Superman Taschenbuch #67
Superman Taschenbuch #67 is a noteworthy artifact of the final stretch of Egmont Ehapa's long-running DC reprint program in West Germany, arriving in 1985 just as Ehapa was winding down its superhero line ahead of Crisis on Infinite Earths restructuring DC's entire publishing slate. It introduced German-speaking readers to the 'Detroit Era' Justice League — Gerry Conway's controversial, ground-level reimagining of the team — at exactly the moment that era was playing out in American comics, representing one of the rare instances where Ehapa's reprint schedule ran nearly in sync with its US source material. The issue also marks the German-language debut of the villain Maestro (Pasha Gorki), a Soviet-bloc antagonist who wields the sonic keyboard of the old JLA foe Anton Allegro, and whose first appearance in the underlying US issue, Justice League of America #237, was later canonized in DC's own Justice League: The Detroit Era Omnibus. As one of the Taschenbuch series' final dozen issues before the line concluded, it captures both Ehapa's ambition to keep pace with contemporary American superhero storytelling and the twilight of an era of German DC publishing that had lasted nearly two decades.
In "Die Monster-Melodie," nine survivors—including Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne—awaken aboard a spaceship to find Earth vanished, leaving them stranded among the stars. With no way to return, the duo stage a fake suicide to reclaim their identities as Superman and Batman, launching a desperate mission to rebuild hope. When an alien arrives seeking a new home for his people, the survivors' fragile unity is tested by fear and defiance. Written by Bob Haney and illustrated by Pablo Marcos with inks by John Calnan, the cover by Chuck Patton and Mike Machlan captures the haunting isolation of their cosmic ordeal.
In "Die Monster-Melodie," Superman, Wundergirl, und Roter Blitz kehren von einer dreiwöchigen All-Mission zurück und finden ihren Liga-Satelliten zerstört – ein russischer Spionage-Satellit war schuld. Als sie die Spur nach Russland verfolgen, geraten sie in eine tödliche Falle, die von Maestro, dem Mann mit dem gefährlichen Musikinstrument, gestellt wurde. Während Steel bei seinem Großvater versucht, Unterstützung zu finden, bleibt dessen Ablehnung der neuen Gerechtigkeitsliga hart. Die Wölfin tauscht sich mit Aquaman über sein Zerwürfnis mit Mera aus, während die Liga sich in einem Netz aus Verrat und Klang verstrickt.
In "Symphonie des Grauens," Superman and the League journey to Russia to rescue their captured comrades, confronting a sinister legacy tied to a cursed musical device. As they face the echoes of a dark past, they encounter Anton Allegro, the former keeper of the machine, whose final act may hold the key to their mission—though his fate is sealed before the truth is fully known.
In the aftermath of Earth’s sudden disappearance, nine survivors—including Batman [Bruce Wayne] and Superman [Clark Kent]—struggle to survive aboard a drifting spacecraft. With no sign of home, the duo stage a fake suicide to free themselves from their identities, seeking to rebuild something new. When an alien arrives pleading for a place to call home, the group’s fragile unity is tested, forcing them to confront what kind of world they’re willing to create.
In "Der Junge, der Supermans Kräfte stahl!", Superman [Clark Kent - Kal-El] rushes to the hospital after a UFO sighting, concerned for Billy Anders, who remains trapped in a mysterious consciousness exchange with his pet lynx. When Superman attempts to demonstrate his powers, an unexpected feedback loop sends him soaring into space—where he discovers a stranded alien, L'Drr, adrift in the void. Together, they devise a device to temporarily channel the energy back to Billy, giving Superman the edge he needs to face the alien threat.
When a mysterious force keeps repositioning ancient stone statues despite relocation efforts, Batman and Robin enlist Superman’s help—only to discover the statues are tied to the enigmatic 12 Unsterblichen von CY-TOR. As Superman journeys to their alien homeworld, he uncovers a truth that redefines the connection between Earth and the celestial beings known as LYNY and THAZ.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Superman Taschenbuch ('pocketbook') series launched in 1976 under Ehapa Verlag GmbH — the Stuttgart-based German arm of the Egmont publishing group — as a digest-format companion to the flagship Superman/Batman weekly. The editorial team for issue #67 was headed by Adolf Kabatek as publisher (Herausgeber), with Hansjürgen Meyer as editor-in-chief and a small editorial staff including Evelyn Gordelik, Dorothee Freund, and Bernd Klötzer handling the German-language adaptation. The core reprinted story was translated from Justice League of America #237 (cover-dated April 1985, on sale January 3, 1985), written by Gerry Conway with pencils by Chuck Patton and inks by Mike Machlan, and originally edited by Alan Gold — all credited in the Ehapa indicia. Notably, the German edition reproduced the cover image in mirror image relative to the US original, a production quirk documented in the Grand Comics Database, and at 100 pages and full four-color printing, the Taschenbuch format consistently offered better paper stock and richer color reproduction than the newsprint US originals.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published 1985 by Egmont Ehapa (Ehapa Verlag GmbH, Stuttgart) as issue #67 of the Superman Taschenbuch series, which ran from 1976 to 1987 and reached 80 issues.
- Primary reprint source: Justice League of America (DC, 1960 series) #237, cover-dated April 1985, published in the US on January 3, 1985 — written by Gerry Conway, penciled by Chuck Patton, inked by Mike Machlan.
- Marks the German-language first appearance of the villain Maestro (Pasha Gorki) and supporting Soviet characters Comrade Borski and Dimitri Ivanovich, all of whom debuted in the original US issue.
- Features the 'Detroit Era' Justice League roster alongside classic members: Superman (Clark Kent/Kal-El), Wonder Woman (Wundergirl/Diana Prince), Flash (Roter Blitz/Barry Allen), Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man (Elastoman), Vixen (Wölfin), Steel (Hank Heywood III), Vibe (Paco Ramone), and Gypsy.
- The cover image was printed in mirror-image relative to the US original, a documented production practice for some issues in the Ehapa Taschenbuch line.
- The underlying US story, JLA #237, was later collected in DC's Justice League: The Detroit Era Omnibus (DC, 2017 series, published February 2018), confirming its canonical standing in the JLA continuity.
- Ehapa's practice of giving heroes Germanized names is visible throughout: Wonder Woman became 'Wundergirl,' Flash became 'Roter Blitz,' and Vixen was rendered as 'Wölfin' (literally 'she-wolf') — a known translation error, as 'Vixen' correctly translates to 'Füchsin' (vixen/fox).
- Issue #67 appeared near the end of the Taschenbuch run; Ehapa discontinued its core Superman/Batman line at the end of 1985 as DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths restructuring made the existing reprint model untenable.
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Superman #254 (1972), World's Finest Comics #241 (1976), World's Finest Comics #243 (1977), Justice League of America #237 (1985), Justice League of America #238 (1985)
Key issues in Superman Taschenbuch
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