Well, the weekend is almost over and, as I alluded to in my previous entry, this week is going to be a very interesting one at work. Change is coming on the job-front, so stay tuned here for updates.
But what I want to talk about now is Superman. As you readers can probably tell, I am kind of a Superman nut. So I, like many fans of the Man of Steel, am anticipating the upcoming big screen return of the original superhero with a mix of dread and excitement. Excitement because, hey, it's Superman. At his best, it's a character that is an inspiration - a symbol of our hopes and dreams and ideals. An adventurer in the tradition of Ulysses and Hercules. As much a symbol of Americana and our pre-war ideals as George Washington or Uncle Sam. As much a pop cultural icon as anyone. And a walking morality play as a character who constantly demands of us, in each new era, to reexamine the meaning behind his credo of "Truth, Justice, and the American Way." So yeah - to see the Big Red S on the big screen, in live action, is an event. Especially in a time like this one, with so much political uncertainty and desire for heroes, I think there is a desire for Superman to, well, return, in a big way.
But there is that dread to. Dread because Bryan Singer and his writing team seem poised to deliver a Superman that is not the one we want. They seem to be going for an homage to and continuation of the Richard Donner-directed movies that have their roots in the late 70's. They seem to have cast an effiminate lead to play Superman, a too-young Kate Bosworth to play Lois Lane, and Kevin Spacey seems to be channeling the goofiness of Gene Hackman in his latest take on Lex Luthor. The script seems to be focused on angst, romance, and inner turmoil - and short on big action and big themes.
But who knows, maybe the movie will come through. It's still too early to know. In the meantime though, here is my list of the best Superman stories ever written. Stories that paid tribute to the character's past and laid the groundwork for his future. Anyone looking for some good Superman stories should definitely check these out as we inch closer to the movie's release date. It's interesting though -- there really have not been that many GREAT Superman stories. There's been a lot of GOOD stuff, and a lot of that good stuff is found in a number of random single issues strewn throughout the character's decades of being published. Some of those I've read, some I haven't. Unlike Batman, who has had many deconstructionist, adult takes from the likes of mature-readers writers like Frank Miller, Superman has mostly worked best as a larger than life adventure character, and has never really had a story told with the mass appeal, mainstream critical acclaim, and classic status of "Year One" or "The Dark Knight Returns."
For me, the story that got it all started was The Death and Return of Superman epic in the early 90's. For me as a then-preteen boy, the story had everything I could want from a comic book. A huge serialized adventure that had me bracing for each new issue, awesome artwork, a huge cast of characters ... it was a perfect introduction to the DC Universe and its years of history and thousands of characters. Post-Death, the Superman comics kept me hooked even though the quality was up and down, with numerous attempts to recapture the spectacle that was the Death of Superman, which at the time fueled a huge speculator boom in the comics industry and nearly collapsed the entire market. Even in the midst of some poor attempts at "event" stories, the superman comics at thie time had some great self-contained tales, and great art from the likes of Dan Jurgens and Tom Grummet and Stuart Immonen, among others. But the fact was that half the fun of that era came from the focus on the supporting cast of characters, whose supblots continued weekly from title to title. Obviously, it's hard to maintain a great ongoing Superman saga over a long period of time, considering that with the way the stories are told you can't do anything to drastic to alter the characacters from the classic versions - but I think that that 80's-90's era, beginning with John Bryne's Superman re-defining Man of Steel series and ending sometime in the late 90's, did a remarkable job of making Superman / Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, and the rest feel like REAL people, even when the plotlines weren't up to par.
And again, it's hard to tell good, ongoing Superman stories when you can only do so much to change the character. Perhaps this is why some of the best Superman stories deal with alternate versions of the character, where the familiar is placed against a backdrop of the unfamiliar - the future, alternate timelines, "imaginary" stories, etc. Other great Superman stories focus on Superman's role in the larger DC universe, and are effective by showing why, even in a fictional world overpopulated with heroes, Superman is the best of the best. And of course, a few of the best Superman stories are by Alan Moore ... because he is just that damn good. What doesn't work? Well, Bryan Singer take note -- at least one otherhyped-up Superman story in recent years fell totally flat and was slammed by fans for showing a weak, ineffectual, angsty Superman. Superman: For Tommorow, written by Brian Azzarello (known for his talent with hard-boiled crime fiction -- sound familiar?), was gobbled up by fans due to the pairing of Azzarello with legendarily kick-ass artist Jim Lee. But the meandering, confusing plot turned off fans attracted by the high-profile creative team.
So will Superman Returns take it's place next to classic Superman tales like these, or be the second coming of For Tommorow? Remains to be seen ... but for now, here's the Best Superman stories of all time. Happy reading.
THE BEST SUPERMAN STORIES OF ALL-TIME.
20. Superman: Time and Time Again - (writer: Roger Stern, etc., artist: Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens, etc.) In modern continuity, Superman never lived during World War II, but in this time-travel story, the modern Man of Steal gets caught up in a time-traveling adventure and visits the stone age, Camelot, WWII, and the far future! A lot of fun situations for Superman, and a great science fiction story from one of the best modern eras of Superman stories by some of his best creative teams.
19. Jimmy Olsen: Adventures by Jack Kirby (by Jack Kirby) - There's a reason Kirby is called "King." He's one of the greatest creative minds and most dynamic artists of all time, and when he lft Marvel in the 70's, the cocreator of the X-Men, Hulk, Fantastic Four, and others brought his energy to Superman, populating the DC Universe with an entire world of strange new characters and concepts. And of all the odd places to do it, Kirby picked the kind of obscure Jimmy Olsen comic - a spinoff of Superman focusing on Clark Kent's danger-prone pal. It was in this comic that Kirby staked his territory at DC, planting the seeds for his Fourth World - including the introduction of one of Superman's greatest villains - Darkseid. While the stories are pretty dated, the artwork and overall sense of fun and adventure remains.
18. Superman: They Saved Luthor's Brain (writer: Roger Stern, artist: Butch Guice, etc) - Another series of tales from the 80's / early 90's era, this collection of Lex Luthor-centric stories presents the classic villain at his best - aka, at his worst. We see a Lex Luthor who is so paranoid of Superman that he always wears a kyptonite ring to ward off his enemy - a move which ultimately infects Luthor with a deadly form of cancer. But even impending death can't stop Lex - desperate to beat his illness, Lex fakes his own death, disappears, and, well ... read the story (though the title may give some hints). A great collection of Lex Luthor showing why he is one of Superman's greatest foes.
17. Superman / Doomsday: Hunter / Prey - (by Dan Jurgens) - following the Death and Return of Superman, DC often tried to replicate the can't-miss, big event feel of that much publicized storyline. Most of the efforts fell flat, but surprisingly, the direct follow-up to Death, featuring the first rematch between Superman and Doomsday - the beast that killed him, was legitimately exciting. With perhaps the best artwork of Jurgen's stellar career, and an epic story filled with characters like Waverider and Darkseid (Darkseid vs. Doomsday!), that fleshed out the orgin of Doomsday with a pretty shocking (at the time) twist -- this was nothing if not a pretty kickass book. Doomsday has since been brought back many times ad nauseam, but really, only this first return carried with it the impact that the character should really have.
16. Superman / Aliens - (writer: Dan Jurgens, artist: Kevin Nowlan) - Jurgens has always been a great artist, and as an "idea guy" he is great ... but as a pure writer? Well, he ain't exactly Alan Moore. But he does excel at the big epics, which makes him a natural for a battle between Superman and the Aliens (aka the big nasty monsters from the "Alien" movies). Surprisingly though, this story captures much of the intensity, cluastrophobia, and character of the original Alien film, and is a damn good read, which is a rare thing for an intercompany Superman crossover. This is a hidden gem that is a lot better than it has any real right to be.
15. Superman: The Wedding Album (by Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesell, Tom Grummett, and more) - Supposedly, the long-awaited wedding between Clark Kent and Lois Lane was rushed in the comics to coincide with the wedding taking place on the Lois and Clark TV Show. But in the comics, the wedding had been a LONG time in the making, in a way. There was only, what, 60 years of history between Clark and Lois? And in the modern continuity, their engagement, in the monumental Superman #50 (preceded by Clark finally revealing his secret ID to Lois), seemed to indicate that a wedding was on the way. But a little thing called DEATH interrupted the plans. So while there wasn't much build-up in the comics to the wedding immediately preceding this special issue, the special itself was truly a joy to read, with an all-star collection of artists and writers paying tribute to Clark and Lois. While the followup issues, ie the "honeymoon," were underwhelming, the wedding itself was a comics moment for the ages. I said before that the writers of this era (the 90's) really made you feel like you knew these characters -- well it's a testament to them that this felt less liek the marriage of two icons of pop culture and more like the wedding of two people you knew as friends - friends who have Batman on their guest list.
14. Superman: Emperor Joker (writers: Jeph Loeb, Joe Kelly, etc., artists: Ed McGuiness, Duncan Roulou, etc) - The modern, late 90's -to- present era of Superman has seen a number of high profile writers take on Superman, but overall, the stories just lacked the fun and continuity of the 80's and 90's. But when the "new" era of Superman FIRST came about, it seemed to have a ton of promise, as one of the first "big" stories from Jeph Loeb, Joe Kelly was a near-classic. Sadly, this group would rarely again reach these same creative heights during their run, but what we have here is an epic tale of an altered univerese where nothing is what it seems ... because the force behind this strange reality is none other than The Joker, granted omnipotence in a sick, cosmic twist of fate. Oddly, this story has not yet been collected into trade paperback form, but I'm sure it will happen eventually, as it remains one of the most fun and sprawling Superman tales of the last ten years. Also, it was the breakout story for Ed McGuinness, whose classic-meets-anime take on Superman was one of the key artistic takes of the decade.
13. Superman: Red Son - (writer: Mark Millar, artist: Dave Johnson) There have been many "Elseworlds" Superman stories throughout the years - "what if?" style tales where Superman lives in other times, has his origin changed, and even whole stories that are simply about "what if Superman never existed in the DC Universe?" But of the altered-origin Elseworlds, this one is likely the best - a dark, mature take on Superman by Mark Millar that asks: "What if Superman's rocket landed not in Smallville, Kansas - but in Communist Russia?" This is a surprisingly kickass story, that examines what makes Superman well, Superman, and has a lot of interesting political subtext. It also features the best Superman vs. Batman fight outside of The Dark Knight Returns, which is worth the price of admission alone.
12. Superman: Eradication - (by Roger Stern, Dan Jurgens, George Perez, Jerry Ordway, etc.) - Yet another story from the 80's / 90's era of Superman, this is the ultimate look at the question of - Superman: earthman or alien? When Superman finds a strange artifact from Krypton - the Eradicator - he soon finds himself caught up in the machine's edict to preserve Krypton at all costs - even if it means remaking Krypton on Earth. Possesed by the device, Superman forsakes his Clark Kent identity and resumes his role as the Last Son of Krypton! This story introduces a ton of elements into the modern Superman mythos - the Eradicator would pop up in a number of later stories - and is also a great story in and of itself, one of the highlights of the post-Crisis (aka post 1986) era of Superman.
11. Superman: Peace on Earth - (writer: Paul Dini, artist: Alex Ross) - With just a select few projects, Alex Ross has established himself as one of the all time great, iconic, and definitive artists when it comes to Superman. Ross' paintings capture the awe, the majesty, the iconography of Superman better than anyone, and in this oversized graphic novel, the beautiful artwork of Alex Ross is combined with the simple, breezy words of Batman: Animated Series wunderkind Paul Dini to make for an elegant read that basically sums up what Superman is all about. No big fights, no supervillains - just a message of peace and hope and the most stunning Superman artwork one could ask for.
10. Superman: The Fall of Metropolis - (writers: Dan Jurgens, Karl Kessel, Roger Stern, artists: Jurgens, Ordway, Grummett, Guice, etc) - I'm not sure how others feel about this one, but this was probably the first big event story after Death and Return that I felt really lived up to the hype, and was kind of the climactic moment for the "Triangle" era of the 90's, during which all four Superman comics were linked weekly by a numbering system, so that stories continued week to week. Basically, this was the ultimate battle between Superman and Lex Luthor - Lex's tight control of his public image began to slip away, and Lex slowly became exposed to the public for the criminal and fraud that he was. So with nothing left to lose, with his health slipping and loyalists deserting him, - Lex, a beaten man, says to hell with dignity and vows to take down Metropolis with him. An epic story that was really well done, this was one of the most fun Superman vs. Lex Luthor stories that I can remember reading.
9. Superman: Panic in the Sky - (writers: Roger Stern, Dan Jurgens, etc, artists: Jurgens, Grummet, etc.) Just as Fall of Metropolis was the big Superman vs. Luthor story of the 80's / 90's, this was the big Superman as general-in-a-cosmic-war storyline of the same period. This story was just a hell of a lot of fun. It's Superman leading an army of heroes against an invading alien armada, led by one of Superman's greatest foes - Braniac (currently featured on SMALLVILLE). There are unlikely alliances (Deathstroke?), moments of heroism, of tragedy, and plenty of high adventure. Great artwork as well, with Tom Grummet and Dan Jurgens doing lots of great group scenes. While this doesn't have the sophisitication of more modern comic book stories, it has that classic feel that you just don't see anymore.
8. Superman: For The Man Who Has Everything - (writer: Alan Moore, artist: Dave Gibbons) - What happens when you take the creative team behind Watchmen and have them do a Superman story? Duh, you get one of the best Superman stories ever, of course. Recently adapted into the Justice League cartoon, this self-contained story has intergalactic despot Mongul inflicting the ultimate pain on Superman - showing him, through a hallucinegenic plant, the life he COULD have had. A life on a Krypton that never blew up- normal, happy, carefree, in love, with family. And when Superman wakes up, and realizes that he just lived out a life that could never be, well, let's just say he is PISSED. A classic story and one of the best ever.
7. Superman: Secret Identity - (writer: Kurt Busiek, artist: Stuart Immonen) - Another Elseworlds story, this is another somewhat dark, realistic take on the Superman mythos. Acclaimed writer Kurt Busiek asks: "What if, in OUR world, the REAL world, someone who happened to be named Clark Kent somehow developed all the powers and abilities of the comic book hero Superman? What would happen? How would his parents, friends, the government REALLY react?" Now the realistic take on Superman is cool, but what makes this story great is that Busiek gets inside the head of this version of Clark Kent and really makes him come alive. We follow Clark from his childhood, to young adulthood, to middle age, and more than anything this is a story about growing up and living life as much as it is a story about Superman. This stroy is poignant and unpredictable, and the art by Immonen is realistic, graceful, and some of his best ever.
6. The Death and Return of Superman Saga - (by Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Karl Kessell, Tom Grummett, Louise Simonson, etc.) - Well, this story has its detractors, and sure, when read by a discerning adult it has some obvious flaws. But to me as an eleven year old reading this, alongside Batman: Knightfall, in 1992 and 1993 -- wow, this was IT. This was the story that got me into comics. This was the story that got me looking everywhere, anywhere, for the next issue - often scouring the bookstores of CT for the next chapter of this epic saga in the absence of real comic stores in my area. First there was the Death -- the sudden coming of Doomsday and the epic fight to end all fights as Doomsday took out the entire Justice League, with only Superman left to stop him. Superman made his final stand in Metropolis, and as Jimmy, Lois, and the world watched, Superman defeated Doomsday with his last breath, giving his very life saving the world. The story had larger than life art by Dan Jurgens, perhaps the definitive Superman artist of the 90's, with each new issue of the story having less panels per page, until the infamous Death issue, Superman 75, was comprised solely of full-page panels that depicted Superman's chilling final moments. And now, sure, it was naive to think that DC would really kill off Superman forever, but the eleven year olds across the world sure thought that our hero was a goner. We read the following Funeral For a Friend storyline, saw the other heroes mourn their greatest champion, saw the continued machinations of Lex Luthor, and finally, the emergence of Four would-be Supermen - Steel, the Cyborg, Superboy, and the Eradicator - each claiming to be the real-deal Man of Steel. But the real highlight, storywise, was the Return - aka Reign of the Supermen. It was good vs. evil, new characters, old characters, mystery, action, all told weekly, WEEKLY, on a grand stage. And all the time wondering if, when, the legit Man of Tommorow would return. This is the stuff that makes boys into fanboys, that creates fans of the Superman. Say what you will, but this story was the bomb.
5. Superman: For All Seasons - (writer: Jeph Loeb, artist: Tim Sale) - While the pair of Loeb and Sale are hailed mostly for their work on Batman, they also teamed up to create on of the great Superman stories -- For All Seasons. The story takes a look at Clark Kent, growing up in Smallville and venturing out to Metropolis, expanding on John Bryne's Man of Steel in the same way Long Halloween expanded on the world of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. Loeb takes us inside the heads of Clark, Lana Lang, the Kents, and even Lex Luthor - giving us a Superman origin story that is more about character than most Superman stories we've seen. Tim Sale's art is lush, pastoral, vivid, stylized. Odd at times, but ultimately effective at bringing Loeb's story to life. This is the best aspects of TV's Smallville combined with the classic elements of Man of Steal - and a great look not so much at Superman, but at Clark Kent.
4. Superman: The Man of Steel (by John Bryne) - This is the definitive origin story of Superman, and the story that revitalized Superman creatively in the mid-1980's and set the tone for all Superman stories to follow TO THIS DAY. In a way, though the tale itself is good, its almost more signifigant for WHAT it accomplishes rather than HOW. It makes Superman a viable, modern character - it makes Clark Kent a rounded individual, a personality that is the reality of Superman, the real person behind the costume, and not the other way around. We have Clark's adoptive parents, the Kents, still alive and playing a prominent role in their son's development, making him human even if his origins are extraterrestrial. We have Clark as a teen struggling over how to use his powers - does he tell his childhood sweetheart Lana Lang? Does he go out for football? As the story progresses, Lois Lane enters the picture - a snappy, independent, modern woman, a star reporter and a match for any man, not merely a damsel in distress. And most of all, Lex Luthor. No longer is Luthor a simple mad scientist or cartoonish supervillain. From this point forward, Luthor was a modern form of evil - a businessman, CEO of LexCorp. Bryne reinvented Lex Luthor as someone whose evil was hidden and covert, who was above the law, who resented Superman because he overshadowed Lex's rightful place as Metropolis' favorite son. Bryne totally changed the Superman - Luthor dynamic, updating the mythos for the modern day in a manner that was so well thought out that it holds up to this day. Even the Superman-Batman relationship was redefined here, with the two as reluctant allies with similar goals but opposing methods, no longer the super-chums of old. While others have attempted to re-redefine Superman over the years, see (Mark Waid's contrived modern take on the origin story, Superman: Birthright), Bryne's story endures because it got things right, fixing some of the key elements of the Superman legend and essentially setting the stage for a new era of stories. (Sidenote: Also highly recommended are the subsequent John Bryne Superman stories, collected in the Man of Steel series of paperbacks, that have a number of great stories from Bryne's mid-80's relaunch of the core Superman titles, where his new take on Superman, his vilalins, and his supporting cast is further explored.). It's too bad that even as Lois and Clark, Smallville, and the animated series have borrowed from Bryne and his successors, Bryan Singer and co seem to still be living in the pre-Man of Steel era.
3. Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tommorow (writer: Alan Moore, artists: Curt Swan and George Perez) - Knowing that John Bryne was set to reboot the Superman titles following the DC universe-shaking Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986, legendaey editor Julius Schwartz decided to say goodbye to the Superman continuity that had existed since Action Comics #1 in 1938 with a huge, "farewell" story to the classic version of Superman. When you have the best comics writer ever, Alan Moore, teamed with perhaps the definitive Sperman artist of all time, Curt Swan, along with then-up-and-comer (and now legendary in his own right) George Perez ... well, you know you're in for something special. This two-part story is a giant tribute to al lthe great Superman stories of the past, with a slightly darker undertone indicating the modern era that Superman was about to enter. In any case, there is certainly an air of finality to it - this really is the "last" Superman story before the cosmic reset button was hit, and Alan Moore goes out with a bang. Superman is attacked by man of his old enemies, once his secret ID is exposed to the world. Barricaded in his arctic Fortress with Lois and other loved ones, Superman fights a desperate battle against Luthor, Braniac, and the deadly Krypton Man. The surprise ending is a classic, but a fitting end to decades worth of stories. Then again, as was said about this story - "It's an imaginary story, but then again, aren't they all?" A classic.
2. Superman: What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way? (writer: Joe Kelly, artist: Doug Mahnke) - It's funny, this single issue Superman tale, from Action Comics 775 from a few years's back, really came out of nowhere. Joe Kelly was a good writer, sure, but he is incredibly hit and miss. He often goes for huge concepts and seems to have more going on in his head than he can coherantly fit onto the page. His stories are often confusing to the point of frustration, complex to the point of ridiculousness, and often unsatisfying in conclusion. But man, when he hits it out of the park, he REALLY hits it out of the park. With this story, Kelly did what few others have been able to do -- he showed why Superman is relevant TODAY, in the post 9/11 era, in a world where the very idea of Truth, Justice, and the American Way seems outdated and anachronistic - of an earlier, more naive, more innocent time. In a flash of brilliance, Kelly creates a great setup - a new team of anti-heroes, The Elite, is on a rampage, stopping crimes with violent aplomb and disregard for their means. Superman confronts the Elite, led by their charismatic leader, Manchester Black, and is drawn into a battle that he cannot hope to win. But what starts off as a fight of strength soon becomes a battle of ideals, and with the world watching, Superman dismatles and humiliates the Elite, and does it HIS way, showing that no, there isn't anything funny about Superman or what he represents. When I first read this story, I was totally surprised and blown away - where did this come from? Wow. And quickly, word spread, that this right here was maybe the most important Superman comic book of our time. In the wake of 9/11, many Superman stories tried to inspire patriotism, but few were really effective, as Superman at the time was caught up in a largely pointless crossover story called Our Worlds At War that coincidentally mirrored 9/11 but also existed in a comic book fantasy-world vaccuum. What Joe Kelly did here, backed up by the raw, gritty art of Doug Mahnke, was to write an utterly kickass Superman story that is also the definitive reason and justification for why, exactly, this character persists into the new millenium, which is a pretty damn remarkable feat.
1. Kingdom Come - (writer: Mark Waid / Alex Ross, artist: Alex Ross). Sure, this isn't strictly a Superman story. It's another "Elseworlds" story that deal with a future, dystopian vision of the DC Universe. But when I think about the most powerful images of Superman that I've ever seen, the ones that made me stand up and cheer, that gave me chills, that made me love Superman - a good number of them can be found here, in this modern-day masterpiece, not only one of the best Superman stories ever told, but one of the best comic stories, in the tradition of Watchmen and the Dark Knight Returns. For the uninitiated, Kingdom Come is a four-part series featuring stunning painted art by Alex Ross, that looks at a DC Universe where all the old heroes - Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, have retired or otherwise hidden themselves fro mthe public eye. In their place, a new generation of heroes emerges - heroes who don't adhere to the old ideals od justice or morality - heroes who are barely distinguishable from the villains they fight. When the leader of these new heroes, Magog, carelessly leads his troops into a fight that triggers a nuclear explosion in Kansas, a retired Superman must reemerge to show the young 'uns how it's done. But the world that Clark Kent returns to is a far cry from the world of heores that he left. You want to talk about Superman Returns? Never have I seen a more awes-inspiring depiction of Superman than his dramatic return at the end of Kingdom Come's opening chapter. A streak of yellow and red and blue in the sky, a woosh of air - a bird, a plane? No, as you turn the page the striking work of Alex Ross hits you right between the eyes. Superman is BACK - greying hair, lines under the eyes, yes, but man, the Man is back, and the black and red "S' on his chest indicates that he means business. I don't want to spoil the twists and turns of Kingdom Come for those who haven't read it, but it is another example of Superman at his best. This story, the story that put Alex Ross in the map, is pure magic from start to finish - the most powerful and epic and awe-inspiring depiction of Superman ever put to screen or page.
Alright - whew, that was quite a list. Hope you liked it. Back with more soon - until next time.
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