband #30 (Ehapa)

Superman/Batman in Partners in Peril! (S-3995) (30 pp)
by E. Nelson Bridwell, Bob Rozakis, Alex Saviuk, Chiaramonte
Cover: Alex Saviuk, ?

GERMAN EDITION: Superman/Batman #1982/25 (Ehapa)

Superman (S-4025) (30 pp)
by Alex Saviuk, Frank McLaughlin
Cover: Alex Saviuk, ?

GERMAN EDITION: Superman/Batman #1983/1 (Ehapa)

Superman/Batman in Villain! Villain! Who's Got the Villain? (S-4032) (30 pp)
by Elliot S! Maggin, Alex Toth, Terry Austin
Cover (S-4032): Gil Kane

GERMAN EDITION: Superman/Batman #1983/4 (Ehapa)
US REPRINT: Superman Annual #9 (1983)
AUS REPRINT: Superman (Federal Comics)

Superman in The Day the Earth Exploded (S-4124) (30 pp)
by E. Nelson Bridwell, Bob Rozakis, George Tuska, Sal Trapani
Cover: Alex Saviuk, Mike DeCarlo

GERMAN EDITION: Superman/Batman #1983/9 (Ehapa)
US REPRINT: Action Comics #550 (12/83) (25 pp)
AUS REPRINT: Action Comics #6 (Federal Comics)