Doomed Planet. Desperate Scientists, Last Hope, Kindly Couple — that’s the gist of it, provided by Grant Morrison in All-Star Superman. Superman is the Last Son of Krypton, raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent, he has gone on to become the world’s greatest hero. With powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, Superman fights as the champion of the oppressed.
Created in 1938 by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, Superman is the first superhero, and the reason for the others to exist.
Superman inspires the best of us all. He’s what we can strive to be. He’s a shining beacon, that even though he has the powers needed to take over the world and rule it with an iron fist, he instead uses those powers for the greater good in defense of the defenseless. He’s a hero that you can always count on to do the right thing, and to inspire others both in and out of universe.
If you are looking for some in-depth coverage on the Man of Steel that would do The Daily Planet proud?
A multi-part retrospective of Superman comics from 1991-2001 is available on Comfort Food Comics, written by the very person who put this Primer together: Cori!
You can find part one of that series here.
Gold
The Death and Return of Superman
November 1992 – September 1993
- Superman: The Man of Steel #18-26
- Superman #74-82
- Adventures of Superman #496-505
- Action Comics #683-692
- Louise Simonson, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Roger Stern, & Karl Kesel
- Jon Bogdanove, Dan Jurgens, Tom Grummett, & Butch Guice
- Dennis Janke, Brett Breeding, Doug Hazlewood, & Denis Rodier
- Glenn Whitmore
- Bill Oakley, John Costanza, & Albert De Guzman
The Plot
The man of steel falls defending the people he loves and the city he calls home from the monstrous Doomsday. As the world grieves four mysterious Supermen show up each with their own particular claim to the name of Superman, but which one, if any, is the real Superman?
Why We Love It
This story set the tone for an entire fantastic era of Superman stories. It focuses heavily on the supporting cast that makes Superman great, and is able to dig into what makes the man so important to the world.
Don’t have a local comic shop?
Consider supporting ComicsXF by using these links:
Silver
Man and Superman
April 2019
- Man and Superman
- Marv Wolfman
- Claudio Castellini
- Claudio Castellini
- Hi-Fi & Claudio Castellini
- Tom Orzechowski
The Plot
Clark Kent arrives in Metropolis, not yet the hero he will become, and as he struggles with just how to become that hero, he learns about himself along the way.
Why We Love It
This is the definitive Superman origin story in my book. It takes the best parts of many other origins and puts it all together in a way that really makes it work.
Don’t have a local comic shop?
Consider supporting ComicsXF by using these links:
All-Star Superman
November 2005 – October 2008
- All-Star Superman #1-12
- Grant Morrison
- Frank Quitely
- Jamie Grant
- Jamie Grant
- Phil Balsman and Travis Lanham
The Plot
Superman is dying. Keeping this secret but knowing the inevitability, what follows are some of the greatest Superman moments in the character’s history, including fights with Bizarro and Lex Luthor, and a secret revealed to Lois Lane.
Why We Love It
A timeless classic that boils the character down to the very basic elements that make him inspirational and great, All-Star Superman is a must read for anyone, not just fans of the character. It is a perfect introduction to the character, and if you weren’t a fan before you will be after.
Don’t have a local comic shop?
Consider supporting ComicsXF by using these links:
Superman Smashes the Klan
December 2019 – April 2020
- Superman Smashes the Klan #1-3
- Gene Luen Yang
- Gurihiru
- Janice Chiang
The Plot
To aid Chinese American immigrants, Superman faces off against the all-too-real evils of the Klan of the Fiery Kross, while coming to terms with his own alien nature.
Why We Love It
Based on the radio serial that tore the real Ku Klux Klan asunder for years, Superman Smashes the Klan is the best Superman book of the last ten years, and while maintaining Golden Age power levels for the character still shows him with all the heart of any other story.
Don’t have a local comic shop?
Consider supporting ComicsXF by using these links:
Superman: The Wedding Album
October 1996
- Superman: The Wedding Album
- Louise Simonson, Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, David Michelenie, & Roger Stern
- John Byrne, Kerry Gammill, Gil Kane, Stuart Immonen, Paul Ryan, Jon Bogdanove, Kieron Dwyer, Tom Grummett, Dick Giordano, Jim Mooney, Curt Swan, Nick Cardy, Al Plastino, Barry Kitson, Ron Frenz, & Dan Jurgens
- Terry Austin, Bob McLeod, José Marzan, Jr., Brett Breeding, Dennis Janke, Doug Hazlewood, Denis Rodier, Art Thibert, George Pérez, Jackson Guice, Ray McCarthy, Joe Rubinstein, & Jerry Ordway
- Glenn Whitmore
- Bill Oakley
The Plot
After nearly 70 years of courtship, Clark Kent and Lois Lane finally tie the knot.
Why We Love It
A star-studded special involving Superman creators past and present, the Wedding Album is the emotional high point of what is widely considered to be the best era of Superman comics. After five long years of set-up and engagement, this issue is well worth the wait, and the marriage would continue to drive the books for years to come.
Don’t have a local comic shop?
Consider supporting ComicsXF by using these links:
Bronze
Superman in Exile
December 1988 – October 1989
- The Adventures of Superman #445-459
- Superman #23-37
- Action Comics #643-646
- Action Comics Annual #2
- Jerry Ordway, Roger Stern, Dan Jurgens, & George Perez
- Jerry Ordway, Kerry Gammill, Dan Jurgens, Mike Mignola, Paris Cullins, Curt Swan, George Perez, & Keith Giffen
- Petra Scotese & Glenn Whitmore
- Albert De Guzman, John Costanza, Bill Oakley
- Tom Orzechowski & Augustin Mas
The Plot
After having to execute three Kryptonian criminals, Superman suffers a mental breakdown and enters a fugue state as the vigilante Gangbuster. Seeing that he is now a danger to the world he has sworn to protect, he decides to spend his days in exile, away from the planet Earth.
Why We Love It
Left holding the bag after John Byrne’s quick exit from the Superman books, Roger Stern, Jerry Ordway and Dan Jurgens would not only pick up the pieces, but they’d build something much better from the scraps they were left. This is the arc that defined what the Superman books would become for the next decade, and is still one of the best stories of that era.
Don’t have a local comic shop?
Consider supporting ComicsXF by using these links:
For the Man Who Has Everything
September 1985
- Superman Annual #11
- Alan Moore
- Dave Gibbons
- Dave Gibbons
- Tom Zuiko
- Dave Gibbons
The Plot
For Superman’s birthday, his friends come to the Fortress of Solitude only to find that Mongul gave him his present first: a parasitic plant called the Black Mercy. The Mercy presents its host a dream world while it eats their life force unknowingly, and due to this Superman has found himself back on an unexploded Krypton.
Why We Love It
A one-shot story in the earlier stages of Alan Moore’s career, it is still one of the best stories he ever wrote and one of the best Superman stories of its era. This is a story that has been adapted for both animation and live action, and just a fantastic stand-alone Superman story.
Don’t have a local comic shop?
Consider supporting ComicsXF by using these links:
Action Comics #1
June 1938
- Action Comics #1
- Jerry Siegel
- Joe Shuster
The Plot
The very first Superman story sees him deal with smaller real world problems like domestic violence and exonerating an innocent woman from death row.
Why We Love It
This is the one that started it all. Superman’s introduction in Action Comics #1 would change pop culture forever, and give us a hero that we would look up to for the next 80 years.
Don’t have a local comic shop?
Consider supporting ComicsXF by using these links:
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
October 2003 – March 2004
- Superman/Batman #1-6
- Jeph Loeb
- Ed McGuinness
- Dexter Vines
- Dave Stewart
- Richard Starkings
The Plot
A giant mass of Kryptonite is heading towards Earth, and President Luthor blames Superman. After being declared an enemy of the state, Superman must work with Batman to clear his name.
Why We Love It
The absolute best of Loeb’s time on the Superman books, this book serves as a great character study of both Superman and Batman and what makes each of them unique. It also serves as a climax to the very first plot threads that Loeb started seeding when he came on to the Superman books in 1999.
Don’t have a local comic shop?
Consider supporting ComicsXF by using these links:
Note:
The writer of this story, Jeph Loeb, has become associated with racist statements and business practices. You can read more on that here.
JLA: Rage of Angels
July 1997
- JLA #7
- Grant Morrison
- Howard Porter
- John Dell
- Pat Garrahy
- Ken Lopez
The Plot
Heaven has declared war on Earth lead by the angel Asmodel, and the JLA is the only line of defense the Earth has.
Why We Love It
SUPERMAN WRESTLES A ****ING ANGEL. That’s all you really need to know, but for more context when Grant Morrison took over JLA, they were given curveballs by editorial several times in the run, the first of which was Superman’s powers changing almost immediately. Grant did the unthinkable and made Superman even better while exploring those new powers and what that might mean for his place on the team.
Don’t have a local comic shop?
Consider supporting ComicsXF by using these links:
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on reddit
Share on pocket
